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Hey,

So in midseptember i'll be moving from Tokyo, Japan to Dallas, Texas and to be honest I am freaking out. I have grown to love Japan and when I heard I was moving to Texas I involuntarily spazzed (overstatement). I have to try to act like its okay, to make it easier for the rest family but I am seriously suffering from depression now.

Anyways, the point is I NEED ALL THE ADVICE I CAN GET! Any tokyoites who have left Japan? And Texans who want to help out a kid who only knows the Texas sterotype... please reply. I will probably be asking countless amounts of questions on daily life, culture, and how things roll.

Thanks so much!

-Omi


I've been to Tokyo and Dallas a couple of times and there is a Massive cultural difference.
If you're Japanese, I think the only Japanese friends you may find are in the odd person that works in a Japanese Restaurant, and if I recall, there aren't many.

I also found a serious lack of public transport in Dallas, which (as you know) is extremely different to Tokyo, so you'll need a car, it's a big city and you maybe find you'll be spending all your money on Taxi's.
On the upside, you'll be in the States, and at some point you'll want to get out of Dallas, so make your way to more cosmopolitan cities, like San Francisco or New York, you may enjoy these places more...

I've personally been very fortunate enough to travel to over 62 countries, and Texas/Dallas aren't that bad, it's just that they're not the best places in America, imho...

Moving house can be stressful, it's actually one of the most stressful things you'll do in your life, it's up there with the Top 3...

I recommend you try This for Stress

And This for the Depression.

They are both natural and work wonders.

Don't worry, you'll be fine...

;)
 
AS to the public transportation, it's getting better, but particularly where you are it is not great. There is a light rail, but that is not really effective except for certain routes.
 
Moving from a city with one of the best public transit in the world to a city with one of the worst.

Make friends with that hole on the side of a car; you'll be opening it a lot soon.

Wouldn't want to be in your shoes either, but hey you only have a few years before you can take off. :D
 
Yea I think so. My school in japan was some tiny azz private one, and I heard that carroll is huge with two buildings and a shuttle bus and serious about football... I ain't no sportsman.

:eek: eek

Football in the US is huge, especially in Big 12 country!

Learn the lingo so you can talk to comlete strangers about them longhorns or cowboys lol

Be prepared for a much cheaper cost of living than you are used to
 
My favorite sign at the entrance to a TX coffee shop:

"We Appreciate It If You Left Your Guns Outside"


My favourite was a coffee/tea mug I bought which had - "Don't Mess With Texas" written on the side of it!
I'm sure it just meant "Please don't litter/trash the county"

But I read it as - "DON'T eFF WITH US!" ;)


dontmesstxmug.jpg


bouncer-500.jpg
 
welcome to texas. if u lived in california n liked it.....texas wont be much different. u will soon get driver learners permit n get urself a big pickup truck or suv. wont never be able to do thatin tokyo
 
welcome to texas. if u lived in california n liked it.....texas wont be much different. u will soon get driver learners permit n get urself a big pickup truck or suv. wont never be able to do thatin tokyo



:rolleyes:


Yeah right, and buy some guns and say "Yee Haw" a lot, that's something else you can't do in Tokyo...
 
(fell in love with Chipotle Mexican)

Chipotle is amazing, just wait till you try the real mexican food tho.... yummyyy

Ohh, and another thing-
I've never been to japan, but from what i understand, be ready to take a serious hit in internet speed...
 
welcome to texas. if u lived in southern california n liked it.....texas wont be much different. u will soon get driver learners permit n get urself a big pickup truck or suv. wont never be able to do thatin tokyo

Fixed that for you.

Chipotle is amazing, just wait till you try the real mexican food tho.... yummyyy

Ohh, and another thing-
I've never been to japan, but from what i understand, be ready to take a serious hit in internet speed...

Oh ****, that's for sure! (To both!)
 
If you're Japanese, I think the only Japanese friends you may find are in the odd person that works in a Japanese Restaurant, and if I recall, there aren't many.

And most of them are probably Chinese. :p


When you can go to uni, go back to Japan and GTFO. My friend from Texas says Austin is the place to be in Texas. I think Tokyo is fantastic, although I'm the type of person who likes things like public transport, fantastic food, great shopping, etc.
 
Yea I think so. My school in japan was some tiny azz private one, and I heard that carroll is huge with two buildings and a shuttle bus and serious about football... I ain't no sportsman.

:eek: eek

High school football is stupidly popular here and yes, Carroll school is huge (I drive past it every day on my way to work). Texas will be vastly different than Japan as you already know, but it isn't something that can't be overcome. I lived in Japan for 3 years while in the military and you learn to adapt. You'll be fine here.
 
