Need some advice about possibly moving to Japan

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miata13B

miata13B

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Somebodyshootme
Hey everybody, ok tonight I was talking with my lifelong friend that is living in japan currently. He brought to my attention something about moving to Japan. Now this is interesting. He is offering to provide me with a home for a bit and giving me resources right now on getting jobs out there. I do have a few problems though. . .

#1 I don't know japanesse, so that is a major issue.

#2 I am unsure whether or not I would be able to get a job. My friend is saying I would probably be teaching english.

#3 I like adventures and challenges, but this does seem like something where I might bite off more then I can chew.

I really want some advice, maybe some guidence, or maybe just someone to say something that will just make me go -> You know your right, wtf was I thinking.



here is the conversation we had.
motsuji115: look, there is a way to do this
motsuji115: some of these places are looking for people that live in japan
pimpindigital69: that doesn't help me though
motsuji115: i was thinking about it....what if you got a travelers visa....that would last you about 3 months
pimpindigital69: ok
motsuji115: if you got that then you could move into my apt.
pimpindigital69: that would be interesting
pimpindigital69: but isn't it small?
motsuji115: from my apt. you could work your ass off looking for anytype of job, and if youare here then you would be able to find a sponsor
motsuji115: i have an extra room
pimpindigital69: right on
motsuji115: you would just have to get here
pimpindigital69: how would I get laid not knowing the language?
motsuji115: trust me, that would come with time
motsuji115: its attitude
pimpindigital69: hehe
pimpindigital69: I know
pimpindigital69: they wouldn't just spread their legs for me will they?
motsuji115: besides, if saw some of the ***** here you might get inspired to learn the lang
pimpindigital69: lol
pimpindigital69: true
motsuji115: i am not sure about that.....some might, but that is because they think they can learn english from you
pimpindigital69: zen
motsuji115: what i am saying is there is a chance
pimpindigital69: it sounds like fun to tell the truth
motsuji115: look at that site i showed you......most of the jobs require you to live in japan
pimpindigital69: I saw that
motsuji115: if you are already here then half the battle is won
pimpindigital69: that is true
motsuji115: and you will not have to pay rent when you get here...i also have adsl, so you can spend all day applying online.
pimpindigital69: right on
motsuji115: you would have three months to find sponsorship
motsuji115: in that time all we eat is rice and cheap tuna to survive
motsuji115: it is a risk......but there might be something there more than what is before you now
pimpindigital69: yeah it is a risk
motsuji115: and on top of it you might really learn japanese and in the american job market, japanese is a good language to know
pimpindigital69: indeed it is
motsuji115: plus, with all your computer experience, you could end up working at a company maybe translating video games or such
pimpindigital69: now
pimpindigital69: that would be interesting
pimpindigital69: hmmm
motsuji115: i am just saying.....there might be something here for you if you come here determined, and with a plan
motsuji115: you could sell most of you things including your car for a ticket here
pimpindigital69: yeah
pimpindigital69: that is what I would have to do
motsuji115: that on top of working a bit more
pimpindigital69: listen brb
motsuji115: i am not just saying this to get your hopes up, and this would not be easy by far, but the end result may be something you are good at]
motsuji115: k
 
I say its up to you. If you were to move to Japan, would it be worth it? Would you regret it? That would be some of the things I would think about before if I were to move into another country.
 
Originally posted by F1man
I say its up to you. If you were to move to Japan, would it be worth it? Would you regret it? That would be some of the things I would think about before if I were to move into another country.
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That is the thing, there are millions of things going through my mind and because of that I don't want to over look anything. I know a lot of people here are good at breaking things down and are good judges about life.
 
In my opinion, it would be better staying where you are. There are so many things you would have to get used to. But don't make your decision because of my posts, either. :p
 
Originally posted by F1man
In my opinion, it would be better staying where you are. There are so many things you would have to get used to. But don't make your decision because of my posts, either. :p
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I am not, I am only looking for advice and reasons to listen to the advice. It is an adventure and culture shock. I listened to my friend out there everyday. I know what he went through, so I dunno what to think. I am not asking anyone to tell me how to think. I am looking for a little guidance and advice basically.
 
