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I've never been to Okinawa myself, but everyone who has been there tells me it is a wonderful place to visit. Great oceans, nice beaches and delicious food.

Sorry I can't be of more help there.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 28 September 2012 - 06:43 AM

Oh it's okay, thanks anyway .

I had warm saki before and it is not good. I guees it was the cheap stuff.

Plan on becoming a citizen and staying there ?

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Sake is a tough alcohol to get used to. The flavor of it isn't very appealing and it's not a good base for mixers so you're kind of stuck with what you get. It's a bit of a crap shoot.

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Becoming a Japanese citizen is nearly impossible (probably harder than taking the U.S. citizenry test) and requires me to give up my status as a U.S. citizen. I cannot have dual citizenship, as either the U.S. or Japan (not sure which) forbids the process. The best I can hope for is permanent resident status.

I wish I had the option that some countries give you after a 10-year stay. I'd go all in for that just for the added perks.

I am heading to Himeji area in about ten days to get engaged (my girlfriend is visiting Japan as part of the JET program, teaching English) so coming here is a happy coincidence.

My girlfriend will be visiting her old host family (she previously lived in Japan during high school and was well looked after) and they have frequently kept in touch with her, asking her if she is married yet and so on.

I think it would be good if I asked the host father for permission to marry his 'daughter' but I'm not sure if this would be taken as weird or strange. Can you please share your opinion on it?

Also

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To add to this response given earlier, there's an excellent drama series called 'Ryomadon' that explains about the Meiji Restoration in great detail, in particular, the samurai who engineered it. Look it up if you can.

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Himeji is wonderful! I love that area. And good luck on your upcoming proposal!

As for your question, I think it would be odd, but this is purely my opinion. What I see and you see as humorous they may miss entirely, but they may be cool with it too. Are they familiar with Western culture?

Just do what you feel is right.

I am planning to visit Japan next year and have a few questions for you.
1. What level of Japanese should I know to be able to travel around in Japan and be able to survive for 10 days?
2. I want to visit 3 different locals, A big city (Tokyo), a more suburben area, and then a rural area. Do you have any suggestion for the last two?
3. I want to go to a hot spring just so I can say I did. Any suggestions for that?
4. Is there any places that you would suggest are a "must see" for a first time visitor?

Thanks in advance.

Another question for you: (two in fact)
What was the japanese habit or tradition that felt more awkward or caused the most embarassing situation the first time you discovered or had to adopt it?
And what was the western habit or tradition that caused the most awkward or embarassing situation when it first clashed with the local culture?
Well, add "if any" at the end of both questions of course! ^_^;

I think i'll take it cold next time. Which do you prefer to speak english or japanese? Do you take pride in speeking your japanese?

Sorry for the late replies, everyone. It's been a busy week at work.

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1. I'd recommend doing a crash course in Japanese, with at least some time devoted to learning how to read hiragana and katakana. Katakana, for a short trip, is probably better for you because the Japanese write 'loan words' from other cultures in it (example: Coffee = コーヒー (Co-hi-)). Other than that, it's better to just take a Japanese phrasebook with you. Many of them come in compact sizes with everything you'd need to say to get by, as well as handy things such as subway maps.

If that's not possible, you can get by with absolutely no knowledge of the language if you're willing to be patient and resort to hand gestures and whatnot. Lots of signs are written in English letters to help travelers. Also, if you're in a huge city like Tokyo, you will find some English speakers, especially in places like hotels. They may not be perfect at it, but they'll be able to get main points across.

2. Suburban is a piece of cake. Any major city has suburban areas on the outskirts of it. I forget the exact figure, but I think more than 90% of the population of Japan lives on 10% of the land, so you're going to get either huge cities or sprawling countrysides. Follow the coast near the ocean and you'll find some good 'smaller towns.' Now, the rural angle is a lot of fun. If you have the time, I recommend heading over to either Gifu prefecture or Nagano prefecture, somewhere in the mountains. Shirakawa Village is very famous for its traditional-style housing. My favorite castle town is Matsumoto, Nagano. Really, you can't go wrong with anywhere in central Japan.

If you want REAL hick-land Japan, go North towards Aomori or more towards the Sea of Japan side of Japan.

3. Any hot spring will give you the authentic Japanese experience. I went to Gero onsen in Gifu. It was nice. I heard that the hot springs in Hokkaido are wonderful, though. Be sure to read up on hot spring etiquette though, or get a Japanese person to help you.

4. The easy answer here is Kyoto. It's the one city that all tourists should check out for its rich history and tradition. Some parts are a bit of a tourist trap. If you're into tech/anime stuff, Akihabara should definitely be at the top of your list. Depending on when you go, you could time your arrival to meet a holiday. If you show up during Obon season in August, make sure you go to Tokushima city and watch The Awa Dance Festival. It's like the Mardi Gras of Japan!

