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New Houstonian! We had a meetup back when I lived there in 2016.

You are right, Houston has the best food in the country.
Yes, it’s great! It’s not a hot tourist location, but living here is wonderful for the most part.

I grew up in the suburbs and I hated it. Moving into the city proper has completely changed my perception of this place. It has a lot to offer.
 
Yes, it’s great! It’s not a hot tourist location, but living here is wonderful for the most part.

I grew up in the suburbs and I hated it. Moving into the city proper has completely changed my perception of this place. It has a lot to offer.
LOL I HATED living there aside from the food (I lived in Montrose)
 
Ive always liked Japanese food. I’ve traveled extensively in SEA but never made it to Japan except for layovers. Somehow I never became aware of Japanese curry. Like, I didn’t know they made curry at all. I had a coworker who grew up on Okinawa and he was all about it. Luckily, I live in Vegas which has a pretty great Chinatown - I was fuckin up noodle houses before I left for some extended overseas work. I love going to Japanese curry houses now. Getting it spicy so my forehead is sweating and my butt is puckering.
LOL

Yeah Japanese curries are definitely distinct. Most people know their katsu curries but they also make some mean vegetable curries over rice. Its just insane delicious.

I admit, I am more than slightly biases when it comes to my food pick. Japan is my favorite country I have ever visited. If I could find good work there, I would move TOMORROW. Such a beautiful people, country, culture. Thus far I have visited most of the main island; Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kyushu prefecture. I haven't made my way north yet to the Hokkaido area but that's my plan for the next visit. The extreme dichotomy between the rural areas of Japan and the modern cities is both stark and enchanting. I love it.
 
I admit, I am more than slightly biases when it comes to my food pick. Japan is my favorite country I have ever visited. If I could find good work there, I would move TOMORROW. Such a beautiful people, country, culture. Thus far I have visited most of the main island; Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kyushu prefecture. I haven't made my way north yet to the Hokkaido area but that's my plan for the next visit. The extreme dichotomy between the rural areas of Japan and the modern cities is both stark and enchanting. I love it.

My wife and I also want to move there someday, if it's possible. But after our parents are gone, and probably after we retire. I can't imagine moving there and actually finding work.
 
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LOL

Yeah Japanese curries are definitely distinct. Most people know their katsu curries but they also make some mean vegetable curries over rice. Its just insane delicious.

I admit, I am more than slightly biases when it comes to my food pick. Japan is my favorite country I have ever visited. If I could find good work there, I would move TOMORROW. Such a beautiful people, country, culture. Thus far I have visited most of the main island; Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kyushu prefecture. I haven't made my way north yet to the Hokkaido area but that's my plan for the next visit. The extreme dichotomy between the rural areas of Japan and the modern cities is both stark and enchanting. I love it.
I’ve never been there, but it’s near the top of my list of places I want to go. Of the main cities you’ve been to, which would you recommend the most to a first timer?
 
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Although I live in Mexico, whenever I've had an active VMP account I've been on a US plan, sending all my shipments to my brother who lives in California. As I was about to order the Sonny Sharrock record and cut all ties with VMP, I noticed it allowed me to change the adress so that the record would ship to my house in Mexico, and still select the "Free shipping bundled with my next order" option. 😂

What do y'all say? Shall I tempt the odds and see how VMP handles yet another mistake in their order/fulfillment system?

I wouldn't trust Correos de Mexico to deliver something right 🤣

No love for M. Ward? Instabuy for me with my swap credits.

Post-War may be M. Ward's best. I'm debating it picking it up because I already have a maroon pressing of this that sound good, but I really like the colors on this one.
 
Literally everything. The heat, the politics, the people (we made like 1 friend in three years there), the traffic, the ascetics, ....
Fair enough! I love the people here. And the traffic isn’t any worse than other places I’ve lived, so I guess I don’t even think about it. Living 15 minutes away from where I work helps.

I’ll give you the heat though. God it’s awful.
 
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My wife and I also want to move there someday, if it's possible. But after our parents are gone, and probably after we retire. I can't imagine moving there and actually finding work.
Yeah, that's one thing they really do not like hiring foreigners unless you're teaching English which doesn't pay well at all. But I know of you and your wife's love for Japan. We definitely have that in common :)

I’ve never been there, but it’s near the top of my list of places I want to go. Of the main cities you’ve been to, which would you recommend the most to a first timer?
It is absolutely magical. I'm not as well-traveled as some of our forum friends but of the fair number of places I've been none compare to Japan for me.

It really depends on what type of experience you are looking for. Many people go to Japan to tour the high-tech cities and see the wonders of a truly forward-thinking society (Tokyo). Some go to experience the wonder of nature and its integration into everyday society (Rural Japan). Others go specifically to see Edo era customs, buildings, and traditions in modern city settings (Kyoto). Some people just want to eat their way through the country (Osaka). So, what are you looking forward to most about Japan?

My favorite place as a first-timer is definitely Tokyo. There is nothing quite like it in most of the western world. It makes NYC look small and lazy by comparison. It is delight to all of the senses and you could literally spend 2 whole months in Tokyo only and not see even 1/4 of everything you wanted or explore some of the lesser travelled areas. It has everything. And the culture shock, especially for your first trip, is palpable. I'd start there and then branch out. If you're visiting for less than 7 days, only hit Tokyo and the outlying city areas. The shinkansen is great to take but there just won't be enough time to really experience more than the city IMO. If you're there for 8-14 days, ensure you're spending at least 7 in the city and then branch out to the next major city that interests you (Kyoto, Osaka, Hokkaido, Saitama, etc.). If you've got more than 2 weeks, I'd say branch out and hit some of the smaller and more rural areas of Japan because they have a charm that is unique to them. Coming in a close second for me were the rural areas in Kyushu prefecture. It was like being transported back in time (or into a Studio Ghibli film) and it was absolutely magical.
 
All this travel talk is the BEST! I'm loving what this thread has become. So many amazing pictures, stories, and a wealth of great information.

In terms of regional cuisine that hits the spot for me, my top 3 are: Japanese, French, and Mexican. Japanese and French are pretty much my go-to cuisine most days whereas most Mexican food is just pure comfort for me.

Im probably Italian, Indian and Spanish if you force me to name three but I’m not putting them in order! I wish we could have a food revolution here to be honest. Dublin isn’t too bad I suppose and we have pretty exceptional produce but we could do with an improvement when it comes to how it is cooked/presented.
 
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