<SNIP>
Allyn, what do you mean by "a lot"? I recall
seeing several dozen approx. 30-story apartment
buildings onthe train in from Chiba to Tokyo station.
(This is NOT close to Nerima.)
The answer I provided was very subjective and w/o
references.
Try:
Swedish Institute of Steel Construction List of High
Rise Buildings Around the World;
http://www.sbi.se/high.htm#table
World High Rises:
http://www.high-rises.co.uk/
Whether there are "a lot of high rises" depends of
course
upon how "High Rise" is defined and how you
quantify "a lot". IMO the Tokyo skyline appears rather
modest in comparison to some others. (See below)
New York City:
World Trade Center, One, New York, 1368 ft.
World Trade Center, Two, New York, 1362 ft.
Empire State Building, New York, 1250 ft.
Hong Kong:
Central Plaza, Hong Kong, 1227 ft.
Bank of China, Hong Kong, 1209 ft.
Two Pacific Place/Shangri-La Hotel, Hong Kong, 748 ft.
Tokyo:
Tokyo Metropolitan Goverment, Tokyo, 797 ft.
Opera City Tower, Tokyo, 768 ft.
Shinjuku Park Tower, Tokyo, 764 ft.
Hmm... there are a lot, but remember that Chiba is
actually a major
suburb
##Again, this is a matter of definition. ^_^
Chiba is a prefecture and Chiba city is the capital.
It's got close to one million inhabitants and is about
40km East from the center of Tokyo.
Mayor of Chiba, Asahi Matsui, in August 1995,
says: "As it enters fourth year as a major city, the
City of Chiba is on the right course for future
growth.
<SNIP>
<SNIP>
6. What is the general attitude concerning
foriegners.
<SNIP>
To further clarify my point; IMO a persons experience
in ANY country is subject to many variables. Syria can
be a nice place under the right conditions (esp. if
you can manage to tour under the auspices of the
government.) and London can be a miserable place to
stay.
IMO there is not a hard and fast "answer" to the
question:
"What is the general attitude concerning
foriegners.[sic]"
Historically the Japanese have been a very isolated
people. Their culture is very ordered, stratified and
homogeneous. Again the terms used are themselves
subjective and subject to both cultural and linguistic
bias.
In Japan, as in any country, there is going to be a
continuum of responses depending upon the people
involved and the situation of their coming together.
The information provided was to allow the author the
flexibility to create a number of scenarios. That
said, the probability of a particular response, the
trigger for a response, etc, is going to be dependant
on cultural nuances. In the case of Americans in Japan
there is going to be the Japanese attitude toward
gaijin (anyone not Japanese), the American attitude of
individual action vs. Japanese attitude of consensual
action, etc. An excellent (IMO) reference is:
NTC's Dictionary of Japan's Cultural Code Words by
Boye Lafayette De Mente
IMO _ONLY_, the probability of a negative reaction to
foreigners is _high_
but the probability of the foreigner _realizing_ this
is very _LOW_.
=====
"When I get a little money, I buy books;
And, if any is left, I buy food and clothes."-Erasmus
"A man is a small thing, and the night is large
and full of wonders." -Lord Dunsany
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