Demon Dave

Still alive and kicking. Don't get much time to surf as of late, so not been on here that much recently. As for TAS, well my eldest son will probably be there. Although I'm not sure about Senna, he's only 2 at the moment, but he loves cars. I wonder if Troy is going to make the trip over?

Alright! Has been a while! I'm looking forward to TAS 2007 - will be nice to see everyone again.

I'll also be there on Saturday.

almost 7 years in Yamanashi. run my own school and will be here for a long, long time.

Yep, 660cc Honda Beat. The white 4x4 looks like a Toyota Landcruiser to me...

I go with Mitsui Sumitomo Kaijo insurance... Just checked the documents and it's actually closer to 14,000mth, which aint bad. they also cover my Accord and motorcycles too.

Frio told ya this was the best place to pick up info. I'm glad I don't live anywhere near Tokyo....my insurance, BNR34 fully comp with the car valued at 5 million yen costs 13,000/mth... shaken should be around the 100,000 yen mark for a car with no problems - that'll include the basic taxes, dealers fees, service etc but not any repairs...

http://www.gtrproto.com/

Funnily enough I see one of those, in white, on my way to work most days... strange looking car though

Daikoku....

Who likes governments? If everyone moved out of a country because they didn't like the government running it, then it's a safe bet we'd all probably be living in Antarctica... Justin, it seems like Japan is no longer for you. Good luck with the move. I hope you find happiness back in Australia. And as an afterthought - an observation: It's a shame though, that after 2 years of "promoting Japan" , especially on this forum, you've suddenly gone all "anti-Japan" Yes, I agree with many of the points you've raised about living here, especially in the long term. And it nice that a more "balanced" picture of life in Japan is being presented, however as akeenan notes we're sensing a lot of hate in this thread. I would encourage anyone reading this thread (who were thinking of spending some time in Japan) to not be put off by your (Justin's) comments and to come and experience this country for themselves... My 2p worth. Peace

I have to admit the "staring" has never bothered me, and living out in a rural area where foreigners are few and far between, you can imagine that we stand out quite a bit..... I dunno...I guess having "all eyes on me" makes me feel somewhat special! Like I'm famous or something. Fame without the fotune. I'd prefer the latter, but don't object to the former But, I guess for some, being noticed is not as desireable as being just another face in the crowd. Don't think I agree with that weird people comment. There are far more "weirdo's" in England, and appologies to an American's on here, but IMHO the U.S. is almost entirely composed of completely weird people Alot of the negatives you've listed are way more apparent in the big cities, and I must say that if I was I had started off living in a big city like Tokyo or Osaka I would almost certainly have left Japan before now. I'm happy to spend a day shopping in Tokyo, but that's about it. Life in a city like Tokyo would drive me mad... *mental note* Don't visit Osaka, cause apparently it smells!

I wouldn't say that these things have to be ignored, anymore that that people living in Aus have to ignore higher crime levels, car jackings and all the other "horrible" things that seem to be going on - and I base these comments on the many threads I have read on this very board over the past 2 years. Accepted, yes. But not ignored. I certainly don't ignore the less desireable aspects of living in Japan. But, as has been said before, no country is without its downsides. And I personally believe that it is only those of us who have lived in Japan long enough to "know it" who can make an informed decision as to which countries "bad points" are the most acceptable to oneself. For me personally, yeah, there is plenty to dislike about Japan but there is even more to dislike about living in Ol Blighty... either way, it's nice to have the choice isn't it!

Hmmm....despite only being here for six years, in that time I have seen way too many foreigners (and friends) come and go. There are lots of reasons people leave Japan, but perhaps one of the most common reason is career prospects. Usually after a couple of years teaching English, people start to wonder..."is this something I want to be doing for the rest of my life? For most the answer is a definite no. The advancing years don't help - as most of the foreigners teaching English are in their twenties - usually fresh outa Uni and in the prime of their lives. The pressure is on to get the career ball rolling... Together these combine to produce a sense of uncertantity about the future. I've been through it myself. Then you've got the dreaded "familiarity sydrome" setting it....fresh off the boat, for the first year or so being in Japan is like a rollercoaster ride of discovery. Everything is new and exciting, but as time passes you're able to see more of the "real Japan". The Japan that few tourists get to see. The realities of day to day living. And like EVERY country in the world there's lots of downsides....lots of things we hate and wish they were different. Inevitably comparisons are made with ones home country, and while for most the outcome is in Japans favor, I find that with time people's perceptions (and they're "Rose colored glasses") tend to change. It's funny...I know several people who gone from "Japan is the most awesome place to live in the world" to "I hate this fcuking country" is the space of 2 years.... Maybe much of it is brought about because they just they miss their home country. Anways, enough of this waffle. Justin mate, no one on here can tell you what to do, but I will say think long and hard about going back to Aus. Yeah, sure for those of us that have been here a while there have surfaced many things to dislike about Japan. But at the same time, the grass is not always greener on the other side. Think back to way you first came here....has your situation changed that much? Will you be happier back home? And if you do decide to stay, good luck. While it does sound (reading your posts) that the school you're working for is now on shaky ground, there are many other opportunities out there...all you gotta do is look Dave (living in Japan, married, 2 kids, just brought land, built a house and gonna be here for a very, very long time )

Ditto - I believe the public are able to enter after 1PM... obviously Fri is best day to go - they'll be fewer people since many (like me) can't take a weekday off work