Career choices in Japan and living there.
 

Nobody will let you be boss of anything until you have paid your dues, and that means taking bit acting parts, extras, cameos, modeling, whatever you can get to get your foot in the door. But if you don't have EXCELLENT Japanese, modeling and non-speaking roles as an extra are as far as you'll get.

Good luck!

Many people want to pigeon-holed into teaching English? I am even sure what that means...

If you do want to start in the film industry, my advice would be to land a teaching job and find an apprenticeship or internship in the film industry.

With no experience it is unlikely you will be able to find a film company willing to give you a visa as a foreigner. But if you spend some time as an apprentice, it may help get your foot in the door.

Even with experience, unless you are well-known in the field, there is no reason for a production company to go through all the hassle and paper-work of hiring a foreigner when there are perfectly good Japanese that can do the job. That's why I think an apprenticeship is your best in.

What you need is a visa and an income, and teaching gives you both. You could visit for three months, but that may not be enought time to get your foot in the door.

Its easy to say "If being a musician or film director doesnt work.. ill just drop back on Photography." With what qualifications?? Say you do go down that road and those jobs dont work out and you decide on Photography.. whats your plan?? walk into a company and ask for a job? "hey i have a camera im obviously a photographer hire me!." Or maybe you want to freelance. "Hey i have a camera, check it out it even has a lens hood im obviously professional (in joke) let me shoot your wedding for 3 grand."

Basically, I just dont understand how you plan to do it all. Sounds like you have no direction at all...

The only thing i can think of which you might be thinking issss getting your experience whilst in Japan. If you think your gona just pick up a camera and be a Photographer good luck with life because it doesnt work like that. And if your thinking that youv got enough "hobbie experience" as in becoming a photographer with the experience youv gained with photography as a hobbie wont work either. Do you think theres no other Photographers that will be going for jobs aswell?? you know.. ones that have gone to uni or done "accredited" courses or have worked as an assistant and slowly made a name for themself?????? - which leads me to my next point.

Unless you get real photography experience before you go (uni, accredited course) The only sort of job you could get would be working as a Photographers assistant. Its gona pay absolutely minimum to nothing at all. (mainly nothing at all, and definately nothing at all just when your starting.

(This post is huge but im still trying to explain so sorry.)

So if you go to Japan with no experience you might be able to land a job as an assistant. If you do it that way (the way with no experience upon arrival.) Its going to take a while before you even start getting paid. Your going to be carrying equipment and if your lucky they might even let you touch some of it. But using it?? lol. Your going to work with a few differant photographers (or thats how it usually goes anyway) as 1 might not have work during certain times. especially a freelance photographer work will be all over the place. So generally you woprk with a few differant photographers. but if you do that its going to take even longer to gain experience because its going to take a longer time for them to give you chances.

That might sound strange you work with more photographers but gain less experience.. You might get better at carrying bags but generally you want to build some sort of relationship with 1, 2 or even 3 of the photographers you work with so that they will give you more opportunities to gain experience through them.

Anyway as youv probably noticed by my long thread theres a few ways you can go about it. But what it comes down to is are you going to be able to work as an assistant while support yourself?? Im 19 im a "Amateur Photographer/Photographer Assistant." and i still live at home. Im at the point were i can very occassionaly land a solo job as a wedding Photographer. But you can count on it not being a very large one. I was lucky as i have family "in the industry" which was good for me as i was able to work with him which then helped me get other assistant jobs back home.

Basically unless you go to Japan with some sort of real experience your not going to be able to get proper paying job or you can get experience over there but then it comes down to be able to support yourself while your there.

MMM mentioned teaching english. that could work maybe. but remember what i said about freelancers working odd hours. they might ask you to come help do a job at 1 in the afternoon. your not gona be a teacher very long if you have to have days off to work as an assistant photographer.

I duno if you can work part time as a teacher?? no idea. even then you wont know if the person your working for will get a job on the day you work.

There are shows on Japanese TV that feature foreigners, but usually as comic breaks, oddities or curiosities. For example, there's the Beat Takeshi show with a panel of foreigners from all over the world who yell and scream at each other over various issues. Very much like Japan Forum :D

There have been a few that parlayed that into something more. Like Zomahon (spelling?), the African dude from that show who wrote a book and sold homself as a personality. I met him in the bathroom of a bookstore is Osaka as he entered the toilet. Tiny dude. Looked bigger on TV.

What's the point? Well, there are avenues of success. THis is just another example of how maybe it can be done. But if it were that easy, we'd all be there. Joshaussies post, however brutal, appeared sanguine. Also, learning Japanese as well as you wish before going is nearly impossible. I think you need to be there to acquire those language skills. I think your plan will require more charisma than most can muster.

Let me get this right.

Your studying at university for a degree in? But once you get that degree you wish to jet off to Japan and try and live out some dreams you have?

Please take a cold shower and wake up. I do not mean to be rude or try and hate on your dreams (we all have them), but for you to think you could just step into Japan and become the next Speilburg, it is a bit of a doolally dream.

Firstly, there are thousands of young Japanese in the film industry, what makes you think the Japanese would want you as a director when there own people are there to fill the job role (and majority of them would be as good or better than you, plus they have more backing from thier own people so movies would gross more than you would). The same goes for your other choices, why would they want to break a westener (who is new and unheard off either side of the world) into the Music or Photography scene. When there are thousands of native Japanese perfectly capable of doing this.

Secondly why not try to gain employment in your degree field?

Finally you do not have to jet off to Japan to fulfill your dreams, try it out in the USA (or wherever you live) firstly, if you have sucess then you could take that sucess along with you and stand a chance in Japan.

