Basically this is a post about why i love Japan.
I have been wanting to write this post for a long time, but keep procrastinating it because i couldn’t seem to find the right tone and angle to fully express what i wanted to say (also every day i find a new reason to love it so it become very long). Also because i potentially might get stoned to death by patriots, because even i feel like i’m betraying my own country. So it also involves a lot of complicated feelings.
But they are good rather than bad feelings. Sort of like a piece of nutella flavored bacon. Something like that.
But today i decided to just go all out wtf. It’s like confessing for the first time.
Here’s a little background story.
15 years ago there was this Japanese drama playing on TV. I was stunned to see how beautiful the actress was and how romantic the story was (last time la). I was hooked and started to want to know more about this whole Japanese thing. Then there were songs, Sailormoon, Ayumi Hamasaki, Sushi King (last time la) etc etc.
I was hooked forever.
Before i knew it, i started buying Japanese language books and speak random Japanese with my best friend. She called me Ringo (means apple) and i called her Ichigo (strawberry). It was our dream to go to Japan together one day. It was a far far far far away dream.
At one point i thought that i would never ever be able to travel to Japan. It was extremely expensive and i was poor wtf. But i continued to lived in my own dream. I continued going for weekend classes to learn Japanese and imagine one day i would be there. One day.
Then i also discovered lolita fashion and i was like sweet mother of god how on earth can someone be THAT CUTE?!?!? It was my dream to save up RM10,000, and one day i will travel to Japan and buy ALL the lolita fashion that i loved.
And then in 2008, i finally saved up RM5k to pay for a homestay in Nagano. The moment i landed at Narita airport i teared. The airport ground staff bowed to our airplane when it touched ground. In my heart i thought, this is my dream come true.
And then the rest is history (or rather in the archive of this blog wtf). Indeed it was a dream come true, and something more than that.
Sidetrack a little, today i watched this documentary recommended by Xiaxue and QiuQiu called “The Secret”, which is about positive thinking, law of attraction and crap like that. The normal cynical me would have been all, don’t bullshit me la. But when i thought of it, a lot of things make sense. So from now on i am going to sound all megalomaniacal and narcissistic (but that’s supposed to be the way apparently. I say one. lol).
Japan is just one of the examples. I have loved it for such a long time (15 years is a lot!!!!). And now it loves me back, for all the love i’ve ever poured for it. It keeps wanting me to go back. It’s true. Now it’s almost like i’m holidaying in Malaysia. I’m going there again this month 21st. For both work and holiday. And love.
(Ok I can’t believe that was the intro to this blog post.)
Anyway here’s the real post. Now about why i love Japan.
Everybody loves Japan in some way. The food, the people, the fashion, the hospitality, the professionalism, all the cute shit, anime, pop singers, fast internet, fresh sushi, sakura, and porn idols wtf.
You all know it. I love all of them. Except porn idols maybe. But this is something more on a personal level.
The true reason why i love Japan, is that i recently shockingly discovered that in Japan, i have become this person who…
who…
It’s weird to say this, but I have become someone i like.
I become someone even *i* actually like. And that is coming from someone who seldom like people. Including myself. My default button for a newly met person is dislike wtf. It takes a lot of trust for me to like someone. There was a phase in my life where self-loath was so intense i wished the of the world happen sooner so that i could disappear.
But i am becoming the person i wanted myself to be. In Japan. I become this disgustingly optimistic, genuinely helpful and polite, and most of all, shitlessly happy person i never imagined myself ever will be, or deserved to be.
Every minute i feel happy. Everything i do it makes me happy. Eating a convenient store onigiri makes me happy. Watching cute girls with cute fashion on the street makes me happy. Saying thank you to a shop staff makes me happy. Maybe even touching a Japanese stone make me happy wtf.
Maybe you’d think that’s because i’m experiencing it from a tourist point of view and through sakura-tinted glasses so of course everything looks cute, happy and perfect there. And also it is too soon for me to pass a comment because i don’t live or work there. Also everyone gives me that “grass is greener on the other side” nonsense.
Bitch please. Sakura is pinker on that side.
So on a honeymoon with/in Japan i might be, but i have watched news, learnt about their culture, recognized how hard life is for most people there, and many many other big social problems. So i pretty much also know the not so perfect side of Japan.
I love Japan enough to go back there 9 times (this coming trip in May is my 10th visit), and i have experienced enough to conclude that it is the best fucking place i have ever been to.
For things that i didn’t quite like about Japan, i get used to it.
Sure now i have to make my bed every single morning i wake up, i have to be extra careful and use polite speech with new people or people older than me, i cannot talk too loudly or sit anyhow i want in public places, i have to separate all the freaking 9000 types of garbage, i have to clean up after my food and tray in Starbucks, and now my latest hobby is folding toilet paper into triangle shape.
But you know what i think?
If you can deal with bribery, traffic jam, taxi snatchers and hair in your pan mee in KL, these are nothing.
Maybe after awhile, everywhere becomes sort of the same, you start complaining about your government, your neighbor, your neighbor’s dog. It is too cold. It is too hot. (In Malaysia it is just it is too hot and it is too hot.)
But generally i would still think that i’d be happier in Japan due to the simple fact that everyone takes things seriously and is ultra polite there so chances of me getting tulan and annoyed are lower compared to me living in, say KL. Idiots are everywhere and they irritate you, but at least idiots there (if exist) apologize and bow to you wtf. (Ky said maybe that’s the reason why they invented Yoko Yoko because of all the bowing lolol.)
Anyway, most of the things that i initially didn’t like turned out to be the exact things that could make me a better person (now i will end up sounding like not just a narcissistic, megalomaniacal but a condescending elitist wtf). Because here i learn about manners, politeness, social responsibility and pure kindness. It’s like starting Pendidikan Moral lesson 1 all over again.
It’s like a cult, if i must put it this way. I was shocked to find myself carrying a paper cup for 3 hours just so i could find the right dustbin to throw it in. That i politely smiled to someone who stepped on my toe. That’s something i could never ever do back home in here.
And finding myself doing that makes me happy. Being kind to people and receiving kindness from people make me super happy.
And being there makes me realize how insanely lucky i am to be able to see, smell, taste and touch all these… insanely awesome… stuff. And in return i appreciate every single thing i do or happens to me.
Especially after Tokyo Kawaii TV, i have been getting sooooo many comments from Japanese followers who thank me for loving Japan, which makes me love it even more. (if a foreigner tells me that he/she loves Malaysia my first response is, why ah?!” wtf) A few told me that thanks to me they have re-discovered their own culture, and good things about Japan.
This is so strange if you tell me this is what’s gonna happen, to the young me 15 years ago. I would have been like, what have you been smoking?!
So, shit. Now i am all having messiah syndrome thinking that it’s my calling to promote ALL the good stuff about Japan to the whole world.
Which i am gonna. lol. Because i want everyone to LOVE JAPAN so it will become an even more awesome country for the world.
I’m ending this post with a letter i received from a 17 years old reader.
That’s all. That was the story of my love for Japan. If you have any story to share about your love for Japan too, please leave a comment. I am really curious and i’d read ALL of them!! And share it with everyone!!!
Oh before i forget.
Sakura is pinker on this side.
マレーシアに桜がありません。残念です。 T_T
Haha got. In penang. #truestory
the one and only Sakura tree haha.
Hmmm Sakura may be weak to heat? Go to Japan to enjoy real Sakura!!!
I didn’t even know this even lived at Penang for a total 17 years… #shamed =_=”
Hi there! First of all, I just wanna say I love your blog! I found it through Violet LeBeaux’s blog, and I’m hooked 🙂 I’m in Osaka, Japan now, I lived in Tokyo a year before that (I’m originally from NY) and I love it here as well, how can you not?? I hope you have a wonderful visit!
<3 Renee
Thanks so much for your comment. Hope you have a nice time there too!!! <3
Cheesie, I loved Japan since I was 13. Then I found your blog when I was 16 and my love and curiosity for Japan grew even bigger because you offers different sights of Japan to me, a small town girl who did not even own a PC/internet at home.
[I use to read all of your blog posts at one go whenever I come to KL thrice a year at my cousin’s house for holiday + internet connection hahaah. True Story.]
Like you, I never thought that I had a chance to step on the land of rising sun but it was you who shown me that yes, it is possible!
I am so glad that you are here, showing the world what Japan meant to you and how Japan can change everyone’s lives. I am so glad and grateful that you are so kind to share your experiences in Japan to all of us here because through you and your blog, I’d learn so much about Japan even before going there.
So, I made my trip there last year and I made another trip there last month. You have no idea how many times I read back your old blog posts just to prepare myself of the culture shock. But guess what, because I was so exposed to your adventures in Japan and also my own obsession with their culture, I didn’t encountered any culture shock there at all.
Cheesie, ;_; reading this blog post really makes me wanna cry because whatever that you wrote here are my exact same thoughts. No matter how fucked up we are here, we automatically turn into the nicest persons on earth in Japan. True story.
Like you, I fully understand the good and the bad of Japan but I would give away my everything to be given a chance to start life all over again in Japan. I wish things are as easy as words but I will not lose hope. Simply because everything is possible as long as you work hard for it.
Cheesie, I labyu kao kao as much as you lab Japan. Thank you so so much!
I know.
I also remember how excited you were when you first bought your ticket and were so excited about it. And i’m SO HAPPY when my friends/readers go to Japan for the first time and discover all the good things. And i’m SUPER HAPPY when they tell me or blog about how much they love it.
It’s like enlightenment right lol. Like, “see, now you finally know” lol
Hello there! I recently went to Japan (tokyo, kyoto, hiroshima, gunma) forma holiday. I must say that it is a country like no other. The people are so much more civilised! They really do take care of the mother earth (recycle bins are everywhere!) and ohh i love their toilet bowl with the bidet thing! I have to say that this is the best travel experience i have ever had. It is no wonder my sister is migrating here. I totally understand her now.
i have never been to hiroshima and gunma! i wanna go there!!!
Yes i really admire how much they protect the earth. And Japanese toilet is the best invention since the history of toilet.
if there’s a food that ruled over all kind of food, it would be a piece of nutella flavored bacon.
anyway, i love japan so much (not partly because of your blog but your blog has made the love intensified by 9000 times) is because yes, their people is genuinely nice. its like in KL, there is this nice auntie from certain stalls which always give you extra prawns when you order her curry mee, in japan this kind of aunties are all over the streets.
actually, i came in touch and fall in love with japan started when i was young, probably very very young. i started to watch doraemon and learn about their culture. in some point of time i really wondered “is dorayaki really that nice? LOL”.
and then my love for japan is like an addictive poison that flows in my blood and can never be cured, anymore, forever. i started to look for more animes, and j-dramas, owh god, even if the show is not about japanese food, it is still so much interesting to me and so, my love for japanese cuisine has started. it’s almost the same poison like my love for anime and j-dramas, except this one is even more venom. i can eat japanese food literally everytime i go out with my friends and never get sian of it. if i can have sushi everyday, i swear i wont complain about my life anymore.
i started to cook, in japanese way. curry, all various types of sushis, soba, chawanmushi, etc etc. i started to learn how to cook japanese cuisine, even though still a noob, but overall im satisfied that even though i sucks but the food still tastes very good LOLOL.
and then this fateful meeting (approximately last year july) when i stumbled upon this interview you did with ai-fm about japanese fashion. it intrigued me when i heard about there’s this msian girl who likes japanese stuffs so much that pokes my interest. and i started to look for your blog and then, god knows, im addicted to it, if i must say, this is like how i addicted to nutella, never-ending craving addictive.
well after reading your blog i found about the japan homestay program and i made a promise to myself that someday imma save enough money and go japan just like how cheesie did. to experience everything why japan is soooo good at, to experience sakura, and everything.
and also eat ALL the japanese food!!
So happy to read all these comments!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!
you WILL visit Japan one day. SOON. I just know. 😀
Till this day, I practice standing on the left side of the escalator even though it’s kind of pointless since nobody practices it here ._. But I just feel weird if I don’t do it, y’know? Anyway, what was the dorama you watched 15 years ago?? I love watching Japanese dramas! <3
sometimes i bow to people here in KL and feel silly after lol.
i LOVE “majo no jouken” the teacher and student love affair wan featuring nanako and taki. <3
both of you!! yess, i stand on the left side of the escalator and bow to people here too wtf!!
in Osaka it is right side wan lol
taiwan too! xD polite ppl!
Oh I hope it will be like this when I finally go to Japan ^w^ Can’t wait :>
go during april then!!!
Yes Mam ^w^
Hello Cheesie!
I’ve been a silent reader all these while but i can totally relate to your entry and I wish to share with you why I love Japan…
It’s the Japan air, I swear. Or something along those lines. Everything just seems to be better in Japan. Even the stray cats along the street are all so clean and pretty!
I love the Japanese people! I love their hospitality and the respect that they have for everyone and everything. I love their customs, their rituals, their way of life.
(I also love how they have a different hello kitty in each prefecture 😛 )
After I’ve been to Japan , it’s the only place I want to keep visiting and can seem to keep going back without feeling tired (5 trips so far). My friends think I’m mad for always going back and cannot understand why I go back year after year but I dunno how to explain it to them as I don’t think they will ever understand until they’ve visited japan for themselves. Even just walking along the streets there make me happy. 🙂 I can’t wait to go back and I can’t wait for your next Japan post! <3
me to i think breathing japanese air makes me high wtf.
haha do you collect the hello kitty phone strap! they are so cute i dont even.
I didn’t know they had different hello kittys until my 3rd trip so I didn’t manage to get the kittys from Aomori, Takayama and Wakayama! (more reasons to go back I guess!)
It’s sad to know that a lot of people are changing their travel plans to Japan for the fear of radiation and all that shizz so I think it’s awesome that you’re able to encourage and influence positive attitudes towards Japan. What’s JTB waiting for? Are you sure they haven’t approached you to be their ambassador yet? 😉
haha unfortunately no T___T
nvm la they can spend their budget on other more significant issues meanwhile i promote promote for free la haiya. lol
Wow, 15 years. I have been wanting to go there for the past 5 years or so and reading this really shows how much you sincerely love Japan! It is true how the people and culture there are so different. Although I have not been there myself, which I WILL – one day soon enough, I have many friends from there and by seeing them and being with them, I just love it! You just made me want to be there even more Cheesie!
GO GO GO NAO!!!! COME TO THE PINK SIDE!!!!
I love it! Even though it’s so long with no pictures until the end! haha..
=D It’s always awesome to have passion for something! Good post Cheesie! Love your blog!
xoxo HitomiNeko xoxo
http://hitomineko-hn.blogspot.com
but it’s the most awesome picture!!!!!!
Cheesie, this is seriously a huge text entry! ;D
I read your entry and I was all over like “dafuq it’s the same as me”, well not everything, but the feelings you described when you arrived at Narita airport etc. To read this made me realize that somehow I am also a different person in Japan, it’s so strange to read about someone who actually feels the same.
