Welcome to "Okonomiyaki"possibly my favorite Japanese food.Google it.
Living and working in Anjo City Japan. Follow me on my wacky journeys. Learn about Japan, learn about me, learn about other random Asian things, heckle me. Enjoy your stay!
Sorry for a serious lack of updates lately but I am currently back home in the states waiting for the rest of the visa process to go through and then I will be off to my new home in Tokushima in December. I have currently received the Certificate of Eligibility from my company and will be sending it off to the Japanese Embassy in Chicago today. Other than that I am just relaxing back home, trying to get some money and having fun with old and new friends who I will miss.
After I begin my new life and have a dedicated Internet setup, prepare to hear about all my awesome adventures via this blog. Thanks for your support. hahaha
Its my last day in Tokyo before going home for 2 months and then moving to Tokushima to begin my new life as an English teacher. This means it is time for me to reflect on the last months spent in Japans biggest city.
If you have been following the blog since early summer you know that my goal in coming to Japan was to find a job teaching English. You also know that thanks to God this goal was accomplished. I have been in Tokyo Japan for about 2 months and 1 week and it has been an experience. It isn`t my first time in this city, but its the longest time I have spent here and it was quite a different experience this time.
The last time I was here it was for 5 weeks, it was my very first time and it was much more of a tourist experience. I did a lot of traveling in Tokyo and even a little outside of Tokyo like my Mt.Fuji climb. I met a few people and spent a bit more money. This last time however I came for buisness. I brought just enough to survive for the time here and even had to adopt a 700yen/day spending limit for food so that I could make it with some money intact throughout the time here. It wasn`t an ideal situation but I did what I had to, to accomplish a dream and despite my own limitations God decided to bless me abundantly.
1. New friends: I met much more people this time around. Some I met through internet language chat sites and finally got a chance to meet in person. Some I met in English Cafes. Some I knew from before but was first time visiting them in Japan, and some I met through other people. This was the most significant difference. All these people help to make this trip a much more interactive experience. People like Keiko-San, and Yoda-San, were such big blessings for me, and their kindness was really touching for me. Others like Kazuko-chan, and Asuka-chan, Kenta-kun, Yu-kun, and Waifoong kept me busy in other ways and one even gave me a little crush. The people in our lives are what makes our experiences worth mentioning and these people and more are all a part of my eternally thankful memories.
2. New places: Its true the last time I was hear I pretty much saw all of the great places in Tokyo, but its a big city and there is so much more to see. For instance, thanks to Aco-chan I was able to go to Odaiba which is a nice amusement island. I also took a trip deep into Chiba for the Tokyo Game Show. Even places like Mickey House (English Cafe), the 3 Universities I visited, and the Edo Museum are all new places in locations that I have been before. There is a lot to see in Tokyo, and I have been able to see a lot of it.
I am a bit sad to be leaving now. Its easy to get attached to a place like this especially when you've met so many great people.
But with any positive comes negative, and I don`t have a lot to say but just that perhaps the busyness of Tokyo is even too much for me. Its a great city but what is the point if almost everyone is too busy to enjoy it? Its in the culture to work hard, but I hope they can learn to play as well. Obviously Tokyo is even more extreme and I`m hoping for a little more of a relaxed time when I move to Tokushima.
Japan is a great place, and the adventure has not even begun. I look forward to my experience of actually living here. Stay tune. Its not over.....
I cant believe I have a blog about Japanese stuff and I haven`t posted this old project I made in Japanese class awhile ago.
Project for a Japanese class presentation. The pictures are stills from a more elaborate Japanese short movie that I have in post production with the same title. The actual movie will be much better assuming I ever finish it. We were required to use certain things we learned in the class during the semester and make a presentation of sort with them.
I made this about a year ago but its theme is still relevant today...I am just trying to make it sound smarter than it really is. Enjoy!
Soon it will be the season of Fall. Usually Fall (depending on your location)is quite enjoyable with its cooler but comfortable temperatures and beautiful changes in nature. This fall however there is expected to be a big come back of the swine flu. (I refuse to call it by its scientific name mainly because I am too lazy to look it up.) A swine flu resurgence could only mean one thing, and that is pretty much all of East Asia will be in a stir. To help alleviate the fears of the people we have these lovely masks that not only protect you from swine flu but also give the appearance that you are some sort of Doctor or Scientist. Here is a commercial playing in Japan showing you how nifty these masks are and how fun they are for the whole family! I would also like to say how much I like the shots of each individual family member with the blue backdrop. Looks like they are transforming into some super awesome fighting task force, ala Power Rangers.