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Well, I think the most awkward/embarrassing thing was the bath etiquette. Japanese tend to take baths instead of showers, and they do this at night. But like, there's a seniority based on it. The 'highest member' is usually given the first chance to bathe. Usually, if you're a guest at someone's house, this honor is given to you.

Now, I thought this was all nice and all, but I mean, it's a bath. The water was ready for me and I slipped in, took a quick bath and finished up. Before I could empty the water out, though, I was told not to bother because everyone else in the family would be sharing the water!

So yeah, the whole family takes turns bathing in shared bath water. That knowledge was weird enough in itself, if not for the fact that an elderly naked Japanese man walked in as I finished, and, without batting an eye stepped right into the water. Nudity isn't as big a deal there as it is in the U.S. at least when bathing.

Oh, and the water? It's siphoned out and used to wash clothing after everyone finishes! I'm sure it's great for the environment, but it grosses me out some.

As for Western habits clashing with Japanese habits, there's a ton of those, but the most awkward ones always involve touching. Sometimes it's a real adventure just to shake someone's hand, and I've already given up hugging anyone above the age of 8 in this country. Japanese just tend not to do touching unless you've got a really good relationship and they're used to it.

Kissing in public is completely taboo, by the way. If two foreigners are doing it, they get a tiny bit more leeway though.

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English is easier, but I like to speak Japanese when I can. The process of learning the language is really tough, and I do feel a bit of pride when I say things correctly.

This post has been edited by TomTomBBQ: 11 October 2012 - 05:36 PM

Konichiwa TOMTOMBBQ whats it like over ther during halloween? Do they celebrate it or does it go by another name? And HAPPY HALLOWEEN.

How are you doing TomTomBBQ? Haven't heard from you for a while, so I guess the work is taking much of your time. How is a teacher's timetable over there? Do you have to be at school all the day or just in the morning?

So I hear it costs as much as $100 just do get rid of something as simple as a bicycle, and high recycling costs like this cause a lot of people to just dump the stuff in waterways. Is this true, or maybe just exaggerated?

CaptainBaconMan, on 14 November 2012 - 11:14 AM, said:

You can throw out just about anything without a cost and there are metal recycling places that will pay you for your trash. The big trouble is that you need to sort everything into a dozen different categories.

Sorry guys. I was a bit swept up in all things life. No need to bore you with the details.

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Halloween is low key here compared to any major city in the U.S. Most people don't celebrate it and I would say that almost all of them don't have a clue about the history of it or why it's even celebrated. Downtown is where the action is at, though. You can see people walking down the streets in costumes towards the clubs or bars that are having Halloween events, and that's always fun. There are some really creative costumes out there and a good mix of Japanese and foreigners getting into the spirit.

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The teaching timetable depends on where you work, obviously, but I have a pretty good deal here. I don't teach at public schools, so I don't have to get up in the morning. I teach in offices run by my company and my schedule follows a 3:00pm to 9:30pm shift. My students are not only kids but also adults on all walks of life who want to learn some English conversation.

I tend to get up at around 9:00 and I keep my mornings open to do errands and whatnot unless I teach a private student or have Japanese lessons. I usually squeeze in the gym between 12:30 and 2:00 and then get home and get ready for work at 3:00. I'm lucky in that all my offices are located rather close to my house, within a 30-minute commute, so I don't have to rush. My first year here, I had some long commutes, in the range of 90 minutes or so, which will quickly drive you nuts.

I'm only obligated to be at work from my start to my finish time. Anything before or after that is time to myself. I never take any overtime home with me, but I've had to come into the office a bit early sometimes to make sure things were ready for the day's classes. It's all second nature to me by now, though, so I come in with about 10 minutes to spare on average these days.

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It's not that bad, actually. You have to get these little tickets from the convenience store, call up your city office and schedule a pickup. You slap the sticker on it (they range from 500 yen to 3000 I think, depending on the size of the item) and leave it in front of your door.

People are lazy, though, and ditch their bicycles anywhere on the street because they know the city will pick it up and impound it for free. If it isn't picked up in 30 days, the bicycle will be recycled, so the city actually gets a bit of a kickback from the whole process. If you want to pick up the bike, it'll cost you 1500 yen.

The only things you can't recycle are washing machines, LCD things like TVs, refrigerators and a few other things. Those are a pain in the ass to take care of and require you to basically bribe an old dude with a truck to come pick it up. The old dude invariably will turn right around and sell it at the shop he owns for a tidy profit. It's a bit infuriating, but the only reasonable option you have unless you wanna give the thing away to a friend or commit the crime of littering.