I really hope you can continue on going to Japan so that you stay as happy as you are. If you find something that makes you happy, continue enjoying it 🙂
its really so nice to know that people feel the same as you <3
Hi Cheesie! I grew up with Japanese dramas. I think the 1st drama I watched was Kimura Takuya’s Beautiful Life wtf the scissors the saloon chairs the opening scene song is still stuck in my head. (I still love him even he looks abit old nao T_T) And then yes, Sushi King (it was cool at that time haha but now their food is so meh) then the manga and then j-pop… Especially X JAPAN! OMG I LOVE X JAPAN!!! T_T
I’ve learnt Japanese for 3 months last year but I’ve stopped because I needed to go to uni. I wanted to go to Japan after my spm but my dad didn’t allow because 2 of my cousins that went there ended up marrying Japanese hahaha. Wanted to take Japanese as elective this sem but my uni didn’t offer so I’m learning Spanish instead right now. Bueno. -___- #bummer
And I finally went to Japan on 23rd March!#dreamcometrue But it was a fast trip cuz we only had 8 days to tour Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. :/ I couldn’t understand anything the Japanese said except of the good morning/afternoon stuffs like that. But luckily I know how to say マレーシアからで す日本語が分かりませんwtf. My friend who’s studying there right now brought me to Harajuku and Shibuya though. When we reached 109 he told me, “This is the place they made the blogger you sent me.” HAHAHA (Yea I forced him to read your blog. GUYS. :alien guy meme:) AND WHILE I WAS AT DISNEYSA I SAW A FULL BLOOMED SAKURA!!! WTF THAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I EVER SEEN APART FROM MOUNT FUJI. I LITERALLY :O IN FRONT OF MOUNT FUJI. I was so happy when I was at Japan I wish I don’t have to come back T__T Btw I think I’ll be going there again next summer as I have friends there and they can bring me around! 😀 But still thank you Cheesie, for showing us more about Japan! <3
eh no leh i just saw him in Japanese tv variety show recently he look goddamn handsome WTF HE IS 40.
Haha spanish is good what. i actually wanted to learn italian but then got lazy and also noo one spoke with me wtf. omg so lucky i didnt know disneysea got sakura!!!
Got 2 sakura trees! Just beside the wall where everybody is staring constantly (I pressume they’re tying to find the hidden Mickey… Like what you did last time)!
http://m.ak.fbcdn.net/a7.sphotos.ak/hphotos-ak-ash3/s720x720/543224_10150724195323584_679148583_9349800_1358728376_n.jpg
the hidden mickey!!!! i kinda think it’s a waste of time cuz i didnt spot any = = #blind
goddamn i saw him on variety too and i was like, DO JAPANESE AGE???????
And btw, I’ve eaten alot in Japan. I swore I gained weight. But when I came back to Malaysia and back to uni people said I’ve lost weight. -_- And then you tweeted about the diet pill = Japan thingy. Haha. When I saw it I was right, true story bro! :jackie chan meme:
haha why opposite one
Hello there Cheesie 🙂 I too love Japan, have been reading your blog since 2009/2010ish and I have to say the way I found your blog was because of the japanese fashion. All I ever knew in terms of fashion for japanese was lolita and I wanted to find more than that. Fortunately I was blessed in finding your blog and learning about different styles and loved your blog even more when I found out how much you love Japan. I hope in going there also someday
Thank you for posting so many neat things and keep up the good work boss!
thnak you so much! i still quite cant believe how fashion can bring people together. isn’t that amazing???
Gosh… I know exactly how you feel! I was blessed to go to Hokkaido for 5 days last year & I don’t wish to come back to Malaysia anymore after that. -_-” Even though everyone warned me about the radiation, but I really don’t care! I am willing to take that risk & stay there forever wtf. Everything in Japan makes me happy too! <3 Reading your blog posts about Japan always managed to cheer me up & it's like a window for me to see/feel/love Japan. 🙂 Keep it up Cheesie! XOXO!!!
my flag is wrong :cheh: should be a malaysia flag
i LOVE hokkaido. it’s one of my favorite cities in Japan. Me too after doing research i feel safe to travel there and stay for a long time. Which is why i keep going back <3 No matter what happens i would rather live happily shorter than suffer miserable long life.
I’ve never been to Japan…but all these years of observing and learning about their culture, I’ve grown to love it even if it’s just in a tourist-point-of-view. Reading your post makes me want to love it more, and I swear, I will buy a ticket to Japan and experience it first-hand. Continue being awesome Cheesie. 😉
PS:
“There was a phase in my life where self-loath was so intense i wished the of the world happen sooner so that i could disappear.” I know the feeling.
my flag is wrong too.. hehe, I’m from the philippines. :))
Be prepared to get your mind blown haha. No matter how much you expect or imagine, going there and experiencing first hand is a whole new different level of awesomeness <3
My next country on my travel list is Japan! I almost bought tickets for coming May but I was too scared to travel there alone with my limited Japanese. I totally regret not going for it~ I stayed in South Korea for a month and was already amazed by how ppl there can be so different with Malaysia. Ppl are polite & streets are clean. Made me wanna migrate fml don’t know whether it’s a good thing. Thank you for the post, totally saving up for Japan!!
DOnt be afraid. Tokyo is very foreigner friendly plus there are always many nice people ready to help you out <3 I have been to Korea too trust me Japan is a completely different level!!
Cheesie, I think Japan is very lucky to have someone who love them sincerely like you do.
But I do understand because I admire so many things about Japan also. I’ve traveled to more than 35 countries in the world and I’ve never seen anything like Japan culture. Polite, honest, delicate and so much awesome stuff including the toilet.
Through your blog I learn a lot about Japan. Please write more about Japan. I think you’re the right person to be the ambassador of Japan tourism 😉
http://debbzie.blogspot.com
Maybe i was a Japanese in my previous life hahahah so i owe them wan.
WOW 35 countries is admirable i wish i could be like you!! Me too Japan is the only country i wanna keep going back. Even though there are also many other places i like. <3
Never been to Japan before, and not really into Japanese culture but reading your post makes me feel good. I don’t know why. Did you kinda like karma your post while you’re writing it so whatever you write look so good?
Makes me a little more interested in visiting the country sometimes later in my life.
But the first part is SO INSPIRING. Now I can believe that my dream to go to Korea will come true if I keep on believing in it. 🙂
Pls visit Japan too after going to Korea!!! <3
Spot on! <3 Japan is so special! I could tell you why I agree with you, but I'd just be copying your blog post.. (^^ゞ
Thank you so much for sharing this with all the people who didn't know about the awesomeness of Japan yet ♥♥
On an entirely different note, congratulations on your engagement! I hope you'll be forever happy together ^___^
Hello Laura!!!
Thank you!! I hope you happy forever too and i wanna meet you up again!! Didn’t have much time to hang out with you back then <3
i feel so inspired by your story. i’ve always been quite pessismistic about my dreams even though my parents would encourage me to pursue them.
Now that i read this, i feel that, I, one day, can be someone like you. Someone who can achieve their dreams. 🙂
Practice The Secret!!!!! hahaha. I use to be the most pessimistic person i ever knew. (if you read my past entry you will notice how different i sound , so whiny i cant even stand myself) But when good things start to come along you just have to believe it will keep coming, and it will. 🙂
Great post!!
😉
😀
I understand what you mean… I was first introduced to Japan via Anime and manga ( yes to Sailormoon ftw! ), and then Utada Hikaru and her songs, that’s pretty much when I fell in love with the language – the beauty of words I never knew it could be, and eventually got to know more about the unique culture of Japan via dramas and programs and I totally loved it <3 Oh and yessss to the technology, fashion, makeup and hairstyles from Japan ftw!
Sure enough there's the darker side to Japan as per its social problems, but it's really like you said, if we can live with the lifestyle we've been living with in Msia, I'm pretty sure we'll be able to survive, like the saying that goes " when in Rome, do like the Romans do ", so when in Japan act like the Japanese do wtf…? #irrelevant
This is probably the longest love affair I'll ever have in my entire life wtf! And I'm very excited that I'll finally be visiting my long-time love affair this year end, woohoo~! With my recent experience at L'Arc~en~ciel concert in S'pore that got me all teary eyed, I'm pretty goddamn sure I'm gonna be needing boxes of tissues cause I'm gonna tear up at the airport too.
Lastly, thank you for so,soooo much for giving birth to cheeserland.com. You are the awesomest Cheese on planet Earth! This is also probably the first time I actually finish reading a long text-post D: ( excluding the beautiful Sakura photo to end the post <3 ) and it sure feels dammnnn good to know there tons of people like me out there too.
Oh i didnt know L’Arc~en~ciel went to Japan!! Cry all you want!!! it will be so worth it and i feel excited for you too!!! Haha thanks for taking time to read all of this <3
Even though my mum is japanese, I hardly ever go back to japan =( everytime i read ur blog i realise how amazing japan really is and makes me miss it even moree!!
wish you can go back someday soon 🙂
me super love japan and their culture!
i’ve been watching loads of japanese anime and dramas since i was a little kid thanks to my brother and it’s sooo amazing how they come up with all those crazy amazing addictive stuff(characters, stories..)!!
i became so attracted to it that i signed up for japanese classes, sing japanese songs, read japanese magazines and even start acting like them(bowing to people when i say thanks and it’s okay(when they step on my toe)) only to get a big scolding from my kareshi who tells me ‘wtf are you bowing for you don’t owe them a living T_T).
sighhhh so much being said i’m still too poor and gutless and not street smart at all to head over there to experience the real deal! i hope i will though, someday!!!
i know right!!!!! dunno how on earth they come up with such cute characters right! Nevermind set it as a goal and you will achieve it soon! Even though it took me like 10 years but it was SO WORTH IT. Plus now got air asia -_-
I love Japan like you do too, though fashion still lose to you of course hahahaha. It started from dramas and ghibli films then music and fashion, somewhere along the way I fell in love with the language. How I wanna travel to the past now and stalk your 15yo self in KL, rattle your shoulders and scream, “I’m from the future! You gonna be famous in Japan, learn your Japanese well! You just do your thing girl~!!!!!” then run away ^^
omg i watched EVERY SINGLE ghibli movie haha which is your fav?
I LOVE your comment lol pls do that if you ever time-travel!
Every single one?!! Power!! I have so many favourites I can’t pick! I loved Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service. Mononoke hime also! Laputa.. All so bittersweet one.. Recently I watched Karigurashi no Arrietty T_T I loved it toooo. Aiyo I love ghibli animation. AND THE MUSIC!
I think you wrote about your fav movie before eh but I can’t remember already. Which is your fav!! By the way, Cheesie, are you going to join any more homestays with titanplanet? They have Osaka and Tokyo coming up right?? 🙂
<3<3
mine is Tonari No Totoro. I like Pompoko very much also. Arrietty is super awesome too. Sigh Miyazaki is GOD wtf. You MUST go to Ghibli Studio in Mitaka Tokyo!!!! I teared when i was there wtf.
I’m not joining homestay anymore because now i travel too often lol. But i would love to visit my host families again <3
I watched Japanese drama when I was primary school I guess, when Astro was airing it in TVBS Asia or something(they don’t do that anymore WHY?!!)
But watching that did not make me like Japan, I mean I don’t hate it but it’s not the reason why I love Japan so much. lol.
It was back at secondary school, form 4, when my classmates was actually forming a band or something for their love for GLAY.
I was like who was this GLAY people? So I went to download their songs and got hooked on it. I’m still a big fan of them, for almost 9 years.
Then more singers appeared in my life: Gackt, w-inds. etc
Then more things came, mangas, animes, lolitas too yes, cosplay, food, interesting places, it’s like all so wonderful! Even my friend who went studying in Japan, seeing all the foods and cultures and places, EVERYTHING! So lovely!
Just like you, I will actually cry if I get the chance to go there.
It’s still my biggest dream ever in my life, and I’m looking forward to have that dream come true in the future someday. =)
Japanese dramas are kinda meh nowadays i didnt catch up with it too. But gannbatte! you guys are really so lucky now because traveling in Japan is much more affordable now with all the airlines and better information. you will be there soon!
I teared up a bit reading this T____T I feel the same way you do in Japan! Like, I’m 100% willing to assume that people are generally good, with noble intentions, and I want to work hard to be part of that, and that makes every day brighter. Thankyou for writing this <3
Tourism Japan owes you waaaay more that 100000Y IMHO ^_^
Aww Hayley!! <3 really wished i met you up in Harajuku that day it would have been lovely <333
Haha is ok la haiya i advertise for them for free la since they also love me so much lolol.
When are you going back!!!!!!!
Me too! I’m sure we will meet one day though <3
I don't have a return trip planned yet, but I can never go too long without going back! Next time I wanna try Hokkaido! Then I will only have Shikoku and Okinawa left to see ^_^
I totally feel it when you said “Because here i learn about manners, politeness, social responsibility and pure kindness.” It’s a main reason why I love Japan too!
Like you, I used to think that going to Japan is like such a far-fetched dream… But very fortunately, I managed to fulfil this dream and have even worked & lived in Japan for a total of 3+ years. (shall not bore u with the details of how it happened =P) When I first started my life there like 6 years ago, I was just an ignorant young girl who only cared for myself. However, the Japanese changed me with their abdundance of kindness and consideration. Times and again, I found myself wondering, “What have I done to deserve this generosity? I don’t even know them well… yet they are so nice to me. Why??” I also started feeling guilty because I knew I couldn’t offer much in return. Then slowly, I came to realise what the best way to return their kindness is – pay it forward. By doing my part to be considerate, I can help to spread this kindness and contribute to making this society a more wonderful one! From then on, I’ve been trying to make the effort to spare more thoughts for others and although I’m still not perfect, I dare say I’m a much better person now than before. All thanks to Japan. =)
Anyway, I have to applaud you for writing this post and making everyone realise that Japan is lot more than its pop culture, yummy foods, and all that stuff. You have great influence on youngsters in Asia and beyond, so hopefully this can inspire them to be more kind and thoughtful and polite and less selfish and make this world a nicer place… Haha~ (^_-)☆
no no no no, i want to hear all your story!!!
i feel that there are a lot of people braver than me they really just buy a ticket and just go there and start a new life but i couldn’t do that la if can travel there i was happy enough haha. You are so brave!
Me too i feel that visiting made me a better person, like even after i come back home. Every time i feel angry i just think about how kind people in Japan would react so i feel a bit better.
Thank you for your comment <3
Konichiwa Cheesie !!!!
I really love Japan too! Japan is just so beautiful and lovely. I just love it so much !
I really enjoy reading your blog and about your experiences about Japan!
I can’t wait to travel to Japan too !!!
I can’t wait to set sea out to Japan often!!!!!
Yay~
Japan Hurray !!! hahaha
Dont worry the next 53 entries or so are all about Japan lol
hi cheesie! first of all i must say wad a lovely post this is. and that i totally agree with u in all the aspects. lets not talk abt the feeling of what happened in the past due the wwII or whatever as that does not directly affect us. i loved japan since i was young when the food was also a luxury to eat then in sg when you are young everything is expensive n impossible to get nice quality jap food without paying crazy amt of money. then theres the old epic japan dramas – love generation, long vacation, GTO, gokusen, beach boys n etc the list goes on like forever!!
then is their crazy ass fashion. where there is cutesy style, mod kei, cosplay n more more. all this only somehow japan is the leading country among asia n creates so much different new things everyday. not to forget the nails. oh god the nails <3
i started reading your blog in 2009/10? and have fallen in love since. bcoz u r such a nice person, it is impossible to 'hate' or be jealous of your happiness and your constant traveling to japan. i myself have never been there yet but i am saving up to go within the next year so as to experience all this awesomeness that i always read on your blog. in fact, i find myself loving to read more of your blogposts and feeling soooo happy more n more for you each time i see you traveling to japan or other places and doing great things.
ive been in a bad place myself before when i brokeup w my bf but started to pick myself up and then be more n more positive so i absolutely agree with what you say on the laws of attraction. only by striving to be better will you attract good and even better things 😀
i wish you all the best with your kareshi!! and more japan trips aligned for you in the future. and more job opportunities! japan deserves having you there for your love to them. and they are really lucky too!!
