donkeyballzac

Language questions:

-what's the tribal language and do you speak it?

-is the tribal language spoken commonly or exclusively on the reservation? I ask because I've read some stories about the languages of the Native American tribes slowly dying out.

Thanks for the AMA!

Thanks for responding. That's basically what I read. I also read about some linguists going around and recording the elders spoken words and making recordings of how it was spoken before the last native speakers pass away. It's sad but at this point it's hard, if not impossible, to stop.

The porn...it lieeeesssss!

Not the OP but I live in Tokyo so I can offer a few tips:

-best to go during late spring, April - May or early fall (mid-September - early October). Winter/summer are not as fun because of the weather. Cherry blossoms generally happen in early-mid April but can be difficult to time. A few day too early or too late make a lot of difference.

-bring comfortable walking shoes. you'll be doing a lot of walking.

-expect it to be crowded. don't be afraid of trains. they have maps printed with English translations of the train stations.

-make a list of things you want to check out. the imperial palace is pretty to look at but there's nothing really around there and you're not allowed inside. it makes for a nice bike ride around the palace, though, if you rent a bike.

-there are some famous and pretty temples/shrines in tokyo. that being said, Kyoto is better for the zen garden temple experience if that is what you're into.

-expect most people not to speak English or to have very limited English. learning a few words in Japanese will help a lot.

-expect everything to be more expensive (e.g., 120 yen for a coke from a vending machine or about $1.18). you can eat on a shoestring budget at the cheap meat/rice bowl places like Yoshinoya or Matsuya. hotels are going to be more expensive too. you can find cheaper arrangements at youth hostels or places like sakura house, though i can't say if they're any good.

-expect people to be polite but it's unlikely Tokyo people will be friendly or strike up a conversation with you.

-expect people to generally be quiet on the trains, unless it's friday night or the last train (most lines stop shortly after midnight) in which case more people will be drunk.

Long term Tokyo resident here - our times in Japan even overlapped, though I'm still in Tokyo - so your story is interesting. Shibuya is also one of my fav places in the city and I've often thought it would be cool to check out while properly baked. That being said, risk and punishment are way too big. A few questions if you come back to this tomorrow:

1. Can you describe the process after your arrest - they took you to a local koban or to a larger ward (ku) police station for questioning?

2. How long before they let you contact anyone to let you know you were under arrest? Embassy first? Did the J-cops try to get you to give up other people (like people in your phone contact list)?

3. Looking back - any advice on what you would have done differently to avoid getting caught?

4. By the way, how did the cops react when you came out of the bush? Did they have guns drawn on you or were they more relaxed? How was their English level or the English level of the interpreters?

Thanks in advance if you answer. Glad to hear that you've gotten things together and best of luck to you!