Welcome to ❤ ＪＡＰＡＮorama ❤ , a hang-out build around everything that is Japanese (:

I'm new to Menewsha and I don't really know if I'm doing it right, but this is meant to be a place where everyone interested in Japan can gather and talk.Whether you are here to ask a question, to learn about a foreign country or to share your experiences, everybody is welcome.

It's hard to pin point when I first got hooked on Japan or why exactly I feel so strongly about it.I think I like this country because of its culture and history.

Can't wait to hear your opinions and thoughts.Don't forget to respect the general rules, to be nice and constructive with your criticism.



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About Japan - A list of useful things

Quotes

"Japan brings together both the modern and the traditional.West influences coexist with the exotic, the miraculous, the extraordinary and the sereneness of Zen.Although sometimes it may seem illogical or twisted, The Land of the Rising Sun has carefully and steadily adapted many things along its history, keeping what was needed and throwing away what was useless.
Few people today are not affected in any way by Japanese ideas, culture or economy.However, for most of us, this country remains an enigma, an unsolved riddle.Influenced by the West, but unlike any Western country, part of Asia, but evidently different from any other Asian nation.
The Japanese people depict an image of uniqueness, almost divine.They usually refer to Japanese things as being "special", thus being rarely understood by foreigners."

(translated and put together from all sorts of books)

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Discussions

What are your thoughts on Japan?
What's your favorite/the most interesting thing about it ?
Have you ever been there ?
Do you know/are you learning Japanese?
Recommendations: ( things like books, anime, movies, food, .. )

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JAPANORAMA IS READY FOR BUSINESS!!

Similiar for me, the culture (samurai, anime, manga, the language) and history attracted me to this country.

Originally Posted by Acobjum

Similiar for me, the culture (samurai, anime, manga, the language) and history attracted me to this country.

Hmm, I wish I was a samurai.A katana would come in handy whenever I get annoyed by people o3o

I like the way their language sounds. :P At the moment I'm most interested in the manga culture, and some of their music...I also love their visual kei styles.

I wish our country didn't have such strict standards on weaponry (though in retrospect, it does help cut down on the crime a bit I guess), I would need a license to be able to own a sharpened katana, so all I have is one that's dulled and can only at most break bones but not slice through anything. I gave myself a bad bruise when I whacked it on an arm once. :XD

Originally Posted by Sefirosu

I like the way their language sounds. :P At the moment I'm most interested in the manga culture, and some of their music...I also love their visual kei styles.

I wish our country didn't have such strict standards on weaponry (though in retrospect, it does help cut down on the crime a bit I guess), I would need a license to be able to own a sharpened katana, so all I have is one that's dulled and can only at most break bones but not slice through anything. I gave myself a bad bruise when I whacked it on an arm once. :XD

I'm now trying to learn Japanese by myself.I think I'm doing fine.The language does indeed sound so full of energy! I'm still just exploring the Japanese music scene.Can you recommend me something, I'd like that ^__^

Nowadays a katana wouldn't be that useful, as you said.I wish I could go back in time and then use some kind of teleportation to get to Japan.:boogie:

My Japanese is horrible. :XD I can understand a few words here and there, but most of the time I just stare clueless. Watching tons of YouTube videos help though.
Hmm...I don't know. I only listen to a few people, like Gackt and DJ Ozma, though there are other people/bands that I listen to, but only to a few select songs of theirs. Girugamesh, Vocaloid, Dir en Grey, The GazettE, and some others might be worth listening to, but I'm not all too familiar with their songs. Mostly I just stick to Gackt, since I tend to like most of his songs. :XD

lol That would be pretty interesting, though I wouldn't want to...don't want to randomly be killed. :sweat: Ancient times seem to be so much more dangerous in some ways...laws aren't always enforced and if you get killed they either won't care or can't efficiently catch the culprit. I'd rather stay here, with my lovely laptop and all. :P

I'd like to visit Japan someday though. When I save up enough money and find someone who can translate for me, that is...:sweat:

Originally Posted by Sefirosu

My Japanese is horrible. :XD I can understand a few words here and there, but most of the time I just stare clueless. Watching tons of YouTube videos help though.
Hmm...I don't know. I only listen to a few people, like Gackt and DJ Ozma, though there are other people/bands that I listen to, but only to a few select songs of theirs. Girugamesh, Vocaloid, Dir en Grey, The GazettE, and some others might be worth listening to, but I'm not all too familiar with their songs. Mostly I just stick to Gackt, since I tend to like most of his songs. :XD

lol That would be pretty interesting, though I wouldn't want to...don't want to randomly be killed. :sweat: Ancient times seem to be so much more dangerous in some ways...laws aren't always enforced and if you get killed they either won't care or can't efficiently catch the culprit. I'd rather stay here, with my lovely laptop and all. :P

I'd like to visit Japan someday though. When I save up enough money and find someone who can translate for me, that is...:sweat:

I've listened to Dir an Grey, I liked most of their songs.Other then that I really like Tokyo Jihen and Supercar.They're not really that popular I think.I found out about Tokyo Jihen just by coincidence, and Supercar was part of the soundtrack of one of my favorite Japanese movies, Ping-Pong.Anyways, thanks for the info !