– hazellingg
u got watch Kyoko Fukada’s dramas anot!!!!!! Like Strawberry Shortcake!!! Minami Kun No Koibito!!!!! Friends!!! (with wonbin)
thank YOU!!!! you always always so supportive T___T im so lucky to have all of you too T__T
i GOT!! hahaha. all 3 of those u mentioned all i watched. plus fugo keiji 1 and 2. 😛
now i must start to make plans to reality and go japan too so i can go visit the awesome places u always mentioned on your blog! 😀
and i will support u longlong!!!!
thank you <333 i was such a hardcore Fukakyon fan. WOnder how she's doing now ...
Holding back tears as soon as i finish reading the intro..
I can feel your happiness to be able to go to Japan after loving it for so many years and I feel so happy for you.
I’ve always wanted to go to Japan. After reading this, it makes me want to go even more.
I totally believe in Law of Attraction and wish one day I will be able to experience Japan like you did. One day.. 🙂
Lots of Love,
Pam
JUST BELIEVE IT!!!!! lol
omg~ I love japan so so so much! It changed how i act and think! I started to queue, stand on the left side of the escalator and bowing! I even started to cook Japanese food and im glad i did cos i lost weight eating Japanese food LOLOMG!
I manage to save up enough money and went to Japan, Tokyo last year and i actually tear when i’m going back to SG ; u ;
btw cheesie, not sure have you watched this Japanese drama called, Nihonjin no shiranai nihongo. I recommend it to everyone learning Japanese and the culture! Its really funny, about a japanese teacher teaching a class of foreigners japanese in Japan. 😀
i know righttttttt it’s the food i tell u everyone keep asking me HOW U LOSE WEIGHT haahahha oooh i think i hav eheard of it but never watch leh!
Hi Cheesie!! 15 years must have been a long wait eh. I’m a half, and I have been wanting to go and discover the part of me that I never knew before. I never met my dad because he went back before i was even born. So i was never even exposed directly to the Japanese culture. I do watch anime, drama and stuff. At one point I was even so amazed and angry that even though I am somehow a part of this culture, I don’t know it at all…and there isn’t anyone to teach me. I really really want to go there and discover it all. Reading your entry made me realize that, and I’m sure if i work hard like you did that someday I can go there with my family 🙂 🙂 🙂
bring your whole family there!!!! Good luck and you are gonna have so much fun and feel so much love <333
Hi Cheesie and also to the Japanese readers.
こんにちは！(//∇//)
I have been wanting to write a blogpost expressing my immense love for Japan too and I am in the 3rd paragraph nao or something. I have been procrastinating because just like you, there is just SO MUCH that I love about Japan that I can go on and on without stopping. The people, food, traditions, language, culture, entertainment, music, fashion EVERYTHING ALL. I am not even exaggerating. I love Japan so much that I have been learning Japanese with the hopes of becoming an interpreter and translator in the future so that I can bridge the communication barrier between Japan and the rest of the world. I want to let the whole world know how wonderful and beautiful Japan is. I will be taking JLPT N3 in December and I enjoy my lessons so much, each and every of them.
日本大大大好きいいいです！☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆
日本が大好きで、通訳者/翻訳者になるように毎日日本語を勉強します！
日本へぜひ行きたい！ 夢はいつか日本で住んでいることです！(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))
thank you!!!!!!
Good luck with JLPT!!! I passed JLPT 2 😛
And next time you can translate my entire blog post hahahha <3
I’ve never been to Japan before but it’s one of the countries in my “Places to go before I die” list. I have been liking Japan since I was in primary school (that’s like 17 years ago.. shit I’m old), although I’m not as big of a fan as you are. All thanks to the dorama I was watching, the anime like Doraemon (which I am still very much in love with until now), Mojako, Magic Knight Rayearth, even Saint Seiya wtf. Hahahahahaha
What I love about Japan is their culture, super yummy food (salmon sashimi ftw!), manga, and simply their scenery. Everytime I look at your posts on Japan or my friends’ pictures of Japan, my eyes would gleam in astonishment wtf. Hahahaha sounds so drama!
Anyway, if I ever get to travel to Japan, I think your blog will be my main source of information on where to go and what to do. 😀
thank you!!! will try to blog about more informative stuff because i cant possibly reply everyone’s questions and feel bad about it T_T
Hi Cheesie!
I just wanted to say that this post gave me so much hope. It’s been a dream of mine to live in Japan for quite a while now. I figured it was a far off dream, but now I know I just have to keep trying and I know I’ll get there one day ^0^ I love Japan so much, like you! I can’t even being to explain it. Thanks for the beautiful post and I really enjoy reading your blog!
try just visiting or a short stay as a start!!! 😀
Hi Cheesie!
I love Japan too! The culture, the lifestyle, the language!
I’m thinking of visiting Japan but I could not find anyone who wants to go with me *Sad face* or go to japanese lesson class with me *sad face* but I just got a voucher for introduction class, about 4 classes. So I’m just gonna go, even by myself!
A good start I hope!
All yr japan post makes me so jealous x.x
*shocked*
im sure you will have many friends who wanna go or join!!!! SHOW THEM ALL THESE COMMENTS!! tell them what they have been missing out LOLOL
Why I love Japan…
In a way, I guess, Cheesie your beginning of the story was similar to me hahahahaha – though I didn’t quite get started on learning Japanese till like, a couple of years ago for various reasons (I REALLY HATED learning chinese in school ok? the words, the newspapers give me a bloody headache just to read the damn characters and Kanji is pretty much mandarin!).
about 16 years or so ago, I was only 14 (wtf), I was watching some late evening cultural documentary on TV, which was on Japan, the tea ceremonies, why the grass so green – then suddenly a very short japanese lesson. I don’t know why, the show was somehow stopped after that I think, and I never saw it again. However, the very calm sounding lady, the whole cultural show and all – it made me curious about this side of Japan that I wasn’t learning about. In school, we just started reading about the atrocities of Japan in Singapore.
The curiosity was huge. How could such a nice calming, kind culture did what they did in WWII? no idea (and I am not going to debate on this with anyone). And that would actually have been the end of that curiosity since teenagehood was kind of busy – except then we had an influx of tv shows with Kyoko Fukada in it (like 鬼の棲家 and 神様、もう少しだけ) . And then, Ayumi Hamasaki happened.
I actually can’t remember the first few songs that caught my interest in her. M was the main song that is still in my head. Then I joined university and gaming + anime caught my eye. And things just went uphill from there.
I am a terrible saver. Yet, after the tsunami last year, I was determined to see Japan (despite knowing they might still be radiated and under re-construction, wtf) asap. This took a lot of time and effort. I finally went early this year and, omg, it’s very overwhelming.
Without a tour guide, with only online people to help (instagram, forums, JNTO), I organised this trip. Already, without being there, I had so much love from both japanese and people who love japan to give me a hand. So, imagine when I got there, it’s not only like a dream come true, it was many things.
Within a couple of days, I got very responsible. I was as polite as I can get knowing sporadic anime japanese (That, as you know, is hardly in a polite form for someone who’s meeting everyone for the first time). Like you, I walked nearly 2 blocks and a train station looking for a rubbish bin to chuck my plastic bottles in. I ate healthily for the first time in years, and actually liked my veggies. I was forgiving, not exasperatedly angry at anyone – I was happy, healthy, responsible and I walked a damn lot.
I was also throwing a lot of money at Takayama to raise their economy HAHAHAHAHAHA
I didn’t get the same feeling in Kyoto, that’s not a big deal, but 99% of the time, I enjoyed my “life” there.
I can’t wait to go back, I want to join volunteer groups to clear debris up north, I want to go shop at konbinis… there’s a lot of things I want to do there again. Being back here is (slightly) depressing, even though I love Australia too. It’s just a different sort of love.
So, in case it’s not clear (LMAO DAMN LONG ROUNDABOUT POST) TL;DR I love Japan because it not only has a great culture, history and people, I love being there and being a part of everything.
omg wtf, such a long post, sorry!!! wall of text slammed your face >.>
I just want to add one more thing – Surprisingly, once I started, I actually enjoy learning Japanese. Funny huh.
i have visited your blog and found out that you just recently blogged about something similar. Thank you so much <3
Congrats to you trying your first mentaiko pasta lolol i hope you liked it 😛
I guess all of us japanese lovers share so much in common it's so amazing. i can just wish other people also quickly discover this new side of awesomeness that they have never encounter before. <3 spead the love together!!!
It tasted weird at first! the good type of weird, then it got addictive… I just bought a flavouring sachet to try and make my own at home lololololol
There’s a local forum for geeks, as well as livejournal and all, I am (sort of) helping people find accomodation, suggestions now, MY TURN TO HELP! so awesome hahahaha
can yo share with us why you didn’t enjoy kyoto as much?
I think it was a case of.. a mix of everything. We were tired by that time. when we got lost, it seemed few people wanted to even come near us. Then, what made it worse was this auntie walked by and nodded + smiled at my (white) boyfriend, but when I smiled and nodded, I got a grumpy stare instead.
People were less friendly and helpful than in Tokyo. Particularly when I said I am not so good in Japanese, can they please slow down so I can hear what they are saying, one woman machiam like challenge like that, sped up even more T_T
Later on, I read a post about how a chinese tourist accosted you, I thought maybe that was just it, rude chinese tourists abound and I just look like one of them LOL!!!
i had quite the opposite experience. Kyoto (and the more rural area) is always friendlier and people are more helpful, i guess it might be just a single incident, i hope that didnt affect you and hope the next time you return it would a an amazing experience :3
After all there are still so many other places to explore!!!
I hope it’s just that one time experience! anyways, next time I go, we might go further up north also! Nagano, Niigata, Aomori, blah blah… see how it goes!
so excited, we got new budget direct flights to KIX or NRT! Can’t wait! I already preparing shopping list and, well, kind of like history lesson plan LOL! i love their history, it’s so filled with interesting lessons and information.
And all that archeological artefacts in Kanazawa… man, I want to go back again just to see it all again properly.
sorry, now I am just raving all over here hahaha
Hi Cheesie, I have been reading your blog since forever and this is the first ever time I have ever commented. This time round I am so feeling it to comment as I just came back from Tokyo last week and although I did not have the chance to stay as long as you did, the 5 days made me see life in a different light. So much, that I plan to visit Japan every year so I can cover all the regions there. The people were polite and considerate (bearing in mind that they wrap your purchases with plastic paper so they wont get wet in the rain). The fact that they don’t allow phone calls in the trains also amaze me because its all peace where tired people can catch a snooze or two (during the non-peak hours of course) Furthermore, in Japan, you feel safe because you see people leaving things everywhere and there is not a need to be afraid of thieves. Maybe I can be wrong about this but I spent 2 months reading on Japan before I go so I can und the culture and not do things that can be offensive in any way. On this note, the handicap/pregnant/elderly people seats are always left empty so it can be left for people who really need it. In elsewhere, you can always see people parking in handicap parking lots and not feel ashamed about it. Its true that when I go to Japan, I become extra polite, smile at them (even though I don’t understand half the things they are telling me) and most importantly like you said, I don’t get people pissing me off there as much as inconsiderate people “else where”. If i want to, I can go on day and night about how much I had fun during my trip there, but for now, I hope you have another good trip and your sentiments are felt, exactly the same way I did the moment i touched down at the airport. If i lived there, I might just live longer.
you are so right, i also get the feeling that if i lived there i might live longer due to the simple fact that i feel so happy all the time <333
Hi Cheesie! I started loving Japan after watching Japanese dramas. and to tell the truth i love j-pop especially KAT-TUN and NEWS. i also love reading manga and watching anime. i discovered your blog last year and know that you are someone who loves japan so much and i started reading your blog since then.
I still remember the first drama i watched was about teacher and students and the teacher was so dedicate toward his students. although i know not all teacher are like that, somehow i wish i have that kind of teacher. during my studies in local university, i took japanese because i love japanese so much!! and i met this japanese sensei who is so dedicate toward her students. im so happy that i have this kind of sensei. for those student who choose to take JLPT she even had an extra supplement class just for them who were going to take JLPT and i was one of the students. she printed all the pass years question for us and go trough one by one for those we do not understand. that is what i love about my japanese sensei, so dedicate. im so touch and respect her a lot. she’s willing to sacrifice her free time for her students and she’s so genuine. until now i never met this kind of teacher before.
i love japan for their culture, food, dramas, singers, fashion and lots more. japanese are so polite and well manner. there is one thing which i admire japanese is that they line up! this is their culture. during tohoku earthquake, victims who were affected line up for food. this will never happen in malaysia seriously. i really wish that malaysian can be like the japanese lining up properly and not pushing 😥 my friend who went to japan to study, came back from holiday, whenever she did something wrong in public like accidently stepping on someone she start away bow and say sorry and it has become her daily culture. i really like japan for its culture. japanese are very responsible towards their work. and not to mention japanese are so smart in inventing stuffs!
hehe one more thing i freaking love japanese curry rice and miso soup >< my friend even bought me the curry paste from japan. i'm addicted to japanese curry rice and i will cook it at home. my love for japan is addictive and it will never stop until the day i die. i really wish to go to japan one day. im going to save up my money to go for homestay in japan! i really really wish that the day that i will step my foot on japan will come true :blush:
haha on the contrary my Japanese teacher was SUPER malaysian lolol and he loves Malaysia very much. Homestay or travel, wish you endless good time in Japan!!!
I’ve been to Japan myself and like you said, omg the Japanese’s politeness is madness! I really loved being there too! Everyone was so nice and polite, even the sales people. If you window shop, have a look at their CUTE stuff and leave, they won’t scold you, they even say nice things before you leave their shop, whereas you get shoo-ed and scolded in the face in other parts of the world!
I’m a medical student and I had a student-exchange programme there. Even stuff in the hospital were cute (I was in the paediatric ward), everything was in pastel colours, baby blue, baby pink. LOL. I had homestay as well. The retired elderlies were so nice, taught me flower-arranging and made me wear yukata =’)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy Japan more and more with all the fun and success as well! Take care! =)
haha yea i know even in formal building you see cute posters with cute characters. so love <3333
Omg Cheesie, the first ever Japanese drama I watched was also 魔女の条件. I was 4 or 5 years old then X__X I immediately fell in love with the drama and just like you, I went to find out more about Japan after that. You may think how I did that in such a young age haha I have no idea too. I’m really envious of you being able to travel to and fro so many times!!! I have only been to Japan once, it was a school exchange programme. But now to recall why I love Japan…I can’t really specify the reasons. It’s like, falling in love with someone. When you love someone, you don’t need a reason for that right? Ahahaha. Sometimes I secretly wish that I can befriend with you and then we can travel to Japan together! Lol~
i dont evenhave any memory of me when i was 4 or 5 -_______-
haha you are right!!! spread the love!!!
The konbini in Japan is enough to increase my love for japan by 100x more.
In addition,
Scenery x100
Cleanliness x100
Polite and thoughtful people x100
Healthy food x100
Can act cute in the language x100
Follow the fashion u like x100
Place to diet cos got SO MANY STAIRS x10
lol at the last one
Hi Cheesie~ I tweet to u for first time last wk so now I’m more daring and I’m posting comment for first time here! (proud of self wtf…) Here goes…
I love reading your blog on anything to do with japan. It always makes me happy ^_________^ I too have been dreaming of going to japan since forever (20yrs). Cuz that time my dad went to japan and brought back all the cute snacks and stationary >.< Although I've been dreaming for longer than you I guess I wasnt dreaming as hard as you. wtf. So my dream still hasnt come true ._. (yet) One day when I finally go to japan I want to tell you about my adventures there ^___________^
Pls do!!! omg you love it longer than i did!!! i wanna hear ALL about it 😀 :D:D
Back then my friend and I used to call each other Mizu and Tamago. We borrowed permanent markers in a Popular bookstore and wrote it on the collars of our high school uniforms, and I can still find this in my wardrobe today.
