things to consider before you move to japan

[Housetek]

I pop on these forums from time to time, usually every few months since im constantly traveling, and some places i go just dont have constant internet.

I read a lot of the same posts,
how much i need to go to japan?
what do i have to do to live in japan?
im afraid to go to japan b/c im "insert race here"
i want to teach english in japan, how do i do this?
etc etc.

nothing against younger members here, but a lot of these posts are made by new comers to the site who dont search, or people in high school planning to go to japan right after school.

Respectively, MMM and myself try our best to answer most questions.
im a lil more blunt and not as polite as MMM but thats just me.

so lets address some things you should consider before you ask these questions or consider moving to japan.

1. Reason
Why are you going?
is it b/c you just like Japanese culture/anime/asian people/wana see harajuku and cosplay?

these arent bad things, but they shouldnt be the reason for you to want to move.

you'll be greatly disappointed. the Media really over exaggerates japanese culture. people go there and expect all these crazy things, and are often let down.

Set a goal or reasoning to want to live or move to Japan.

i mean these are valid reasons to want to just visit, but living and working there is a different story.

2. Cash
A trend in most posts is many highschoolers want to go straight from school to japan. mostly tokyo or osaka b/c they're two of the biggest cities with lots of things to do.

What they dont consider is the cost of actually living there.

Tokyo is one of the most expensive cities to live in, IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.
London and New york are up there.

Dingy little apartments with 1 room small bathroom and tiny kitchen can run up to 800 bucks a month, and when i say small.... i mean TINY

im 5'4 and these rooms were small to my standards.

dont expect to have many personal items.

my apartment was 1200/mo US with 2 rooms a kitchen and shower. ment to be a double and it was super tiny.

as i go through in my guides, there are ways to live cheap, but generally RENT is what is gonna cost you big.

Also going out and shopping and every thing else is just expensive as hell.

if you dont go there with a job in mind, you will be moving back to your home within months if not earlier.

3. Teaching
many people think okay well if i get a teaching job, ill have a place to stay plus a lil income to survive.

Well yes and no.

teaching positions are very demanding, knowing many english teachers in japan i hear the stories all the time.

Pay is So so.. your still making around 30k a year if your lucky starting off.
some places offer a tiny apartment for you to stay in.

promises of 1-2 grand a week are FULLY certified teachers who are fluent in 2 languages or more WITH experience.

if you are not certified, not fluent, and dont have experienced, expect to not get a teaching job or expect to be sent to some Small country town to teach and get paid very little.

you'll be 3-4 hours outside any major city. and if you want to go to Tokyo, or any where like that expect to leave 3-4 hours b4 the train stations close at 11-12 or be prepared to rent a hotel for the night.

Friend of mine only visited me once a month and stayed at my apartment b/c he was teaching 3 hours away from Tokyo and his job was so demanding he couldnt go out much.

he was certified and fluent in both languages and still under 30k /year
with a tiny apartment

not knowing Japanese fluently is gona make your teaching career a lot harder.

many job listings will say, NO teaching experienced needed, no need to be fluent in japanese!

these sound great, but they are gona pay you enough to be considered in poverty and offer you a tiny apartment in the farmland.

4. race issue
i've gone over this many times, so ill make this short
japanese do not hate you b/c your "insert race here"
they are polite and respectful

some places will say japanese ONLY
there are reasons behind this.

Certain places are club members only
there are alot of people in japan and some restaurants and other places can get SUPER busy and super packed.

dealing with foreigners and slowing up their business is the last thing they want to do.

either A. cater to 100 japanese locals quickly Or B. open the doors to every one and serve fewer people and make less profit.

its nothing against you or your race.

some places just dont have staff that can handle foreigners.

