They are for people of my generation

I know what you mean. I mean the 2000s are basically still ongoing really!? I guess they only refer to it now as the time between 2000 and 2010. I was born in 1995, so my time when I actually started to properly remember stuff was near the middle and end of the 10s and onwards, but I refuse as well to believe that we can call that time retro. Apart from the fact that the smart phone/tablets hadn’t properly come out yet, it’s basically no different to now. Film and TV wise there’s very little difference, but the 90s and 80s ‘definitely were’. I guess it’s just meant more for the people who are in their early teens now, or those who have truly relinquished this time to history now. I guess this must be a bit like how people felt after WW1 when it was starting to be taught in schools as ‘history’.😓 Something’s are inevitable I guess.

cause the camera quality is bad

They aren't, it's just that the film quality reminded ppl of the 1980s because whoever made this footage wanted it to be done on old film

Early 2000s had a similar nostalgic feel and aesthetics as the 90s and even 80s.

true

Agreed. People used modern technology to have fun. The internet was mainly a place where you met up with people to discuss your love for games, music, comics etc. Politics were still confined to television, newspapers and the local bar. When looking back at the old internet "flame wars" of the late 90's and early 00's, they looked so innocent compared to the crap you see on social media today.

luckyyy

@@NerdX151 Before mainstream cesspool flooded. We can thank Steve Jobs for making computers accessible and smooth brain friendly.

@@blah8934 But if he didn't make it "smooth-brain friendly," you wouldn't have been able to know use one, o mighty arbitrator of who is worthy of using a computer ;)

LMAO i refuse to be part of this audience 💀💀💀

Yoooo FR LMAO

these are some nice gazongas tbf

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!

“I’m only human after all” 🧍🏻‍♂️

I was born in 1998, turned 25 this year haha

It's odd that you are older than me, but feel like the 2000's are not in the long distant past. I guess, you don't have kids, right? To be honest, anything before that feels retro to me. ;-)

@@Traumglanz Not sure what you mean by your question whether he has no children. I've thought the reason for me not feeling that the early 2000s are "over" yet was probably due to the fact that I have eight children, so basically we've been surrounded by babies and toddlers since our early 20ies till now. Ok, there was less of THAT extreme form of sexual perversion all around us back then, but other than that things feel just like in 2005 or so. I even stumble on some of my forum posts from the early 2000s once in a while.

I was born in 1999

Where did you move from? Was it a big culture shock?

My feelings exactly

80's & 90's was the best life was much more simple, started going down hill after 2000 imo

@@DespaceMan 80's were corny af

@@DespaceMan 80s were trash

@@DespaceMan 80s and 90s were awesome. But the early 2000 had the best balance between practical technological devices and simplicity in everyday life.

From the perspective of someone who grew up in the 90s and made it this far, everything has just gotten progressively worse. Even the 90s sucked compared to previous decades, hence grunge and lots of depressing music starting to come out.

No the 2000s was firmly the post-internet world. We'd already an entire economic boom-bust cycle due to the internet at that point.

@@Longlius nah. man. like i know what you mean but nah. .com bubble is not something an average person had experienced. i had computer and internet throughout 90s and 00s, same as my friends and to all of us it was just another gadget. like a games console or a new skateboard. social media, online shopping, streaming, kickstarted, ebegging etc. internet as we know it all came to be in late 00s/mid10s.

interesting@@julesl6910

A lost generation

Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷

相信人類社會會變得更好。❤❤

​@@oldPrince22ok y te quiero ❤❤

I truly envy you man. I'd been fascinated with Japan since I was a small kind (European myself) and dreamt of the exact thing you just described.

You like nu metal fashion? and hip hop fashion? like adidas tracksuit

Possibly because it’s pre-smartphones and social media, so most people are just ‘doing stuff’ and not wrapped up in smartphones, insta, selfies, etc. Makes it easier to be present and in the moment and you can see that in the vibe of the footage.

Shooting on film, and old color grading techniques have a lot to do with the look I think. All the little "imperfections" of the old processes make things look a bit less "realistic" and "slick", which adds a sort of dream like quality imo.

Check out Gilbert Arciniega's channel, he's KZfaq's best kept secret...

It was great! 80's was great, peoples was warmer than now. Men was Men, Women was Women, society was less divided.

