The First Meal

Try the 'Basashi'

なんでやねん

"I don't even like Japanese food!"  too many dumb gaijin

*For more posts similar to this one, see The Series of Firsts

So many firsts - you are probably going to want a nice meal for yourself during the first night you spend in your new home. You definitely won't want to cook, and you will probably want something to eat different than sushi. What to do?!?! I dunno!?! The amount of foreigners who live in Japan who despise Japanese food is truly baffling.... "I hate fish" "I hate rice" "I hate...."

"Then what the frack did you move here for?"

Anyway......... let's go eat!!

The First Meal

Alright!!! Where to go? What to eat? It’s your first few moments in Japan. 

Ramen, Udon, Sushi, Yaki-whatever, Whatever-yaki, Donburi, Tenpura, Kushi-katsu......Whale sashimi

If you live in a large city, your choices are endless.........

Yeah it's Korean, but still funny.

You’re going to want to try anything and everything. If you have a veteran roommate handy when you’re ready for your first meal, then you’re in luck! The veteran should be able to point you somewhere that will be easy for you. If you’re by yourself or with a fellow FOB, then you can have a good time wandering around looking for some grub.

The first eating experience for a lot of FOBs ends-up being in a fast food restaurant of some kind. Aside from McDonald’s and convenience stores, nothing will look familiar. Even the convenience stores are bizarrely different. When you’re walking around looking for a place to eat, you’ll notice how small all the shops look. 

You will probably walk right by most restaurants because you'll think it's something other than a place to eat at. Also, you may feel completely intimidated by these small shops because you’ll be afraid of what the food is, how to order, what is good, what’s not, etc. Regardless of where you end up, you will see and smell massively different things on the first meal quest.

Or just have a beer meal....

My first meal was curry udon, and I had a veteran roommate with me to take me to the place and order. So I had no problem. You'll never forget the first authentic Japanese meal that you have, so live it up! Order up some sake (a-tsu-kan - for the warm stuff) or some Asahi/Kirin drafts (na-ma beer) and get loaded. Oh yeah, one last thing about the small Japanese shops...... if you don't smoke, now is a good a time as any to start - if you can't stand second hand smoke, leave Japan immediately.

Well, there is your first day in a nutshell -- if you are with a group of FOBs, than try to find a karaoke box together. It's tradition.

So where to next....... Let's go to school for awhile.....

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!!

First Day - The Apartment

The First Time in Your Apartment

For more posts similar to this one, see The Series of Firsts

The first time entering a Japanese style apartment will be a bizarre experience for most people. Yes, they are apartments that have the same general amenities as Western style apartments, but they’re extremely different in many ways. Entering one for the first time will be a different experience for everyone.

It will depend on what apartments are like where you are from and, of course, the style and quality of the apartment in Japan you are moving into. Will you have roommates? If you work for a large English conversation school, and are moving into a company supplied apartment in a large city, then chances are yes. If you are going to a small town in the mountains, then you will have a place to yourself.

The ALT companies usually set you up in your own place. Roommates will have a drastic effect on the way you adapt to your new surroundings. I personally think that adults over 25 years old shouldn't have roommates under any circumstance, but that's just me. More on these creatures in a later post – “the supplied roommates.”

Regardless of the roommate situation, rest assured that you will feel one thing as soon as you open the door – slightly claustrophobic. You will feel larger than your normal self for a few moments. Everything will feel small and narrow. The apartment may have a strange scent (usually from the tatami floors - or your filthy new roommates). If it’s your own apartment and you’re in an urban area, you will not be able to describe how small it is to people back home. Pictures and videos will ultimately actually make it look larger, but it will be unimaginably small, and you will need to actually be standing in it to believe it.

There will be no beds, sparse or no furniture at all and wicked tiny closets. You won’t care about the size when you first move in; it will be just another new, strange and intriguing discovery for you to savor during your first few days and weeks in Japan. However, if you spend a lot of time inside your new roach motel, the walls will inevitably tart to creep in on you. But, you’re in Japan!! Get outside and experience the damn place!!!

There’s really not too much to tell about the Japanese apartments. The major differences are the following:

·         No ovens – learn to use a toaster oven.

The Fish Grill

·         Or, learn to use the fish broiler below the range.

·         No beds (unless you are lucky) – learn to sleep on a thin Japanese futon, not the fat soft Western style futon couch thing.

A Japanese Futon

·         A small deck (‘veranda’) that is socially unacceptable to use for anything besides drying laundry.

