Ask a guy who has been living in Japan for over 6 years anything

[FunkLord]

heard that an underground club called "Womb" was absolutely amazing

Womb is in Tokyo

[vazquez]

They don't teach that in schools.

You get a bit of that feeling from the media though. It always seems like there's some kind of expose on something dirty China is doing. Overall though, they are really head and shoulders over the other Asian countries in terms of development (except South Korea)

her family/she is from the tokyo area. it even had a word/phrase for this teaching.

if i see them i'll ask what its called. in our circle we have just about every religion/culture/ethnicity/race/political party affiliation/sexual lifestyle.

my korean buddies are always kidding around how they are the fathers of japan and how ethnically japanese roots/heritage originate from korea.

its all fun and games.

funny thing is many korean nationals have told me the same thing(a mechanic a go to alot).....lulz.

[FunkLord]

do you see any crazy drifting throughout the streets?

Drifters usually drive pretty considerately in traffic. They save it for the back roads.

Expecting a Son in September. No experience with the Japanese school system. I'm not keen on the idea of cram schools.

Cram schools ruin a kid's childhood IMO. They finish school at 4 and then go to cram school until 10. They go to school on the weekend too, and still don't seem to know much about anything.

Same thing with a lot of the sports teams. They practice 6 hours a day every day and more on the weekends. They overtrain to hell and end up being skinny and weak.

[Hugh Jazz]

What do they think of bodybuilding?

Do they think your some weirdo or are they admiring?

[vazquez]

Expecting a Son in September. No experience with the Japanese school system. I'm not keen on the idea of cram schools.

when you have a moment, can you ask your wife about this?

its the reason why my buddy and his family stayed in the u.s.

even her(my buddies wife) father/mother stayed here in the u.s. while having a house near tokyo.

[FunkLord]

What do they think of bodybuilding?

Do they think your some weirdo or are they admiring?

Not much in the way of bodybuilders in Okinawa. There are some decent powerlifters, though.

Mostly admiring I guess. I'm nowhere near bodybuilder level though. Most people just chalk it up to genetics. That really bugs me, because I am an ecto and had to work really hard to get where I am. I explain to them that I used to be really skinny (120 lbs at my lowest) and I gained weight by doing the right exercises and eating a lot of food. They also say stuff like "oh it's because you take protein, right?" and I have to explain to them that protein isn't some kind of magic drug. It's even harder to explain to them, because protein powders are sold as "Protein" (in English) but if you look at the nutritional information on Japanese food, it's in Japanese. They don't make the connection, because it has a different name. Basically, take the noobiest person you know, and make him even noobier, and that's how much the average Japanese person knows about bbing. Fortunately, they don't really know much about steroids either, so I don't get accused of that.

[Redtodayx]

Womb is in Tokyo

[img]http://kimjunhy.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/200703sterne5th_img041.jpg[img]

looks badass

are you happy living in Japan OP? do you miss Canada at all? what other languages can you speak? (assuming Enlgish and Japanese)

can someone who doesn't speak barely any Japanese survive in Japan? and even more pressing, can that person find a decent job w/o knowing Japanese?

[halogenic]

when you have a moment, can you ask your wife about this?

its the reason why my buddy and his family stayed in the u.s.

even her(my buddies wife) father/mother stayed here in the u.s. while having a house near tokyo.

Man you'd have to ask yur buddy that I don't know, I guess some Japanese think the US is ichi bon "number 1"

[FunkLord]

looks badass

are you happy living in Japan OP? do you miss Canada at all? what other languages can you speak? (assuming Enlgish and Japanese)

can someone who doesn't speak barely any Japanese survive in Japan? and even more pressing, can that person find a decent job w/o knowing Japanese?

I miss Canada sometimes. Canada is an awesome country. Especially the west coast. My parents moved from Saskatoon to Vancouver since I have been living here. I went back last year and had an awesome time. If my parents had moved there before I left, I may have never left at all.

A lot of people get by without speaking Japanese. They just get a girlfriend/wife and let her take care of business. I didn't know Japanese when I got here, but my boss helped me out a lot. You can be an English teacher without knowing Japanese. Some positions pay pretty good.