@@jude2671 at some extend I agree with this, in some place, the good condition bring people warmer

you're not japanese if you were you would know how bad the ecnomy and how shit the country was during 1995-2005

@@TomasuDesu cuz of your name. It’s a very generic white man name, and you saying that you’re Japanese with that name makes ppl figure out that you’re a mix

genki desuka?

Thomas. You are gay

@@inftech8976 so shame

Yep, the girl in the thumbnail is from Nobody Knows. Great, but very sad movie

4:32 Guilty Of Romance (2011) actress name Megumi Kagurazaka

Gangster movies

Are you sure?

And you like nu metal fashion? and hip hop fashion? like adidas tracksuit

Thank you for leaving the link to the song, since I heard it for the first time I wanted to have it on my cell phone ❤

i didnt play a lot of games at that time but i remember the trips and people

Ah of course the Honda scooter >_>

Me too

Japan made every Asian's childhood awesome.

You must be around my age then, late 20's, the only anime I remember watching a lot of was pokemon and maybe digimon, never read books much when I was young, played a lot of spyro and crash bandicoot on ps1 and countless games on ps2. Also borrowed an old snes from my cousin and played Mario bros and mario cart, and lots of pokemon games on gameboy classic. And we never owned a scooter, but we had an old chevy celebrity.

I'm very jealous of you, I want to go to Japan one day... but it hurts me to know that I'll never be able to go to Japan in 1990>2000. I wanted to reincarnate at that time. who knows

Im just born 2002 and i cant feel that feeling😢😢 i want to born 70 80 90.... Modern society kinda suck

80s,90s are the best era.... LOL

@@gally5457 me too, i'am a 2003 and i love Japan, also thnaks to mangas and animes, but i always feel like i was born in the first 90s would b perfect, like i fell normally like the things of 2010 and around that period i couldn't lived them "consciously" because i was a child but if i was born a little bit before i could have done it, and this became more powerful when i think about my love for Japan, and i wish and hope to go there in the future, is like i need it, like i need to go there because i fell like Japan is my second country, my second home. For example one day i was thinking about the fact that people from the first 90s have tried the experienced of the game boy and during first 2000s of the first nintendos and i literally started to cry because i also wanted to try that feeling, that sensation (i have the nintendo but is a completely differente meaning to play it when you are 10-12 instead of 15-17/8) is like you can know what's happening right there in that moment and you don't forget it during the years, is a really strange feeling i don't know even if my comment make sense

​@@Matt_OS This might be different for everyone but, when I'm not in Japan I miss the food diversity and quality most. The convenience stores everywhere, or vending machines to buy drinks. Getting free water with your food and not having to pay half as much as the lunch costs. Also being able to find a public toilet anywhere. Seriously, in Europe IF you find one there's a fat lady sitting there, looking at you sideways so you pay 50ct to use it, and it still smells of urine in there. Which is probably why many europeans chose to save their 50ct and instead pee inside elevators or on escalators, so it smells of urine there, too. I can also feel safer in Japan, whereas in Europe there are a lot of people who look like they might mug me, given the chance. Also a lot of people throwing their trash on the streets, playing loud music from their phone, vandalism, broken elevators everywhere...

Saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷

puts things into perspective certainly

Yup but i wasn't born jn Japan

enjoy bikini haul baby. it's 2020's hot stuff

It wasnt better though.Its just the nostalgia.The only difference was that you was bored all the time so you had to be more creative and active.With the smartphone era you cant ever be bored again.Thats good and bad at the samd time.

@@brknsh6689 yup true

thanks for this view, I would love for you to expand on the similarities you see between 80's japan teens and Gen z youth of today

is this the yutori generation?

@@BossMandotnet Late 90s and early 2000s teens and young adults, not 80s. The main similarity I see is the Nihilistic approach to their every day life in general. I understand that every generation has it and its not right to stereotype a whole generation, but Nihilistic type of attitudes seems alot more apparent in Gen Z compared to millennials in western countries. Using negative themes in popular trends, creating “coping” methods and escapism, and being more aware of mental illness seemed to become more apparent in the west among Gen Z. Japan saw this drastic change within the youths in the late 90s, when it was compared to the previous “bubble generation”(the young adults that experienced the golden age of 1980s Japan), and realized that the youths of the late 90s/early 2000s had a more negative approach to life. Even within the subcultures they created or identified with had a bit of negative undertone to it. I dont really like using anime as an example when talking about real Japan, but if you’re interested in it, you’ll kind of realize that anime produced in the 80s-early 90s is a bit different compared to the ones that were released in the late 90s. Mainly the themes and storylines became alot more complex and not every character was a “happy go lucky” type. Storylines that had a bit of dark negative undertone became popular and I think the reason for it is because the youth somehow resonated with it. Same thing with music. Alot of popular Japanese songs in the late 90s had lyrics talking about negative things such as suicides and loneliness, OR had an extremely “in your face” positivity themes that was obviously created for the listeners to cope with. Very different from the warm, cheerful Citypop music from the 80s. Maybe the fact that Japanese economy was going bad in the late 90s+the rise of internet and digital entertainment had something to do with it. People’s attitudes and their view on life can be influenced by societal change, so Im sure this had some affect to the younger generation. I also heard before that Nihilistic themed novels, poems, and plays became quite popular among the youths back in the late 1920s Japan, when the economy was going bad and militarism was rising. I guess these things make a comeback once in awhile.

