Yahoo Japan problems

Time for my daily rant. I was trying to translate some auctions on Y! Japan Auctions today and I can't believe what's going on. No matter what translation service I use, I always get redirected to Yahoo Japan's main web page. This makes me so angry, I don't understand the Japanese people.

 

Do they not want money to flow into their economy? Why block foreign buyers? It's totally nuts to me, I have lots of dolls, books and figures from Japan and it makes me so sad to see how intolerant the Japanese people can be.

 

I've posted this on other sites too so people can be informed.

This happened a while back. I noticed it too - made translating sites a bit more difficult. Now all I do is copy and paste the description text into google translate to find out what's going on.

 

It's not a huge hindrance - but I thought maybe it was just me! At least I know I'm not crazy ^^;

No translation service works on y!ja anymore. At least they don't block foreign IPs.

No translation service works on y!ja anymore. At least they don't block foreign IPs.

 

Did they do it to try to stop proxy purchasing for overseas customers?

It's very strange indeed, some people basically told me I was being small minded for saying it could be intolerance, but it's true the Japanese aren't very accepting of strangers. I've been wanting to travel there for years, but all those stories about people getting nasty looks and such are discouraging.

It's very strange indeed, some people basically told me I was being small minded for saying it could be intolerance, but it's true the Japanese aren't very accepting of strangers. I've been wanting to travel there for years, but all those stories about people getting nasty looks and such are discouraging.

 

I've had these problems for a while now on YJA and it *is* quite annoying. You would think any influx into their economy would be a good thing but it's a proven fact that some Japanese companies are xenophobic to a fault. So maybe YJA as a company is having issues with buying services that we don't know about. It may not be "foreigners" at all that is the reason for it. It's possible it is but it's also possible that these bidding services like SMJ and such are causing issues for YJA.

 

PLEASE don't feel like you'll be stared at and looked down on if you visit Japan! That is so not true. I was just there last year and *I* stick out like a sore thumb. I was literally a head taller than everyone there, I have a shaved head and ghoatee and look like a pro wrestler. So I'm kind of imposing.

 

EVERYONE I dealt with in Japan, whether it was in a small town or huge city, treated me with utmost respect and kindness. I have NEVER felt more at ease while away from home. I don't think I've ever felt that way ANYWHERE in the US for that matter.

 

So don't put off any plans to visit Japan. You'll regret it if you do.

 

 

Billy

It's very strange indeed, some people basically told me I was being small minded for saying it could be intolerance, but it's true the Japanese aren't very accepting of strangers. I've been wanting to travel there for years, but all those stories about people getting nasty looks and such are discouraging.

 

I've had these problems for a while now on YJA and it *is* quite annoying. You would think any influx into their economy would be a good thing but it's a proven fact that some Japanese companies are xenophobic to a fault. So maybe YJA as a company is having issues with buying services that we don't know about. It may not be "foreigners" at all that is the reason for it. It's possible it is but it's also possible that these bidding services like SMJ and such are causing issues for YJA.

 

PLEASE don't feel like you'll be stared at and looked down on if you visit Japan! That is so not true. I was just there last year and *I* stick out like a sore thumb. I was literally a head taller than everyone there, I have a shaved head and ghoatee and look like a pro wrestler. So I'm kind of imposing.

 

EVERYONE I dealt with in Japan, whether it was in a small town or huge city, treated me with utmost respect and kindness. I have NEVER felt more at ease while away from home. I don't think I've ever felt that way ANYWHERE in the US for that matter.

 

So don't put off any plans to visit Japan. You'll regret it if you do.

 

 

Billy

 

You are probably right Billy. I never really thought about deputy services causing problems for Yahoo Japan, I always figured that the Japanese would welcome them. After all, that's money going into their economy. And your story about Japan is much more cheerful than the ones I've read about. Half of them have lots of negative events in them. I was just worried about not getting a warm welcome.

I think they probably made it hard to translate (but didn't block foreign IP) because they don't enjoy the communication problems foreigners who speak no Japanese can cause.

You are probably right Billy. I never really thought about deputy services causing problems for Yahoo Japan, I always figured that the Japanese would welcome them. After all, that's money going into their economy. And your story about Japan is much more cheerful than the ones I've read about. Half of them have lots of negative events in them. I was just worried about not getting a warm welcome.

 

I really was worried that people would avoid me due to my looks and the fact that I know very little Japanese. But wherever I went, most people spoke English well enuff for me to be able to understand what was going on. If they didn't speak it well, all I needed to do was "mime" a bit and they would understand. Almost every store I went into in Tokyo had a person on staff who spoke decent English. I was so happy with this. And also, ALL signs in train stations and on streets had English on them. Navigating the trains was way easier than I thought it would be. The ring loop in downtown Tokyo actually announced stops in English and Japanese over the intercom system.

 

The first week I was in Japan, I had a good friend as my translator so things were easy. But I spent 5 days and 4 nights ALONE in downtown Tokyo. I went all over the place and NEVER felt unwelcome. I seriously think it was the nicest place I have ever been. I had an excellent time and would not hesitate to go back again if given the chance.