Americans really get this all wrong when they see signs like japanese only.

they're like bla bla bla they couldnt get away with this in AMERICA BOO HOO

the signs usualy say japanese only, not NO AMERICANS or no other races.

japan has a HUUge tourism rate, plenty of places that cater to every one.

while very few, stick to only locals b/c its just easier to run a business that way, with out having to have staff members who can speak English, Spanish, swedish, russian, german, french ETC ETC.

so in short. Get over it, and stfu honestly i hate those posts.

people will assume japan is extremely racist and prejudice b/c of it, without even experiencing japan for them selves.

lastly

5. what do i have to do to live in japan.

1. 3/mo visa, leave the country every 3 months and come back
2. holiday visa for the countries it applies to, holiday visas last 6 month
3. Work visa, you need to be sponsored by a company
4. student visa, usually 1 year allows you to work max 20 hours a week.
5. get married to japanese citizen
6. have insane amounts of money, they will pretty much give a visa to millionaires b/c money will be spent in their economy.
7. ESL/jet teaching program (pretty much like work visa)


So in conclusion.

Have a valid reason to move.
Prepare for the move and have excess funds for emergency.
make sure your plan is doable and learn the language *at least enough to communicate and get by*

PLAN AHEAD.

[MMM]

Well put, Housetek. We can send people here when they ask.

[robinkun]

i have thought about study a year in japan.. I'm not 100% sure of it yet.. but it has been my dream for 4 years now. to learn fluent japanese, about the history and the culture. there is just one thing stoping me from realize my dream my girlfriand. im not sure if i can live a whole year away from her
just a question.. if you know the answer, I would be very happy.
are there any holidays during the year? so i can go back home for a visite?

[Koir]

Little observation, Housetek. Green text on an off-white background makes it very painful to read. o_O

[MMM]

Originally Posted by robinkun

i have thought about study a year in japan.. I'm not 100% sure of it yet.. but it has been my dream for 4 years now. to learn fluent japanese, about the history and the culture. there is just one thing stoping me from realize my dream my girlfriand. im not sure if i can live a whole year away from her
just a question.. if you know the answer, I would be very happy.
are there any holidays during the year? so i can go back home for a visite?

Yes, there are spring, summer and New Year's breaks.

[robinkun]

Originally Posted by MMM

Yes, there are spring, summer and New Year's breaks.

tnx! how long are they?

[Housetek]

Originally Posted by robinkun

tnx! how long are they?

correct me if im wrong but

Summer break is 2 months or so
Spring is 1-2 weeks
New years things just stop for like 3-4 business days and your break is like a week or so.

You have to prioritize your objectives.

is a gf worth more then a 4 year long dream?
your young yet and every one has been in the mindset of when they love their current gf/bf.

but comming from a outsiders point of view. these are things that shouldn't deter you from your dreams.

if it was ment to be then, in the end it will work out just fine. if not then you have new life experiences and your following your dream.

i find the ladder more fulfilling.

theres also a Xmas/winter break also.

depending on what school your going to for your year study in japan

[Housetek]

Originally Posted by Koir

Little observation, Housetek. Green text on an off-white background makes it very painful to read. o_O

fixed

[ma7]

those are very important things to remember!

thanks!

i will consider before i will move to japan ^^

____________

[robinkun]

Originally Posted by Housetek

correct me if im wrong but

Summer break is 2 months or so
Spring is 1-2 weeks
New years things just stop for like 3-4 business days and your break is like a week or so.

You have to prioritize your objectives.

is a gf worth more then a 4 year long dream?
your young yet and every one has been in the mindset of when they love their current gf/bf.

but comming from a outsiders point of view. these are things that shouldn't deter you from your dreams.

if it was ment to be then, in the end it will work out just fine. if not then you have new life experiences and your following your dream.

i find the ladder more fulfilling.

theres also a Xmas/winter break also.

depending on what school your going to for your year study in japan

Thanks! I'm going to think about it a bitt more... right now i'm tilting toward the "ill go" side.. but it didnt make the case better when i asked her about her opinion.. she almost started to cry... still she say that she dont want to stop me from going. but i guss it won't damage the relationship if I go..?..