Those last things you listed as far as I know can be dropped off at your local dump or sold to a scrap dealer.

How was the coverage of Hurricane Sandy in your part of the woods?

What's it like making love to a sideways vagina.

Jerk, on 20 November 2012 - 01:07 AM, said:

They don't fuck each other in the eyes you sick bastard.

Well why the fuck not? Do you know what it's like not being able to make sex to someone's ocular cavity because you're simply so gifted that you're terrified what ejaculation would do to the cerebellum? No! This is the heavy burden I must bear alone! People with tiny, singular, non-thorny cocks have no idea what it's like!

You poor soul

So, hey, I never noticed this thread back when it was posted, and have recently made a series of decisions that make posting some questions here pretty relevant to my interests. I'm going back to Uni this coming year in order to get my Bachelor so that I can do this very thing, and move over to Japan as an English teacher. I guess I'll start with the basics...

1: I'm assuming that you got your position through a sponsorship deal (much like I am looking into). Which one did you use? Would you recomend them? How have you managed to stay there for so long? Most of these deals claim to be for a single year and then they ship you home.

2: The two deals I've been looking at are with JET and iTTTi. What have you heard about these companies? Do you know any pro's and con's of using them or your own service over any others?

3: I've heard that having a foundation in Japanese might actually HURT my chances of getting accepted for one of these programs, due to them wanting people who will only ever speak English in the class rooms. Have you ever heard anything about this, or know it's validity?

4: I've been warned that you will not only need to pay tax on your earnings to the Japanese government, but also to your home government (in my case Australia). Something to do with receiving the benefits of your home country requiring you to pay them tax as well. Has this been your experience?

5: The act of moving cross countries seems incredibly daunting. I know I won't be able to bring most of my things with me, but how did you handle this process? What kinds of tough decisions did you have to make in regards to what to bring and what to leave behind? (Also, I've heard that transporting a computer internationally is very hard and can be somewhat dangerous if it contains files on it, as they can be subject to scrutiny by customs, and having anything they deem not acceptable is grounds to lose the computer and eat a fine. Any ideas regarding this?)

6: I have 0 teaching experience, but the websites for the sponsorship programs I've read assure me that it's not at all a problem and that it will all be taught in a very short time (like, a day or two), as somebody with first hand experience, what was your experience with this? Or were you already a teacher?

I'm sorry for the wall of questions! But I'm very excited to be able to get some of these out of my head and into the face of somebody who's already tread this path I'm setting before myself! Hopefully you haven't forgotten about this thread.

Is it really true that hospitals in Japan are rarely open on weekends?

Just as an odd addendum to my previous comment ages ago, I am now moving over to Japan to live for a few years, starting Christmas Day. Sudden much?

Winter vacation starts tomorrow! I'm very pleased to have a chance to relax and do nothing for 2 weeks.

Anyway...

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Nonexistent.

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I considered a sponsorship deal, but the waiting period was a bit too long for me (I wanted to get out as soon as possible). So, I basically did a Google search for 'teach English in Japan' and went from there. I know that most of the bigger schools are short staffed due to Japan fears from the nuclear reactor problem, so that's a good way to get your foot in the door. Companies to consider are Nova, Berlitz, Aeon, ECC and GABA, although I would avoid GABA due to several factors which I can explain if you really want me to.

The single year issue is a bit tricky. Technically, English teachers are contract workers here and are given a year-to-year contract, but as long as you do an ok job, you'll keep getting renewed. Also, after 3 years, schools are obligated by labor laws to continue renewing until you decide to leave. Of course, if you get fired for doing something dumb, that's another thing, but labor laws are fairly strong here. If it worries you a lot, just join one of the unions.

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JET is a great program that pays a lot of cash. I think the average salary is 300,000 yen a month, which is going to go far. The downsides are that you have a 3 year limit, there's an age restriction (under 30 I think), and you usually get placed in the middle of nowhere. Great for saving money and learning the language, but if your dream is to live in the city, you're rolling the dice. I don't know anything about iTTTi.

With JET, though, you get sent to actual Japanese public schools. That can be good or bad depending on your perspective.

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When in doubt, feign ignorance. Some people DO get turned off to people who know too much about Japanese culture. Honestly, it makes you harder to control if the company hiring you knows that you can skip out on you Visa and find a new job shortly after they pay for you to get there. Knowing the language won't get you a higher salary anyway, so aim to just look really enthusiastic and interested in Japan.

It sounds a bit bitter of me, but a lot of the job is appearance. If you look like a friendly, non-threatening, ignorant foreigner, you'll probably get a better shot at it then looking like you know too much.

