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Van Life in Japan

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Re: Van Life in Japan

#161

Post by hutzlibu »

calsy wrote: post #157
hutzlibu wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe, but for intimacy back in those times, there was plenty of private nature around, where couples could sneak away, while the grandmas watched the kids.

Those days, most of the world lives like this now. Intimacy when you have kids is not the highest priority that overrides everything. Im not saying its not important, just that you don't make life choices based on if we 'can get it on here'. You just have to get creative thats all. Bonding with your child and thinking about their needs becomes more important.

"Intimacy when you have kids is not the highest priority that overrides everything."

It is not, but it is still missing, when you don't manage to make room and time for it. Because when it is missing for too long, you can loose each other.

(And I have 2 small children btw. and been on the road with them. So I know a bit about "getting creative".)

Re: Van Life in Japan

#162

Post by Retric »

hutzlibu wrote: post #151
calsy wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Humans have always slept in family groups. It seems like the more natural thing to do. Likewise with nudity. Westerner's are hung up on covering themselves up in front of family members at a certain age. Many Asian cultures don't have that baggage. Bathing with family or going to a bathhouse is normal, and why wouldn't it be?

Maybe, but for intimacy back in those times, there was plenty of private nature around, where couples could sneak away, while the grandmas watched the kids.

Waiting for the kids to fall asleep likely transcends the ages… Kids naturally sleep more than adults, especially when very young.

Re: Van Life in Japan

#164

Post by pwim »

rr888 wrote: post #150

Japanese people are usually very organized and neat, I can't imagine they'd appreciate backpackers coming through like this. Where I come from there are ever increasing number of people living in vans and its a real problem. They usually just cause problems, dont pay hotel or property taxes and ruin the area for everyone else. Some towns have banned them which is worse for the few locals that used to do it on a short…

As someone living in Japan, this doesn’t strike me as something locals would complain about. Heck, my Japanese in-laws did a week long van camping trip last year, and I think they’d be impressed with this person’s setup.

Re: Van Life in Japan

#165

Post by themodelplumber »

rr888 wrote: post #150

Japanese people are usually very organized and neat, I can't imagine they'd appreciate backpackers coming through like this. Where I come from there are ever increasing number of people living in vans and its a real problem. They usually just cause problems, dont pay hotel or property taxes and ruin the area for everyone else. Some towns have banned them which is worse for the few locals that used to do it on a short…

Organized and neat really varies even depending on the local culture and there's quite a bit of variety in normalish neighborhoods...I have cleaned out some serious Japanese hoarder houses / elderly houses in my time, and sometimes circumstances or life can change people, too, like from organized to more like a hoarder.

Phew all those roaches man xD

Re: Van Life in Japan

#166

Post by PaulDavisThe1st »

calsy wrote: post #155
adventured wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So called "natural" doesn't always mean better. Fortunately we get to choose what we like or don't like, preferences. Our distant ancestors had to put up with a lot of negatives that we do not necessarily need to. Just because they did it, doesn't mean they wanted to, it may mean they had mediocre alternatives (or no alternatives at all).

Ancestors? It's normal now, just not where you are. A couple of centuries ago a bunch of upper class Europeans in big homes made it a point of having separate rooms for kids as means of showing off their wealth and status, and now here we are. You can see this history quite clearly now in the old castles Royal families live in and the obscene amount of rooms they have. Who can look after an 18 room castle? Someone wi…

From my reading, that's not where "modern living" comes from at all. For that, we should look to middle class folk living in the Netherlands, in roughly the late 1700s. They were (so I have read) the first to develop the modern concept of "home" with distinct rooms for different purposes, at least on a scale that be attained/reasonable aspired to by regular people. The account I read of this strongly suggested that this shift was not a copy of aristocracy/royalty, but rather a new conception rooted in the life and experience of a new mercantilist class.

Re: Van Life in Japan

#167

Post by PaulDavisThe1st »

rr888 wrote: post #150

Japanese people are usually very organized and neat, I can't imagine they'd appreciate backpackers coming through like this. Where I come from there are ever increasing number of people living in vans and its a real problem. They usually just cause problems, dont pay hotel or property taxes and ruin the area for everyone else. Some towns have banned them which is worse for the few locals that used to do it on a short…

What problems do they cause?

Why would they pay hotel or property taxes when they do not reside there, and have none of the rights of residents (e.g. school system access)?

Also, isn't blaming "an increasing number of people living in vans" a perfect example of shooting the messenger and ignoring the message?

Re: Van Life in Japan

#168

Post by jiminymcmoogley »

rr888 wrote: post #150

Japanese people are usually very organized and neat, I can't imagine they'd appreciate backpackers coming through like this. Where I come from there are ever increasing number of people living in vans and its a real problem. They usually just cause problems, dont pay hotel or property taxes and ruin the area for everyone else. Some towns have banned them which is worse for the few locals that used to do it on a short…

Likewise I would imagine backpackers must be even more organized and neater (after all, they must all have less space to store all their belongings, which would put on pressure to be organized about it), I can't imagine they'd appreciate Japanese people being in the way like this.

Where I come from there are ever increasing numbers of people living in houses and its a real problem. They usually just cause problems, dont pay parking fees or fuel duties and ruin the area for everyone else. Some towns have mandated them which is worse for the few travellers that used to do it on a short trip

Re: Van Life in Japan

#169

Post by mynameisvlad »

jacobriis wrote: post #156
mynameisvlad wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funnels that are specifically shaped for that purpose very much are, yes. I don't understand how that's even a question. Adult diapers' main purpose isn't peeing while on a van trip; I would imagine elderly people around the world need them day to day. A funnel specifically made for women to pee is an incredibly niche product with little to no day-to-day use. Nobody said that a diaper is superior to a funnel. The gra…

"The grandparent comment makes it seem like it's easy for half the population to pee in a bottle and I called them out on it." Funnels of various sizes readily available in every hardware and auto parts store. Also these specific funnels are readily available in outdoors and sporting stores. It is easy to find funnels. No need to defend "half the population" by "calling them out on it."

To remind you, because scrolling up seems to be a bit too tough for you right now, the GP comment says:

> Just use a water bottle like the rest of us!

That's still not just a water bottle. Period. However easy it is, it's not just a water bottle, and it's not as easy as finding a water bottle.

That was literally my entire point, as I have now said multiple times, but go off sis.

Re: Van Life in Japan

#170

Post by blamazon »

twblalock wrote: post #159
blamazon wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that hard really, I recommend it. RV rentals are a thing in Japan. I am from USA, so I went to a local shop here that offers International Driver's Permits. All they do is look at your driver's license to ensure it's valid, and then stamp a little paper brochure that has a bunch of translations of what your country permits with a driver's license. You can get as many of these as you want, it's not an actual…

You can get by without speaking Japanese as a normal tourist, but if you try to live in a van and get hassled by the police, lacking Japanese language skills will not go well for you.

Related to this, a good idea when traveling internationally is to carry contact information for a local embassy or diplomatic branch of your home country.

One thing a traveler could do for some peace of mind is notify an embassy of the trip ahead of time, such that in a police hassling scenario someone on scene can call and get official confirmation in Japanese of who you are and what you're doing, act as an interpreter, etc.

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