After high school I went to study in Tokyo, with close to zero knowledge of Japanese. 4 years later, when the earthquakes+tsunami+nuclear plant crises happened, I had to come back to Singapore in tears. I was heartbroken on so many degrees. Sometimes I had to hold myself back from crying during job interviews when I was asked why I decided to come back.
Japan wasn’t always a bed of roses, but I think it’s true what you say about getting used to it. Unfortunately habits tend to die hard and I don’t think I’ll ever tire of going back.
mizu and tamago lolol so cute!!!! all food wan so cute!!!!
Okay, i admit. The reason why i have been reading your blog since the stellar days is because of your Japan posts. *hides*
T-T Cheesie, why you like this. This post makes me miss Japan so much. The last time I have been there was back in 2008 and ever since anyone who asks me where to go for a holiday, I sure say Japan without fail. Even my boyfriend who hates travelling says the only place he would willingly go again is Japan. My dad i think, has been to the whole of Japan, actually hangs a map of Japan in his room and always talks about how wonderful the country is o_o
Although it has been 4 years since, until now I still remember how good the salt ice cream tasted. Dammit. I will never forget the old couple who was taking all their trouble to explain to me how a daruma works. Kids that pose for your camera. The weather that makes my hair and skin glow. Wathefishcakes.
Sincerely can’t think of a reason why anyone would not love Japan:_) *gam dong*
haha <3 my super long time reader!!!!! So cute one your dad!!! I also have map on my iphone, also very happy every time i explore a new place in Japan!! It's so nice your family and bf loves Japan so much!!! <333
hi cheesie, i watched Sailormoon too!
JAPAN IS ONE OF THE NICEST COUNTRY I’VE BEEN!
I was so effing happy on the flight to Japan because the air stewardess were talking jap to me~~ haha!! I must have looked like one!
stepping into Japan is like stepping into a movie/fairytale
where everyone looked perfect and nice.
people bowing to you, super nice manner, and although the department stores close early, one can still go to convenience store!!
i hardly enter into our country’s 711 but i enter their convenient store every single night i was there, and there’s even SHISEIDO counter!!! omg!!!
Malaysia’s 711 food..anyone see also no mood to eat already, but the bento/onigiri and oden in Japan’s convenience store~~ is like~~ “tonight we dine @ 711”
LOL and because of my lack of understanding of japanese language, we often got lost whilst travelling (backpacking trip with cousins) so we often ask for directions, and true enough they are even willing to lead the way to the destination we’re going.
This will never happen here, all we do is a simple reply “I’m sorry I don’t know” and ‘why shoud i help you’ type of mentality.
the best is the Information Counter is so well equipped with pamphletes and the worker actually know what they are doing, unlike.. meh those in our country, cant even give correct instructions in a shopping mall.
there’s an awful lot more than i can rant about japan, but i don’t think one comment is enough to show all my love for Japan!
Japan is certainly a place i would want to visit again!! and live there if possible! haha~ better still get a japanese kareshi! 😉
thank you so much for your comment!!! you are right one comment even one long post is not enough!!! lets infect all our friends lolol
haha but i think most of my friends are more into Korea~~ LOL. I’m the only one still reads manga / watch anime and also J-Drama. The Korean Wave is too strong here~!!
different generation wtf haha. I just got a twitter comment where a reader is going to Japan to watch a korean pop group performance lol
Hey Cheesie!Among the posts i read in your blog,this one teared me like beeep – 🙁 .I m having a box of tissue beside me here wtf.hahahah.But,im just like you.I dreamt of going to Japan years ago like hell,when will I have the golden chance to go!!I LOVE JAPAN MORE THAN THIS PLACE.*sorry sorry Malaysia. 😐
Eventhough my friends ALWAYS say,hey whats with Japan.Its like nothing.I always tell them,compare here and Japan 🙄 .For example,Do you bow in meant of respect/apologize when you accidentally hit somebody.No,you would like give out bloody death glares and start cursing the person.WTF?And when you are crossing the road using the pedestrians yellow thingy,even the sign is RED and there is no cars,you would cross it right?But the japanese wont.(my friend told me about it when he went for a homestay back in 2008)
So,the love began to bloom back 2007 😉 and still blooming till infinity.I just love them and love every inch about Japan.its hard to describe but I have no problem to list it out.You know how I teared up when my mom doesnt allow me to join the homestay.I WAS LIKE…NO!!!Because we werent that rich to pay for it.So,my dad says,just wait for it.Thank God,my dad,my siblings are like me.They love JAPAN!Not only for the awesome animes and fashion.But everything!
So,I said,Dont compare here and Japan.And dont ask me why I love Japan so much.I just love them and IM starting to think me now is just like you 15 years ago Cheesie 🙂 !And im trying my very very bloody best to get a chance to live there perhaps?I even took TESL for my studies in U and thats is because I want to teach in JAPAN and no other places is better!
So,I hope you share this post so that the japanese could know we love them and their country!And-not to forget the lolita. I love it damn damn damn.My oath is,ONE DAY I WILL STEP MY VERY FOOT IN JAPAN:D
since your siblings all love japan then chances are you can travel together ah!!! even more fun!! Ganbatte! It will come true soon!!!!!
It would be lotsa of epic fun !But not to forget savings.Im saving my monet now to go to Japan perhaps in next few years? 😀 And yeah,I hope i can meet you in person 😆
Goosebumps never went down while I read this post. I super love Japan too and I’ve been trying to explain how I feel but no one understands ):
After I started reading your posts about Japan I love it even more eventhough I haven’t been there but one day I WILL. (The Secret wtf)
Number one on my to-do list in Japan is run to Harajuku and buy a Strawberry Cheesecake Crepe wtf.
And my dream is to study Patissiere at Japan coz the desserts there seem so awesome that even Xiaxue said they taste like heaven. But just scared of the language barrier coz I’m SOOOO slow at picking up a language and Jap is super hard to learn for me T__T
isit!!!! come back and be a top pastry chef pls!!!!!! hello Make Malaysia proud PLS!!!!! Our future depend on you!!!!!
millefeuille is better!!!
Hi Cheesie 🙂
I can totally understand what you feel. I went to Japan for a holiday back in 2010 (this was around the time I discovered your blog too!) and I remember reading Xiaxue’s entry on your Japan trip before going and you made it sound soo fun, it made me excited but not extremely excited as I thought I would have been (if that makes sense)? I remember many of my friends saying to me “OMG YOU’RE GOING TO JAPAN?! YOU’RE SO LUCKY!!” and though I feel guilty about saying this, but I didn’t see why they loved Japan that much. I liked the country and all but I never loved it THAT much. However, when I landed in Narita airport, I had a sudden change in feeling. I can’t even describe it, it felt.. good. Everywhere was so clean, everyone was so polite, and it was just a completely different experience. I’m from Hong Kong but I live in Australia and never in my entire life had I ever felt I loved a country so much.
In my 2 weeks stay, I got to experience the most amazing things in a beautiful country. I honestly loved everything about Japan. I loved that fact that their cities are so lively, the fact that their country sides are so peaceful and beautiful (with amazing hot springs too!!), I loved the temples in Kyoto and how they put so much emphasis on culture, I love how the people are so genuinely polite, how the places are always so clean, how they pay attention to every minute detail. I could go on forever!!! Everything about Japan is so different to Australia or HK, and I liked it, I preferred Japan so much more.
It was such a strange new experience for me, that I couldn’t even comprehend myself that in 2 weeks time I could develop such a strong love for a country and their culture, I even surprised myself!! I legit felt teary when my 2 weeks stay was up.. I never wanted to leave! I honestly think that you have to go there and experience the surrounding yourself to be able to understand these emotions… I have missed Japan ever since!! And looking back at old photos brings back soooooo many memories and makes me miss it more 🙁 I have been dying to go back but cannot because I don’t have time since I’m in my last year of high school 🙁 But I know, DEFINITELY, I will be going again! There is no doubt about that!!
Thank you Cheesie, I feel like everything that you wrote can sum up my feelings too!! I’m grateful to have found your blog because every time I read about your entries on Japan it brings back so many memories for me.. It’s like I’ve found someone that totally understands my feelings!! Though you don’t know who I am wtf hahahah. THANK YOU <3
no la!! reading all these comments also make me feel loved even though the love is not for me directly hahahah and i also feel the same la like SO many of you share the same feelings omg *touched* thank YOU too!!
I LOVE JAPAN AND I’M SO HAPPY THAT I FINALLY CAN TRAVEL TO JAPAN IN THIS COMING JUNE!!!!!! 😀
I still remember I love few Japanese dramas and anime when I was in highschool, Beach boy, GTO, Hell Teacher, Girl from Hell etc etc. Oh not forget to mention Pokemon, Digimon and Sailormoon! hahaa
I started to read Popteen when I was 15. I love Japanese fashion, I love Japanese products (I freaking love Daiso lol), I love SUSHI and I love Japanese culture. THEIR POLITENESS AND KINDNESS *thumbs up*
I read all your blogposts that under Japan category as my guidelines on what to do or where to play in Japan haha
I’m looking forward to my Japan trip 🙂
p/s I love your blog hehe
haha there are like endless more entries to come 😛 i havent even finished blogging about tokyo kawaii tv. or OR OR my otaru trip with xiaxue
Reading your post reminds me of that time when I was in Japan 2 years ago, still remember it was in December. Seeing your post makes me miss Japan all over again, the people, the food, the never ending politeness of theirs. I miss the cold weather there too D:
I’m from Penang and Tokyo is so much different from the island where I come from. The Japanese yen is pricey though, so if you convert everything into MYR its kinda expensive especially for a student like me 🙁 but its worth it lor (the food omg THE FOOOD!!) plus the quality of their clothes and other items etc. are so much better, partly due to their very strict quality control.
I still remember stepping into Shibuya and seeing my favourite band’s poster hanging up on a building, its pretty much a sight I will never forget. Sadly I didn’t get a chance to attend their concert, but yeah I hope to do so one day :3
I’m currently saving up my money to have a chance to go back there for another holiday/shopping trip ^^ hopefully I’ll get my chance next year ~
There’s something about Japan that makes you miss it all over again when you come back. Its not like other countries where you will remember maybe a few memories of that place. I think that’s the kind of magic Japan has. 🙂
you are absolutely right <3333
Did you go in December 2010?? Cause I went around that time as well!! hahah by any chance was this ‘band’ poster that you saw of The Gazette??? 😀
T___T Your post makes me miss Japan sooooo much now! *sobs*
I’ve been to Japan last year for a homestay program, and even though it was only a short program, I have to say that I LOVED IT THERE. OH AND YES FOR THE PREPARATIONS THE ORGANIZATION ASKED US TO DO, ALL I DID WAS READ YOUR BLOG TOO! IT HELPED A LOT! THANKSSSS! 😀
Gah, and unconsciously, I have this sense of familiarity towards Japan now! :’) Gosh, and I have to say, my host family were the sweetest people I’ve ever met! :’) They even sent me a parcel full of goodies and cute bento boxes after I came back! Who still does that?
And the students I met there were equally sweet as well!!! We still keep in touch with each other, not through facebook or emails, BUT THROUGH LETTERS. :’) And to me, those letters really mean a lot. To know that there are people that care for you enough to take the time to write a letter with an actual pen on a piece of actual paper is just wonderful! :’)
p.s: not only the people there were great, the toilets were superb as well! 😀 haha we all went gaga over the toilets when we were there. well i think it’s because everyone is so civilised there! 😀 Looking forward to my next trip to Japan!
didnt think my blog was informative it was mostly camho pix of myself only lolol
i know right! my host families are very sweet too! Thats great to keep in touch with each other because i lost touch with my host in Nagano :((
🙂 i understand how you feel about japan. I too fell in love with Japan. part of the reason is because my best male friend who is japanese was probably the one who started it all (and now that he’s back in japan, it gives me every reason to continue going back to go see him). then there was the anime, the fashion, the culture, the Arashi *u did not see that* and yeah.
when i landed in japan the first time, i cried too. as we were landing at narita, i saw the lights and just cried. it was a place that i had dreamed of and a place that i knew i would fall in love with for the rest of my life. fall in love, i did. i’ve been back twice within 12 months and am planning another trip either in July or Nov.
it was actually hard to not fall in love with japan. even when i was squeezed up amongst a whole load of people in the train at peak hour human traffic, i was in love. even when i hardly speak the language and could only converse at a 7 yr old’s level, i was in love. even when i could not reply to the conbini staff as to what the hell they were saying, i was supremely in love.
people may have their hatred or dislike for japan for whatever reason.. but it will never change my love for nihon.
zutto zutto~ nihon~ daisukiiii ♥
lol i didnt know so many people tear when they land there haha quite funny. You are so right. Even when doing chores like lining up or waiting in subway or climbing lots and lots of staircase, i remember there was this time a train station was closed and there were sooooo many people i almost fainted, but i just patiently waited and didnt find myself getting annoyed at all. thank you for your comment. Feel so happy reading it <3
How don’t love Japan?! Everything there is so awesome! I never been there, but I really really wish to!
I love japanese food, sushi, temaki, etc… And the candies!!!!!! I’m mad for japanese candies! Lololol!!
I guess that my biggest “japanese experience” was when I went to the mini-Japan at Epcot Center or when I went to the house of my aunt’s mother in law (she is japanese) haha.
I almost cried while was reading this entry! It’s soooo sweet!
I have a dream too. I wanna be famous! Lolol!! Now, I’ll never give up of my dreams! Now I know that dreams come true!! Thanks Cheesie, you really helped me!!! *-*
Love you! xoxo! :*
Thank you!!! Good luck and ganbatte!! ^^
actually i like japan since am 12 🙂 i love their culture so much and the place,fashion everthing about japan… i used to forget about my dream to japan or study at japan, this year yes, this year i finally discover back my dream, how could i forgot my dream… so i planned to move there after i graduate. which mean 2 years more. thanks to you that, i found back my dream really thanks you <3
Good luck Caro!! Do plenty of research before you go there, dont get a culture shock! haha! Working life is tough because everyone is so serious so you are expected to be equally professional too <3
I hate rude ppl, I hate ppl who don’t follow the rules, I hate self-center ppl who ALWAYS think only their time is precious and important, that’s why they must cut the queue and makes the bad traffic even worst, I hate ppl who spit on floor, I hate inconsiderate and typical selfish Malaysia, I even hate myself for being a Malaysian where I find myself very hard to treat ppl nicer because……this place is full of selfish assholes. it’s just hard to be a nicer/better/kinder person here.
Japan is the total opposite. When i read about your post and the newspaper how Japanese ppl still helping each other after the earthquake, how they still Q-ing to get their food, I was touched max!
