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Magazine |
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our expat eMagazine. This months issue is now online. Read it free.
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 The
first thing you need to do is work out why you are coming to Japan. Work
is fine, if you have a job, your employer will help you get your visa sorted
and away you go. But what about the rest of us poor schlobs! (or maybe
just me!!) Initially as I was planning on studying martial arts, I assumed
a cultural visa would do. In some respects that was right. However, I have
a child and soon to be wife. Somehow I think we are going to need to eat.
(If it was just me I could live in a tent in the mountains and eat what
us Aussie’s call “bush tucker” – foraged food from the environment. But
that is no life for a 3 year old boy and his city bred mother!). With research
I discovered I could apply for certain dispensations to gain permission
to work 20-28 hours a week on said cultural visa. That’s not too bad, would
get us fed. Samantha, who has JUST turned 30, is still (just) eligible
for a working holiday visa. So again, that allows her to work, but she
MUST leave Japan after 12 months. - Japan
– Visa Choices |
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| Buying
Property in the Philippines & Japan - The Steps To Buying Real Estate |
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Buying
real estate in Japan or the Philippines might be easier than you thought.
And the prices of properties might also attract you to the region. The
Philippines has countless islands to choose from and Japan has a secure
legal system, good social welfare system and many possibilities for foreign
residents to own land.
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| Down
on the Farm - Homesteading In Japan - Homesteading In Japan |
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Homesteading
in Japan? If not, why not? The author of of this article, David
Markle is a 17 year resident of Japan. He first came to Japan as a student
and has resided there pretty much ever since. In this article he covers
homesteading in Japan, what it takes, how it's done and where to look.
"...some local governments will actually pay you to live in their village.
I am not kidding. Granted it is not enough to get rich on, but, believe
it or not many localities are falling all over themselves to recruit families
especially with younger children, to move to their town. They are offering
all sorts of incentives and assistance to try to “revitalize” the countryside."
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| Etiquette,
Manners and the Japanese Business World-Doing business in Japan |
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CEO
Richard Bysouth of Career Cross Japan delivers more valuable insight into
the world of doing business in Japan. "As one would expect from a country
with such a strong sense of hierarchy and honour, there are many unwritten
laws regarding etiquette and manners that apply to the business world.
Although no-one will expect a foreigner to know and abide by all these
"codes of conduct", knowing a few of the basics will go along way to smoothing
the path to success in Japan.
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| Getting
Out of America - Why Not? |
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Working
and teaching in Japan might be something you've thought about but never
acted on. Right now might not be a bad time to take off and see what that
idea that you've had in your head for some time might be like in reality.
At least for a while, a life in Japan might add something to your life.
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| Japanese
And Western Dojo(s) - Observations Made By A Westerner Who Lived In Japan
With A Master |
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What
is it like to test for a belt in Japan as a Westerner? Or to live with
a Master? This article will try to provide brief insights by reflecting
on my time in Japan between 1995 and 2002. I will also reflect on short-term
visits to Japan made by my Californian students to test for Dan ranks.
I was fortunate enough to have spent part of my time in and around Japan
as an “uchi-deshi” – a live in student of a master. On arriving in Japan
my comparisons of East vs. West martial arts came from a somewhat experienced
viewpoint since I had already been training in Japanese martial arts for
more than 10 years, competed at an international level, and had my own
dojo operating in California.
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| Japanese
Citizenship - On Your Own |
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I've
lived in Japan for about seven years which is considered a long time by
Japanese people and non-Japanese alike. It is considered a long time because
most people don't come here to stay but rather to experience living in
"First World" Asia and to earn a bit of money. I had always wanted to live
outside the States and had long thought about the possibility of permanently
living outside the United States. I wasn't sure where to look but in middle
school and high school most of my best friends were from Asia as minorities
tended to stick together in my school.
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| Japanese
Drinking Culture - A Night On the Town With Japanese Businessmen |
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A
few weeks ago, I experienced something I had studied about in university
and heard much about during my stay in Japan - the company after-work party.
Of all the things that make Japan different from western countries, the
after-work party always seemed to me to be the one experience that would
not be open to me. Japan has a very strict corporate environment. Following
World War II, Japan`s push to rebuild its economy left no room for non-comformity.
Business men (and recently, businesswomen) habitually worked longer than
the western standard of 8 hours, sometimes staying over at the office when
they missed the last train home.
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| Predictions
for 2000 and beyond - A Major Prediction |
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Voters
have already lost interest in the next presidential election -- and it
is still 10 months away. They are bored with the candidates and tired of
the whole numbskull process of electing them.