Well played Japan...well played.
(Commercial says its good for the whole family!)
Heres hoping it wont be a pain getting back into the country when its time for me to show back up for work.
So what have I been doing lately? Well, my job doesn`t start till around December so I am just trying to enjoy Tokyo as much as I can while I am still here. I`m really not ready to go but my time is almost up. I have been really blessed with meeting some really nice people so I have been doing things like going to museums, English conversation groups, taking new friends to church, and spending an entire day trying to get my phone fixed, the last bit not so fun. Unfortunately I don`t have as much money as I would like to enjoy this great city more but God has been good with what I do have.
Since I will be living in Japan for awhile I would like to start giving more insight into Japan and Japanese culture for all 4 of you reading this =)
So you ask what am I doing???? What are you doing?
We`ll after a second day of interviewing I was offered a job. Looks like I will be moving to Tokushima, Shikoku Japan by the end of the year. I gotta get some visa things worked out so I may head back to states while that is all being worked out which would be nice to try good Mexican food one last time and see my friends again before a year or more away. It is a pretty good job with a lot of good benefits. Shikoku is a bit rural in some ways but it is beautiful and I have heard so many good things from other teachers who have or are living there currently. It will definitely be a an adventure.
So after 26 days I accomplished the goal and landed a job. Now I can just relax in Tokyo for awhile till my return flight Oct 5th, then I prepare for coming back and starting life in my new home. This blog should start to get a lot more interesting, haha.
So today was the first day of my two day interview process with GEOS a large well established language company. I spent 5 hours for today's interview process.
Let me start by saying not everyone would make it to the second day. If after the first few hours of the first day they wanted you to come back they would ask you, and yes they asked me. =) The very first thing we had to do was a quiz on some English as well as general knowledge. We had 10 minutes to complete it. Most of us did fairly poor from what I gathered. The quiz got really randomed as it went from English to asking questions like who were the three people involved in the "Warsaw Pact". I think we all failed it, but luckily those who come back the second day get a chance to retake it and it will be the exact same quiz. (Which means time for me to do some googling)
The two biggest parts of the first day that was a deciding factor in being asked to come back was the 3 minute model lesson and the one on one consultation. The first was the 3 minute model. We were giving a few topics and given around 15 minutes to prepare a 3 minute lesson for the employer. I felt pretty comfortable with my lesson and I pretty much knew what I needed to improve. What he told me mostly is that I need to let the student talk more, because GEOS has a huge focus on conversation which is fine with me because its where a lot of my experience includes.
After that I went through a consultation process which was like a mini interview of him asking me various questions such as "why do you want to work in Japan?" and "what experience do you have?" I was then told that they wanted me to continue the day and to return for the second part as well. There were 7 of us in the beginning waiting to be called from the class room we sat in. If you were not asked to return, you were never seen again by the others in the class. From the 7 that began, 4 of us were asked to return. We then learned more about GEOS and their teaching method as well as information on salary and vacation and things like that which are all pretty good. At the end we were given another topic and we are suppose to make a 20 minute model lesson for the second day. One of the other candidates also decided she didn`t want to try for the job anymore and she dropped out. There are now three of us remaining, and I found it a little funny that all 3 of us are black. 2 Americans, and 1 African. I just didn`t imagine that is something you see too often in a interview in Japan.
So tomorrow is 20 minute lesson model and some more consultation and it is possible that they could be making job offers before we go home. God willing, lets see what happens. Now I gotta go prepare that model lesson.
"Sigh" 29 yrs already? Where has the time gone. Oh yea I remember into a lot of various years.
So what does one do in Japan on his 29th birthday after arriving no more than 3 weeks prior and knowing a handful of people? Why, whatever is presented to him that's what.
Most of the day was comprised of me not doing much of anything but play a video game though I did get to eat a traditional birthday meal from Korea that was sent to me as part of a huge and fantastic birthday gift. Thanks Kangmul *Hug* In the evening I met my friend Waifoong from Malaysia. She took me to dinner where we ate more Korean food and then we walked around the area and I saw some pretty cool things including a clock designed by Miyazaki the famous animator of many of Japan`s classics. Waifoong got me a little cake which was really nice. It is always nice to have a cake on your birthday no matter where in the world you are. Luckily thanks to her I wasn`t as lonely as I was expecting to be on this day and I guess I should thank the Lord that I could even live to see 29 years.