@@Centre14 No, this is the generation that came before the Yutori generation. Yutori generation were either born or were in their childhood in the 90s/early 2000s. The generation Im talking about were already in their teens or young adults during this time.

Same in the rest of the world. Life of no sense and consume

I was born in that era

is called y2k for that reason in my head

I can't believe you are fishing. So sad. 😥

@@Od4n fishing for what?

We are getting old dude.

From what i know, wearing such clothes is considered crazy in Japan to

Wearing kimono is natural thing, It's for special day or holidays.

@@LL-oq5sf Yukata, Jinbei, Uchikake, Hakama or Haori, in common, kimono's are medieval. Samurai, Orokudama or Ashigaru suits are pretty common to wear in the public. At Matsushiro where Gendai Budo is present (one of few samurai schools), you go from home to school in bushi suit. What is considered crazy in Japan, is wearing Jieitai SDF military uniform in the public 🤣.

The west???, In germany in Octuber, people dress with medieval clothes...

Who wants to live in a timeless world like Japan? Well I feel Japan must be that place.

Now 21 years now

Me too!! I distinctly remember when smartphones were blowing up in japan for the first time, me and my mom had the conversation of how weird it looked when there were rows of people looking down into their phones in the train! Now days its all we see in the trains of Tokyo

I was born in '87, so I was a teenager during these years. I remember them so fondly. You're right about all the things you said. It did seem like a simpler time, and there was such a different vibe with the technology. I remember playing video games for a couple hours on an 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, or 64-bit system, then getting tired of it and going outside with my friends. We had fun playing video games, but they weren't such an all-consuming thing. We had to go over to each other's houses to play (none of us were pc gamers), and that was really quaint and fun. In fact, by the time I was a teenager, I really didn't even play video games. And that was pretty common. Phones were for texting girls or finding out where everyone was meeting up. The most technological things I owned were a flip phone, a discman, and a car from the 90's. Even when I was a kid, it seemed like no matter how cool the technology was, eventually we would put it down, and it would give way to 'old-fashioned' things like conversation, throwing pecans at each other, making swords out of things, and making up our own games. It really was an interesting bridge between the old world and the new one. And I know I've used the word quaint already, but sitting next to your friends playing something with pixel sprites on a Super Nintendo really was so quaint, and simple, and magical.

Old world... indeed.

However let it be known that those of us who adopted the internet, gaming and anime culture early were ostracized, hated, bullied, and beaten. We spent our youths feeling like we were "wrong" and "disgusting" only to now see these same people lavish themselves in the things we pioneered.

@@autumneagle This is 100% true

I LOVE YOU

Ok weeb

@@billkar6479 lol

Same here...I was 18 in 2005 when I went to Japan for 2 weeks...a shitty Digital Photo Camera to hold some memories and there we go. It was so much fun not beeing able to communicate properly and be on its own to come around...following signs and maps. What a great time it was...pre Smartphone. Regarding to this "nostalgic" Video...I love the nostagic uploads from the 90s and 80s but this visual effects to 2000s recordings feel not right to me. In the 2000s we`ve been away from the flickery 80s recording style...VHS and especially 35mm was long ago...unless you were an artist.

a lot of non japanese phones dont get service in Japan, so you can find yourself in a temporary pre smarthphone era vibe until you get a japanese sim card, or just rely on free wifi lmao

Wow, I'm jealous. I wish I could have visited there in the 80s and 90s. I didn't make it there until the mid-2000s. But it was still before the smartphone era, so it still felt like a vastly different world compared to today. I feel like with smartphones, people figure out how to do everything by themselves on their phone. Before that, you relied on human interaction a lot more. So it was still a great time to meet people.