Just to satisfy you stereotypers out there:

(Removes grass straw from mouth) Holy Cow Bells! Glad you made the flight okay there pardner. Now don't you worry your pretty little head about livin' in the great state of Texas. Tarnation! all you need to fit in here is a good hat, some chaps, and boots. (Pauses to spit tobacco) Being a young feller, just focus on learnin' your three R's in school, you know, ridin', ropin', and cow rustlin'.

I hear you'll be driving soon so if you need to practice then my cousin Cletus has a John Deere that you can take for a spin around the ranch any time you like. (Adjusts gun belt) Once you get that license we'll help you find a good Texas sized truck and put some mud flaps on it.

Yee Haw! I'm just so excited you decided to move here from the orient. I don't see how you people live on all that rice. Now that yous is here we'll put some meat on your bones with lots of good ole' Southern cookin'. Bar-B-Q, steak, potato salad, baked beans, whooooo doggiee, I'm gettin' hungry and sweaty just thinkin' bout it. (pulls out kerchif and wipes brow)

The bottom line here son, is even though you weren't born here in God's country you got here as soon as you could. Now run along and play with that there computer contraption of yours while I make a list of what we need to get from town.

Seriously, welcome to the area and don't hesitate to let us know if there's anything we can do to help. Despite the stereotype we're not as "out of touch or country" as you would think. :)
 
My favourite was a coffee/tea mug I bought which had - "Don't Mess With Texas" written on the side of it!
I'm sure it just meant "Please don't litter/trash the county"

But I read it as - "DON'T eFF WITH US!" ;)

No, you read it right. It has nothing to do with litter, although I think they may have made it a slogan for the anti-litter campaign. I remember seeing some anti-litter signs last time I drove to DFW. But the original usage, and still most common usage, is exactly what it says.
 
About 18 months ago, I made a similar jump. After almost 9 years in Asia, I moved from Singapore to Florida. It was a culture shock even coming back annually to visit folks.

I found it helps immensely to look at it as visiting a new country. Take the good and bad and try and find something close to Japan where you can ease the transition. It's not easy but it can be an adventure.
 
If you want to blend in, you should get a big-ass gun and shoot a person with Downs Syndrome. I bet they'd love you. :)


:p

You just reminded me - I haven't shot my daily Down Syndrome person today :rolleyes: Please.

Seriously its like any large city, just more cowboy hats.

And Dallas has very few of those. Fort Worth, on the other hand...

I still feel really sad though, because I know that i'll never be able to take the train into the heart of a massive city alone and do whatever i please.

There is a train that goes into Dallas, which is certainly not a "massive city" if you're coming from Tokyo, but in the end the real means of transportation is to have your own vehicle. DFW is far too spread out to make public transit feasible for most people.

Dallas is a big metro area, so while you will still see the big pickups and other signs of Texas-ness, it is a decent city.

I can certainly vouch here - roughly half of all passenger vehicles are pickups, SUV's, or vans.

Are Texans still allowed to shoot car thieves, or people they think are car thieves, after sunset - no questions asked?

I certainly hope you're joking.

I have driven around southlake using Google Streetview and it was shockingly empty! I can see the benefits of that (a good nights sleep is one, I live on a main street here).

In that regard, Southlake is a typical suburb - like I said, things are more spread out here. Land is cheaper, so it's easier to build "out" than "up."

Yeah right, and buy some guns and say "Yee Haw" a lot, that's something else you can't do in Tokyo...

I've lived in North Texas for nearly 15 years, and I've yet to hear a single person yell "yee haw." You've been watching too many old western movies.
 
Just thought I would throw it out there, we arrived today!

People are sooo incredibly nice, and...well... fairly large! lol

So far my mom is hating it... she keeps saying she hates the suberbs etc, but so far I think I have been taking it fairly well. woohoo.

To be honest, I do feel that America is really behind in tech,culture, and design. But we have not been in downtown dallas/southlake yet...you never know.

Missing Tokyo loads, but up for the adventure. Still *****ting my self about school coming soon though...

Will keep intouch with questions :D

-Omi


EVERYTHING is BIGGER in texas!
 
welcome to texas. if u lived in california n liked it.....texas wont be much different. u will soon get driver learners permit n get urself a big pickup truck or suv. wont never be able to do thatin tokyo


we don't carry guns and yell YEE HAW here in socal! now lots of other things are the same in socal as in texas......
 
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