Its time for a brand new addition to the blog called "Snack Attack" Basically I try new snacks and post my impressions of them here. There are a lot of treats here in Japan that you wont find in the states and perhaps anywhere else. So lets indulge shall we?
Each item is rated with "*" Five of them is the highest.
(Mentos: with cream) ***/***** Mentos in themselves are nothing new for those living in the states. We have flavors like grape, original, mint, and assorted flavor, but I don`t recall ever saying w/cream. So it taste kinda like an original mento but as the package implies there is a cream taste to it. I can`t quite place my finger on the type of cream and that makes for an initially bit odd taste but its not bad and you can get 2 for 100yen (93cents).
(Ichigo Caramels) ****/***** The ichigo means "strawberry". These are strawberry flavored caramels and if you like caramels as my mom does you will probably enjoy these unless you hate all things artificially strawberry. Its got the consistency of caramel and flavor of strawberry, and I say its quite delicious.
(Coconut Sable Cookies) *****/***** I`ve already been through about 4 packs of these. They are priced at 100yen at your local 100yen shop and they are quite tasty. Its a cookie with a light coconut frosting on the outside. It is sweet but its Japanese sweet which means its constrained just enough so that you enjoy it and you wont get diabetes eating 4 packs in 2 weeks.
(Grape jelly drink) **/***** This is probably the strangest of the lot. It`s a drink kinda, but its mostly grape jello. I thought I was gonna be splashed with liquidity grape goodness and I found myself squeezing the can trying to get jello out of its small opening. Its tasty enough but not something I have to have again.
SoftBank, its not only a great combination of English vocab its a phone company!
So I was talking to some guys at the English Cafe Friday night (which by the way is packed on Fridays) and guy from London was looking to get a phone. Another guy from Japan agreed to take him because the process of getting a cell phone seems daunting in Japan and this guy from Japan worked before at a cell phone shop. So anyway, I didn`t agree to come but I figured if I decided late at night the night before that I wanted to go (because I did want a phone) then I would just show up at the time and place I had heard them discuss. Well.....after waking up earlier than I would have wanted to I arrived at the meeting spot precisely 3 minutes late and apparently they were already on their way to the shop.
I thought about catching them at the shop but besides the fact I couldn't`t remember if they were going to Shibuya or Shinjuku there are also a ton of cell phone shops in Tokyo. Figuring I already woke up early and spent some money on the train why not attempt to purchase a prepaid phone all by my lonesome. Let me just say......it wasn`t that bad. Between my bad Japanese and the store clerks bad English we manage to pretty easily get me a prepaid phone. It wasn`t horribly expensive either, about $45 for the actual phone and $28 for some minutes. The minutes are about 84cents/minute which is kinda ridiculous but its free incoming so I pretty much just wait for others to call me and since the majority of my friends are Japanese locals or other long time residents with monthly plans and contracts they can afford to use their minutes. Also for about $2.80/month I get unlimited text messages and email which we all know is what really counts. Out of 5 Japanese people you see, 4 will be texting the 1 calling. The items needed for obtaining prepaid phone are passport, home country address, Japan address, and Japan home phone number.
Cell phones are pretty important in Tokyo both for personal contact and jobs and it was a bit of a pain not having one. Problem solved!
I finally got to see a familiar face. My friend Aco who I first met at school in San Francisco. She later visited me about a year ago in St.Louis and now we are hanging out in her town of Tokyo. We went to Odaiba which is a small island connected to Tokyo by monorail and is basically a place for entertainment. They got game centers, rides, movie theatre, famous Fuji TV television station and more. They also have this awesome life size Gundam robot based from a popular Japanese cartoon. It even lights up, moves its head and blows smoke. Awesome. I found G.I Joe in the theatre finally. It was pretty much what I expected, tons of action and little everything else, but it was at least better than Transformers 2. It was good hanging out with Aco again. She speaks English but doesn`t seem to want to use it much so literally about 85% of our conversations are in Japanese which is hard for me at times to know what she is talking about but its great practice for me especially in a place where many others are really wanting to practice their English and thus never speak Japanese to me.
