My Introduction

My Introduction

(自己紹介 / じこしょうかい)

"Domo Arigato" gaijin-sama (a simple 'arigato' will suffice) 

"Ohayo!!"
"Ohss!!!"
"u'ssss"

My name's Glenn, and I’m an American who lived in Japan for way too long. During that time I taught and lived in just about every possible kind of environment in Japan.

Yep, that's me in my teeny tiny roach motel.

I lived in the dense, crowded downtown areas of Osaka, the less hectic suburbs, a very quiet rural area outside the relatively small city of Gifu and the worst ghetto in all of Japan, Nishinari.

My first teaching experience was a two year stint working for a huge conversation school called NOVA (which is actually still around, but barely). After that, I started to work at various public junior high and primary schools in the urban areas of Osaka. Most of my time was spent at junior high schools, but I visited countless primary schools and even spent a few days at some high schools. I also taught some corporate night classes and gave some private lessons. Heck, I even taught a few lessons at a retirement home.

The reason that I originally went to Japan was to study the culture and try to learn the language as much as possible. My previous occupation was in the semi-conductor manufacturing industry which afforded me the opportunity to work with people from all over the globe. The Japanese that I worked with conducted their business much differently than anyone else I had met in the world - especially regarding manners, mannerisms and general personality. These differences led me to have a general curiosity, which ultimately manifested itself with my decision to actually move to Japan.

One of the most surprising things about Japan is the enormous diversity of the culture and its people. Even after many years in Japan, on a daily basis I still encountered aspects of the society that I hadn't noticed or fully appreciated before.

The best way that I like to sum up the differences of Japan compared to the West is by using one word: Opposite. The way of doing things in Japan at times seems completely backwards to the Western brain. For many people that move to Japan, the stark and sudden change of lifestyle is overwhelming and can lead to a great deal of stress. But for those with strong constitutions and a healthy sense of humor, Japan can be a never ending source of entertainment, amusement and amazement.

Not all good -- not all bad.

So, continue to follow this blog and take a peek inside Japan.

Do you have a question about Japan or a topic that you are interested in that you haven't found on this blog? If so, please tell me about it in a comment. I will get a post up about it as soon as possible. Thanks for reading!!