Japanese wife in Bogota

gringolondinense says on Aug 23, 2007, 06:36:

move to Brazil..theres lots of Japanese there.

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houstongal (Trustee board) says on Aug 23, 2007, 07:37:

Jorge - Have you considered talking to your company's security personnel in Bogota? Or possibly bring her with you on a visit before making a decision? I work for an American multinational and our security personnel does a good job in looking out for both visitors and employees of our office. If you want, PM me and we can discuss offline. Who knows...we may be working for the same company!

"It is now official: there's no place on earth where you will not find a Peruvian band." David Sedaris

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jorgeAmsterdam says on Aug 23, 2007, 08:15:

Hi Houstongal,

My company is fairly small, and we just won a big contract in Colombia so we have no offices there... it will be me running the show... Wife has been in Colombia before but only for vacation, and she thinks it will be hard for her being in a place so 'foreign'. We lived in Hong Kong, US, Tokyo, and now Amsterdam, all well developed/safe places... so hence the concern...

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mrgizmo says on Aug 23, 2007, 08:43:

Jorge, my brother's wife is Japanese, they've been married for about 30 years. She's from Kobe and I was in Japan last year, Tokyo, Kyoto, Kobe, Awaji-island etc. I don't know much about the netherlands but there are many similarities between Bogota and Japan, mainly in the culture. My sister in law has been to Bogota and she loved it but hated the traffic, according to her in Bogota we drive like savages. There are Japanese restaurants in Bogota so I'm sure you'll find many ingredients to cook. You won't have any problem finding fresh fish and tofu.

Behind every successful man, there's a nagging woman

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Mr. Hollywood says on Aug 23, 2007, 09:32:

I don't think Bogota will be any more "foreign" to a Japanese person than Amsterdam or the US. The North side of Bogota, where I'm sure you'll live, is quite "European" in its feel and features.

Now, I won't tell you with a straight face that you can get good Japanese food here, but you can buy nori and sushi rice and tofu. The best Japanese restaurant in Bogota is mediocre.

On the other hand, Wok does a sort of pan-Asian thing fairly well.

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rmykita says on Aug 23, 2007, 11:11:

There are some excellent japanese restaurants and 3-4 japanese/korean specialty shops, Sorry to group, but understand that some flexibility is required! I assure you that she will only have the best of time, as I would suggest that Japanese/Indian/USA/Canadians are the most popular cultures here in Bogota. Also, its worth noting that the Japanese Embassy is one of the most active. There are lots of options, highly recommended. I love living here and I'm from the Japanese community of California - I'm Ukrainian American, but I survived teh shock!

Ryan
ryan_mykita at hotmail.com

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houstongal (Trustee board) says on Aug 23, 2007, 12:07:

Hey Jorge. As a Japanese-American who cooks some Japanese dishes, I can imagine your wife's concerns about buying ingredients. But she can always stock up her pantry before moving with stuff like kombu, dashi, bonito flakes, dried aburage, etc. and she may need to make-do with what she can find at the grocery stores or in the specialty shops mentioned by mykita (if your wife is anything like my mother, a korean store would not be suitable for her needs). If needed, she can always have people mail her these essentials. Good luck!

"It is now official: there's no place on earth where you will not find a Peruvian band." David Sedaris

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Lowell says on Aug 23, 2007, 13:32:

Last time I was in Panama I stocked up on wasabi powder, sesame seed oil, sweet chili sauce... It's good to know that when I travel to Bogota I may be able to replenish my stock.

Alfred E. Newman. "What. Me Worry?"

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webmanco says on Aug 23, 2007, 17:29:

Jorge Amsterdam, I do know a colombian man married to a Japanee woman, they are clients and the few time I went to their home they made me take off my shoes. If you want PM you e-mail and I will put you in contact with them before your arrival in Bogotá.

...A yo, déjenme queto y no me jodan má! ...

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