What was it like back then in the early 2000s by comparison to what you believe it’s like now? Was it better then or now? As it seems like some things have definitely improved, but the country still isn’t as open as it was apparently in the 80s. Also what was your eventual decision for moving away? A lot of people leave Japan eventually for various reasons and I’ve always been curious about those different cases as to why it seems that the majority eventually leave. Very few seem to actually remain forever, and although I don’t know what my future holds, I would certainly like to give it a try but I can’t be sure of whether or not I too would become home sick and want to return to my home country.

not so with the overwork policy

pls answer the guys above questions! im curious too :)

@@danielwhyatt3278 Most Japanese people don't accept foreigners so they leave, which is great. Japan was never been made for immigrants

It would be nice to go to the before times before the uh oh cough.

what about 9/11

@@livannal.t.9068 I was just about to post a comment about me being in grade 1 in 2000.

Same here, a special decade indeed. #millenial95

@@livannal.t.9068Not to be insensitive, but It's not like the world revolves around the US. That is to say, what you are referring to only affected a small portion of the world, while everyone else barely noticed it happened, especially the kids. And we are talking about the kids of the period.

@@livannal.t.9068 I see what you mean, and it's quite true. It just came off a bit pretentious to assume kids elsewhere in the world felt the effects of 9/11.

Wish time, life and everything will just slow down. Before you knew it, all these things are ancient now.

Thanks dude

You couldn't have said it better, I completely agree, thank you for this comment 👍🏼

exactly, just shutup and live lol. this is the problem, stay away from media because its twisting your sense of real life. these videos are you just fabricating a 'lifestyle'. the cameras were different back then too, so how was it really like?

Yeah. 2000's were just normal life. Nothing special except giant nokia phones were cool and people wore cargo pants. Then KZfaq came out in 2005 and iPhone came out in 2007. Also, in the US, everyone wore military fatigues as fashion and hummers were everywhere because of the war in Iraq. I think in the US the main thing culturally was that society was much more conservative compared to nowadays, and LGBTQ rights and gender issues were not as openly accepted or discussed. Before 9/11, the mentality was more optimistic. Also, people were less technology-focused and internet centered. There was also hardly any internet advertising except for banner ads. So I guess in some ways, the 2000's was actually really different compared to nowadays.

@@tadamoriyagi8265 this is a great retrospective! I don’t really remember the 2000s as I was a kid, so thank you for this!

yeah..and the things we think of as "outdated" will be back in style again in 15 years. If I'm not mistaken certain companies take advantage of this phenomenon to maximize their sales

It happened in the 80's remembering the good old 50's, all the recent 2010's people romantically thinking about 80's and 90's, it is a cycle, wait for 2040's and we'll all see nostalgia for 2020's

that is soo ture. Although i am 90s born 'literally 1990' but some how a part of me is stuck in the 80s. the songs the movies is all there is and i am still living through it

@@MisterRhyeOfficial I can't imagine missing the 2020's these upcoming years better be outstanding to wash away all that frustration. The 2010's were already pretty bad too but at the rate it's going the 2020's will be even worse for me.

@@virtuaplayer7234 you already said it, for you, the kids that born in the 2010's that are living the childhood thru 2020's and 2030's gonna see these times are "good old times" because well you know it's a cycle....

I also went there first in 2003, it feels like yesterday honestly.

I was not born yet

@@Fox-and-fish I feel sorry for people your age. You’ll never know what the world was like before it went completely to hell.

​@@dustyoldhat😢😭

you gotta be my age. Which year are you born in? (If you don't want to answer i'm sorry. Just curious)

2000年の方が根拠のない希望と自信があった

@@tokyowada5463 あんときはみんななにか目標というかうっすらなりとも理想があって前を見ることができたきがする。 今は一寸先は暗闇の中、崩れるかもしれないようなボロボロの足場をうつむいて踏み外さないよう崩さないよう気をつけながらひたすらあてもなく歩んでいる感じ。 ふと、実は暗闇は薄い膜で、飛び込んだら突き破れてむこうに明るい世界が広がっていいるんじゃなかと思うときがある。でもひたすら歩くことしかしてこなかったからそんなことする勇気はないんだよなぁ。