[Redtodayx]

Do you see yourself staying Japan for much longer? I know you want to visit the mainland, if you moved there, would you end up staying even longer?

I've just noticed that the usual pattern of teaching english seems to based around: making money for a few years while you're in your early 20's (usually after your undergrad degree) then using that money for w/e other pursuits once you move back home. Do you see yourself following this?

I've got to say though, I'm pretty envious of your position, and just reading this thread makes me all excited to visit and live in Japan

[FunkLord]

Do you see yourself staying Japan for much longer? I know you want to visit the mainland, if you moved there, would you end up staying even longer?

I've just noticed that the usual pattern of teaching english seems to based around: making money for a few years while you're in your early 20's (usually after your undergrad degree) then using that money for w/e other pursuits once you move back home. Do you see yourself following this?

I've got to say though, I'm pretty envious of your position, and just reading this thread makes me all excited to visit and live in Japan

It depends. I want to see if I can transfer to an university in mainland for my 3rd and 4th years of University. From there I might go back to Canada to get my MBA, or stay in Japan. If I like mainland I might stay there. If I end up staying at my current university until I graduate, I might go up to mainland for graduate school instead. A lot of it depends on what the global economic situation is like. If I get married I could go either way, but when I have kids I want to raise them in Canada.

[dylin]

Wow, nice to see what a country is like from someone who is a total foreigner from that place.

What would you say is the hardest thing to learn, the writing or the speaking? Oh and did you have to learn more than one dialect?

[FunkLord]

Wow, nice to see what a country is like from someone who is a total foreigner from that place.

What would you say is the hardest thing to learn, the writing or the speaking? Oh and did you have to learn more than one dialect?

The writing by far. Most Japanese Kanji have ways you can read them. It's not just remembering what each character means, but what different readings each one has, and what the difference in meaning is if you read it differently. The reading can also change based on what other Kanji you combine it with to make compound words. It takes some getting used to. The different dialects only have small variations with words, and it's mostly only informal stuff. The old Okinawan language is very different, but only really old people still speak it.

[Redtodayx]

It depends. I want to see if I can transfer to an university in mainland for my 3rd and 4th years of University. From there I might go back to Canada to get my MBA, or stay in Japan. If I like mainland I might stay there. If I end up staying at my current university until I graduate, I might go up to mainland for graduate school instead. A lot of it depends on what the global economic situation is like. If I get married I could go either way, but when I have kids I want to raise them in Canada.

Very nice, where are you going now for University? What is your program?

[FunkLord]

Very nice, where are you going now for University? What is your program?

Business Administration at Okinawa Kokusai University

[Stizzel]

You don't really need a certificate. I took a TESOL course. It was pretty pointless and a waste of money. I just didn't know any better. What he's doing sounds like what I did, not the JET program.

I think thats what he's doing. Any resources on a better way to do it?

[GetHimABodyBag]

her family/she is from the tokyo area. it even had a word/phrase for this teaching.

if i see them i'll ask what its called. in our circle we have just about every religion/culture/ethnicity/race/political party affiliation/sexual lifestyle.

my korean buddies are always kidding around how they are the fathers of japan and how ethnically japanese roots/heritage originate from korea.

its all fun and games.

funny thing is many korean nationals have told me the same thing(a mechanic a go to alot).....lulz.

You go tell your Korean and Japanese friends they both got a lot of their culture from CHINA.

[KRILLEN91]

how do japanese people feel about foreigners making a living in Japan?

[deadfingers]

im with you bro.. e-4 and below in japan sucks

I'm an E-4 and I love it here in Japan.

Its very rude, but some of the Americans that are over here are people you didn't want to come here to begin with. Like myself...i didn't know want to come here...I was loving life in Europe. I tried my best to like it here but there are too many rules here. Like...if an american get hit by a japanese while driving...its the american fault automatic.

I hate you, I love Japan and I had to settle for the worst base in Japan because it's the only one I could get, and at that it was a follow on from Korea. I wish I could trade bases with you, hell I'll take the curfew over having nothing to do up here.

[BlackDragon28]

I'm an E-4 and I love it here in Japan.



