dopefish

I'm not confused at all. I'm just very cautious and love to triple check things.

Hey, im reading this form at the moment and it's saying stuff like... 'to fully appreciate many different aspects of japan it is required that the working holiday applicant moves to different areas within japan at approximately 3month intervals.' W T F does that mean i will have to find a new apartment every 3 months? that would completely suck ass. But then again, move to different areas within japan could mean spending a night in osaka or going on a day trip to another prefecture or something. Anyone here on a working holiday visa that can comment on this? I'm going to ring the consulate in the morning but i want to double check this.

Yeah I Just finished my resume etc tonight actually. I'm going to shoot off some emails soon. As for Nagoya, I was thinking about it, but i actually have lots of friends from Osaka. The only thing that's putting me off is the foreign people that have lived in both osaka and tokyo and saying that they prefer tokyo.

NOVA(cations) now requires a degree, I think. Unfortunately i do not have a 4 year bachelors degree under my belt as of yet.

Hey as long as you're moving out of Chiba it's probably a step up! haha.. Joking

I nearly got into a fight with some Japanese guy before outside of a restaurant. He was really drunk though and his friend stopped him before i could get out of the car. I'm pretty big by japanese standards and this guy was about half my size, skinny as ****.. i guess the usual size for a yanki. What i dont get is how the **** he expected to win the fight becuase i could have quite literally picked him up and thrown him into the bushes or something.

I've decided that I'm going to go to japan on a working holiday visa. Hopefully, I'll be leaving within 1-2months and staying for as long as possible. The one big hurdle that I have to get over is finding some kind of employment to support myself while I'm over there. I've decided to try and teach english over there as it seems fairly straight forward. I have tutored conversational english to exchange students and my friends in the past. For those of you who are already in Japan, I'd like some advice! First of all, Do you think that I should try to find a job before i leave? (Eg, Mailing a resume to all the adverts on gaijinpot or jobsinjapan) Where would you reccomend in terms of location? I've lived just outside of Tokyo before and I quite like the convenience of the Kanto region, but I've never been outside of the general area. What would you reccomend I do in terms of Housing? Should i hold out for a school that provides a subsidised apartment or should i attempt to rent myself? Anything else i should know? Ps, If you own your own english school and would like a 20 year old guy with a good knowledge of Japanese culture and an easygoing but sensitive attutide then feel free to offer me a job. :Pimp2:

Yeah chuhi is quite addictive.

But seriously, Some of the ****ing yanki's in Chiba are _SO_ ****ing annoying. They have got the loudest cars i have ever heard in my entire life and they rev the engines on purpose in order to look cool.

Under $1000 in Brisbane. Manual 4cyl reliable. :wizard:

It was chinese anyway which is so weird for me. They totally act like chinese people rather than japanese.

instant ramen tastes like shit. even the frozen one that you can melt and boil tastes like shit. The best ramen is cooked fresh and is so hot that it could potentially burn your lips off.

A bad experience i had in japan was that my girlfriends dad thought i was an asshole. Basically, her parents decided that i was no good and becuase he was rich / knew the mayor and cheif of police for the prefecture he threatened to get the police to come and 'warn me' for being rude and disrespectful etc. The only reason he didn't do so is because he had to go to hospital. I honestly did nothing rude and i was very polite etc just enjoying my holiday. That kind of attitude really made me feel like a piece of dirt and that i was some kind of subhuman. After reading what you have typed, i can understand what you mean... I think that there are plenty of nice japanese if you look around though. I'd definately go back.. I had plenty of experience with japanese legal / funeral / social problems. (eg, i even had a car crash into my building and someone burn down their apartment, my gf's dad dying them having to get out loans, them organising funerals, going out to eat / parks with her nephews and nieces etc) I hope next time will be nicer! I also know what you mean about the foreigners in Japan. Some of the guys (mainly) there are complete sleaze bags. I also hate the whole 'pro' thing that happens over there. Whenever a foreigner surfs/skii's/skates/rides bikes etc. they turn into PRO SKATEBOARDERS etc

You should get something like a cheap old 4x4. maybe an old patrol / jeep / etc

I have only ever lived in japan for 6months total. But i think i can understand some of what you are saying. I'd really love to go back ASAP to study Japanese though. The older i get the harder it will be to improve i think. Anyway i hope you are doing ok! EDIT--------- Btw, just a question ... Have you ever been in a fight with a Japanese guy before? I used to stay in some dodgy area of CHIBA and there were lots of yanki's and yakuza etc. When i was there some guy grabbed me through the car window when i was in the carpark and tried to fight me but he was drunk etc and upon seeing my size his friends pulled him away and were shouting out oh sorry so sorry etc. (i am not massive but this guy was pretty small/skinny.) Apart from that i find even the tough guys in the rough area i was in would stare but they'd always move out of the way and say 'a sumimasen' or just move without being smart asses. This is just a question out of curioristy as most people say they've never encountered anything like that in JP. :sadam:

I'd be interested in something like an old corolla etc!

I am after a _cheap_ reliable basic car in brisbane. It needs to be manual and needs to work. It doesnt matter if its old etc as long as it goes. Looking at spending upto $500 only. Thanks

Or you can go check out the temple in narita and then go eat some grasshoppers. :kick: :headspin: :Bang:

Well, I'd definately take the train into tokyo and have a mess around there all night and then you'll be able to sleep on the plane. Tokyo is absolutely awesome but narita doesnt really have much there. (hense why they built an airport) If you can, try and visit roppongi hills and Tokyo tower. **edit** Taxi's cost an absolute SHIT LOAD in japan so do not take one unless you are happy to part with lots of cash.

They really prefer white native speakers to teach English. You would probably have a harder time getting a job than a white Australian would have. If you were born in vietnam i think you would have an even smaller chance of finding work. Having said that, you might be able to get a job if you try hard enough.

Yeah, because most people pay in onion rings, am i right? :ufo:

Not until you buy me dinner.

:ufo:

Rev to 8000RPM and let the clutch out as fas as possible and just keep your foot to the floor.

I think the price of Silvia's and Skylines etc at the auctions is quite high. I bought a japanese equivilent of the trading post with just cars/motorbikes for sale and visited some car yards in japan and they had private sales of R32 GTS-T's for $1000-3000 and silvia's for maybe $500-2500 (basic cars,1990 etc) while at auctions they seem to sell for heaps more. It was very very tempting but i did not have enough money after my holiday for shipping and arranging everything.