 

I know it sounds daunting to go there due to culture shock and language barriers but it was nowhere near as difficult as I figured it would be. Give it a shot and I guarantee you'll never regret it.

 

 

Billy

Do they not want money to flow into their economy? Why block foreign buyers? It's totally nuts to me, I have lots of dolls, books and figures from Japan and it makes me so sad to see how intolerant the Japanese people can be. .

 

 

It's just a guess, but I suspect the DD and figure buying community (myself included) doesn't contribute that heftily to Japan's economy to make a big enough difference one way or another. ^^;;; Even though there's a few of us around and we're seeing our community grow, it's still a fairly niche interest. I applaud your passion for your hobby and will to shop!

 

I understand your frustration as I feel exactly the same way and the exclusive items that are available only in Japan are absolutely mind blowing and make me sad that I will never have the opportunity nor the money to import or buy everything from Japan I would like to acquire.

 

It's just the reality of living in another country and not knowing Japanese. If you're really serious you should take up the language and teach English in Japan or find a job where you will be able to improve your fluency! I am not being a sarcastic jerkface, I honestly have a few friends who have moved to Japan that way and are very happy living there for over 10 years now. It may seem like a lofty goal but I believe you can do it if you set your heart on it!

My Google Chrome browser automatically translates Japanese (and Chinese, Korean, etc) pages for me. It's very convenient because I can't read Kanji characters (99%).

My Google Chrome browser automatically translates Japanese (and Chinese, Korean, etc) pages for me. It's very convenient because I can't read Kanji characters (99%).

 

 

Heh. After talking to Otakudepot for a bit on this, I also downloaded Google Chrome and I use it exclusively to browe for YJA stuff. It does automatically translate for me and it's fairly easy to use. So that was a nice fix for my shopping needs.

 

 

Billy

i've always used Gtanslator an add-on on firefox, it translates all auctions i need with a click ^^

 

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/gtranslator/

Do they not want money to flow into their economy? Why block foreign buyers? It's totally nuts to me, I have lots of dolls, books and figures from Japan and it makes me so sad to see how intolerant the Japanese people can be. .

 

 

It's just a guess, but I suspect the DD and figure buying community (myself included) doesn't contribute that heftily to Japan's economy to make a big enough difference one way or another. ^^;;; Even though there's a few of us around and we're seeing our community grow, it's still a fairly niche interest. I applaud your passion for your hobby and will to shop!

 

I understand your frustration as I feel exactly the same way and the exclusive items that are available only in Japan are absolutely mind blowing and make me sad that I will never have the opportunity nor the money to import or buy everything from Japan I would like to acquire.

 

It's just the reality of living in another country and not knowing Japanese. If you're really serious you should take up the language and teach English in Japan or find a job where you will be able to improve your fluency! I am not being a sarcastic jerkface, I honestly have a few friends who have moved to Japan that way and are very happy living there for over 10 years now. It may seem like a lofty goal but I believe you can do it if you set your heart on it!

 

I was really frustrated at first, but it doesn't really bother me much now. I don't like the hassel of trying to buy exclusive Japanese goods, but that's another thing you just have to get used to if you're into these dolls and figures. And living in Japan, lol. I've thought about that for years, but I have no friends or family there so I'd feel terribly lonely living there alone. Maybe I can presuade my boyfriend to move with me, haha!

 

And I think I'll be downloading Google Chrome in the near future, but is the translation tool automatically included, or do you have to install it?

And I think I'll be downloading Google Chrome in the near future, but is the translation tool automatically included, or do you have to install it?

 

That's the great thing about Google Chrome, it will automatically translate sites for you. You don't need to add anything special to the program.

 

When you install Google Chrome it should also ask if you want it to copy your "bookmarks" or "favorites" from your default browser. I would suggest doing this, even if you don't use Chrome as your regular browser it can be nice to have quick access to your saved pages.

 

After using it for a while you may find you prefer Chrome. It's a great browser (as it Firefox) and is so much safer than using Internet Explorer which is a TERRIBLE browser. Sorry for my little rant, it's just that I.E. is such an insecure browser I can't help but stress avoiding it.

 

**James.

Thanks for your help Otaku Depot.

After using it for a while you may find you prefer Chrome. It's a great browser (as it Firefox) and is so much safer than using Internet Explorer which is a TERRIBLE browser. Sorry for my little rant, it's just that I.E. is such an insecure browser I can't help but stress avoiding it.

2nd - a bump for James's post.

 

I agree with James - hands down. Internet Explorer is a terrible browser. I.E. is not as secured as Fire Fox, Google Chrome, or any other more secured browsers out there (Opera, Safari, etc).

Ooh yeah, I finally discovered the translation feature in Chrome and now I'm hooked

It also has the Auto-Page plugin that I can't live without... those two together make Y!JA browsing a breeze!

I just downloaded it yesterday and it is pretty useful. Especially for translations.