youngmanquan Posted January 14, 2004 Author Posted January 14, 2004 I would not go over without a job, unless you are just doing the month long tourist stay. Since you haven't a degree, you might want to look into government employment. The DOD uses civillian contract personell for many things,and you might be able to find work at one of the military facilities. Be warned though, you probably won't be in Tokyo or Kyoto, or Osaka, but in the middle of nowhere. If you can get a job in Okinawa that would be worthwhile. You also should become at least semi proficient in Japanese before you leave. There are very few bilingual street signs anywhere, and even though English is taught in the school system, it won't be like it is in Western Europe where one can ususally find a person who speaks passable English for assistance. Start reading the Japan Times online now, it is a useful resource for ex-pats, from what I understand. Also you might want to read Robert Twigger's Angry White Pyjamas for an interesting take on living in Japan. Lastly, don't expect to walk into a Japanese Dojo without a letter of introduction sporting your shiny black belt. Its very impolite. Expect to start as a white belt again. I hope these bits of info helped.Thank you for this information. The computer certification I have is actually in high demand. Computer Security positions are also available in DoD. I will definitely look into that. I'm also going to try to contact an Aikido school in Japan today
Rich_2k3 Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 All I can say is go for it, Japan's a beautiful country and a great place to learn from the best, good luck. "When my enemy contracts I expand and when he expands I contract" - Bruce Lee
aefibird Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 Start reading the Japan Times online now, it is a useful resource for ex-pats, from what I understand. Also you might want to read Robert Twigger's Angry White Pyjamas for an interesting take on living in Japan. Angry White Pyjamas is also an interesting take on training in aikido in Japan. I highly recommend it to all martial artists!! You said that you were training in aikido at the moment - does your club have an excahange program/affiliation with any dojo's in Japan? As for working, you'll probably be allowed into the country for a certain period of time on a short-term tourist visa. This could be up to 3 months. If you've never been to Japan before it might be a good idea to go out there for a short period of time before moving there and getting an apartment and a job. There's no point taking a job in a foreign country, only to find you hate the place and can't wait to get home!! Not that I think you'll hate Japan, but there's always the possibility. I'd try to become at least semi-proficiant in Japanese before you go, though, especially for things like shopping. Also dojo training will certainly all be in Japanese. Good luck with the training, hope you get to Japan. Don't forget to let us all know how you get on!! "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers!
equaninimus Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 Twiggers book is wonderful. It never fails to cheer me up when I'm a bit down. It is the modern version of "Moving Zen," only without the tone of awe at the mysterious asian martial arts. There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm!
Rich_2k3 Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 Although u will need to be proficient in speaking Japanese, u'll probably find that alot of japanese can speak English, Japanese tourism is booming and I would imagine that their is alot of help for non-japanese. "When my enemy contracts I expand and when he expands I contract" - Bruce Lee
Drunken Monkey Posted January 15, 2004 Posted January 15, 2004 actually i found that not many could speak english... except for this old lady who worked the checkout at that little shop at the 'bottom' of mount fuji, where the buses stop. y'know, where you buy the little egg souveniers. post count is directly related to how much free time you have, not how intelligent you are."When you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite."
GrrrArg Posted January 16, 2004 Posted January 16, 2004 Sounds like you pretty much want to follow in the footsteps of Robert Twigger, so reading Angry White pyjamas would be a good idea as it will outlines some of the potential pitfalls you may face on your journey. Have fun.
equaninimus Posted January 16, 2004 Posted January 16, 2004 And beware of roomares named "Fat Frank!" There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm!
aefibird Posted January 16, 2004 Posted January 16, 2004 lol, and beware of people with the surname Mustard... (heh heh j/k) "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers!
granmasterchen Posted January 20, 2004 Posted January 20, 2004 well here is advice from someone that trains in japan and lives here. You are only allowed to stay for 3 months unless you get permission to live here, which is hard. I have lucked out since i work with the military and the united states government. But it would be a good idea to learn japanese before attempting your trek....just my advice, message me if you have any questions that you would like me to look into for you. ......you can always get a civilian job with the government and get transfered to japan. I may be able to help you with this if you are seriously interested. That which does not destroy me will only make me stronger
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