If this picture reminds you of yourself, you will love staying at a youth hostel in Kyoto. It will be a lovely place full of like-minded people. People who want to wake up at 5:30 AM to catch all the shrines and temples at the brightest and best. People who come to Japan to fulfill lifelong dreams they've had about Japan. People who are really obsessed with ideas of Old Japan like Samurai, Ninja and Geisha. People who are really obsessed with manga and animated cartoons. People who love cartoon characters like Hello Kitty and Gundam and they have little badges and figurines and stickers and t-shirts and all sorts of random things all over their backpacks. More people who love throwing in random Japanese words (kawaii, baka, usso, sugoi, Otaku and desu/masu words are always favorites) into their English conversation and writing in romanji. (Kore wa Nihongo Janaiyo.)
If you're one of these people, you'll love staying in a hostel in Kyoto.
If this picture reminds you of yourself, you will love staying at a youth hostel in Kyoto. It will be a lovely place full of like-minded people. People who want to wake up at 5:30 AM to catch all the shrines and temples at the brightest and best. People who come to Japan to fulfill lifelong dreams they've had about Japan. People who are really obsessed with ideas of Old Japan like Samurai, Ninja and Geisha. People who are really obsessed with manga and animated cartoons. People who love cartoon characters like Hello Kitty and Gundam and they have little badges and figurines and stickers and t-shirts and all sorts of random things all over their backpacks. More people who love throwing in random Japanese words (kawaii, baka, usso, sugoi, Otaku and desu/masu words are always favorites) into their English conversation and writing in romanji. (Kore wa Nihongo Janaiyo.) 
If you're one of these people, you'll love staying in a hostel in Kyoto.
15 comments:
Osaka is only 20 minutes away (and faster if you have a JR Rail Pass for the Shinkansen) and more regular people stay there.
I had to stay in a Kyoto hostel last week because my friend came to visit me from China.
Oh dear....
Haha, I think I would be in hell DESU.
I read that and thought, "Well, I guess someone was forced to stay in Kyoto hostel recently."
On the Jet Forums, which I cruise occasionally for interview advice should I be chosen, there's a girl who fits that description entirely. She's even got some anime character for her icon, and loves to throw in random romanji Japanese. For her sake I really hope she doesn't get in. She needs to gain a little perspective before making a transnational move to "the place where all of [her] dreams will come true"... Especially since she's 24 and still lives with her parents.
I'm planning to study abroad in the fall, and Japan was on my list of possible places. But I realized that the majority of people who study abroad in Japan most likely fit your description of anime-loving Japanophiles. Which kind of scared me away from the idea.
Germany it is then.
Ahahaha.
It's always seemed to me that those types are way more common, and way more unbearable, around Kansai than in Tokyo.
Tokyo gets the Akihabara types, but all The Last Samurai seem to go further south.
I will never forget this guy I saw strutting around Himeji Castle my first summer in Japan. He was wearing billowing white pants tucked into black combat boots, a white tee shirt emblazoned with the rising sun and "外人" written across it in black (WHO WOULD BUY THAT? THIS IS THE ANSWER), greasy shoulder-length hair, and a Japanese-flag headband that said "日本" tied tight around his forehead. And he was stalking around with the most intense, serious, glowering expression, like he was there to do some serious business.
Hahaha god sometimes I just want to grab them by the shoulders and SHAKE THEM REALLY HARD! Just why? Why???
kyaaaaa!!! this post was sugoi, juri-chan ^_^
<3 <3
kekekekekeke
.........
um, yeah... staying in the hostel certainly would have been a interesting experience for you.
Hi, Just wanted to say I really like your blog. I visited Japan in May and hope to apply for an English teaching job after I graduate, if the economy will allow, so your honesty is a great resource. Anyway, I was wondering if you have ever encountered any ethnic Japanese from Latin America while in Tokyo, or another major city? I wrote a paper on the dekasegi movement but none of my Japanese friends have yet to confirm meeting any...
@Julia
Don't worry! Most people who study in Japan aren't like that!! I met some rad people (including my best friend) who were international students in Japan.
@Uponourhips
YES! Of course! If you go to Tokyo, Japanese Brazilians are everywhere and they are usually extremely awesome. I have met so many fun people who were born in Brazil. They have a really large network of support in Tokyo, so you can find whole Brazilian clubs and bars, cultural centers and magazines for Brazilian-born Japanese people. They are Japanese people who will HUG you!!
There's also a Brazilian festival in Yoyogi park every summer in August. I went once and it was fun.
xox
Haha!! Beth!
"Tokyo gets the Akihabara types, but all The Last Samurai seem to go further south"
That is hilarious. And true!! I think they're attracted by the castles.
I've never actually seen anyone wearing that shirt, though I saw it online and thought exactly that: "WHO on earth would BUY this???"
The grossest thing is that Mr. Ponytail Last Samurai probably found a girlfriend.
i didn't find Kyoto like that atall. in fact i didn't think it was any different from the other cities in regards to tourists. the hostel we stayed in was pretty westernised i guess. no yukatas. and the people were generally nice though there were some really loud, obnoxious American girls. ha.
but i think i know what you mean. japanophilia is pretty common here in Australia. it's kinda funny.
Only in the hostels!! Hostels are cheap and they attract this type. But don't trust me. I've only stayed in Kyoto hostels 4 times. Go there yourself and prove me wrong. (I hope you can!! I wish I could!! Ha)
i did stay in a hostel in Kyoto! maybe i was just lucky. we had a mix of travellers from all over, including this sweet scandanavian family with two kids. everyone seemed pretty chilled out (except the aforementioned American girls).
Great post Julie. I had a similar situation happen to me. For japanese class at the university I attend, I decided to join several japanese themed clubs/organizations. The biggest mistake I made was attending an anime club thinking I could practice verbal japanese. They don't even freaking speak japanese. They just watch cartoons and scream random shit out like "omae" and "kawaii". I'm not gonna beat around the bush here, but they were seriously annoying and I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT IN MY LIFE!.. LOL
Hopefully the east west club will have people I can practice with who can actually speak japanese.
I stayed in a hostel in Tokyo this past May. Very nice place with quite ordinary people staying there. Met a few from Australia, Britain and Germany that were able to tolerate a non-anime spouting American. Not to mention the hostel staff was amazing.
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