·         No carpeting – ever! If you do have some ‘carpeting’ in your apt. then it will be super thin and look something you might find in a school or a store.

·         No water heater – 99% of Japanese apartments have on-demand water heating systems. You will love this!!

·         Wicked awesome water pressure!

·         A small refrigerator – better learn to go shopping a bit more often then you are used to.

·         Doors open out (so you don’t bump the shoes)

·         Separate room for the toilet bowl.

Have you eaten yet? You’re probably a bit hungry! So after getting relatively settled in your new abode, if you haven’t down so already, you’re probably ready for your first meal…….. Good Luck!

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!!

First Day: "The Company"

The First "Company" Encounter

For more posts similar to this one, see The Series of Firsts

Somehow or another, you need to get your keys and actually in your apartment sometime soon after your flight arrives. That means that merely hours after you arrive you will get to have your first encounter with the company staff. Hey! This could be your first encounter with your supervisor! Lucky you!

Total Moron FOB

This could also be the first time to rub elbows with some fellow FOBs. Stick with this blog. I'll be detailing the fellow foreigners later.

If you have a keen eye, you might notice some ‘OMFG Who Hired You?’ people and perhaps a few of the ‘dazed and confused.’ (More about them later) But, you are probably a bit too overwhelmed with everything going on around you to really care about anything other than the immediate dose of Japan that you are main-lining. You are just going to be happy to be there and excited about getting settled in.

Flu Season

After finally making it to wherever it was you picked up the key…crud!! Do you still have your luggage? Uh oh! Didn’t someone from your company’s staff tell you about the luggage delivery services at the airport? If they did and you were by yourself, the experience of filling out the forms at the desk without assistance may have made you say, “Screw it, I’ll just take them with me." However………………

If you’re in a big city, the decision to travel around with your luggage in tow may have led to another first: The first time you look like a complete and total moron in Japan. An unsuspecting FOB with WAY too much luggage and no idea how IMPOSSIBLE it is to navigate crowded Japanese train lines (with any kind of suitcase other than a small carry on) is a rare but always an appreciated sighting for the veteran gaijin-san living in the land of natto.

Back to the first encounter with the company staff. If you had to go to the head office, there's really not going to be much to see there except for a bunch of over-friendly faces in suits. You’ll get to learn their true natures later, At first the over-friendliness will seem like a nice gesture; the office staff will go WAY out of their normal routine to make you feel comfortable and welcome during your first moments in Japan (don’t expect much after this). You’ll get your keys and perhaps even an actual living human to give you a ride or hold your hand to your apartment. You’ll perhaps receive some paperwork, pamphlets and other assorted packets of spectacularly useless information. Then you’ll be off to your first apartment.

You will not under any circumstances be aware of how freaking busy the staff is during your first encounter. You will still be on vacation time and you will want to chat, ask some questions and move slowly. However, the staff wants you out of their hair ASAP! You will not be aware of this….. until much later.

Anyway, on to your first apartment.............

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!!

First Day: "The Landing"

The Landing - The First Steps Off the Plane

"It's like being on drugs, but I'm not...." gren

For more posts similar to this one, see The Series of Firsts

You made it! You’re getting ready for landing….finally. For me, the first flight to Japan was the longest time I spent sitting in one place in my life. Adrenaline is probably kicking in and you are primed and ready to get off the plane and get some sushi and start the experience.

Once off the plane, the first thing you will notice is that you can’t read a freaking thing. More than likely you won’t have any idea as to where you are going, so you will just follow everyone else and hope you get to the right place. You do eventually get to immigration and when you finally get your bags and walk up to the passport check booth.

Oh, NO!!

Did you try to speak English to the immigration officer?

If you uttered a phrase in English, you will be pleasantly surprised that nine times out of ten the officer will not have time for your silly English. So, if this is your first experience with this kind of situation, I hope you don’t get super anxious, like some people do, and fumble around like a complete lunatic. This is just the beginning. If you’re already having panic attack at the visa checkpoint, it’s going to be a long first few months for you.

If you’re lucky, you will have someone waiting for you from the organization you will be working for. Most of the mega-English factory companies will ask a group of FOBs (newbies, newbs) to schedule their flights to arrive on the same day at around the same time to make this step easier for them and you. If this is the case, a representative will be waiting right outside the exit from immigration.

However, most companies do not have the resources (manpower) to provide this kind of service.

