Q & A about moving to Japan/teaching in Japan (cont. from Rezz`s photo diary)

[DaiOni]

NA, IIRC.

Be careful with big daikon - it's a little close to reality

[Sciby]

DaiOni: Unh... it's a little close to reality? You'd better explain that one.

For the love of god, explain! *worries*

[DaiOni]

Well, there are some very honest opinions on there ( [/rose coloured glasses off] )

Before I came to japan I printed out pages and pages of BD dribble - some of it came quite in handy, but others just illustrate 'worst case' scenarios - take it all with a pinch of salt

Also - my advice is to pick 'semi-rural' - unless you think you have a really good understanding of what 'rural' japan means (and think that's a good thing)

[Sciby]

Ah, thank god, I thought you meant that it was gospel.

I've taken it as 'worst case' like you said, because BD seems to be filled with young American uni grads, that seem to bitch about EVERYTHING... or fresh teachers, expecting to be fully in charge of a class, rather than just the token english speaker.

Define 'rural' for us.

When I think of rural, I think of a one horse town with less than 5k people with rice paddies everywhere and one combini that shuts upat 8pm. Oh, and old farmers that abuse their livers every night at a izakaya because they've got nothing better to do.

In fact, that's probably where I'd be every night too.

[DaiOni]

The main problem I have with JETs is an overwhelming amount of them are fresh-out-of-college/uni graduates who have never had a job in their life - think this is a holiday - and whine every five minutes because 'we do it like this back in [insert country], so that's how it should be done'

rural: your description isn't too bad, but maybe there isn't a conbini, maybe there isn't an izakaya. There aren't any trains, no-one (including everyone at school, including the english teachers) speaks english. No-one likes ya either, whitey!

(that was half tounge-in-cheek)

trust me: semi-rural

[Sciby]

Semi-rural it is! I"m going to politely request somewhere in Gunma-ken or my hometown's sister city, Ibusuki-shi, in Kagoshima-ken. Arse end of Japan, away from all the action, but it's a city of 30k people, so should be okay, if I get it. If I get accepted.

[Demon Dave]

anyways, if my area is anything to go by rural can become semi-rural and then soon after that you'll find yourself living in the middle of a city before you knew what hit ya!

The pace of development here is that fast. Until Aug 31st I was living in a small town, now the local gov decided it would be better to merge several small towns into one big city, build a ton of new (and un-needed) roads connecting them up and there we have it...I'm now an offical resident of the new Kai city

Even in the four years I've been living at my current address the area has changed to the point it's almost unrecognizeable...everyday rice fields are being converted to shops, houses and roads....roads with tons of needless traffic signals WHY?!

end of rant...

seriously though, semi rural is ideal IMHO

[DaiOni]

I've had the same experience - from a rural/semi-rural area that has merged to form a city - just for a budget upgrade.

I'm hoping to do an update to my photo thread sometime this week, that will highlight one or two of the very unnecessary things that the japanese to do themselves/their environment.

[Sciby]

I've read several things about what Japanese do to the environment. They're definitely a people with conflicting ideals.

[DaiOni]

there's a very good book called 'dogs and demons' by alex kerr:

here's an amazon link that might work

I highly recommend it to all who have been living in japan for a while - you'll definitely be familiar with a lot of the descriptions in the book - shatters every illusion you might have about some aspects of japanese bureaucracy/culture/general weirdness of society.

I don't really recommend it to those who are thinking about coming - I think it's better to come here first and experience it - then you can read the book and become bitter, angry, etc.

[Sciby]

I've read similar articles that mirror the content of "Dogs and demons" and it seems to me that it all points back to a stagnating government/diet, desperate to cling to the '80's Japan: one of economic booms and fear from the western world. They also want to save face and show the 'happy family' face. Old men with no clue, trying to hide that they're old men with no clue.

[DaiOni]

IMO, it all boils down to politicians scamming the system - no different to any country, just that the culture and system here allow them to get away with murder (and rewards them for doing so)

[Sciby]

Well, I think I'll just take it all in my stride for the year or two that I"m over there. Just have to get accepted somewhere now.

[Demon Dave]

DaiOni, thanks for the link - I'll have to get a copy of the book for use during some of my advanced level adult classes - could make an interesting book review, especially since one of them is an official at our local government office

[Sciby]

Well, after much research and reading and getting excited and ready to apply, it seems I'm not going to get a redundancy at work, which means I can't pay off my debts and have a nice emergency chunk left over, so no Japan for me until 2006.

Very disappointed, although I may have a consolation prize soon (won't say, don't want to jinx it. ) but yeah... going to do a 1-2 week trip over... when I find out my agenda, will post it up, maybe have a SAU meet at a pub somewhere?

I've still got my brain full of JET/NOVA/etc info, so will still post stuff in here... good luck to the other guys going. *jealous*