I can guarantee, if this kind of disaster actually happened in Malaysia, I would be stepped to death during the process of getting the food. =X
dont focus on the bad stuff, just think about all the nice and awesome things that will happen to you, that’s the part of The Secret too! I used to complain a lot too and think that what a shitty country i live in, but now i just focus on the good things here, like the yummy food, your good friends, and cheap stuff! Then focus more on MORE awesome things in Japan! lol
Cheesie!! I’ve been a your blog reader since you showed up on Tokyo Kawaii TV and appreciated you loving Japan soooo much! As a Japanese, I’ve been disappointing a lot about Japanese people these days due to the politics, the rudeness, the coldness and so on. I think I fell this because I know how much we Japanese were warmer before. However your enormous love for Japan made me happy and realize that we haven’t changed so much since I loved Japan. And also many comments on your blog made me find out we are loved so much and have a huge sop porters all of the world. Thank you very much for loving Japan and telling people in the world how Japan is beautiful country! I’ve never forget your words “Sakura is pinker on this side”!!!
with lots of love
Eri
Eri, thank you so much for your comment. I know reading english is tedious for most japanese people and what’s more here it is mixed with very confusing manglish slang, i just hope they get the very simple message that Japan is so well loved by everyone all over the world it even shocked me to receive so much love <3
i watch TV and understand a little about the politics and increasing coldness. But all in all it is still such a great place on earth it deserves all the love we can ever give.
I hope your fellow friends get the message and 皆さん元気出して！日本頑張れ！！！
TwitterのEriHimeCHuuです、そうそう、うちも最近そう思ったな。
何だか日本人が変わってしまって、そりゃまずいっすよ。
うちも最初はチージーさんが見たのはカワイイTVだった、それとも
Xiaxueさんの写真やブログにも見たかな？
とにかく、日本を愛させて本当にありがとうございます♪
まじ感謝です
（会川恵理より）Aikawa Eri
わざわざのコメントありがとう。
こちらこそありがとうございます、ずっとずっと日本を応援しています。＜３
It’s really nice for you, cheesie to show us an inner piece of you, of why you admire Japan so much. Been following your blog since last year, and it has been a wonderful experience, would hope to meet you in person someday 🙂 ps, i’ve managed to read the entire post, yay, you’ve successfully infused reading in me, haha
So sad i always think people read ALL my post wan lolol. But THANK YOU!!!
I totally agree with you from my exp….totally agree with you until I am not lazy to post a comment…
Haha point taken. Thanks so much!!! <3
I totally agree with you that when you love something a lot, it will love you back. I’ve been in love with Japan since I was 11 after I watched a travel to Japan. It has always been my ultimate dream to visit Japan, but it’s not a cheap country to travel to. However, I always believed that one day my dream would come true. I took japanese classes and read up about the japanese culture. In fact, I came across your blog in 2009, when I was searching for homestay programs to Japan and I’ve been hooked since then.
I’ve been blessed to have been able to go to Japan twice and both were free trips. It did felt like Japan was loving me back because I have loved it so much for so long. A third opportunity came this year but I had to let it go due to other commitments. I felt sad, but then I believe that opportunities like these will come again as long as I continue to give my love.
I’m happy for you that you have achieved so much with your “love”! Thanks for sharing all your lovely posts on Japan!
i even had to borrow money from friend to “fill my bank” because minimum requirement for visa is RM10k. lol. Every time i apply for visa i want to cry. It’s so mafan and literally i will have a heart attack cuz already booked air ticket. But like i said many times it is WORTH ALL THE TROUBLE.
You are the lucky one to be able to travel there for free twice! Remember this blessing and it will keep coming!! <3 Me too now every time i leave Japan i dont feel sad, because I KNOW i will be back again. SOon. <3
im so glad you have achieved your dream cheesieee! (does this mean you achieved your dream 10 times? :O ) Japan is on top of my MUST VISIT LIST but i still havent had the chance to go there yet 🙁 im a hugeeeee hello kitty fan and i heard theres a hello kitty theme park there.so yeah pray for me cheesie! keep loving japan!!! <3
LOL yes pretty much! And many more times to come <3
Sanrio Land right? i have never been there myself, plan to go there end of this year with Qiuqiu and Wendy <3
Hey Cheesie 😀
I was previously quite ignorant about Japan (I didn’t quite like anime nor Japanese pop)… plus there were so many videos on yt on how weird japan was :s To be honest I only knew Japan by their awesome food hahaha. But your post has gave me loads of new insight that I now really really wanna fly there wtf. And I have totally fallen in love with Jap fashion since I started reading your blog! Spent so many hours on ebay because of you lol 😡
p.s: Glad to see that your career is really kicking off now – ALL THE BEST!!
Awww i never really thought that my post would inspire people to explore more about Japan but after reading all the comments it’s really nice to know!!! Thank you!!!
Hi I’m seeking your advise. I’m going to Japan for the second time and it’s for 15 days. My first time there was for a mere 5 days and the bank balance requirement was RM6000 for visa approval. Are there any differences in minimum bank balance for a 2 weeks trip?
For me it was always RM10,000. But now i have got myself a one year visa and i can stay there a maximum of 90 days each time, and 180 days a year. 🙂 Good luck!
Thanks! 🙂
Here I am, ready for the HUGE comment? (*´∀`*) So, I feel exactly the same way when it’s about Nihon, except that I’ve never been there. It’s still a dream to me, but not a far away one. If things happens as I’m expecting them to happen, and working hard for it, by the way, I’ll land in Japan next year. Let’s pray! <3 So, I started liking the culture when I was 13 years old. Right now I am 23, so, its been 10 years loving this culture as well. When I read you liked animes, Ayumi Hamasaki i was like "omg omg me tooooo!" – I loved Ayu sooo much in my 13 , 14's *~* I still love her songs and MV's <3 But I already feel like being happy whenever someone mention Japan, when I watch doramas, read about it. Your posts? OMG freacking awesome! I feel like I'm there and this amazing happiness take all over me. And I also feel like there are a few tiny things I could not like in there, like earthquakes or cold weather (I'm used to HOOOT weather here in Brasil) but it feels so tiny that I dont even get worried about it. So much more qualities, as you said. I read you since a long time, dunno exactly how much and most of times I agree with you, in so many objects. Now, I respect and admire you even more, we share this japanese love and dream (lots of people around the world too, as I've been notcing *O*). Thanks for this inspiring post <3 and keep up with your amazing blog posts and insta pictures <3333333333
I wanna visit Brazil one day!!!! Haha to me it’s the opposite i love the cold weather there because Malaysia is also extremely hot!
Thank you too and hope you get to visit japan some day very soon <3
Do I have to tell you that I would love if you come, I would help you with anything you may need in the travel and i DO REALLY wanna meet you? LOL I’m happy you wish to come here one day <3 But please, not while I'm in Japan, okay? HAHAHA hugsss
Hi cheesie!!
Love love love your blog! You are so inspiring! And u have really sold it to me! Lol I really want to book my ticket to Japan! But I may hold back and wait for the Sakura season. Your pictures makes me so jelly! Lol! Keep up the good work and have fun soon in Japan 😉
Love
Din (from uk, London) ^^
fall and winter is really really nice too. the only season i dont like is summer lol. we get enough of that over here.
proof that winter is nice in Japan
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anivyl/7171552696/in/photostream
私もにほんが大好きです！！！本当本当好き！
I can’t think of any valid reason for anyone not to love Japan. How can someone say no to this beautiful unique culture country with oishii ryouri?
Just like you, when I was in high school, i came across a Japanese drama showing on tv (but i couldnt recall the name of it) and the couple in the drama was using email to communicate with each other. I was attracted by the hiragana they typed!! I was fascinated and still am by the language and kanji and katana and hiragana they use! とても可愛いでしょうii!! Then I started to watch more Jap drama and never really have the thought of learning language as I hardly have time to do so. Two years ago my dad brought my whole family travel to Japan which was one of the best trip ever in my life! There is nothing in Japan that makes me not to love/admire! The way they dress/talk, how they stand/queue when waiting for bus, the beautiful sakura trees and cultural events and buildings. I love the way the put small and colourful plants in front of their house yet nobody will steal or pluck, how fucking clean is the road, how their backstreets look like and how safe u feel when u walk there, the view where people cycling to school, their vending machines all are functioning with no sign of vandalisms, whatever they are selling. OMFG!! I could go on and on and on until i die wtf!
Then I came back, i decided to take up Japanese courses! And i have been learning for two years or so. And i am loving every bits of it and look forward to classes everyweek.!!I know a lot of ppl would say there is no point learning as you hardly have chance to practise it and one day u will stop. I know it sounds stupid but learning it its like i have some kind of connection with Japan.This is my moral support. I know sooner i will be overloaded with work in my job but as long as i have the time/ability, i will not stop. I was telling my sensei this thati was juggling with work and not sure I can continue onot and i almost teared when my sensei was touched and keep thanking me for loving japan.
Japanese drama draws my attention to Japan culture. Been to Japan brought me to learning the language. I hope one day, this language will bring me to working in the fantastic Japan!!
I love u japan!!! Cheesie, pls continue to post more about Japan!いい？
OMG is it the one with teruterubozu??? “My Little Lover” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA6w2s-CpGM FASTER WATCH AND TELL ME lolol.
Ok i think it is called “With Love”
Omg!!すごい！！！yessss this is the one la omgoodness! 😛
日本のすべてはときどきとっても不思議だと思います。もしかして魔法ですかなあ。。日本人たちの親切さし、きれいとかわいいものさし。それに、日本の面白いの文化が大好きですよ。いつも優しい笑顔を持って日本人たち、いろいろなものをあげるから、本当にありがとうございます！
コメントありがとう！日本の皆さんに読んでもらいたいね〜
Oh and thank you Cheesie, for writing so much about Japan and bringing the culture closer to our doorstep if we have anaemic wallets that refuse to yield money for a trip around Japan. Many thanks 😀
Dear Cheesie, (or do you prefer to be called Ringo-chan? :3 )
I have been reading your blog for about two years now and I have never missed a single article ever since I found it (I think through Xiaxue mentioning you). I also roamed the archives after honestly falling in love with what I think is one of the best blogs around. I also really like your videos and social media updates. As I have said before, you are a huge inspiration. I think I enjoy your blog so much because I have a similar style of humor I think and I share a lot of your interests you write about.
While I like your rants as much as your fun entries and the fashion and makeup ones (I even love your sponsored posts wtf! Because they’re never just boring sponsor posts, they always have a lot of…hmmm…YOU in it), your travel posts have always been the highlights for me.
As a huge fan of Japanese culture, including everything from the language to food, countryside, cities, fashion, art, music, manga, anime, lifestyle, attitude…the list is endless, your blog posts on Japan are the cherry on top of the cupcake frosting.
I have been teaching myself Japanese in my freetime on and off for a few years (I initially took a little beginners course at a language school) and ever since I’ve been small (I am an 80s child so that is a while!) I liked to dress in Asian fashion, particularily Japanese fashion. I still read manga and watch anime just as I have when I was little – and since about 2003, I additionally listen to Japanese music more and more as well. Hehe, I even bow to people occasionally, always say sorry and try to be nice to everyone…which in Europe, I tell you, people don’t understand. Also, they’re so impolite and rude all day and never smile, I feel like I am in the wrong place you know? Like I don’t belong here because I feel much more at ease with the Japanese way of life.
My biggest dream was, and is to this day, to one day save up enough money to see Japan for myself. I want to eat crêpes in Harajuku, I want to shop in Shibuya 109, I want to see the ocean at Okinawa, I want I want I want xD
I once was so close, had the money and was already checking to book the flight with a few friends, but then I had to move and needed the money for furniture and stuff…. so my dream was delayed, I thought, but not dismissed.
Sadly, after the horrible catastrophe that struck Japan last year, my family doesn’t want me to go there anymore. They tell me all this terrible stuff about radiation poisoning and such and sort of forbid me to go. while I know it is a risk, I just cannot really agree and I feel so sad that I would maybe never be able to see Japan now?
After reading your article again and again, and after checking up at the Japanese embassy about the state of the country at the moment and about visa and such (I additionally think that it won’t help Japan if nobody ever goes there again cause of fear, their tourism incomes would go flat and that would make things worse…or am I wrong!? )…. I made a decision:
Yes, so it is expensive and yes I don’t speak Japanese well and yes it is dangerous and yes, nobody here understands my love for that strange and foreign culture…
But I don’t care!
I am saving up and I WILL SEE JAPAN.
Nippon, I am coming, and nothing can stop me. ^-^
And you, Cheesie, helped me decide that I need to make this dream come true.
Domo arigatou gozaimasu.
Choo
thank you for supporting for so long!!! i feel very touched!!! Maybe you can show and assure your family that it is safe to travel there now? I have done enough read up about it and look i am still going there almost every month lol. A lot of people worry too, and i was just like you worrying aout nobody visiting Japan lol. I really admire your determination! You will have such a great time there and you will never regret it 🙂
Japan is definitely the best country! I have been there twice and i really love there! I love Hokkaido the most. All the things over there are mad cute! The people over there are really nice and polite. Seafoods are so nice over there! miss japan so much T__T your blog post make me miss japan moreeee! Post moreeee pic please =D
xoxo :*
I love Hokkaido too. Best food ever. ANd best summer EVER.
Such a long post but it was really enjoyable to read it entirely ! 🙂 I smiled a lot… don’t even know why…
It has been 7 years that I love Japan, and today, I would not be able to do such a commentary about why I love Japan. It is just as it is. Maybe I need your “15 years of loving” to do it. Thanks for your text, we could see all the love you feel for that wonderful country 🙂
In 8 years, I’ll be sure to ask to myself: Why do you love Japan? ^^
Ps: And you make me wanna visit Malaysia! Just to have the chance to meet you and thank you for being so inspirational ! 😀
Dont need to wait 15 years!!! Haha yea come to Malaysia! It’s very warm and if you like tropical weather! I actually wanna explore other parts of france i have only been to Paris before!
Lol you’re right, I don’t need 15 years, even though it will probably be long and it will probably takes a lot of time to write it entirely lol
Going to Malaysia seems like fun! I’m sure it would be very exited to go there!
(And you also help Malaysian tourism, yeah! lol)
An so you should come back in France! There are so many beautiful places (not only Paris) to see! 😀 But warning: the weather isn’t our friend here so choose a safe period to come! lol
It is a 20yrs long affairs with Japan. It all started with a book of doremon, affectionately known as xiao ding dan during my times. And I slowly move on to other manga & eventually anime. I stalk kinokuniya for the latest japanese version of my fav manga so that I can take a peek at the manga even I do not understand. My primany school life was filled with endless of imagination from manga and animes. Who remember dragonball?? Today I still watch anime and manga. It is a part of me that refuse to grow up.
In secondary, I move on to J-pop (it was the craze then!), but I prefer J-rock like X-japan, l’arc en ciel. I’m still very much in J-rock (and visual kei) now, it is my dream to stalk the Gazette and Alice 9 in Japan. 😛 Despite the craze of K-pop now, I still love my heavy make up J-rocker & Visual Kei. And of coz… J-Drama.
In 2010, I finally save up enough to backpack Japan (I did it in less then S$4K) with my best friend. We went Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Mijiyama, Kyoto, and Hakone. It was a childhood dream come true. We can’t even believe we are on our way to the “motherland” (esp at Akihabara…). When we touch down at Narita, I cried. I can’t believe I’m really in Japan! I am in Japan! I’m really in Japan!
Oh! The foods! I could never get tired of eating ramen, udon, sushi, shashimi forever! Due to budget constraint, we bought maggie there as dinner, and buy all the tako/ hot dgs/ fish cakes etc in convenience store and cooked together. Oh my! Taste so heavenly.
Culture shock is all I felt. Everyone is so polite! No one chat on top of their voice in train, always giving up seats for the needy, rubbish are throw into the right bins, Q-ing up for train, and many other omgwtf-how-is-it-possible well manned people all over Japan!