So, when you finally get through immigration and put your first foot down on Japanese soil, there is a chance that you will be entirely on your own in a remarkably non-English speaking environment. However, the airport is the best place to be. International airports always have plenty of English speakers at assistance desks and ticket counters - somewhere. But you might not realize that yet - Just remain calm and find someone to point you in the right direction.

Hopefully, someone from the organization you will be working for gave you at least some kind of detailed directions and a map to get you to your destination. You’re destination will usually be a company office or group rendezvous point. I hope you have enough yen in your pocket, because if you need to use a cab from the airport, it can get pretty expensive quickly.

Well, off you go……….Good luck!

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!!

First Day - "Takin' Off"

The First Flight to Japan


"I'm lucky, I can sleep from takeoff until we land; so I'm fresh, rested and ready to work on arrival."
Eva Herzigova
"Whatever, Eva......"
gren


For more posts similar to this one, see The Series of Firsts

I put this post up to try to describe the first entire day someone spends getting to Japan. The next few posts describe the journey to actually living there, not visiting. The first day can be pretty intense at times if someone has no previous travel experience, and since this is a pretty major trip, more like a move, I tried to explain it as best I could so the reader may have a sense of the experience.

Ready? You may have a sense of excitement about the new chapter of your life that’s about to begin. You may experience an anxiousness or nervousness that you’ve never experienced before. Perhaps you haven’t been sleeping well. You’ve probably packed entirely too much and written out a massive list of things to do before take off. Whatever the case, you will most likely feel unprepared as you head towards the ticket gate for what, until now, will likely be one of the biggest changes of your life.

Getting through the check-in line and ticket gates will feel just like any other flight that you’ve taken until you finally board the plane and get settled in you seat. When you finally get a chance to take a breath and look around….. Yep! The flight is roughly 95% Asians. Aside from knowing that you're in the right place, if this is your first flight of this nature, this may be your first experience of being in a massive minority.

Since there will be people from all over Asia not just Japan, people will be speaking in what will seem like 1000 different languages at break neck speed. If you are by yourself, the person sitting next to you will more than likely not speak English. Get ready for what could be a long quiet flight. Or not……….

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!!

First Time for Everything - Reeling You In

"Reelin'ya In"

"When an idea reaches critical mass there is no stopping the shift its presence will induce."
Marianne Williamson

For more posts similar to this one, see The Series of Firsts

The huge conversation schools and ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) dispatch companies are the ones that have the money and resources to heavily advertise and recruit overseas. They have the infrastructure in place to easily apply for and secure visas for their applicants. Most people get "reeled in" by one of these monster English language educational factories.

These companies conduct interviews overseas and make teaching English in Japan sound like the most rewarding and exceptional experience in the world. 

I have to hand it to the overseas recruiters. They are very professional, well spoken and extremely enthusiastic about the endeavor that they promote. If someone makes it to an interview for an English teaching 'company' in  home country,  he is about half-way to the boat. After the presentation that the recruiter deals out.....

.......there is no way at this point that anyone could turn down a job offer......... 

.................hooked, reeled in and netted. 

Time to buy a plane ticket. 

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!!

First Time for Everything - The Hook

"Gettin' Hooked"


"If you want to catch more fish, use more hooks."
George Allen, Sr.


For more posts similar to this one, see The Series of Firsts

Many people will say that they moved to Japan on a complete spur of the moment decision -- but I never really believe these people. Everyone can look back at something that motivated them long before they pulled the trigger, so to speak. Moving to Japan is a huge decision that has to have developed from somewhere inside one's brain.

I'll tell you how you know when someone is getting close to the on-ramp to the Highway to J -- Oh yeah!! This person may or may not have known it at the time, but the hook was probably just about set right in their lip. What is the hook exactly? Just like the bait, it's different for everyone. For many, the time between the planting of the first seed of the idea of moving to Japan and the time the seed actually takes root can be quite considerable (well over 5 years for me).

For me, the hook was in my mouth when I was looking on the internet for a job and I saw a job posting about teaching English in Korea. I really started to read and look into it -- uh-oh!! Then I thought about my interest in kanji those few years ago.... uh-oh!!!! Then I thought to myself, "Hey, I wonder if I can do this in Japan?"

OH GOOD GOD MAN!!!  The hook was set on me at that moment, I just didn't fully realize it at the time.

Let's take a quick look at some common ways to get hooked:

• Internet ads (Jet program/conversation school/ALT -- much more on those later)
• College job fair
• Literature in a job placement office
• Magazine ads
• Having a Japanese girlfriend/boyfriend (at some point the conversation is gonna come up)
• Spouse is Japanese
• Stationed in Japan when in the military

There are a million ways Japan can hook you.