After our adventures in Odaiba we went to Roppongi which is famous for its night scene. We decided we were gonna miss the last train at 1230am which means you have to hang out until the trains start back up at 5am so we went to some club/bar place. Anyone who knows me knows I`m not really a clubber.They had much better club places but I wasn`t prepared to spend the money not knowing beforehand we were gonna end up here. We ended up going to a few places looking for free entry spots. We found a few but they want you to buy drinks. I don`t drink and I found it hard to bring myself to spending 800yen on a coke. It was also Tuesday which probably isn`t the number one day for people to go out dancing so in the end we didn`t really do all that much. What I did do was stay up until about 630am when I was able to get home and sleep and so I woke at 3pm same day later and did absolutely nothing for west of the day. I also spent more money than usual so I will hibernate for the next 2 or 3 days.
In other news Japan had a big earthquake lately. It woke me up at about 2am. It was the second this week and the biggest of the two.It was actually a little scary. I`ve lived in San Francisco but I have never felt one that big. As small as my room is I kinda felt like it might be my coffin, haha. Apparently the huge one is over due and I am looking for a job here.....figures.
I don't know if this movie is playing in Tokyo or not. I desperately need to sit in an air conditioned building and let my brain relax for 2 hours.
Just got email from GEOS about another interview in late August. Its a 2 day process that includes a teaching presentation that I must create. Sounds pretty intensive but I gotta go for any shot I got. At least I have a few weeks to prepare. They are also based all around Japan so there is a chance I could end up somewhere far from Tokyo.
I really wanna see some fireworks. This is like the season for fireworks here in Japan. Hopefully I can find someone to go with me. Sitting by myself in the park looks lonely enough I don`t wanna watch fireworks the same way. My whole life I`ve always wanted to gain more weight. By coming to Japan I have practically forsaken that idea. Between all the walking, water, and rice I`ll be lucky if I am still recognizable when I visit home.
Okay first I apologize for it has been about a week since I have landed in Japan and I have not updated this blog. Is it because I have been busy roaming these foreign lands and finding myself in hair raising adventures?? Slightly.
So the plane ride was as I expected WAY TOO LONG. The first day was mostly spent in the airport as I was able to meet Kangmul before you went to Korea. It was sad to say goodbye. Miss her. Afterwards I spent about 2 hours looking for a guest house that was only about 2 minutes away from the station that I got off at. A well hidden 2 minutes mind you. No one seemed to know where it was at and I was being sent back and forth but finally a non busy call to the guest house got me a guide. So lets start with the guest house. As I am trying to find a job here and I am not rich I am careful with the money I do have. Finding a cheap place to sleep was a requirement and I accomplished this feat in Mikado House located near Nishi Nippori station for 28000 yen, which is about $290 or so state dollars. This is an incredible price for Tokyo but let it be known, you always get what you pay for.
For starters and most importantly, my room is quite small. It contains a loft bed and underneath the bed is practically all the living space there is which includes a desk. I can only stand when my back is completely against the wall and I have about 3 to 4 feet of moving space in which I take full advantage of in my roller chair. The room isn`t for those looking for some kind of comfort. Its small, the bed is hard, and I have no air vent. What it does provide is a place for me to sleep and it is private. Given that I have slept in a bathroom before, I learn to make due. It is actually becoming a bit homely as I have set up my little pics and knick knacks. (I`ll try and get some pics up soon.)
As far as the rest of the house goes, its a mix bag. Nice size kitchen, but you have to go through it to get to shower. There is a public computer but it can be soooo friggin slow. Theres a tv but the image is kinda blurry. It`s kinda like the house poverty built after he got a little money. Unfortunately for me while I am here the other guests don`t seem to like to come out of their rooms and socialize and so I don`t have anyone to talk to when I am at home. I bide most of my time on the computer, studying, and my faithful DS.
The first day was pretty hard on me, I felt really lonely and actually a bit annoyed that I was here but it has worn off since. I went to the old church that I used to visit before in Shibuya and met some of my old acquaintances as well got a good worship session in. Last Monday I went to an English Cafe. Basically people who want to speak to native English speakers gather and they all talk. It was nice and I met some new people. Me and a few of those people went to Karaoke later that night which was my first time, and it was really fun. Japan really takes their Karaoke seriously and everything is really high tech. It was a really good time, made even better with some good people.
I had my first interview today actually. It is with a school called WinBe. I felt the interview was decent, nothing terrible and nothing to write home about, though I guess I am in a way writing home about it now. =) So far its my only interview but I have only been here a week so I am praying something else will show itself. I should hear back from WinBe in about a week.
