ALinTokyo

I've just started from the beginning, through about 15 episodes, but right away from episode 1, I've been a huge fan! I went to public schools my whole life and it was mind-blowingly boring and literally a prison. The doors were locked during school hours. I was critical even then about it and even more so now. Great podcast!

Welcome to the boards! I am not a heavy poster here but I am fellow Minnesotan, or "one of us" as we like to say. I am currently living in Japan but I know how rare it is to connect to people of like minds so I'm glad you found your way here through a long journey. I look forward to future interactions with you and everyone else here!

I just wanted to thank the final caller on that recent call in show for presenting the Zeitgeist Movement's ideas in a more chewable fashion than Peter Joseph. I think this is the debate that many of us were hoping would happen between Stef and PJ but didn't quite make it there. Even though I think the caller needs to be a bit more rigorous on his definitions of objectivity and subjectivity, I do appreciate him presenting the ideas and enabling a very useful and productive conversation between himself and Stef.

A private company banning their book does not take away the authors' freedom of speech. They can still pursue other avenues, publishers, and go down to their local park with a bullhorn to spread their message if they wish. I've signed the petition.

The odder and more random, the better! Guitar is popular here but I wouldn't know how to compare it to other places. I know of one district here in Tokyo that has a collection of guitar shops and I see people randomly practicing and performing on the street or outside of train stations here. In my classes and among the Japanese people I've met, there are quite a few who say they're into guitar. So, overall, I'd say yes, but there are many other popular activities as well.

It's quite a long answer so I'll try to be brief. After graduating from college and then working for two years in a call center, I just basically got sick of my routine and lifestyle. I was blackballed at work which was kind of a sign that I had to get out. I also had a few friends who were living in Japan at the time. I took a trip over there (here) on vacation for two weeks in May 1999 to visit them and I was just blown away at how exciting big city life was (compared to Minneapolis, haha) and how my friends were getting along and having a good time meeting new people and communicating in Japanese (we all studied Japanese in high school and then college). After returning from that trip, I was really pumped about the thought of living in Japan but still had a few doubts. It took me a month or so to get over those and I began applying for teaching jobs. I got an offer in July and was back in Japan in October 1999. I am half Thai actually, but my family has had a connection to Japan as my parents lived here for a few years a long time ago and we used to have Japanese students and businessmen homestay with us from time to time. Also, because I had studied the language, it was also a motivator to live in Japan to try and further that skill. If you have any other specific questions, I'd be more than happy to go into more detail. Have you been here or thought about living here?

Ha! Yeah, actually, I still listen to Peter's daily podcast which is the first two segments but I've been going through the FDR podcast from the beginning since discovering Stefan. It takes a lot of time, but I spend a lot of time on the trains here during the day so that's when I listen.

Hi Renza, Thank you for the video link and recommendations. If I can be of any help to your Japanese studies, please don't hestitate to ask. Cheers! Al

PS: I just remembered that Stef mentioned that there was a Japanese study group here on the boards. If I can be of any help or service to you, please let me know and I'd be happy to share any experience and knowledge I have in that area. Cheers!

Hello everyone! Long time listener but new to the forums. I'm very happy to meet other like-minded people here. I'm originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota but evacuated to Japan about 13 years ago. I enjoy life here and now have a small family. I'll write more about my journey to voluntarism in the other thread but I basically discovered Stefan through the Peter Schiff Show and my interest in Austrian Economics. If any of you are in Japan, I'd love to meet up and chat. I also look forward to chatting more here in the forums. Thank you and nice to meet you all. Al