It's hard to register cars in Japan, and new cars come without a full tank of gas.

...and you've heard the extent of my knowledge on Japan.
 
How do you teach English if you don't know Japanese?

I think the language barrier alone would keep me from moving to Japan. Or is Japanese a relatively easy language to pick up?
 
Originally posted by M5Power
It's hard to register cars in Japan, and new cars come without a full tank of gas.

...and you've heard the extent of my knowledge on Japan.
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THanks for the input Doug. . . But not quite what I was looking for :D

Originally posted by Klostrophobic
How do you teach English if you don't know Japanese?

I think the language barrier alone would keep me from moving to Japan. Or is Japanese a relatively easy language to pick up?
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Actually my friend is part of a program that sends people to Japan to teach the language. Out of all of them, most didn't and still don't know japanesse that well and they are surviving pretty well from what I hear.
 
Well, I think that it's extremely important to travel and to experience other cultures. And I think that the Japanese culture is extremely different to that of America.

Therefore I would recommend that you give some form of long-term travel serious thought.

That said, being alone (save for your friend) in a foreign country can be quite a disturbing thing, because of the general unfamiliarity of it all. This is before you consider the language issues. It can be really upsetting not being able to speak to anyone. The tiniest little issues (like how to get to the nearest train station) become massive mountains to climb. It's exceptionally tiring, and you will feel helpless and stupid. But because you're not stupid, you'll become frustrated by feeling stupid.

It's happened to me a couple of times, and it's not nice at all.

You also need to add in the fact that the Japanese language is made up of logographs (i.e. symbols that denote pictures) rather than lissographs (symbols that denote sounds). This makes their language completely different, and completely incomprehensible. If you were in France, say, you could look at a signpost and you would see groups of letters that you would be able to derive some meaning from, because most lissographic languages are derived from Latin and Greek, and therefore share some similarity with English. In other words, you can usually hazard a guess as to what's going on, and you can build up a working knowledge of the language very quickly.

Personally I doubt that this is the case with a logographic language like Japanese. I mean, you see the symbol, but how do you say it? To continue the French comparison, you can generally work out how to say a word - you'll be close enough for the person to whom you're talking to be able to understand you.

So, the language thing is the biggest issue for you to overcome. If you're serious about doing it, I would recommend that you spend a little while studying Japanese at a local school/college. In the UK, there is an organisation called TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), and they help with starter courses for people going to foreign countries. Perhaps there is a similar organisation in the US.

Hope that helps. :)
 
Originally posted by Klostrophobic
How do you teach English if you don't know Japanese?

I think the language barrier alone would keep me from moving to Japan. Or is Japanese a relatively easy language to pick up?
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Hi there...

teaching English in countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietman, Tawain etc does not require any knowlegde of languages other than english...i know this sounds crazy but i have a Scottish friend that teaches in south Korea as part of the TESOL program and the students are made to speak english the whole time while in the class...Korean is forbidden and its the same in Japan....

you'll earn around £12,000 per year and may get Accomodation paid for, and flights twice a year, you'll also get part paid with food such as rice in certain coutries....but youre not doing this for the money....hours are between 15 and 25 per week....so there is plenty of spare time to do what you want...


check it out at www.telf.com

:)
 
I think you should try something along the lines of going out there for a week or two, and try to make your day as close as you can to what would be your average day there. If you like it, when you come back you can tie up the loose ends over here and move out.
 
Well, guys, here is an update. I have been talking to friends and family and thinking about my current living situation.

#1 My family is behind this 100%. My sister and father have said only wonderful things about doing something this crazy. My brother would be behind 100% but I have been unable to get a hold of him. My momz thinks it would be a great thing to live with my life long friend who is currently out there.

#2 Friends - This is a tough thing for me to think about. I really don't have persay friends that I would call that. I have mainly people I hang out with. My roommates are not in that barrel. I got my buddies that I shoot pool with.