All in all Tokyo is how I remembered it. Humid, crowded, exciting, strange, and on the other side of the planet.
So today I was able to get my reservation for a room in a guest house in Tokyo. Actually the whole process was becoming extremely stressful and a constant headache and then my friend Yumi-San came to my rescue and helped me out big time! I can't thank her enough for the help. THANK YOU YUMI-SAN!!
So the place I will be staying is called the Yotsugi Crib. I have private room with shared kitchen and bath along with common PC, laundry machines and more for a mere 28,000 yen/month. Yes! That is almost about 300 US. For anyone who knows anything about Tokyo, that is extremely cheap. I'm not expecting a huge room or free breakfast but for that price I will be happy if it was just a bed. I am also really happy about private room. After traveling the busy streets of Tokyo all day I would really prefer if I can come back to my own room where I can just relax to myself.
I am now completely ready to start my journey. Next item on the list is a job.
Let me explain this first. One day I was thinking about Japanese commercials and how wacky many of them can be so then I began to wonder if Korean commercials were just as strange to foreigners. I talked to Kangmul about this since she's from Seoul and we began to look up lots of Korean commercials on youtube. While I did find some that were completely wacky,(Like the ice cream one I posted two blogs below.) I also found many that seemed to have a distinct theme and layout. Here are a few things I learned about most of the Korean commercials I watched .
1. Features cute girl doing cute things into the camera
2. Features classic American song
3. Cutesy montage shots
4. Ends with quick phrase or a word
5. Product being advertise isn't clear until the very end
6. English voice over
7. After watching the commercial you cant help but to think "What the heck did I just watch?"
Taking these few rules into account I set out to make my very own Korean commercial. Can I match the oddness of native commercials? Will you be slightly confused? Here's hoping!
Korean Froyo Commercial Starring : Kangmul Lee
Writer/Director/Editor: Me
(Don't I look so excited? Haha, that was my last 15 hour trip over seas.)
So my dream to becoming an English Teacher has become just a little bit closer. I recently bought my ticket ($720) and I am bound for Tokyo July 28th. It feels good to know I am on the way but it's so soon and I have little time to wrap things up here at home. I have to say a lot of goodbyes and get some work done around the house. I was originally planning on taking only one large suitcase and a backpack, but with my winter clothes alone I am starting to see that it could pose a problem. I just really wasn't looking forward to that initial trek to my place of residence through the crowded, super hot streets of Tokyo. Oh well, I suffer now to enjoy later.
Along with my personal belongings I need to get tons of copies of my resume,cover letter, and most recent photo so I can immediately hit the streets searching for jobs. Still gotta get that camera too. So much to do!
http://www.cheapoair.com/ Best airline site I found for tickets.
So guess what??!!! No, go ahead guess....seriously take a guess!! TOO LATE!! I'm gonna tell you!
So today I sold my car! After that I sold a bunch of video game stuff!
What this means is I now have the money to buy my ticket and reserve my guest house room and feel comfortable surviving on the mean streets of Tokyo as I look for a job for a few months. Talk about feeling relaxed. I also found out the head of the Language school I work at now occasionally worked in Japan before and just got back from a visit. He says he doesn't have any direct contacts in Tokyo but has friends who do and will ask around for me. This could potentially be something. I've gotten a few contacts and experience since being back in St.Louis. Who would have thought St.Louis of all places.
It was sad to see the car go. Me and her had a lot of great summer adventures and she served me well. I remember the time someone ripped her convertible top open and stole my new Cd player right in front of my home...wait that wasn't good. We'll it was made up my hot summer nights driving with the wind blowing feeling care free. I came home tonight opened my garage door and there was a huge empty space where my car was.....made me a bit sad. Giving up the video games is even sadder. I have been collecting this stuff for a long time. I still have a lot left and hopefully I can sell some more before I leave for some extra cash. I need a digital camera before I go. How else will I update my blog with crazy pictures of Japanese men dancing with monkeys?
Better yet what this means is that I will be buying my airline ticket and reserving my room in Japan quite soon...perhaps later today. Stay tuned!
I'd like to take this moment to thank God cause he's come through once again and I told him I'd give a shout out to him. After seeing him pull this off I feel much more comfortable about the task of obtaining a job that is still ahead of me.
