Let's see... for example, people in America can typically be very rude to strangers. The girl at the cash register doesn't smile, people bump into you, etc. But they are friendly-- it's very VERY easy to make friends in America. In Japan, people are very very polite to strangers; they apologize for everything, the staff at McDonalds all smile, they use polite language, they try to help tourists who are lost.... but they aren't very friendly. They tend to stick with the sort of people they've been with all their lives, and they don't really like making new friends. Not EVERYONE, but if you talk to a total stranger at a bar, they are more likely to try to escape than an American would.

You have to respect people you don't want to respect, you have to say certain things to certain people, you have to use an entirely different way of speaking for certain situations... it is the exact opposite of what I'm used to. I don't think I could sum everything up... try reading a book on Japanese customs, it's crazy. It does NOT stop at taking your shoes off inside a house, haha.

On spousal visas-- you can ask to be a citizen after 10+ years (but they sometimes turn you down), or you can stay on the spousal visa. If I do that, though, I'll have to inform Immigration whenever I choose to leave the country for vacation or something-- I have to get permission, even if I'm married. It SUCKS, but that's just how it is here.

Oh, and yes, it's EXPENSIVE. Xp

--
"That's an interesting name, Dick. My bottom hurts just thinkin' about it..."