lovesong wrote:
Hey Terrence,
I know this is an older post but I noticed you said you were initially planning on living in Japan. That also was my previous goal as well. How would you compare the vibe in China vs Japan? Or more specifically any city in China vs Tokyo as I love Tokyo. Food, music, transportation? Also, do the girls dress as fashionably hot in China as they do in Tokyo?
Yes. My initial plans, when I left the US for the Philippines, was to slowly make my way to Japan, building up my name as an indie manga artist and animator along the way. Now, before I get into comparisons, I will say now that I don't harbor any negative images or opinions about Japan. The largest reasons for my change were because of what I
didn't know about China, and because of
Fukushima.
Don't believe what you read about Fukushima. My opinion, and it is just that, is that all this talk of safe levels and things being "under control, is utter nonsense. The fact that many radiation monitoring stations both in Japan and around the world are shutting down or experience technical difficulties or are in need of maintenance is
very suspicious. They don't want anyone to know what the
real levels of radiation damage are. Even in the US, radiation monitoring is running into problems or the institutions have better things to do. I believe, and this is just
my belief, that the radiation levels are deadly and have spread far beyond Fukushima. Unless I see conclusive proof to the contrary, my plans on living in Japan are finished.
There is another issue on the decline of their comic and animation industry, but that is another story.
It is reasonable to compare Shanghai with Tokyo, but that is probably the only city I think would measure up. Beijing and Guangzhou just aren't there yet, in my opinion. What is my opinion based on? Nothing really, just the look, variety and quality of food, proliferation of cool gadgets, and fashionability of the girls. If you like the bright lights, colors, video screens and whole future city vibe, Tokyo may still win, though Shanghai is very close. Some things I have seen in Shanghai go further, like the building near Yan'an Road which has nearly half a face as a video screen. Tokyo probably has many more varieties of foods, especially in a smaller space. China still mostly has Chinese food, mainly because there's
so much of that you can eat something different everyday for a year. Remember CHina is huge! Still, in certain areas, you can find all manner of international foods. Tokyo, though, may offer Italian, Turkish, Greek, Thai, Czech and many others all within walking distance. ONe thing Tokyo may
not offer, though, is great Chinese food. It's simply not possible. There's too much of it. I have yet to find anywhere that can do it like it is done here. In fact, it is on the street and in the hole-in-the-wall shops where you find it. Even the big fancy places in Shanghai, where customers wear a suit and tie, don't have great food, but a 7 yuan fried rice on the street will be awesome.
You see just as much fashionable dress, and accessories, in Shanghai, but with one caveat. Shanghai, for now, still keeps in sensible. Last time I was in Japan, the fashion was bordering on
cosplay, and these were just people walking around on the street. I saw real life
Final Fantasy looking people every time I turned around, the colored hair, the strange clothes, contact lenses and everything. Japan has been into high fashion for a long time, so they will naturally win in this category. In fact, the young fashionable people in Shanghai today are just trying to look like what Japanese pop culture says is hot.
I hate public transportation, so I am probably not the one to comment on it. I have never been anywhere that can beat Tokyo's train system. It can get you anywhere. If you like buses, which I loathe, then you can get anywhere for a few cents in Shanghai. I take taxis. This is not possible in Tokyo, because they cost too much and a driver will laugh at you unless you're going somewhere far. Shanghai taxis are cheap, and that is 2X what they cost in other places in China. Still, you can get around your area for $2 or so, and somewhere far-ish, might run you $6 or $7. Cut this in half in other parts of China.
Tokyo still beats almost anywhere (except Seoul) for cool gadgets, 3G/4G connections and super fast internet. There's simply no comparing what is available in Shanghai, though I have heard rumors of 8Mbps in some parts. Tokyo is at 56Mbsp and their cell phones can stream full motion video over wireless.
Overall vibe is a little difficult for me. I speak Japanese almost fluently, so I have more access to things there. I speak enough Chinese to get around, maybe get food and talk to a taxi driver, but not enough to really get deep into things. Also, Shanghai has its own language, so no matter how good my Chinese gets, it won't be the same as what I can do in Japan. My girlfriend, from Henan, doesn't even understand what people are saying here, and they often speak to her in Shanghai language. Still, I think Shanghai is a bit more friendly, and only a bit, than Tokyo, but other parts of China are undoubtedly more friendly, open and comfortable, more like Philippines than like Korea or Japan.
Who knows? I heard it's business as usual in Tokyo, but I personally won't be going there to find out. Anything I ever wanted to do there can be done from here and sold there via internet. I don't need to physically be there. The fact that I already spoke the language was a factor too, but I am getting the hang of Chinese little by little. The comics and animation were also important, but the industries have really gone downhill lately, and everything is available online now anyway. The thing I miss most is super fast internet, but if that was my primary goal, I would go to Korea, not Japan.
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