まあ３５ミリフィルムで撮ればなんでも懐かしい感じに写ルンです。

@@user-qw9zr4bt9v 就職氷河期が一番ヤバい時期ですね。

@@user-qw9zr4bt9v 日本は何時でも過去の栄光 50年代は戦時の日本人には活気があった事、70年代は高度経済成長の事90年代はバブルの時の事、00年代は失われた10年、10年代も20年代も

Such nostalgia. How I wish I could experience that too

Thank you for sharing the story with your beautiful writing

It's because Japan is better then America. lmao. USA doesn't even take care of its citizens

Lovely story.

it's not a good idea to befriend japanese

same

Their popculture is so strong and appealing that it literally was (and often still is) a big part of our lives even if someone wasn't interested in it. Especially for 90s kids like me. We were so lucky to be able to experience it in 1st person.

@@sirmiluch6856Yeah, I was born in 89 so I'm right there with you. I grew up on Dragon Ball, Pokemon, and InuYasha. My favorite video game was Mystical Ninja on the N64. Ever since I can remember, I've been into Japanese related things.

It is home

Pre social media era

It's normal for every human to be like.. "the neighbor's grass looks greener". That's why.. dont lost your identity. Welp.. If it's bad culture n tradition, change it. Move from that. Like.. The sexual exploitation of female, the alcoholism, etc. Move on from that. Delete that culture.

@@DBT1007 wait can you explain the second paragraph you mentioned?? Kinda confused me haha

The grass is always greener on the other side. We always want what we dont have. And we are always fascinated by whats foreign to us.

The grass is greener on the other side

Your tastes is very different from somebody’s taste for Japanese culture but it’s still pretty interesting what you can learn nowadays. Japanese culture is very far removed from my own culture which can make it more appealing

😂😂😂😂

You're right, that's like mixing some scenes from a romcom and calling it daily life.

literally in the first 10sec i know that this is from film or serials and not real footages of daily life

@@helldronez It says so in the description

read the descripcion

Hi

First comment

What music is played in this video please

@@screenwatcherfindlay6027 "Time" by lofi geek. I used Shazam on my phone and instantly found it. Here's the link to its YT - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j5eEftSq2cjUiWg.html. Hope I helped.

This video bgm,thank you！

My era is late 90s-early 2000s too. This is the period where I grew up. I've never stopped loving the pop cultures of those times, and I doubt I ever will. The 80s may be the most magical decade of our time, but the late 1990s and early 2000s will always be the most charming.

@Hi_Nu Ver 0 Zero_Tester yes! It came in two waves, late 80s - late 90s and then late 90s - mid 00s, best years to grew up! A lot of of legendary franchises that are now still popular and getting remade were released during those era!

man the time period of 2000-10 was best

The Jetix era lol

I know what you mean. It almost feels like Japan has affected the essence of the Stalgia the most. Both idiots old and new architecture, it’s filmed in animation media and the people themselves. I think it comes down to a lot of the desire to return to the simpler ways of the past where things just made more sense, as well as that desire to get back the excitement for the future that existed during the apparent 80s and early 90s bubble. I would love to have been in Japan during those days. So much is still yet to be fully appreciated by the West as to what happened in Japan during that time, but I’m still happy in the time I am in now, and would love to see where the country could be heading once again if it starts to open itself up properly. I intend to visit Japan someday, and even if I am never able to live there fully, a piece of my heart will always be there.

You like nu metal fashion? and hip hop fashion?

Well that is a yes

You know

Y saludos desde Argentina

It felt more elusive when information was more limited. Back then you could only see Tokyo through the standard definition TV screen or a low quality 240p/360p video on the internet. The first instance that I felt I have been to Japan/Tokyo was when I watched one of those "walking in Japan" videos by egawauemon in the early 2010s.

same. Born in australia but went to japan every year bc my parents are japanese. I was always excited to visit japan and check out all the new games and go to the pokemon store.

It was the same as every other year tbh. People just think the past or future is always better than the present.

@@macaroon147 nostalgia mostly

@@macaroon147i wish I could go back to the stone age. Fresh Air, no pollution, no politics, just basic animal instincts

@@kimjongunvevo honestly same

@@liberty1212 no you guys don't, realistically wouldn't last a day in the stone age

6:42 time what

@@masternobody1896 y u do that? i mean idm but still

@@masternobody1896 It's a naked woman, so?