That's not to say play yourself down. If they ask about your knowledge of the language or culture, answer honestly, but don't try to show off. It can be big bonus points for JET to have proof of your interest in Japan because the JET program stresses intercultural relations. Most of my rant is aimed at the money side of things.

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Americans, luckily, are exempt from this, but that's also a condemnation of our private insurance system. Since we're not protected unless we fork over cash, we don't have to pay both ways. Canadians do, but they get the luck of having universal insurance at home, too. Americans are exempt from taxes up to $80,000 income.

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I think you're being paranoid about the computer thing. Unless you have something to hide, then why worry? Delete all your porn/illegal music and ship it with you. If you're worried so much, hide the stuff on a flash drive or something.

The 'what to bring' process is covered beautifully in this guide.

You get two suitcases and a personal item so you gotta plan carefully. Clothes are essential. I have a lot of problems finding clothes in my size (183 cm).

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I had no experience teaching whatsoever. Actually, I like to think that it probably would have hurt me to have experience. The people who hire you will train you in the method they want you to teach. Bringing in outside stuff interferes with that process. For me, I had training for a few days and was sent on my way.

It's better to learn on your feet, anyway.

Glad I could help!

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That Cracked article is full of shit. Clinics are closed on Sundays, but hospitals? Really? I'm sure the 10th-ranked country healthcare wise in the world lets people die of heart attacks on Sundays all the time. Please.

If you have a cold, you probably have to tough it out, sure, but if you have a legitimate emergency, every ER is open and ambulances will come and save you. I went to the ER with a stomachache on a Sunday at 6 am and was helped.

Really, it's dumb as hell that someone would write that article with the assumption that hospitals don't help people who are dying 24/7.

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Sweet! Where will you be?

The concern about computers was more the fact that something perfectly acceptable here may not be acceptable there etc. I know it's questionably legal to make digital copies of your own DVD's in Australia, but perfectly legal in America etc etc.

Thank you for the information however! Is it possible to take something like the JET program and, at the end of the 3 year program, get work outside of them and still have your school(s) sponsor your visa? Or would you still have to come home after 3 years and go back later to do that?

And yes, I am in fact interested to hear your gripes with GABA. The more information I have on all of this, the better.

I'll be located in Himeji, Hyogo prefecture. It's about an hour west of Osaka by rapid-transit train. My initial work will be 'live-in house husband' followed up by 'private English tutor'.

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When you finish up the JET program, what you can usually do is try to immediately find job as an English teacher with one of the conversation schools or dispatch companies. Any full-time company should have the ability to sponsor your visa, so as long as you have some time remaining on it at the time you finish the JET program, you should be able to slide in and get sponsorship.

I think you have to shift the visa type from 'Instructor' to 'Specialist in Humanities/International Relations', though. That will involve some paperwork.

If the times do not line up, though, you'll have to go back home and restart the whole process to remain in Japan legally. Most visas will run 1 or 3 years depending on the type. Try to get a 1 year visa the first year then aim for a 3 year renewal visa so you'll be covered for the transition.

Remember, the visa has to cover your entire employment period, so if, for example, you have 1 month remaining on a contract but your visa expires at that point, your company is obligated to renew you for another year at least. This would give you 11 free months (or more) to find a new job.

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GABA has it's advantages, but they're mainly for part-time workers only. This is a place where you'd want to work to pick up extra cash on the side, not as a main source of employment. They market themselves as being the place where you can schedule yourself for as little or as much as you want to work.

It's perfect for a part-timer because it allows you to fill in a schedule around other employment.

Unfortunately, the company tries to hire full-time, and this can be a disaster. Mainly for these reasons:

• You are paid by the lesson and not by the hour. This means that if no student shows up for a lesson, you aren't paid for the time you are waiting at the company doing nothing. Also the pay per lesson is 1800 yen or so, which isn't hot.
  
• Because of this, job security depends on how well you can sell yourself to students. This takes more away from the educator side, leaving you as more a salesperson.
  
• Speaking of sales, there's tremendous pressure to push books and courses.
  
• The lessons are each 40 minutes long, which means you get paid only for those 40 minutes, and you only get a 5-minute break to rush to your next class.
  
• After each class, the student can review you and, if you get anything wrong with the review, you end up getting talked to. That's very stressful.
  
• GABA has a long history of dodging labor union laws and is only just starting to get better in this department. I don't know if they sponsor Japanese Health and Pension payments, but this is a huge no-no if they don't.

Really, I can probably go on and on about it, but this is the worst of it.

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Awesome! Be sure to visit the castle. It's one of the most famous in Japan.