And now I leave you with crazy Korean Ice Cream commercial
It's no secret I am a fan of movies. (I blew tons of money attending a school to learn about making them.) What may be a unknown is how much I love Asian movies and within this category Japanese and Korean ones. So here is my top 5 Japanese movies. You will notice that there is not any Akira Kurosawa films on this list. Yes I am aware that he made some good movies, yes I know he has done a lot for film in general, but you also wouldn't find Citizen Kane even on my top 100 American movies. I am looking for stories that entertained me the most whatever the genre and these are the best of those movies at this time. I am also aware of Takashi Miike and frankly, his movies scare me. So without further ado....
#5 "Dare mo Shiranai" (Nobody Knows) Let me start by saying I am not afraid to admit that I have cried watching many movies. In fact "My Girl" still gets me every time. "Dare mo Shiranai" is based from a true story and features characters you really care about, and that is why it also breaks you emotionally down later in the film. In fact during my first viewing I had to fast forward through some parts cause my heart just couldn't take it. Its a great story about siblings and abandonment and I suggest you watch it, but remember guys, if you have a problem crying in front of your lady friend watch it alone.
#4 "Hula Garu" (Hula Girls) Also based on a true story this one is a lot more funny and cheerful. It's a story about a group of girls in a small town who try to save their town by learning the Hawaiian practice of Hula dancing and drawing tourist to their show. Led by an at first reluctant teacher from Tokyo the girls learn about culture, friendship, and pride. It also stars actress Yû Aoi which I just find sooo cute.
#3 Kikujiro This is a charming story about a young boy who wants to journey to see his mother. Aided by a small town thug played wonderfully by Takeshi Kitano they embark on a quest that leads them into many different situations, some funny, some exciting, and others sad. The movie is also known for its soundtrack which includes the song "Summer". This song alone is definately part of what makes this movie so great. Do yourself a favor, watch the movie, and find that song. (It is the one playing in the trailer.)
#2 "Linda Linda Linda" This was only the second Japanese movie I had ever saw in the theatre back when I was living in San Fran. (The first was "Densha No Otoko" Train Man) I knew pretty much nothing about it but was interested in seeing a Japanese film on the big screen. Luckily I lucked out and got an awesome movie. The movie is about an all girls band who struggle to get an act together for the upcoming talent show. Its a simple premise but it plays out great with sweet and admirable characters. Music also plays a big part on the movie and songs like "Linda Linda Linda" by "The Blue Hearts" repeat over and over in your head after viewing. The movie stars four young actresses one of which happens to be Korean actress Bae Doona (The Host) who I adore. It may seem like a girly flick, but if that means I am wrong for watching, I dont wanna be right. >_<
#1 Always: Sanchome no Yuhi (Sunset on Third Street) & Always: Sanchome no Yuhi 2 I love this movie! Recommended to me by my Japanese fan "Always" is pure gold. There are two movies, the second one continuing right where the first left off. While it works great as two movies, the first movie is still able to stand strong by itself. The movie chronicles the life of the residents of a town in Tokyo 1958 (As the Tokyo tower was being constructed). The acting is superb by all involved and the set design is masterfully done. Each and every character is made to be cared about and it is the perfect mix of laughter,joy, and tears. Amongst the wonderful actors is Hiromi Ishizaki who you may know from "The Last Samurai" but Hidetaka Yoshioka steals the show with his portrayal of an down and out of luck author who suddenly inherits a child. There aren't enough good things that I can say about this movie. Please find it, and watch it! (Unfortunately I could not find an English trailer for the first movie so the trailer below is for Always 2.)
Honorable mentions - "Hachimitsu To Cloba" (Honey and Clover) - "Ocha no Aji" (Taste of Tea) - "Densha no Otoko" (Train man) - "The Uchoten Hotel"
If I can find the English trailers stay tuned for my top 5 Korean movies.
So I have less than a month until my proposed plan to leave for Japan on July 28th. As of now I am still working out the monies which is the biggest issue. I have yet to buy a plane ticket or reserved a room in a guest house but here's hoping all that will begin to fall into place, especially since I found at ticket yesterday for $695!!!.. $695!!! I spent $1200 on a ticket for my last trip to Japan only 24 days earlier and from a closer location. I desperately need this new and improved $695 ticket. It would make the 14+ hour flight that much more enjoyable. Anyway, I have decided to post a general budget that i have made for my stay in good ole Nippon. Perhaps this will help any future English Teaching seekers.