I was in awe how the japanese gave their all in what they do. even the shop assistants or train conductors! I got a huge shock when the shop assistants wrap up my 500 yen skirt so gently like it is an Chanel skirt. pack it nicely in a bag and walk me to the door before the whole shop bow to bid me goodbye! I never forget the cherry old granny working in a candy shop at Nishi market, she is so full of life and greet every passerby offering us generous serving of sample. I accidentally step on someone foot and the 1st thing the kawaii girl did is ask apologies to me and asked if I am ok.
When I come back to Singapore, I stop hating the world. I used to bitch about how much I hate life. Japan change my view. It make me see things differently, it all begin with me. So I started to smile more, be kind to people (including those ppl that make my life miserable at work), and most important, patience and giving my every all at work and everything I do. I now say thank you to cashiers and hawker, I even bow to ppl (yeah wtf. colleagues all got a shocked). And I like how I am now, it make me happier and at peace with myself. I now believe that “smile, and the whole world smile with you.”
I am going to Japan (Osaka & Kyoto) once again next month. I want to re-visit the place that change my life, my view, and my world. Of coz! Backpacking again. 😆
i love this comment SO MUCH. i almost tear when you talk about the tearing at Narita lol i was just telling another reader didnt expect so many people to feel the same omg. I thought i was so silly T___T
it’s so nice that you are going back again! I recommend Hokkaido and Okinawa too, two furthest place but very very different feel. Both amazing in their own way. Thank you so much, i never get tired of reading all these nice comments and i feel very very touched that visiting Japan changed your view of life, as it did to me <3
Cheesie! I’ve always been a silent reader, so sorry about that! But I really really love your blog a lot! So much that I don’t know how to express my love. Haha. I read it like my morning newspaper. I’ll click on older blog posts whenever I’m free!
Anyway! I’m also a Japan lover! I could still remember how hard I begged my mum to choose Japan for our end of the year trip when I was young. The requirement she gave me was straight As in PMR so CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! I was so glad that I was finally able to visit Japan! My love for Japan first blossomed when my friend introduced this Japanese boy band, Hey! Say! JUMP to me when I was 14. In fact, I still love them loads now! Do you know them? 😀
When I first set foot on narita airport I was like omg my life is complete! Just breathing the Japanese air made me so satisfied and contented with my life! People there were so polite that I felt so ashamed of myself! Everything there is perfect! The food, public transport, environment, people and toilets! Haha. I don’t mind sleeping in the toilet lor. So warm and clean.
I’m determined to go for a student exchange program to Japan some time! I’m very sure it’ll change my life! Please continue blogging more about Japan and I’m really proud of you for making all Malaysians proud for your achivement in Tokyo Kawaii competition!! Keep it up Cheesie! Love you! Xoxo.
lol why u so cute!!!!! wa looks like Narita is really like the turning point for everyone! So happy for you, good luck to your student exchange program!!! <333 ans thanks so much for your support!!!
Hi Cheesie,
I didn’t really follow your blog that much and I landed on your blog once again thanks to my friend who retweeted this post.
To be honest, you’re not the only one who feels that way in a sense that you love Japan more than your own country, myself included. Whenever I tell people that I will leave Malaysia and migrate to Japan, people will look at me like some kind of idiot. They’re saying that there’s a better place to live other than Japan simply because they never see what’s so great about Japan. It’s useless to preach about the wonders of Japan because their tiny brain can never get it.
I was so fortunate to be able to go to Japan when I had the chance to go for student exchange to Tochigi prefecture and indeed it was a blast. I’m a geek and going to Japan was the best experience for me because I managed to see so many awesome gadgets that I doubt it exists anywhere else in the world. However, it made me look like a country bumpkin because I always asked them what were those. Seriously, I’ve never seen those stuff elsewhere so that’s why I’m asking them. Even I’ve returned from Japan, they keep on creating cool inventions that made me go awe every time I read about it in the newspaper. I wish that kind of stuffs are available in Malaysia but that’s not going to happen anyway.
It is true that technology, anime, manga and video games had brought me to love Japan but as I grow up, I began to have interest in Japan as a whole. Now, I have branched out to politics and economic. I know what’s happening more in Japan than what’s happening in Malaysia because I just find current issues in Malaysia are totally ridiculous (maybe because we don’t face depressing issues like Japan).
Speaking of Japanese people, I have to say that I’ve never met people who are so kind and polite in my entire life. When it comes to customer service, I have to say that you could never get this kind of hospitality elsewhere even in the western countries. Because of this harmonized feeling, I really am feel happy when I’m in Japan maybe because I’m surrounded with positive and nice people. So, I can understand why you’re happy when you’re there. Reading Ray also makes me happy because it feels great to look and feel beautiful and it would be even better if I saw that myself.
And, I think Japan is safer than Malaysia minus the natural disaster. This is the one and only country that I can roam around without worrying about theft.
thank you for visiting this blog again!!! <3 i guess its true that everyone who loves japan had this little seed planted in their heart maybe it was about anime or manga or games or pop idols and then as their get to know more it blooms into such massive endless love haha. it's nice that you are so concerned about japan. you are right, i dont even read news here back home but in Japan, i watch their TV everyday. First of all they made all news very interesting and secondly u guess i just genuinely am concerned about their current affairs.
Hi Cheesie!!
Um…. what can I say? Every single time I read your blog, I get really really jelly. I love Japan a lot because it has a really rich culture and I think Japanese is the most beautiful language on Earth. And you’ve been to Japan so many times!!! You can also speak Japanese so fluently (actually, how long did you study it for?). Everytime I’m near a Japanese in Singapore or anywhere I get super super excited. There was once I was on holiday in Taiwan and there were Japanese tourists there. They were speaking so much Japanese and I was so happy to be able to suck in all that Japanese feel. Hahahaha. But I don’t come from a wealthy family so I’ve never been to Japan before although I really really want to.
I’m currently 16 and, same as how you felt when you were young, it’s been my dream to be able to go to Japan one day. I’m learning Japanese now in school and I feel I’m just one step closer to Japan. Really really excited to be able to travel Japan one day and experience whatever you felt.
Thanks for this post and making my dream to go Japan even stronger 😀 Stay awesome and fashionable and pretty! And good job in the Tokyo Kawaii Competition!
XOXO ♥
i learned about maybe 5-6 years in total on and off 🙂
omg i completely understand what you are talking about “suck in all that Japanese feel” haha!!!!! It’s like you love japanese that much that you get excited about the language!
Yesyes!!! It’s like, a simple ohayou excites you so much!!! Glad I’m not the only one here hahaha c:
Dear Cheesie, I love Japan too omg. so jelly lohh you are like visiting there every month :3 Big sigh since I didn’t been there even once. Maybe I’m too young or what Idk but I do love all the kawaii stuffs there, and I’m hearing people saying something like ‘Japanese so polite lahh omg see some of our Malaysians’ or ‘Japan = a clean & clear country’ and so on, like there won’t be people who dislike Japan outside haha. You’ll want to just live there in your entire life right, as I do haha. Anyway please do post more about Japan pls pls pls your blog posts always make me feel like I had been there and tried all those awesome food met all those awesome people and so on. Sakura da besttttttt. Gambateh! 🙂
i will!!! there are many more posts to come!!! stay cheesed :3
OMG HAHA I WAS LOOKING AT YOUR JAPAN POSTS BEFORE I LEFT TOO HAHAHAHA
!!!! hows life there!!! haha you are the only non-japanese with a japanese flag here!!!!!
HAHA yay yay *u* life’s good ah just crapping up in school cus we have mid-term tests next week.. and i got my period
very irrelevant but clearly period plays a big part in life..
oh and in school during long homeroom today my class decided to go into groups and give me some words to learn in japanese that are erm.. interesting lololol like agepoyo, tehepero, ky and jk.. @o@ funfun!!
hurry up and come back to jp!! :DDDD and then come to kobe ehehe i’m staying around kobe now in nishinomiya
WOW! so many comments already! 😯
I too have been touched my Japanese people’s hospitality & graciousness.
I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I’ve just arrived at Narita and took a limousine bus to town.
As the bus was leaving the bay, the staff there were bowing at the bus even though nobody’s looking at them! And mind you, it was a freezing 11 degree Celcius! (T___T) Never in my life I’ve seen such a dedication to their job! This makes me admire Japan & their people more.
The moment I got back to Singapore, I was appalled by the service level here & how ungracious & lack of courtesy of the people here. 🙁 For e.g. if you’ve accidentally bumped into someone, they will ‘tsk’ at you as if it’s your fault when in fact it’s both parties’ fault. Back in Japan, when I accidentally bumped into someone, the person will say ‘sumimasen’ first even before I got time to react! 😯
You & Danny Choo are truly my inspirations and I really admire you two for chasing your dreams and in the end realising your dreams! 🙂
Ganbatte Cheesie & wish you all the best! 😛
I’ve loved it since I was..fourteen probably, when I first got to know L’Arc~en~Ciel. Taught myself hiragana and katakana by listening to the song and referring to the lyrics on the booklet from the original CDs I saved up to buy every year or so. I didn’t had internet back then (in fact, didn’t have any computer or internet till I was 18 wtf) and my family didn’t exactly have the means to spend for entertainment. Japan was just a dream, The Dream. Found myself feeling terribly jealous when people around me were going to Japan and they didn’t give a damn about it at all. It just killed me to know that I would’ve appreciated the opportunity it so much more. Tried applying for the AFS exchange prgoram in high school, but didn’t get the scholarship so I had to let it go. Got into university, tried to apply for this annual exchange program with scholarship to Japan but just my luck, the application closed for my year because there weren’t enough Japanese students coming in to Malaysia. Still, I chose to minor in Japanese because I really really love the language and I still want to go to Japan reaaaally badly. Coming into my last year, my Japanese teacher told us of an offer for five students to Japan, with basic expenses paid for. It was only for students who got a grade A last semester. Last semester was the only semester that I did not get an A for Japanese, I got an A- instead. It killed me. Killed me enough to make a decision to just book the a return ticket for Japan with whats left of my student loan because I felt that opportunities had always slipped pass me and it was time I do something about it. I will just have to find a way to pay for everything later, even if it kills me. Not too long later, I got a call from my teacher who basically told me to get my passport because the Japanese government is paying for a two-weeks all-expenses paid trip to Japan in a couple weeks and she recommended me, for my proficiency in English, ironically. It was unbelievable. Japan was just The Dream back then, and suddenly I’ll be going to Japan twice in a year! It was March when I went for the two-weeks trip, and I saw snow for the first time and one lone blooming cherry blossom tree. It was amazing, eye-opening! 😀 I fell even more deeply in love with Japan, just as much as you do if not more. I stalk blogs on Japan from those living there and knowing the everyday issues and problems that they face, I still have this really deep yearning to stay longer in Japan, to work there, to live there maybe. At least for a couple of years. So that’s my story, and this is just the journey. I will be back there again soon, for a holiday but once day I’ll be there, to live it! 😀
Japan is like an amazing place beyond description
I’ve always felt out of place in my own country, bullied yaddayadda sob story
And It was my dream since I was 6 years old to go to Japan!
I always thought oh wow there’s this amazing magical place where clothing is amazing, people are polite, everything is in a vending machine, all very superficial things
So when I finally got to go, I DIED
Everyone told me I would get culture shock, and I didn’t! I’ve never felt so at home! Being in my own country gives me culture shock!! haha
Everyone was so nice, everyone treated me with respect regardless of whether they knew me or not. Whether I could UNDERSTAND them or not it didn’t matter! They would still talk to me!!
“Gaijin? Who cares here’s a drink it’s a hot day enjoyyy! ~” So nice
everything was so perfect, people cared so much about THROWING TRASH AWAY haha that means a lot to me, I remember my host mom ran down a street for 15 minutes chasing after her tissue that blew away because littering is just a nono.
The guys are so cute! I diedddddd
All the girls are so pretty! OF all sizes!! And everyone prides themselves on being dressed, and looking their best regardless of what their doing
“oh going to 711, let me do my make!” SO PERFECT YES
The clothes!! THE CLOTHES C L O T H E S !! ahhhhhh so perfecttt
I remember feeling so confident in Japan ~ I went to Kobe and Osaka, your pictures always make me cry because we’ve been to some of the same places!! ~
I remember feeling so comfortable to be myself and expressing myself
When I left I cried, everyday, I still cry actually haha how can one country be so perfect like that? I don’t even understand!! But I miss it like crazy
It really is an amazing place beyond description.
Maybe you should just more over there rather than pretend to be someone you are not.
are you telling the 100 people who commented before you????
please read your own comment again and see if it actually make any sense to you. dont laugh die me. Go back to school again pls.
R & V aren’t even close. LOL
hey cheesie! ur blog post made me think of a student exchange program i went few years ago to fukuoka! i was quite neutral towards this country at first but i came home with so much pleasant memories of japan & made me love that country! when we were there, ymca hosted us and what gave me a deep impression was how hospitable e people there are! the people who hosted us voluntarily and even cooked for us (more than 50 ppl!!!) there were all middle age uncles n aunties, and there was particularly a ojisan who told us he live far away from ymca and every morning he has to drive 2 hours to our place and he arrived even before we were awake in e morning. i was very touched upon hearing that :”) and they kept bowing to us out of politeness and culture but we were so not used to that as we r just young kids, i wanted to ask them to stop but i think it would be rude so in e end we are all bowing to each other which was quite a funny scene!
another thing was i went to a 7-11 before i left japan and wanted to buy back all onigiri home for my bro as he loves it, (i know its quite insane :x) however, i can’t read japanese and i asked one of the staff there and he was so so so nice and dedicated he actually came out from counter and tried his best to translate every single onigiri flavor despite us having communication problems..
even our tour guide during e trip was so helpful and dedicated, i bet we were one of her toughest tour groups ever in her career as she has to be our translator and guide.. we were on an educational trip and had to go and interview some high ranked tech geek who doesn’t know how to speak english but she actually translated e entire long interview we had w him and even had to whipped out her electronic dictionary to translate the difficult words and technical terms for us. she even accompany us along our shopping trips, a trip to the local bank to settle some issues to help us communicate with the japanese. she doesn’t have to go to this extent but she volunteered to do it for us :’)
the service staffs of japan are the most dedicated and has the greatest service, even come out from counter to pass u the shopping bag and walk u to the entrance and keep thanking n bowing, i never seen such great customer service anywhere.. i can go on and on about how e pleasant memories i had in japan, I’ve to say my impression of japan totally changed after this trip and i had grow love for this wonderful country:) it makes me want to go back there again!
Hi Cheesie! Just dropping by to say I love Japan too! Used to work in a Jap company here, so I got the chance to travel on business to a few places in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Tochigi and Suzuoka. Love love love the people, the culture, the language, the fashion, the beauty stores and all things kawaii! Agreed with you, people there take things seriously and professionally!
Supporting you all the way! Best of luck for both career and love!
p/s: even though you never win the kawaii world competition, but in Most malaysians’ heart, you have won. Well done Ringo-chan!
I love Japan also, I built a JDM swap Subaru Sti. I LOVE sushi, I’d eat it every day! Also big anime freak, have Dragonball everything.
Have fun while your there!
Good for you Cheesie, I’m from Malaysia too. I grew up watching anime and mangas all the time, it always was my dream to go to japan and work as a mangaka, because anime and mangas influenced me so very much. I always depend on mangas and animes when I’m in a depressing state, and they really are a life-saver.
But in reality we all know there’s very little chance coz you have to learn japanese, raise money, and work there for 2 years, help out other mangakas, bla, bla, before finally become a mangaka..
