the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

Hi folks, I'm thinking of heading up to Tokyo in early March to do some research for a history project dealing with youth trends in that city.
I'm looking for a really cheap place to stay for about a week and also someone to help me as an interpreter (since I only know a very little amount of the Japanese language).
Can anyone help me out?

Best

J

ps. I would of course also love to meet up and train, eat, drink tea, whatever.

Wow, a Tokyo research trip? You gonna go and "study" the cosplayers in Harajuku or what?

What do you need an interpreter for?

edededed wrote:Wow, a Tokyo research trip? You gonna go and "study" the cosplayers in Harajuku or what?

What do you need an interpreter for?

Precisely. I plan to study current trends in cosplay, visuru kei, gothic lolita, gyaru etc.... I want an interpreter so that I can interview some of the people I meet.
I'm doing an ISP at the university of Guelph and I plan to also persue similar studies at the graduate level.
So assuming I can get enough cash together over the winter, thats what I will try to do.

Ah - weeell, for that, I think you would do well to find a girl (or someone in the same sort of cliques) to keep the cosplayers from fleeing and preventing you from interviewing them (from my very minimal experience, they don't seem very talkative).

(If, for example, I was your interpreter, I think that they would just flee from the sight of two weird dorks approaching them... Not good for research...)

But, er, what sort of field is this type of study, anyway?

As for cheap places to stay, well - I hear about hostels and such, but have never used them myself, so cannot say... There are fairly inexpensive hotels interspersed among the normal expensive ones, though. These "business hotels" (and even worse, "capsule hotels," if you want a much, much smaller "room" (capsule) for only a bit less charge than the business hotels) often fill up fairly quickly, but you've still a lot of time.

http://www.newkoyo.com/

Probably the cheapest rooms in Tokyo and smallest in the world. Also probably the worst part of Tokyo (but still relatively safe). Not too far from Akihabara.

If you can afford it, stay somewhere better!

Ed: what I'm doing is taking the contemporary view of youth culture from Harajuku and comparing it to youth culture from the meiji, taisho, and showa periods. I'm looking at how gender roles are expressed in contemporary and past youth culture and trying to show the precedent of the ambiguity of gender roles throughout modern Japanese history. So its essentially a history project with a touch of Anthropology just for comparison.

Eric: thanks for the advice on where to stay or not stay.

As for interpreters, I'll have to find someone who has both good English and Nihongo and I guess someone who is young or hip enough to ingratiate themselves with the kids. Should be a challenge

now would be the time to perfect your table/assfuck strategy. you will be in a foreign country, with hot girls dressed up all freaky-like, AND...
...you will most likely never see them again after that trip.
you CANNOT pass up a golden opprtunity like that!

Just remember...more than most things, a man's table/assfuck strategy is about the journey, not the destination.

S

qiphlow wrote:now would be the time to perfect your table/assfuck strategy. you will be in a foreign country, with hot girls dressed up all freaky-like, AND...
...you will most likely never see them again after that trip.
you CANNOT pass up a golden opprtunity like that!

I really don't know who is more fucked up, you, Shawn, or me?

You know most of these cosplayers are just teenagers right?

Maybe if I were still in highschool or something, but at this point in my life it is just not desirable and most likely illegal....

Well, I don't see why ed couldn't be your interpreter if you dress him up properly. Use your imagination.

Fascinating concept. I can't help.

Actually, btw, you will do better if you try without a translator. Shy/geeky Japanese do not like speaking to someone who speaks well, because it makes them feel... shy and geeky.

Also, very few cosplayers in Harajuku are hot. And these days there are very few of them. Your research might be about 7 years behind the times.

Zhong_Kui wrote:Fascinating concept. I can't help.

Actually, btw, you will do better if you try without a translator. Shy/geeky Japanese do not like speaking to someone who speaks well, because it makes them feel... shy and geeky.

Also, very few cosplayers in Harajuku are hot. And these days there are very few of them. Your research might be about 7 years behind the times.

Thats lol worthy.
I didn't realize that cosplay was on the out.
The only exposure I have to it is filtered through the lens of what we get to see in the west.
nonetheless I feel that I may be able to find valuable information for my research in Tokyo, since my focus is on youth culture and not just harajuku or cosplay.

Than study women's fashion trends, go to shibuya and hang out in front of 109 building. I'll be more than willing to help translate then... I'd probably be there anyway.

Zhong_Kui wrote:Than study women's fashion trends, go to shibuya and hang out in front of 109 building. I'll be more than willing to help translate then... I'd probably be there anyway.

Thats awesome Dan!
I'm basically writing from the perspective of gender history anyways. The only reason why VK and GL appealed to me is because of the aspect of gender ambiguity that the contemporary and past rock stars have shown.
But Shibuya was already on my list, so that would work out really well.
I haven't got a strong theme for my paper yet, so I'm sure there is a way that I can work womens fashion into it.
If you would be willing to help translate, that would be amazing!

haha, I will be delighted to translate in that case, though we may be ignored for completely different reasons. We can also hit Senta-gai, where the ganguro/gyaru/yamamba and panda crowd used to hang out, and perhaps a maid cafe or two in Akihabara. (I have never been. Last time I was in Akihabara there were literally NO women there.)