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| Raising
a Blonde Samurai - Moving to Japan with Kids |
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Cynthia
Cudmore-Mulder has lived in Fukuoka, Japan, with her Dutch-Curaçaoan
husband and their young son for the past five years. In January, they'll
be moving to Isla Taboga and into retirement. Of Japan, Cynthia says, "Our
five years in Japan is coming to a close. With tears, affection, anger
and laughter we’ve embraced our adopted culture. Japan is a wonderful country,
full of new opportunities and experiences, but we are constantly reminded
that we are outsiders in their contradictory world of ancient tradition,
discipline, state-of-the-art electronics, and the birthplace of Pokemon.
In order to survive and function here we had to be open-minded and adaptable.
It is, after all, their culture, and we have loved our years in Japan."
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| Real
Estate In Japan - Home Sweet Home...Sumo Style - Real Estate In Japan -It
Can Be Done |
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...there
DOES exist a crack in the Tokyo dome. It exists in the legal system. I
say this from first hand experience. The Japanese have locked themselves
by their culture and rigid inflexible interpretation of their legal system
into a situation that can be taken advantage of by anybody with the will
to do so. The rest of this is about why and how we did it and it can be
a guide (or you could call it a light at the end of the tunnel) to anyone
wishing to own real property in Japan without paying off a mortgage for
30 or more of the most productive years of your lives. The author, David
Markle is a long-term permanent resident of Japan and lives with his family
in rural central Japan. He has previously contributed to Escape From America
Magazine with a unique article on homesteading in Japan.
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| Living
In Japan - Restoring A Home In The Japanese Countryside |
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How
do you restore and repair a house that may be fifty to 200 years old?
As with any house in need of repair you have to ask yourself can you foot
the bill or do you need a loan. Who will do the repairs? The first
thing to remember is that there are always options.
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| Point
Your Mouse Cursor To A Job in Japan - How to Find A Job In Japan Before
You Leave |
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Japan
is a country with a beautiful mix of the modern and the mystical. Maybe
the greatest commentator from the West on Japan was Lafcadio Hearn who
wrote about the beauty of Japanese gardens in the 1890s. For him the the
key to appreciating a Japanese garden was learning to understand the beauty
of stones - stones shaped by nature, not men. And for Hearn the trees,
stones and flowers of a Japanese garden were aesthetically mesmerizing.
Teaching English in a country with mesmerizing gardens, wonderful food
and a mystical sensibility might just be the land to replenish your soul.
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| “The
Gaijin Life for Me” - Teaching English in Japan - Teaching English Abroad |
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I
went to Japan with no definite plan on leaving. It was a post-grad school
adventure, and a time to be without a plan. Right after graduation
with a master’s degree in social work that I wasn’t keen on using right
away, the interim goal was to find a job teaching English abroad, most
likely in Asia somewhere. An ad in the Boston Globe lead me to Nova Group
– what turned out to be a corporate-run extensive network of English language
schools all over Japan.
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| Resources
for the Japanese Job Market - Finding a Job in Japan |
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CEO
Richard Bysouth of Career Cross Japan, tells Escape from America readers
about the ins and outs of where to look for Japan's job vacancies and what
it's like in the Japanese workplace. Richard writes, "The typical Japanese
worker tends to view the use of time rather differently then a western
one. With the western approach, emphasis is placed on completing a task
in the most efficient manner and within the shortest time possible. For
the Japanese, it is considered more important for the whole team to work
together to accomplish a goal. Each individual will know the limit of their
responsibilities and what is expected of them, and will work selfishly
to complete that task in hand. The concept of "thinking out of the
box" or looking for a quick result are very rare indeed and are often frowned
upon. However the Japanese approach does ensure the end result will be
something that is unanimously acceptable to all and is as complete as possible."
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| Why
I Still Can't Speak Japanese - But Still Trying |
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Every
time I think about it, I cringe. The anger is trapped inside, compounded
be the anger and embarassment of countless other incidents. Often
my friends back home marvel at my ability to live in Japan and it is at
times like this, when I feel so worn out and with nowhere to turn, that
I feel about ready to pack it in. Of course, ten minutes later, there`s
always something new and interesting to catch my interest and revive me.
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| Working
in Japan. A word from a veteran... - One of the best Expat Destinations |
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Japan
is still one of the best EXPAT destinations for both professionals and
ordinary people who want to reap in a high return for their work.