Okay sorry for the long otaku talk x( Can you tell me how you went and find homestay / exchange programs? Is it like exchange programs from your secondary school? I really want to visit japan but I’m just a poor poly student 🙁
I love Japan so much. I love it too much that I can’t even type a proper comment about it so I have given up. All you need to know is that I love Japan!
日本大好き！
the reason why i love japan is their people how the behave themselves especially during the earthquake which occur on march 2011.True to say,i love to see how much they love their own local brand mostly gyaru lah.It’s truly difficult to see these in Malaysia though
little-xiao-han.blogspot.com
I love Japan too. And it’s one of my craziest wildest dreams to visit the place too someday. You’re very lucky to have experienced a legit dose of Japan. Thanks for sharing all those wonderful things about it. Now I love Japan even more! And am more eager to visit one day!
Hi Cheesie, I’ve been reading your blog for like 2 years now, but I never commented, because I’m a super socially awkward penguin wtf T_T But I’m being brave now, because I also want to share my love for Japan. T__T;
My dad is Chinese and my mum is German, but because she studied both japanology and sinology in university she had many Japanese friends like my auntie Yoko who would come every now and then to visit and stay with us for a few days. And she made me awesome Japanese food. So I think that’s the point where my love for Japan started hahaha. Later in second grade I bought my first meitantei conan manga. Now, 10 years later I have 72 meitantei conan manga.. 😀 My mum always says that she read a lot of Japanese detective stories when she was pregnant with me and then it rubbed off on me wtf.
So then the next years I read a lot of manga and watched anime~
I always wanted to visit Japan, but because it’s so expensive I thought I never would T_T
Then I also discovered Lolita fashion and started shopping online on Japanese sites, but it was so expensive and I was always like ‘if I would be in Japan right now it wouldn’t be so expensive’ T___T … Then I grew out of my living cupcake-phase and discovered Liz Lisa, you can probably imagine what happened then wtf.
When I discovered your blog I started bribing my mum with your Japan posts hyayaya~ (´ ▽ `)ﾉ (Also, I was quite jealous. T_T)
Then last year in February my mum finally said that we can travel to Japan and that this will be my (6 months.. ﾟ▽ﾟ) early birthday present for my 18th birthday~~
So we ordered the tickets and the hotel then~ And 1 month later the earthquake and tsunami came T___________T Then I felt very teary all the time because I was worried about my auntie and all the people and because I’m generally quite the bad luck person I felt terrible T_T In my head it was a bit like ‘okay you order your flight ticket now – here you are, one of the most powerful earthquakes in the world :D’ …. v__v
But we didn’t cancel our flight back then, because it was scheduled for october and we thought that we would just wait a bit and see how everything turns out.
And then in october I could finally travel to Japaaaaan~~ And I was sooooo excited T__T When we landed at Narita I was so so so so so happy and a bit teary and it kind of felt like another world. T_T But I was really surprised that there were only really few foreigners beside us there. Then at Narita we chatted with a guy from the airport staff and he seemed so happy that there were still foreigners coming to Japan D: During my whole stay of one week I saw really few foreigners (except for Sensoji Temple :D).. So everyone was like ‘yay foreigners!’ when they talked with us.
And everyone was soooo kind and polite. T___T
One time when I went into a shop in Harajuku and already had a lot of shopping bags the staffgirl asked me if she should pack all my stuff together in one big bag T____T At first I didn’t even get what she wanted to say, because this never happened to me in any other country!!
Then one time we got a bit lost on our way to the Ghibli museum, because the JTB description wasn’t up-to-date anymore. So we stood there in Nakano, looking confused how we could get to Mitaka now =___= Then a salaryman came up to us and asked us if he could help us T___T When we told him where we wanted to go, he even showed us the right train platform. T_____T That was like the cutest thing ever. Then at the Ghibli Museum everyone was like ‘yay foreigners!’ again and ‘it’s so cool that you came all the way from germany! T___T’ that was also really cute.
The thing I like best about Japan is the kindness of the people. Everyone is really really really really kind and polite and always willing to help T_T
One time I was in a shoe shop in Harajuku and because the shoes weren’t arranged in sizes the auntie in the shop helped us searching for cute shoes in S size that would look good on me T__T
And the trains are aaaaalways on time! In Germany the trains are aaaaalways late, so I always catch myself thinking ‘Meh this wouldn’t happen in Japan’ .
I could go on and on writing about things that happened to me in Japan and why I love Japan, but there are really too many. My mum and I are now saving money so that we can visit Japan again next year. I’m also thinking about visiting Japan on a Working Holiday Visa when I’m done with school soon. Either way I definitely plan on visiting again!! :DD
I also think it’s really really great that you can visit Japan so often now and I’m very happy for you! (But I’m also still a bit jealous hahaha)
And now I wrote so much stuff. T_T
Thank you so much for taking time to write this long comment. I feel so happy when you described how excited for them to see foreigners just right after the horrible disaster. I myself canceled a trip and i wish i have done more to help them. During my last visit there were many foreigners so i’d say after a year it has pretty much resumed to the vibrant city it used to be, except with more considerate people around to help save energy and people in need. I’m deeply moved and i wish everybody could learn from it <3
i can’t believe what i’m reading!
unbelievable!!!!!
i’m just awed!!!!!
Hi, I am Japanese and from Tokyo.
“I have become someone i like”??? OH NO….darlin, you are so sweet.
I do feel so humbled and overwhelmed to have read this post with your overflowing affection towards Japan…I want to write a longer comment but have to go.
So, see you soon! THANK YOU!!!!!
No, thank YOU who helped us all realize how much better a person we could improve to be. I will return to Japan again this month because i just can’t get enough of it <3
Hi Cheesie. This blog post inspired me so much. I love the way you express and I love the way you like yourself more. You know what you doing and you love what you doing, this is so cool. I exactly having same dream as you when you’re 15, want to go Japan and experience their lifestyle there. I wish I can do the same as you. I am seriously proud of your DREAM! :)))) keep on going, and I love your blog 😀
Thanks so much <3 it is quite a surprising realization to myself as well. :3
i dream is just a dream if you dont do anything about it. Good luck! :3
OI CHEAT WAN! Thought you were gonna introduce your kareshi to us 😛
We grew up being told by union activist teachers that all the Asian countries loathe us for what happened 6-70yrs ago & the western world despise us as a freak producing worlds most weird stuff. Their ultimate goal is to create kids who are ashamed of their country & its culture & they were pretty successful until very recently.
So I was more than surprised reading your entry and all the comments, can’t help bowing my head & shedding silent tears.
Thank you Cheesie, thank you guys. Love & blessings to you all :blush:
OK this made me cry. The world has so much to learn from Japan! Japanese society makes me ashamed of the way people behave in my own country. People shouldn’t be judged by what their forefathers did, but by what they do themselves. I admire the kindness, courage, resilience and compassion of the people of the Japan I know today. Please tell anyone you know who has been made to feel ashamed of Japan that they should be proud instead! There is so, so much love for Japan out in the rest of the world, and the comments on this (wonderful heartfelt) blog post are just a tiny sample of that. 気をつけて下さい！
THANK YOU Hayley for saying so..it really means a lot. It really does.
Thank you so much for your comment. Reading all these comments also make me realize that if you give your love eventually it will come around. Like how i’m touched by you being touched by all the comments above. It’s an amazing circulation. Even though it is in a foreign language that they probably have a hard time understanding, I only wish more people from Japan could get to see these hundreds of comments, and every person in Japan deserve to know that how well love their country is. <333
history is but a lesson. Japan’s history is more than just that one thing that happened 70 years ago. Yes, a lot of horrible things happened, and everyone changed after that. That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing in Japan’s history and culture to like about, or that there’s something to despise people about.
There’s a lot of people in the Asian and the western world who loves Japan and don’t care about what happened 70 years ago. We treated it all as past, you guys are the “here and now”. Even my parents, born in the hard years following the wars, are not angry with what happened – it made them more hardworking people 🙂
To be honest, growing up…I was raised by my country to hate Japan for what they did to us in the past. They destroyed alot of our beautiful architecture, looted our treasures, raped and tortured. They were like locusts who ruined everything in their path.
Now I have come to forgive what happened in the past. One cannot hate the sons for the sins of their fathers and grandfathers. And seeing how discliplined, good natured and polite they are. One cannot help but admire the courage and resilience of these people esp after going through so much devastation.
Hey cheesie! I love your post on Japan and you’re soooo lucky that you’re able to go there for work purposes! My friends, though they have not gone through world war two, they hate Japan. They know that i’m in to anime, j-rock, j pop and wishes to go to todai after JC. But they dont support me at all, they think it’s all a joke and laugh it off everytime i bring it up. This really pisses me off, I dont understand why they are still going on about WWII, it’s an ancient grudge. Just let it go. My granny, who almost lost her life, did not even hold a grudge against the japanese soldiers. Furthermore, they are studying history, they should know very well that the japanese back in Japan were also treated badly by the soldiers! Sorry for the rant! I’m also saving up for japan and i hope to be there in three years time, studying in todai. Oh, and can i ask you a question? Is learning japanese hard? There’s the katakana, hiragana, kanji and romanji! Seems to be quite challenging! T-T
素敵なブログ読ませていただきました。
日本の良い面も悪い面も含め、
こんなに好きでいてくれるのは
すごく嬉しいです⊂((・x・))⊃<3
コメントをみると色々考えさせられました。
チージーちゃんは憧れです。
これからの活躍、楽しみにしてます★
トイレットペーパー三角に折るの好きです(笑
わざわざのコメント感激です。いっぱいスラング使ってるのでチージーの英語わかりにくいよね。
ちゃんと読んでくれてありがとうございます。＜３
やっぱみな三角のがすきだよね〜〜＾＾
私も日本が大好き！
はじめて日本のことが気に入ったのは6年前、アニメを見た時。
この６年間、日本の色々な事に感動させた。
日本の文化、礼儀、言葉。日本の人達が持っているの親切さ、優しさ。私の国でそれは珍しいっと思います。
今も日本語を勉強しています。日本語を上手になるように、一生懸命頑張っています。
日本への愛情も毎日だんだん増えてきます。
将来、必ず日本へ行きます。
この夢は早く叶いたい o(^▽^)o
（チージーに羨ましい。いつも日本へ通いますっていいね）
チージーにも感謝する。
以前はちょっと寂しい感じがする。
今はなんか 日本が好きな人がいっぱいいる って嬉しい。
(p/s: pls forgive my very bad japanese, i’ve started learning only half year ago. But i’d be more happier to express my feelings to japan in their language! And also ever since i’ve learned japanese, i realised i have never been so passionate about anything before. Thank you cheesie for the very excellent post, and thank you japan i found my passion! Lol!)
Your Japanese is really really good!
And thank you for your comment <333 Wish your dream come true soon!
Thanks for the reply! It means a lot to me! *trembling in joy wtf*
Anyway, it didnt show but i’m malaysian too. :X
Also hope that more Japanese would read your post and ganbatte!
Reading your story of love with Japan and all these others on the comments makes my dream of going to Japan even bigger. I really wish that some day I can share all these good experiences like you guys are doing.
I don’t know why, but since I was a kid Japan always facinated me somehow. I think it started with the animes, lol. But yea, I used to watch Sailormoon, Dragon Ball, Sakura Card Captors… but I do not just let myself be influenced by what the animes showed me. Instead, it made me wanna know much more about that culture, about the food, all that politeness and stuff and by then, my love for it started growing up. And it keeps growing till now!
This year I discovered your blog through Fourfeetnine (and I discovered Fourfeetnine through 9gag and Meme Proposal, lol). And I started reading your blog daily and all those pictures and all those clothes and stuff and experiences you talked about made me truly decided that someday, somehow I’ll go to Japan not for tourism, but for work and to live.
I study fashion here in Brazil and as I’m finishing it in the next year (or more, never know), I started to think a lot of what would be my professional goal for real. And it’s obvious. Japan influenced my life since I was a kid, why not would it influence my professional life too?
Not only it’s culture but it’s fashion and the way fashion reach people amaze me. And my goal it’s to be a part of if someday. I want to include myself in it and reach people with fashion too. That’s my wish.
I know it’s a long long journey but looking at you and how you reached it makes me feel encouragement and makes me believe that I’ll reach this complete hapiness too! And for sure I will (see? The Secret positive thinking, hah). Thanks a lot for sharing with us your love for this beautiful country
Someday I’ll come here to share my love again, but through all the good experiences that are waiting for me there <3 Thanks for all the sharing and encouragement, Cheesie
Cheesie, thanks for sharing. 💡
I love Japan too! I love Japan when I was young, the first Japanese drama that influenced me was “beach boy”. The theme song LALALALA still surrounding in the air. My love to Japan getting more when I started to work as part-timer in one of the Japanese restaurant when I was studying in Singapore. The bosses are Japanese, so mostly 80% of the customer are Japanese. Because of the job, I started to learn Japanese (part time again) and fall in love deeply to the culture, foods (my Japanese chef cooks marvellous Japanese meals), sake, sochu, umeshu, people, costumes, customs, almost everything about Japan. OK. by that time me still got no enough money to travel to Japan. Until I met my classmate – Jun. She told me about this programme (http://www.wwoofjapan.com), where you can go Japan and don’t need to worry about accommodation and meals (this is where you spent your $$$ the most), but the only condition is you have to work for them. So I decided to go there! I bought a ticket from Thai Airways (SGD 700+), exchange SGD 1500 and fly to Haneda – Asahikawa (Hokkaido) – Tokyo. I spend 20 days in Hokkaido, and 4 days in Tokyo. I saw the most beautiful flowers and most beautiful blue sky there. no kidding.
My host family are so nice, okaasan always cooked her damn delicious traditional Japanese mama home cook food for me. and otousan like to bring me around bring me to onsen when I’m off from work. They own a youth hostel in Sounkyo (Daisetsusan in Hokkaido), very beautiful mountain (like Genting/ Cameron Highland but less people and with many onsenssss) and super beautiful waterfall.
I swear I wanna go Japan again next year. no joke 😀
Woah I never heard of this programme. Can you tell me more about your experience? :S
😉
here it goes:
1. go at least 1 month to experience the marvelous adventures.
2. log in to wwoofjapan website and be a member. (member fees is applicable)
3. pick a host from the host list. you can decide which part of Japan you would like to go.
4. get connected with the host and ask anything you would like to.
5. once confirmed with the host, make sure you know how to get to their place.
6. get ready with your passport, visa, get an air ticket and ready to fly 🙂
they will provide you with accommodation and meals. usually you have to work 5-6 days a week, on your off day, you are free to explore any places yo u would like to. anyway their job is very super easy.. i did mine in a guesthouse, the job that i do is mostly housework, cook with okaasan, receptionist, room cleaning, dry futon, gardening etc…
Thanks so much for your long reply! But did you go alone? you not scared of bad guys there meh? Haha :X
amazingly Japan is incredible safe. Perhaps sometime you will meet weird ojisan.. but anyway they won’t harm you. 😀
Just be more alert you will be safe.
Dont feel bad for loving japan more than malaysia, i believe that we all have our places in the world and if we are lucky enough to find it, we should make the most out of it and not feel guilty 🙂
Im saying this as a malaysian girl who is deeply in love with spain, i know what its like to feel a deeper connection with a so called ‘foreign’ country rather than the country you were born in.. Have you ever considered moving to japan and just experiencing living life there for a few months at least?