Basically, teaching is probly the best bet outside a good corporate job. If you have no experiance at teaching, why instantly dismiss it? Try it out first, if you like it stick at it, if not move on.

Back off a little, man. You may not "mean to be rude". But you are being a bit harsh.

I wanted to be an Anthropologist, which is part of the reason I went to Japan. I didn't become one, but I lived a life-changing dream in Japan. Once you try to lilve your dream at home you get locked into a career and probably a family and will probably never travel or make it to Japan.

Some of the foreign "oddities" described as being on Japanese tv shows are Ivy League educated, and speak Japanese even better than the natives here do. Many of the others aren't much better off financially than English teachers.

There is much less market in Japan for entry level entertainment jobs than there are in Europe and America. A foreigner can get a job here, but unless you are something of an "oddity" yourself, you aren't going to have an easy time.

You may imagine Japan as a place where you can be more creative, but in reality that will probably not be the case. After the initial giddiness of being in Japan wears off, you may begin to find it stifling, as so many other westerners have.

As for myself, I'm a teacher. I "pigeonholed" myself into this job after growing weary of my career in America. I make about 1/4 as much money as I used to, but I'm enjoying myself much more.

Glad to hear your enjoying yourself more in Japan. You may be making less but your not wasting your life away doing what you so not like.

Consider this though, in one year in the USA you made 4 years worth of one year teaching Japanese? What if you were to work 5 years in the USA and save as much as possible (live like a pauper almost lol). That would equate to 10-15 years worth of money to live comfortably in Japan, during those 10-15 years you can easily gain futher qualifications, start out in a new career and work you way up the ladder etc. All the while never haveing to worry about your income. Just food for thought.

Both your posts are well worded. I agree with you on this, because one can retire early or take afew years, etc.. But some people just aren't concerned or motivated so much by financial gains.

I tell my mum ill never move out of home because i can save to much money. My sister tells her the same thing lol.

初めまして。:vsign:

初めまして。
 

:vsign:
初めまして

初めまして。
 

:vsign:
hi everybody
i am Nguyen.

If you want to be a film director stop worrying about other jobs (Photography for example) and also.. I dont think there would be any problem if you gained all your experience and then went over to Japan. If you have qualifications to your name and can speak some sort of Japanese your going to land a job (Not the best job) but id say if you had your qualifications youd atleast land some sort of job within the industry you want. The problem with your first post just makes it look as tho you want to go to Japan with no qualifications and no direction (which i said before and noticed that you acknowledged that) but i knew what you were trying to say. The way it was worded was probably the way id word something too as i have trouble getting my thoughts into writing. You just mixed your message up with too much rambling.

One man's trash is another man's treasure. I planned my move to Japan some years in advance, and I'm living comfortably enough. The pay for English teachers is above the working class average here, and I only have to work 30 hours a week. I have other things going on as well, God knows I have the time.

If I were to work for 5 more years in America, I would be working in America for 5 more years. I chose the time I planned to leave, and I was determined to stick to that time, regardless of the circumstances.

My life has had it's share of unrealized dreams, plans, or ambitions. It's easy enough to say that you are going to do this or that, but not so easy to actually go out and do it. Do you know exactly where you will be, and what you'll be doing in 5 year's time? You never know what tomorrow will bring, let alone next year, or the years following it.

I'm sincerely happy here, and I have no regrets.

Glad to see your still determined and not offended by any of the comments (as harsh as I may sound lol). well since your looking for an edge why not look into;

http://www.northwestvision.co.uk/pag...-virgin-shorts

They have selected the projects to fund, but I am sure they will be doing such funding once again in the near future (you would be wise to jump on it, free cash, and more recognition than you would get from solo work).

Another avenu to look into is;

UK Film Council - Welcome to the UK Film Council

They offer funding for up and comeing directors, there budget is larger than the Virgin shorts, but they expect more in return (obviously).

Well hope you have a lot of sucess in your career and Keep up the enthusiasm and determination, as they say "Nothing is impossible, it just costs more!" (cost of course not only being cash, but time, effort etc).

You could try applying at one of the big TV networks like NHK. Of course, you'd have to know Japanese:
NHK

I've got 2 roomates in the industry (one's a director, the other's a producer). But they're both Japanese, went to film school here, and have 20 years of experience. Not sure how a new grad would get into the industry, especially one from outside of the country. I did hear stories that one of my roomates (the producer) started out as part of a film crew (camera man). I'm guessing there's some kind of apprenticeship type of path you'd have to go through to do the same. It does seem a bit improbable that you'd get visa sponsorship as an apprentice though.

My other roomate (the director) freelances. It would take quite a bit of networking to do something similar. Plus, with freelancing you don't have a company than can sponsor your visa. Of course if you've somehow gotten a company to sponsor your visa before you go the freelancing route and can prove that you can and have been supporting yourself financially, you could later get a self sponsored visa after a couple of years (*possibly*...check the TokyoCooney video where he talks about visas).
YouTube - F.Y.I. Tokyo: Visas

I dunno. Seems like a tough field to get into from abroad. Good luck with your quest.

Actually, your best bet would be to learn as much as you can from TokyoCooney. He seems to be the one person closest to your line of work that I can think of. See how he got into Japan and pursued work in the entertainment industry.

http://www.tokyocooney.com

This might be alittle of topic.

But when I read your posts it looks like you want like a "plan B" if not job in "plan A" work out, just to live in japan.

But I just red another port you wrote in another thread, and it was somthing like:
"First you need to find out what you want to do for living, not where you wanna live."

And I agree, don not let go of your dream job, I think that if you will need to wait some years before going to japan just to get your dream job it is worth it.

And even in japan a boring job is a boring job :P