You're probably right about the lack of safety of those times.I'm usually very peaceful and calm by the way, don't think I'm some kind of fighting maniac [;

Gackt, Dir en Grey, and Visual Kei seem to be the most popular here in America. However, all the artist who get their music put in anime and video games are fairly known as well. I listen to T.M.Revolution, Kotani Kinya, Kat-Tun, L'arc~en~ciel, Hyde, and Gackt. If they happen to be in other groups I tend to listen to them as well. I like the pop genre a little more than rock.

I didn't even know Pokemon was an anime but I guess that's how I started, then I got hooked on Shonen Jump. But what I like about Japan is the language, it's different from English and makes more sense pronounciation wise. English has all those silent letters and it doesn't make sense most of the time. So far I learn what I can from ispeakjapanese.net and then I have two books my school was selling for a class: An Intergrated Course In Elementary Japanese I (it comes with a workbook). You could probably find it on http://genki.japantimes.co/jp/ or http://bookclub.japantimes.co/jp/. At the moment I'm just trying to memorize the hirigana characters.

I guess depending if you go to a school that has student exchange, or something similar to it, it is a lot of fun to host a student. Yui stayed with me and my family for two weeks. She loved to go shopping. And her classmates were very outgoing too. She studied hard and she also gave us gifts before she left. She is very sweet and I hope I'll get to see her again someday. Maybe I'll go visit her I think it would be fun.

Originally Posted by Esturan

Gackt, Dir en Grey, and Visual Kei seem to be the most popular here in America. However, all the artist who get their music put in anime and video games are fairly known as well. I listen to T.M.Revolution, Kotani Kinya, Kat-Tun, L'arc~en~ciel, Hyde, and Gackt. If they happen to be in other groups I tend to listen to them as well. I like the pop genre a little more than rock.

I didn't even know Pokemon was an anime but I guess that's how I started, then I got hooked on Shonen Jump. But what I like about Japan is the language, it's different from English and makes more sense pronounciation wise. English has all those silent letters and it doesn't make sense most of the time. So far I learn what I can from ispeakjapanese.net and then I have two books my school was selling for a class: An Intergrated Course In Elementary Japanese I (it comes with a workbook). You could probably find it on http://genki.japantimes.co/jp/ or http://bookclub.japantimes.co/jp/. At the moment I'm just trying to memorize the hirigana characters.

I guess depending if you go to a school that has student exchange, or something similar to it, it is a lot of fun to host a student. Yui stayed with me and my family for two weeks. She loved to go shopping. And her classmates were very outgoing too. She studied hard and she also gave us gifts before she left. She is very sweet and I hope I'll get to see her again someday. Maybe I'll go visit her I think it would be fun.

Oh my.I'm too antisocial to be an exchange student.But I'm working at it woohoo!

To me I love the anime/manga, music, language, and their style. Their style just pops up in excitement! And my favorite japanese seiyu is NANA MIZUKI!!!!! i watch so much anime that i kind of know a few japanese language!

Yeah, I'm way too antisocial as well. Takes time for me to open up to others if our personalities didn't mesh well at first contact.

I really don't remember what my first anime is, might have been Doraemon or Sailor Moon or some other weird thing, though I didn't know they were 'anime' back then. Referred to them all as 'cartoons'. I was obsessed with Sailor Moon back then, I think everyone my age back then was. :XD We'd spin around trying to imitate Sailor Moon with that '我要代替月亮懲罰你!' line...(it's Chinese, I have no idea what the original phrase is in Japanese and I don't know what the English version of it was translated to either :sweat:) I think I still have stickers of them bought back when I was in kindergarten...that I never used...and it still lying in a drawer somewhere at home...:sweat:

I still like Doraemon, even after all these years and it being a kids' show. :XD

I don't know how I managed to not see any anime series as I was a kid.I got into anime when I was about 15.But my first one was Naruto.It's funny , but that was how I officially got introduced to anime and Japan in general.