I heard Japanese are super racist

@@lordroyaltee your mom does

Yeah... Her nipple popped out... I'm surprised the video wasn't taken down for nudity... Unless they're not that observant.😂😂

Japan made my childhood ❤🇯🇵

Good explanation most of us grown up with made in japan stuff

Maybe it's inherited memories?

As a early 90s baby I totally agree with this.

I was there a few times as a little kid, precisely in these times (2003 or so). It was that lack of modern distraction that let you see the world with so much more attention, attention rewarded with noticing considerate design and natural beauty.

Why do i feel called oout right now? -watching it in 1:36am

@@Emily-os1jd wow man i am watching it in 1:34

@@Emily-os1jd 1:46 am for me wth

makes me wanna cry

02:19 and I just before seeing this comment I drank some tea and pulled my blanket

How did you win a trip ?

modern japan also looks good, who knows after some time it will change even more

Spent a week there in 2008, now memories of that feel like a dream.

Been there in 2017, the vibe of that 80-90-00s videos and movies is still there anyway, and hopefully will be for long time)

wanna go to 1988

i know it's a lot of work, but could you list some of the movies, please? or at least the ones you liked the most, i'm curious!

What are the names

@@lonelyhousewife I recognized two of them : Blue spring (2002) and Nobody knows (2004)

@@su1gn Gentle breeze in village 2007 too

@@su1gn Thanks for that, and to everyone else who has added here.

The Japanese companies made most anime inaccessible to foreign markets with their continued bad decisions Now in 2022, most of South East Asia can watch 70% of anime for free on official KZfaq channels but Japan still refuses to sell digital copies of anime on mainstream platforms

J pop too

Racing scene too

exact way for me

Super depressing movie

You also have scenes from Aoi Haru, Rinda Rinda Rinda, Hana-Bi

That would explain the naked woman

Guys list all the movies please. Love these videos but no one ever can name the movies!

@@iaincowell9747 Yep, horrifying lol

Me too. It was my first time there. I still think about it all the time.

I became aware of the shift in 09 and saw it happen in real time(the 90's ended in 2006 and it only got worse) by the time 2013 had rolled around we were officially in the 2000's and man was it not a fun transition; the messed up part is that it's still better than now by a long shot. And of course large chunks of asia, most of europe, and south america all were still in the late 90's early 00's until about 2 years ago and I never got to visit and have a little time travel event. Oh well, worst comes to worse we can always just move to small towns in Japan where it's still the 00's and safe; Beppu is a great example

Same here dude. It's kind of trippy over two decades have passed. I don't feel old either.

I know what you mean. The 90s didn’t end u til a few years after the millennium. This era seems to have started in 2013, by then everyone had a smartphone and instant internet

where are you from? ( where from did you come to japan and where to did you left ) I just want to get some context.

people who talk like that have generally nowhere to go anymore

I too lived there as a kid from 2005 to 2008. Dad worked in Mitsubishi. Great place. Will go back there someday for sure

cs u watched anime too much

@@harris6601 I do watch but not that much

Yeah human feeling is so complex, I feel that too

I visited Tokyo in 2001, 2011 and then lived there 2013-2022. I have to say... this video 100% reminds me of my first trip there in 2001. This is exactly how it felt. The vibe is so hard to describe.

Other than the cars it looks very similar out there today. Perhaps people are a little more conservative now?

@@BackRoadsAndTurbos Many traditional shopping arcade disappeared, many Game Center disappeared, many family runned small factory disappeared. The vibe totally changed, peoples less open about foreign countries than before. Japan face same problems that old industrialized countries. For expat who are living here for decade, 70's and 80's in Japan was the best period. 90's was great too.

Senpai! My first time here was in 2007, been in the country every since and applied for the citizenship. Crazy how much Japan changed since then, but that applies to anywhere in the world I guess.

@@jude2671 How was life during the bubble era? Seems like it was a big never-ending party on a national level for a few years until the bubble burst. Would be interesting to hear some fun stories from that period.

@@valecious7552 It was really really cool, Japanese was smiling, laughing everywere. Human relation was much more deep than now. The average bonus for big company workers was 5k USD twice a year and even more. Every single Japanese girls was wearing Louis Vuitton Clutch (today they wear Coach Clutch)... All new technology was Japanese. It was not rare to meet very small Japanese peoples who was born on early 1900's. Pop culture was fantastic, young Japanese peoples was more educated and cool than now. Every single days there was some good news on TV (for Japan). American and European was more well respected than now. Japan was more exotic than now and full of hope for the future.