Of course all of the included costs are subjected to change a bit, but I am not banking on too much.
Airline Ticket: $695 ( I recently saw United Airlines offering this sweet deal with just one stop in Chicago.)
Housing: $280/month, $100/deposit/1st month (This is the cheapest deal I found in a place in Tokyo called Yotsugi Club. The size is like 3.0 tatami mat which is pretty small, but I just need a place to sleep for awhile until I can move on up like George and Weezy.)
Transportation: $192.00/month (Now that I look at this it seems a bit expensive, though Tokyo transportation can add up. I was figuring $48/week. One day a week I'll just have to stay in and enjoy my closet size room.)
Food: $280/month (Japan like almost any other country on the planet has a McDonalds with a $1 menu. Other than that its nothing but Gyuudon and Curry at Yoshinoya for me. I could probably save a lil more with grocery shopping.)
I plan to purchase a plane ticket with a return trip set for about 2 months later so with the exception of the plane ticket I have to add these costs twice. If I get a job, I'll need to survive another month or so before I get paid.
2 months= $2319.00 If I get a job I'm gonna have to eat a little less to last that 3rd month before getting paid. Either way I am not quite at the point I need to be right now before leaving.
Frankly I am gonna need a miracle to pull this off, but luckily God is in the business of miracles, so we will just have to see what happens.
What do you do when you are working at an English school during the TOEFL exam and after 2 hours of setting up and checking people in you have to sit for 4-5 hours while they test.....Blog of course!
This is old news for me, but a new show on MTV recently reminded me of this original gem. I'll get back to the MTV version later.
For those of you who have not heard of this, let me introduce you to your new favorite show. "Gaki no Tsukai". It's a Japanese show in which some well known Japanese comedians participate in various scenarios where they aren't suppose to laugh. If they do laugh the are punished in Japanese fashion which means smacked on the butt with a stick by someone in disguise...intrigued yet?
(This is the one with the punishments. I have seen this literally about 10 times and I can still not stop from laughing. The counting part is pure win.)
(Next up is "Silent Library" The guys gather in a library and pull cards to see who will be subjected to some sort of outrageous punishment while the others look on and try not to laugh. Let me just say right now, whoever created the slapping machine deserves a Noble Peace Prize.)
Now on to MTV. They recently released their on version of "Silent Library" and as you expect from an American remake, especially one stemming from MTV, the magic of the original has been completely sucked out of it. Although they did make it a bit more game showish with contestants winning money. Picture the original with a an extreme scripted feel and the rejects from Room Raiders. Aaah heck, I didn't wanna promote it, but I'll link you a little sample.
If you saw the original first, you'll hate me after that last one.
I've also included some wiki action on the Japanese version
I graduated from College on May 16th...on June 4th I was sent an email saying that I needed one more class in order to receive my degree. Cue sigh. "SIGH" Apparently going to my counselor over and over to make sure I had all the classes I needed doesn't really work. It's also possible for a counselor to tell you that a class you are taking/paying for will be suffice and then turns out that isn't true. "SIGH" So anyways with 4 days until a class that I could use started I had to go and sign up back at the local community college for one more last hurrah.
I chose the community college because the tuition was much cheaper and sadly I didn't have enough warning to reapply for financial aid and so I needed to pay out of pocket. I am now back at a school I attended over 5 years ago. I also didn't have a lot of options for classes and thus was forced to take a Biology Human Sexuality class...which I hate. Feels more like an American Pie sex class..not my type of thing. The worst two things about this situation include:
1. Less money that I need for upcoming journey. (Had to pay the tuition myself) 2. Receiving my diploma later. (I need this diploma to get a job abroad.)
The bright side, as most of my bright sides are is that I am just gonna trust that God is gonna somehow make this work. He's done some crazy awesome things for me in the past so I am a bit excited to see whats next. The class ends mid-July which is before I planned on leaving so hopefully my plans don't get too derailed. Recently I applied for a few jobs from abroad. Would be great if I could nail the job down before getting there but I'll go regardless. Korea also comes to mind.