#3 My job - I am getting into the groove of selling cars and loving it. It is a shame that Car salesmen are considered almost as scummy as Lawyers, but in a way it is the truth. It is the people that meet a car salesman and just think that, no chance given to them that are the true scum. When you look at a "job" you are looking for money and to provide for someone. Outside of work I tell people what I do and then, *poof* they are gone. Those people are the ones I can't care for. It is a tricky business, one second you could be well on your way of making $50,000 plus in 4 to 6 months and the next making $1200 a month.

#4 Ah, the living situation. My roommates are both scum (refering back to previous statements made). It is a tricky situation here and we are all parting ways the end of November. Both of them are habouring illegal activites in their personnal spaces and I have had to live with that crap for over a year currently. It is good that I will be getting out of this place, but where to go from now. A 24 year old male that is single and no attachments. Maybe travelling the world would not be a bad idea.

These are a few of the main points I have been thinking about. I would love to have feedback, the more I get the more that will help. :D
 
My understanding is that Japan has homogonous society that appears to think rather highly of Western culture, or at least American culture. It's also one of the most expensive places in the world to live. I believe Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world according to a survey that came out a few months back. I't also alleged to be rather discriminatory towards non Japanese; less accepting of them. One cultural taboo I've heard of is eating in public, such as a Nestle Crunch bar while walking to a shop.
 
Originally posted by Talentless
My understanding is that Japan has homogonous society that appears to think rather highly of Western culture, or at least American culture. It's also one of the most expensive places in the world to live. I believe Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world according to a survey that came out a few months back. I't also alleged to be rather discriminatory towards non Japanese; less accepting of them. One cultural taboo I've heard of is eating in public, such as a Nestle Crunch bar while walking to a shop.
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That is an interesting factiod. I believe you are also correct about the accepting part about the culture. My buddy out there is refered to as a Gajin, name a derogatory way of saying foriegner.
 
Yeah. I've got too much dignity to put up with that. I'd tell them to address me as Bill, billy or mr. ... or else.
 
Originally posted by Talentless
Yeah. I've got too much dignity to put up with that. I'd tell them to address me as Bill, billy or mr. ... or else.
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You really feel it is a matter of dignity? What would you think of someone foreigner walking around your land that 60 years prior unleashed an A-bomb on your soil? Besides that, yeah I would have to agree about that. :lol:
 
i'd think that, as far as i know, it's not a term limited to yankees, so i doubt it's based on that, besides, supposedly there are some there that think our action then was stragically beneficial, if you believe a recent nicholas kristof column.
 
Well, after readin your converstion with your freind, the logical part of me says that you're not serious enough and should stay put, atleast for a while longer.

and then there is the part of me that's screaming OMG can i go with you?

Now which one would I personally listen to? HEHE ;)
 
Originally posted by Angel O'Death
Well, after readin your converstion with your freind, the logical part of me says that you're not serious enough and should stay put, atleast for a while longer.

and then there is the part of me that's screaming OMG can i go with you?

Now which one would I personally listen to? HEHE ;)
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Well, to be frank with you Angel, I don't know you very well. What you don't realize is that has been a lifelong friend to me for over 19 years of my life. I don't expect people to understand the sense of humor nor the way we talk to is like. It sounds like I was disheartened and not paying attention, but it matters in the context of the discussion too. We had been talking about it on the phone for about 20 minutes already at that point, I wish I could post that. . . but at that point I was thinking about it too much. I was also being distracted by other things going on at my house of residence. You don't understand the tug-o-war I have been having with myself here. It has only been 4 days, but it gets more serious everyday.
 
motsuji115: from my apt. you could work your ass off looking for anytype of job, and if youare here then you would be able to find a sponsor

motsuji115: you would have three months to find sponsorship
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Do you race anything? If you do, move, now.
 
Originally posted by w00tness
Do you race anything? If you do, move, now.
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I use to race my miata all the time. But with it being totalled, I have not been able to finish another car to get back into the rythme. :(
 
Originally posted by oosacker
I can help you with Japanese language.
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any help will be much apperciated
My buddy has been on and off teaching me stuff too :D
 
Originally posted by oosacker
Back to subject. I can teach Japanese. I have Japanese Language level 1 proficiency, and Bursary English.
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That would be much appreciated.
 

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