Most people see an ad, get intrigued due to some life experience and find themselves thinking about it at odd times during the day. Then one day they take it to the next level somehow by actually researching different positions and, perhaps, asking questions to friends and family. Those are the first signs that someone is getting close...........

                         ...............oh yeah..............

They're getting close to the final stages of "The Decision." The signs are starting to manifest themselves in strange ways: they're doing intense research about Japan, they're having strange thoughts, fever sweats, strange unanswered questions, they're jumping on internet forums......They can't sleep.... They can't eat..... It's almost there......The bait is in the mouth.....BOOM!!! The hook is set...... the final stage of the journey to Japan comes........ at this point, the fish is out of control and the fisherman is..........."reeling you in"

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!!

First Time for Everything - The Bait

"The Bait" - First Intrigue

"Some people hide more than others, and it does intrigue me."
Tori Amos


For more posts similar to this one, see The Series of Firsts

Most people that come to Japan to teach English were interested in Japan, for some reason other than teaching English, long before deciding to move there. The reason is probably buried in the subconscious, and never even realized. But, I guarantee that it’s there. 

I call it "The Bait." 

For me, I had business dealings with Japanese people for a few years, and I remember trying to read the kanji written in the translated technical manuals we had on file. I used to stare at it for longer than normal with such fascination. Of course in hindsight, I realize now that I was actually being tempted by the lure a bit at that point, but whatever -- that was the original bait for me -- being interested in how to read kanji.

So, what exactly gets people interested in living and teaching English in Japan? What is the first seed planted in someone's head that finally sprouts and causes one's interest to grow? 

Of course it's different for everyone, but here are some common manifestations of "The Bait":

• A simple yearning to live abroad (anywhere abroad for a lot of people)
• An interest in Japanese manga comics/anime (more on these people in a later post)
• Japanese food/cuisine (just can't get enough of that sushi!)
• Cultural interests (castles, history, customs, etc.) 
• Language (maybe they took a class in high school or at university)
• Robots (it's true)
• The Fever (if you have the fever, you know what I'm talking about!) 
• Discussions with friends or relatives that have live or visited Japan.

There are countless explanations as to how people are influenced to move to Japan. There is always one thing or a combination of things that initially get the gears to crank over far enough to bring people to the next step - "the hook."

As I wrote in my in my introduction page, for me it was a combination of cultural differences and language curiosity that eventually pushed me to take the next step.

"First they see the bait, then they take a bite, then they feel.......the hook."

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!!

First Time for Everything - The Fish and the Fisherman

"The Fish and the Fisherman"


"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards."

Vernon Sanders Law

*For more posts similar to this one, see The Series of Firsts

 

First of all, think of a native English speaker as "the fish"............

                                                    

                                                     

  ..................and the Japanese educational system as "the fisherman." 

So, how do people determine that moving from wherever they are to the unknown environment of Japan is logical?

How does someone find this idea interesting enough to even contemplate?

At what point must someone be in their life that would motivate them to sever ties with their family, friends, career, homeland, etc., then uproot themselves and actually move to a place where they've perhaps never even visited?

Who are these people? (more on that later - that's a massive story for a day down the road)

I'll start by simply writing about the very beginning of the process -- the steps that lead to making the decision to move to Japan. Of course, everyone ultimately has their own reasons for coming to Japan: they're broke, too much time on their hands, Japanese heritage, bored with life, a sense of adventure. The list goes on and on. Oddly, some people that move to Japan have never even met a Japanese person and know absolutely nothing about the language and culture. 

Regardless of why, tens of thousands of foreigners migrate to Japan every year. These next few posts will explain how some people make their initial decision to teach English in 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!!

First Time for Everything

The Series of Firsts - The Decision


"A weak man has doubts before a decision, a strong man has them afterwards."
Karl Kraus
Austrian author and journalist (1874 - 1936)

In the next section of posts,  The Series of Firsts,  I will describe the general process that people go through on the way to actually making the decision to live and teach English in Japan.

These posts are not a how to manual, they simply allow someone to explore the evolution of someone's thoughts and experiences from the very first idea of moving to Japan until they actually get there and start teaching English.

Everyone who decides to move to Japan will experience countless things for the very first time. For a lot of people this could be the first time they ever truly examined a map of a foreign country or even contemplated leaving their hometown for the first time. For others moving to Japan is just another stamp in a passport that is filling up quickly.

 In this section I compare the experience to fishing. I hope you enjoy.......

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!!