I hate you, I love Japan and I had to settle for the worst base in Japan because it's the only one I could get, and at that it was a follow on from Korea. I wish I could trade bases with you, hell I'll take the curfew over having nothing to do up here.

yeah...#$%@ your base. I would rather be in Okinawa than that icehell lol. Yokota is where its at. If i get korea, I'll but Yokota as my 3rd pick after Germany bases.

[deadfingers]

yeah...#$%@ your base. I would rather be in Okinawa than that icehell lol. Yokota is where its at. If i get korea, I'll but Yokota as my 3rd pick after Germany bases.

Yeah Yokota is the one I wanted also. Damn I love Tokyo, now that I'm looking on it, Okinawa doesn't seem all that great. I'd rather stay in mainland.

[FunkLord]

I think thats what he's doing. Any resources on a better way to do it?

I took a TESOL course. It cost about $1000 and in the end it wasn't really necessary for me to get my job. None of the people I worked with over the years had a TESOL certificate, and it wasn't enough to get a work visa either. You can get a job if you start e-mailing schools and including your resume. Whether they are hiring or not, they will likely keep his resume on file and when a position opens up they might call him. It's a good idea to research the school a bit, and tell them what it is about THEIR school that interests him.

how do japanese people feel about foreigners making a living in Japan?

The majority of westerners here become English teachers, so they are not taking jobs from Japanese nationals. Some Japanese who studied English and want to become English teachers are jealous that they will never be native speakers. If a foreigner is working alongside Japanese, then he usually has to be able to speak Japanese fluently, in which case the Japanese nationals are usually impressed.

Also, if you ask a Japanese person what their image of a foreigner is, they will usually tell you a white or black American, even though 90% of the foreigners in Japan are from China.

[MartyMcFlew]

Awesome thread, sh!t makes me wanna definitely take a trip to the far east. Im slightly jealous, not gonna lie.

[eLjay28]

Can you live comfortably with the pay for bein an English teacher??

Im actually considerin it when i graduate from college, get away from a couple years.

[TheoAKAJShoota]

I don't know if this has been asked before... but

What was your family's reaction when you told them you were moving to Japan?

Do you miss your family?

Have you made alot of money and Japan?

Do you plan on coming back to the Canada and being a balla?

[FunkLord]

Can you live comfortably with the pay for bein an English teacher??

Im actually considerin it when i graduate from college, get away from a couple years.

Yeah, English teachers get by just fine.

I don't know if this has been asked before... but

What was your family's reaction when you told them you were moving to Japan?

Do you miss your family?

Have you made alot of money and Japan?

Do you plan on coming back to the Canada and being a balla?

My parents were supportive. They wanted me to get out of the house and move on with my life. I was originally only planning to go for a year, so it made it easy for them. Now they want me to move closer to home.

Of course I miss my family. I have only been back home twice since I've been here, but with school having 2 month summer breaks, and not being busy with work I hope to be able to go back at least once a year.

I managed to save about $25000 after working for a few years. I invested it and it got up to $50-60k but then went down to about $30k. I'm using that money to pay for school.

Once I finish school I'll have an MBA, and with being fluent in Japanese I should be able to get a pretty ballin' job.

[DavidJr74]

I hope I get stationed there. That would be AWESOME.

[ILIFT!]

Have you been to Zamami Island?

I went there last summer, took a two hour ferry ride out of Naha and rode a 50cc on the island roads. There's like a population of 70 people or something like that. Tons of fun.

You going back to Canada soon?

I've been here for a year and I'm goin back to BC in 5 days.

[Vegetto991]

could i have an enjoyable 2 weeks there on 10,000 dollars??

[FunkLord]

Have you been to Zamami Island?

I went there last summer, took a two hour ferry ride out of Naha and rode a 50cc on the island roads. There's like a population of 70 people or something like that. Tons of fun.

You going back to Canada soon?

I've been here for a year and I'm goin back to BC in 5 days.

I've been to Tokashiki, which is right across from Zamami. It was a really nice vacation.

I hope I can go back again this summer. I had a lot of fun last year when I went out to visit my family in Vancouver, Victoria, and Comox.