I've been in Japan for 7 years, and worked in 5 different cities and 4
different industries. - - f you've just got out of college and just want
to make a quick buck to pay back your student loans or travel around the
world try IT jobs in Tokyo. Companies are desperate for programmers
& Internet project managers. You can make a bundle.
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| Ways
to make big $$$ in Japan |
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As
you're probably already aware, Japan is a very unique place. No where else
in the world will you find the same outrageous opportunities to make money
that are open to just about anyone. English Teaching. The most common job
for new foreigners is teaching English. Despite the thousands of English
schools and 12 years of study at school, the English level in Japan remains
at lower intermediate, ensuring strong demand for teachers. Every type
of class and situation exists from Elementary schools right through to
Flight Attendant Colleges. It can also be a great way into a previously
non-existent position. I know of one teacher at a top Advertising agency
who later became an English copywriter. He had no experience whatsoever
in copywriting, they just liked him and enjoyed his lessons.
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| Japan:
Runs Like Brush Srokes |
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I
live in a smallish japanese city named Kakegawa that lies two hours below
Tokyo riding on the Shinkansen bullet train. It is a fine place to
experience this country; far enough from the concrete and fluorescent lights
of big cities for the traditional Japan of rice farmers to exert a charming
influence over the area yet close enough to urban hubs for pretty girls
to still wear pointy shoes.
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| Japan:
Niijima Island |
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Imagine
an idyllic, serene island, with clean, white-sand beaches interspersed
among a hot spring, shrine and temple. Next, envision yourself being
surrounded by immense stone carvings made of a rare sandstone, and lush
green forests mostly unspoiled by humans. Finally, throw in a healthy
dose of surfing during the summer, and one can only wonder just where this
island paradise could be.
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| Japan
No Qualifications Needed |
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Finding
myself participating in a wedding was the last thing I thought would happen
when I went to Japan for the first time more than ten years ago.
Not in my wildest imagination did I think that I would one day be doubly
involved, not only as a groom but also as the celebrant. And this
was to be just a small taste of the experiences that would present themselves
when I went to live in Japan.
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| Japan
– Visa Choices |
| So you want
to live in Japan. That’s fine for 90 days at a time (maybe 120 if you hold
certain passports). Let me just say, I am NOT a visa expert. I am still
going through the process myself. But here are some of my thoughts on the
whole getting a visa thing. |
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| Japanese
Drinking Culture |
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A
few weeks ago, I experienced something I had studied about in university
and heard much about during my stay in Japan - the company after-work party.
Of all the things that make Japan different from western countries, the
after-work party always seemed to me to be the one experience that would
not be open to me. Japan has a very strict corporate environment. Following
World War II, Japan`s push to rebuild its economy left no room for non-comformity.
Business men (and recently, businesswomen) habitually worked longer than
the western standard of 8 hours, sometimes staying over at the office when
they missed the last train home.
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| Crossing
Japan by Train |
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How
would you like to go halfway across the most expensive country in the world,
by train, for just $20? Year after year, Japan tops the lists of
expensive countries, yet there are extraordinary bargains to be found.
One of them is the opportunity to travel across the country for the price
of two movie tickets. Do you like to surf? Then you can go all the
way from Tokyo to southern Japan’s largest city, Fukuoka, a distance of
1,175 kilometers (730 miles). Or, if you prefer skiing, how about
going to the northern city of Akita, a distance of 659 kilometers (409
miles)? In either case, it only costs you $20.
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| China
and Japan : Prisoners of the Past |
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Hate
is a very powerful emotion, but in the last few weeks here in China, it
has manifested itself in a disturbingly vitriolic manner. The target of
this outpouring of negative feelings was predictably Japan, for reasons
that lie in the past, present and, safe to say, in the future.
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| Emails
from the Edge |
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We
got the call, my husband and I, when we were visiting with my Mother and
my family in Louisiana. We had only been back from Saudi Arabia for
a short time and we were really enjoying being back in the real world.
Our plans were to visit with family and friends on an extended vacation
trip through the South and the Midwest.
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| Hot
Day, Hot Food, Hot Time In Guza |
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On
Friday afternoon Tsering Ji stopped by my campus apartment to ask questions
about the English lesson. This tall young woman with the long face and
graceful moves is a rarity among her classmates. She actually wants to
learn English. As she was leaving, she told me that the class would be
having a hot pot luncheon in Guza town on Saturday, and I should join them
at 10:00 a.m.
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| Guide
to Getting a Better ESL Job in Asia |
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There
are so many places in the world where you could teach ESL. For many this
is basic, for others it could be daunting since there are so many choices.
Here are a few basic questions to ask yourself to help you find a better
place for you.
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