I think you’d love it and it would be super interesting for us blog readers to read abt 😀
Hey Cheesie, I just want to tell you that the ‘you’ 15 years back reminds me of me when I was in high school too (: I am in college now so obviously I have not fufilled my dream of going to Japan. But this post encourage me nevertheless. Because to me this dream of stepping into Japan might be impossible as I have other responsibilities and money is an issue for me as well. But going to Japan is still on the top of my bucket list. (:
Ps. The dream of buying all the lollita clothes avaliable in Japan is what I want too haha nice to know someone shared the same thinking (:
Dear Cheesie,
My name is Sapphira, I live in England and I’ve been reading your lovely blog for a year or so. I was suprised and happy to read that you used to like lolita fashion! I’m a lolita blogger, and I admire both your blog and your fashion very much. I want to go back and read your blog from the very beginning now!
Like you, I love Japan. In fact, I will move there in about a month to study! I’m so excited 😀
I started to take an interest in Japanese culture about 6 or 7 years ago when I saw some pictures of visual kei cosplayers online, and from then I began to like Japanese music, fashion, anime, food, history…. everything! My mother is Singaporean, and my father is English, and I sometimes felt a bit of an outcast at school because of it (I went to school in a really traditional English village). When I discovered how much I loved Japan, I finally felt like I found somewhere I could fit in! Lolita fashion is something I will be passionate about forever, I want it to go on and on so that girls like me will have a way to express themselves and be happy. I hope to work for a lolita brand someday!
I’m really happy for all the success you are having, especially in Japan. You truly deserve it and I wish you lots of luck in the future!
Sapphira xx
Hi Sapphira!
I am from Tokyo, now livign in Hong Kong. Enjoy your stay in Tokyo. I had dreamt of living in London when I was older and I did make it, actually. It was one of the best time of period in my life…it is so good to experince diffrent cultures even thoug you may get dissapointed, that’s a just part of it.
You said you are an outcast at the school because of your ethnicity? You have just a spacial background which others don’t have. You can have two different points of view thanks to it, can’t you? Just make the most of it instead of taking it negatively.
Enjoy and work hard in Japan!
S**t! CORRECTION!!! when I was older>I was younger.
Hi Mariko! Sorry, I just saw your message now. I felt so happy to read it! Thank you for sharing your experience with me, I’m feeling even more positive about going to Japan now! I’ll be sure to do the very best I can there, thank you again.
Sapphira
Hi Cheesie~
I think I am where you were 15 years ago, dreaming of going to Japan, wondering if I ever will. My boyfriend is going in July, and I am so jealous, because I cannot afford to go with him and he cannot afford to pay for my expenses there 😥 I feel really happy for you and I’m glad you are starting to find self-love 😀 And thank you so much for writing this post! I have learned that it is not impossible and I WILL go to Japan one day and experience all the good things the country has to offer 😀
Hello Cheesie 😀
I love Japan more than I love Singapore too~ 😀 (Just not the natural disasters part though :x) Actually, I’m planning a trip to Osaka this july with my family! ^^ But I don’t really know what places that diedie also must go other than USJ. Can you please advise me, pretty pretty pleaseeee? 😀
Hi Cheesie~
I feel so complicated and inspired by your post, and definitely remind me of how much I love Japan too. I’m currently working in a Jap company, working with Jap is seriously very tedious and systematic, which is good! That’s why Jap’s product is always better in term of quality. Jap co even if we need to lose $$, my boss will still insist with the quality and the requirement. Really love their culture.
I only been to Hokkaido once few years back, compare to Korea, S’pore and etc places. Japan was the only place I feel I wanna live there for the rest of my life. Even my friend who went there for home stay repeatedly N-th time declared, one day she gonna move to Jap for good. And someday I gonna visit it again n again!
I totally understand when you said Jap made you be a better person! Just mine is not Jap but Melbourne. (Coz I studied in Melb) I love it even it is chilly cold, or sweaty hot! Somehow the weather just make me more polite and nice to others too. I can assure that’s not a tourist view as I was living there for few years. Yeap, there are always bad side too, some weird stalkers around n etc. However, MOST of the time, it was good.
When I was just back from Melb, I couldn’t get used back to M’sia culture.. with all the poor service, no common sense etc. Somehow I got pissed off just because some girl cutting queue on toilet and my mom wonder what’s wrong with me.
Thanks for writing this post, your sharing is like an encouragement, a cuppa coffee during the sleepy day. and lastly congratz on your marriage. =)
I like how you’ve said that you love who you are in Japan. I believe this is the true love! Cause it’s the same when you fell in love with smb – you start to feel all different and you like who you are with that person 😀 😛
Once my boss who had just returned from a business trip from Japan told us that was like being in time machine – Japan is just about 25 years forward 😛
ちーじー。すてきなポストありがとう。日本人としてとても嬉しい反面、いろいろな問題を抱えた日本がこれからもたくさんの人に愛される国でいられるか不安も感じます。大切な文化や慣習を忘れないよう日本人しっかりしなきゃ。大事なこと教えてくれてありがとう。
コメントありがとうございました。ほんとに感謝です！
Oh god this whole exerpt, its like you took the words out of my mouth.
japan wasn’t my dream travel place, i always wanted to go to europe and new york. but i went there twice to visit an boyfriend who’s an ex now. recently in march i took a trip there myself again because i wanted to really ‘see’ the country. and i really wanted to live it.
and I did, im a horribly pessimistic person, and I am my worse critic. I don’t smile often but being in tokyo, it was so lovely. i don’t know how to explain it. but i loved it.
“I become someone even *i* actually like. And that is coming from someone who seldom like people. Including myself.
But i am becoming the person i wanted myself to be.
Every minute i feel happy. Everything i do it makes me happy. Eating a convenient store onigiri makes me happy. Watching cute girls with cute fashion on the street makes me happy. Saying thank you to a shop staff makes me happy. Maybe even touching a Japanese stone make me happy wtf.”
You and Xiaxue really inspire me~
Loved this. Will read your blog more.
Hello, Cheesie! Reading your posts really make me want to visit Japan! T-T You make Japan sound like it’s a magical and perfect place! ^0^ I hope can visit Japan soon! 😀
Great story 🙂 I’ve been influenced by Japan since I was little (my mom went there as a child and gave me all her cute sanrio things) and I’ve wanted to go for soooo long! I am hoping to do study abroad there before I graduate college in Spring. I actually found your blog through XiaXue and have read about “The Secret” on her blog, so hopefully I can make it work for me as well.
Thanks for all the positive vibes 🙂
Heyy there cheesie. I kinda stumbled upon your blog through a friend on Twitter who follows you haha. First of all, let me introduce myself. I am Ven Hui, 19 years old. I’m actually Malaysian as well, but this will probably put down my location as UK as I am here studying a course in Linguistics and Japanese.
Reading especially this particular entry here, I really felt the need to respond. It’s nice reading this because I think finding somewhere or something that makes you the best you want to be is a truly amazing thing. Everyone has their own passion and footing, and it’s really great you could live out yours.
As for me, I’ve been a lot more fortunate than a lot of others. Due to the nature of my father’s job that always had conventions overseas, I had many opportunities to visit countries all over the world from a young age. One of the countries I went to was Japan when I was 8 in 2001. I wish I knew more about Japan back then as being so young, nothing really hit me then. haha.
However, growing up, I became really influenced by my older sister who got me into Japanese pop culture like Japanese anime, manga, Jdrama and Japanese music. I went on being interested with the pop culture, and in 2010, I even got to go Japan again with my family (yes, Air Asia lol) and we visited all over Tokyo for about a week. The experience was amazing as I even met up with about three of my Japanese penpals (kinda online friends?), and I even attended a handshake event with them(they were fellow fans) for a Japanese artist I like, Shinjiro Atae from the Jpop group AAA. Hehe I want to share this experience cause I was wearing a I LOVE MALAYSIA shirt to the handshake. And I actually shamelessly pimped my shirt to shinjiro and told him I was the fan from malaysia and such. Even more so, I tweeted to him before I met him, and also after, and got many tweet replies from him. So when I told him I was the fan from malaysia, he actually realised who I was and gave a really loud OHHHH! Everyone was staring, and wondering what was going on lol. I mean I never thought I’ll get acknowledged by a famous Japanese artist I liked in that way.
Okay, I’m getting carried away…but that was just the start of it. Then I had a friend who was involved in the Leo Club and Lions Club here. She had actually took part in a 1-month cultural exchange programme a year ago to Nagoya. So it was her turn to host a Japanese girl in Malaysia. So, I got to make friends with this Japanese girl as well, and even her mannerisms and her warmth, I was really impressed!
Then the highlight of this post is this (I know took forever to reach this)…the Great Tohoku Disaster in Japan in March 2011. When I saw the footage of the tsunami wiping out the affected areas, my heart was literally broken. I cried myself to sleep many nights, thinking of those who lost their loved ones as well as those who had loved ones missing. I’ve always seen disasters happening all over the world and while I always felt for them, I have never felt as heartbroken as I was, seeing this happen to Japan. Suddenly, I realised what I felt for Japan wasn’t just an interest/pastime, it was a real burning passion. Despite all the stories about the radiation and how it was unsafe to go to Japan, my heart ached so badly. I know there was nothing much I could do then but pray for Japan…and maybe donate…but I really wanted to go there to help them. The feeling was really really intense. Then as they slowly recovered from the disaster, I was truly touched by the way they lived. How they were still selfless in times of disaster, and together, they built back up their own country. No one was living for themselves, but they were all working together as one to bounce back up. That was what stood out to me the most.
However, I wanted even more than ever to go to Japan to do something there (I didn’t know what.) I prayed a lot, and who knows? God really does answers prayers. Like my friend, I decided to take part in the Lions Club Cultural Exchange Programme. I had to take an exam, and then an interview. If I passed those, I was set to go to Japan. And I did!!
So I had a 5-day trip across Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara with other Malaysian exchangees (aged between 16 to 20), a Croatin girl and 2 Australians. Accompanying us were also 5 Japanese Leos who were Japanese students. And it really touched my heart cause they said a lot of people chose not to go to Japan that year cause of the radiation fears, so they were very thankful we still decided to come. There were less people than usual on exchange that time, but it was better to get to know people, and they were even more grateful than ever just to see us there. That camp was quite an experience for me cause I fell sick, lost my voice during that camp…and then I got first hand experience of real Japanese hospitality. They immediately provided me with a mask, various herbal sweets and traditional medicine and took care of me really well. I even recovered fairly quickly!!
After that, the remaining weeks I spent in a homestay in Nagaizumi, Shizuoka with 3 host familes!! I was at the base of Mt Fuji, so it was rather incredible!! I had many first time experiences like Japanese flower arrangement, Japanese tea ceremony, wearing a kimono, going to the public bath and even eating puffer fish (courtesies of my last host family!) They were sooo incredibly generous, and I was really taken care of so well. I got to know many people during the trip too, and even shared a lot about my own values, mindset and Malaysia.
After that amazing experience, I was really prompted and sure I wanted to go back one day. However, parents still wanted me to get a proper degree to be more secure in my future and such. So I managed to find a course in York St John university…it’s a double major, one of my majors is Japanese, and I’ll get to spend an entire year in Japan next year as an exchange student. There are also a number of Japanese exchange students here whom I’m friends with, and mixing with them is teaching me new things about the country each day.
I think I have rambled a lot lol but for me, I love Japan and I’m passionate about it. But above all, I still am a Malaysian by heart. I forgot to mention but I’m actually a fangirl of Japanese girl idol groups like AKB48 (well I still like them a little now) and more recently a sister group, NMB48. I went to Singapore in May 2011 and early December 2011 to watch those 2 groups respectively live. At both of the lives, I wore my I LOVE MALAYSIA shirt again and basically pimped Malaysia to the girls (we had a handshake with them after the concert). One of them even noticed my shirt and asked me questioningly as she pointed out my shirt, “I love Malaysia?” And I said, yes yes and gave her the thumbs up. Man I think Malaysia should pay me for doing all these promotions lol. Again, getting carried away, but I love Malaysia – our food, our culture, my family, my friends. Japan is perhaps second to home, but nothing really beats home. While I want to do many big things in Japan, I want more Japanese people to learn to love Malaysia too like how I love Japan. Although I love Japan, I don’t want to forget where I came from or abandon my roots.
I don’t know where my future is headed, but I am slowly finding out. I’m sorry about how muddled up this post is, but I just wanted to share my thoughts too. Wish I could express it better, but this is part of it I suppose!
I wish to go Japan too.. hopefully can make it next year? hehehehe.. and I’ll make sure before I go.. i read up all your Japan postsssssss <3
Thanks for sharing this, Im glad you are able to put this down into words because I’ve always loved japan too. My best friend is Japanese and I think I’ve gone to japan every year since I was 20 except for 2 years where there was that radiation scare. Now I’m going back again and actually flying to Tokyo tomorrow.
I go back more than my hometown because the people and atmosphere is just amazing. The dedication and care each person puts into their job, even if it is a simple as working as Maccas is amazing – there are an amazing bunch of people.
Anywqays thanks for sharing Cheesie 😀
Hi Cheesie,
I’ve always frequent your blog but has always been a silent reader. Haha… I’m also a huge fan of Japan, has been interested in Japan since I was a kid. It started from a Jdorama that I saw on TV, then it was animes like Doraemon, Captain Tsubasa, Sailormoon… I remember even watching a Japanese tea ceremony documentary! I was so fascinated with their culture, their language, their food and everything and vowed that I will visit the country when I grow up. Haha… Now, I’ve been there twice, one for holiday and another for business trip that I longed to go there again… I totally understood when you said the love that you have for Japan, that even the stones can make you happy! Hehe…
I hope you can continue to pursue your dreams and help show the love for Japan to the whole world!!!
お疲れ様でした!
PS: 結婚おめでとうございます!!! May you and the Danna have a blissful and wonderful marriage life ahead 🙂
Hi Cheesie! I feel exactly the same way as you about Japan. Im a better person simply being here! My first Japan experience was when I did an exchange programme at 13 years old to Toyama and here I am now (13×2=26) in my living room in Akasaka typing this message to you and with my kareshi too 😉 Been a follower on your instagram and loving all your photos. Hopefully someday we can run into each other in omotesando or roppongi. nnCheersnSandy
Thank you Cheesie for your blog and sharing the love of Japan. Please please don’t stop blogging about Japan =)
Soy española y me encanta Japón y la moda.nSoy una Gran Fan tuya!!!!^^ 🙂
Cheesie, Soy una chica española y me encanta Japón y todo lo que tenga que ver con él y con la moda. Me encanta tu blog y todo lo que haces. Ahora tengo muchas más ganas de conocer Japón^^nEnhorabuena por el blog!! besitos 🙂
Hi Cheesie!nI can’t believe I didn’t read this earlier… but thank you for sharing!nHere is my website, where you can read my Tokyo story: http://jl-gazelle.com/tokyo/story/nI thought everyone was crazy over Japan. But in any case, I am so glad to find someone else who loves it like me just as much!! I’m not sure when I’ll go to Tokyo again, but hopefully sometime soon.
I love to read why other people are interested in Japan or how they discovered their love for the land of the rising sun. ^____^nnI still think it’s a completely different story if you visit a country every now and then or if you actually live there.nI’ve been living in Japan for 6+ years now and I really like this country (otherwise I wouldn’t be here anymore), but there are also a lot of things a foreigner in Japan has to deal with – and not everybody can handle it on a daily basis. nnI’m relatively new to your blog, so excuse this question, but if you love Japan so much, may I ask why you don’t live in Japan? 🙂
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