Now I just gotta get through a mind numbing 3 1/2 hour lame class for the next 5 weeks. "SIGH"
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5,6)
I'd like to take moment from our regularly scheduled program to rant! How many of you know Cracker Jacks? Now how many of you grew up eating it? Okay good, that's at least half of you. For anyone who doesn't know, Cracker Jacks are a mixture of peanuts and caramel covered popcorn. Yes, it is as tasty as it sounds. What was also special about this snack is that each box was packaged with a little surprise prize. These prizes ranged from small plastic toys, to stickers and my personal favorite the fake tattoo that you applied with water in a ecstatic attempt to seem cool. Well, what I am about to reveal I realized before, but recently during a lovely picnic, I was suddenly interrupted when I was reminded of the travesty that has become of this wonderful childhood snack. Prepare for the worst..
Warning: What you are about to see may cause symptoms such as anger, sadness, bitterness, fury, depression, and confusion. Do not continue reading if you are pregnant or show signs of pregnancy. (Here it is folks)(A picture of Zack Effron?) (Apparently you fold certain parts to see who he grows up to be. My guess...loser) (Hey when you finish he grows up to be Benjamin Franklin....wow) (Two of our boxes had this lame prize) (And look it comes with a bio. This is just what I've always wanted as a child. A lesson of Alexander Hamilton and how he was assassinated)
So this is what we've come to as a nation huh? They take our toys away and replace them with history lessons. Why not just put a Algebra equation in every box? First we lose Jim Henson, then our Saturday morning cartoons begin to suck, and now this!
Its no surprise I am gonna need money to survive in Japan while I look for a job. I have decided to sell some of my best possessions to accomplish this. First on the list is my car. She was my second and last car I ever owned and she made quite some enjoyable summers for me. Sadly when I was away in San Francisco skateboarding the Golden Gate Bridge and eating clam chowder, she sat back home losing her will to drive. She needs a little work like some new tires but otherwise if it wasn't for the fact that I wont need her anymore soon I'd think about fixing her up. She's currently sitting on craigslist awaiting a new home, so if you happen to live in St.Louis and are interested let me know.
The next thing to go is my huge collection of video games. More than 150 games and 10 consoles. From the original Nintendo, to the TurboGrphx 16, to the Dreamcast. I'm gonna stick it on ebay as one huge lot. I am currently taking pictures of it all and once I get it up on ebay I'll bless you all with a link so that you prey upon my memories. Only thing I am keeping is the DS. Its portable, fun and everyone else in Japan has one.
I'll be honest, this goal of mine can be mind numbingly stressful. Finding a place to stay in Japan while I wander about begging for jobs is proving to be the most complicated. I've decided to go with a guest house because its the cheapest of options and not too bad of a stay, but its still Tokyo and rooms don't come cheap. I am trying to gather a cool $5000 in total and can't really afford to pay $500-$600 a month for a home. I'm sure its very possible that I am not the most financially prepared for this trip, but I am trusting God will make a way. Of course I am still human and thus I am stressing.
My closest decision involves a place called the Yostugi Crib in east Tokyo. My Japanese friend who lives near Tokyo has been helping me in my search and this is one of the places she has found. (If only all my friends didn't live with their parents. "sigh") It doesn't seem so bad but I fear with 3.0 Mat size its about the size of a box. Mind you I've slept in a bathroom before, but do I wanna live in a place about the size of one? For $280/month maybe I do.
On the other hand I have found some pretty good deals on flight tickets from St.Louis to Tokyo running about $670. After spotting $1000+ flights for so long this is a pleasant surprise. I wanted to stop by my second home in San Francisco first before heading to Japan but the ticket from SF to Tokyo is more. Normally its actually cheaper to fly from St.Louis to SF, and then from SF to Tokyo then it is to fly from STL to TOKYO so I am a bit confused. Hopefully I'll make it to SF one good time before attempting my great East Asia journey.
By the way www.farecompare.com is a pretty good site.
So I graduated from College yesterday. Yay for me! I have been waiting for this moment for a long time and for two years I planned to move to Japan and teach English. Now that my schooling is over I am both excited and sad. It is the end of a huge chapter of my life spanning two cities and some years.
I am currently trying to apply to some teaching jobs from the states (JET failed me) but most of the opportunities in Japan are for those who currently reside there and so it appears I will need to go there first. This is not an easy task. For one thing it takes a lot of money. Right now I am trying to find a pretty cheap place in or near Tokyo. Unfortunately most of my friends there live with there families. So for now I gotta get about $2000 more dollars to survive comfortably. Without a job that is quite a bit harder to achieve. Luckily I have quite a few connections so God willing something big will happen. I also have a decent amount of experience on my resume. For now we wait.
