Anyone here posting from Japan?

[EVOIV]

Dream on Hiep

Anyway, I'd love to go to Japan and hopefully one day I will.

[hippy]

no dream here .. i'm livin it already

[Rezz]

I been here for 3 1/2 years. Got married to a lovely Japanese lass last year, and have been teaching English the whole time. But it's not all cool though (well 0.0001% not cool!)

The English Teaching market is starting to make a swing in favour of South Korea. The earning potential in S.K. seems to be better than Japan nowadays mainly because of the lower cost of living.

I would agree with Demon Dave though, setting up your own business is THE way to go for the more experienced, married, Japanese speaking foreigners, but for somebody just off the plane (landing in Kansai), get a local mini-zine called Kansai Fleemarket... instant jobs.

GEOS only hire from overseas, but NOVA, ECC, AEON, Berlitz etc will take you on with any Uni degree.

This place (Osaka, Kobe) blew me away when I first came here, seeing real-life street DRIFTING in Nanko, Osaka... finally driving on the Wangan Route... going to C-West in Nishinomiya... finally seeing a JGTC race at SUZKA CIRCUIT... car lovers dream come true really.

Are there any JAPANESE (off chance) members on this board?

[Demon Dave]

Yeah, unfortunately if you wanted to start your own school (business) here, then being married to a Japanese person if pretty much a pre-requsite...

It's also much easier to get a job teaching English is you do your job hunting IN JAPAN. Trying to get a job with a big school (Like Nova/Geos etc) from abroad can be difficult. If you plan to arrive in Japan around the end of the school year (March/April) and pick up any local newspaper/magazine you'll find plenty of teachers wanted adds...

[Rezz]

Can I add to the car owning side of things, that having a parking space in Japan is rediculously expensive too. Demon Dave (obviously living in a "real" house, as opposed to an apartment) doesn't have to pay for parking, if I'm not mistaken.

I have to pay 12,000yen/month JUST FOR A PARKING SPACE in my building! Ok, it's fully secure, and it's one of those underground-to-surface elevator jobs, but that money would go a looooong way for modifications if you have the car for a year...

[Demon Dave]

Yep!

The place I live in at the moment if pretty large by Japanese standards (big enough to double as home/school) and I have plenty of parking (enough for several cars)...

But, I am lucky. Many people (especially those living in the big cities) have to pay high rent, coupled with high parking fees - and remember, in Japan you MUST have a parking space before the police will give you permission to own a car!!! (you have to provide them with all the details of where the space is, how large it is and proof that it is yours!)

If you're into cars, then in all honesty, the big cities are best avoided. Heavy traffic, numerous traffic lights, low speed limits and high parking fees all combine to make owning a car in a city like Tokyo an expensive and frustrating affair...

[Rezz]

Best of all worlds eh Demon Dave? I lived in Mie-ken a couple of years back, and not a day went by where I thought about re-locating there for good... because of the superior car situation.

...and proximity to Suzuka!!!

[badman]

one day i will make it. ganbaruyo!

[Guest Mi4R32GTR]

hi my name is Luis and just recently move to Japan. I'm in the US Navy, so lucky me I got order to come here. I been here (iwakuni, Japan) since March and I like it. Just recently purchased a R32 GTR so even happier about that. I'm trying to learn Japanese at the moment. I doubt I'll stay here longer than my tour (3 years), but I allready got what I came from so it won't be to back going home.

[Rezz]

Sorry Mi4R32GTR, you got me on that last sentence. You said "but I allready got what I came from so it won't be to back going home."

You mean you bought a GTR but you won't be taking it home?

Massive props to ya though for getting a GTR after only 3 months!

[4150]

Hey Luis good to see another squid on here, I live in Yokohama but I'm actually attached to a squadron out of Atsugi. How do you like living with all the Marines in Iwakuni? I'm sure you'll want to stay longer once your close to the end of your tour, do it if you can man. FYI though nobody is allowed more than three consecutive overseas tours now(I'm on my fourth , just made it before they passed this) in Japan, so that's the only reason I'm leaving.

Enjoy your time in Japan while you can, believe me it goes by really fast.

[DaiOni]

US is notoriously hard to import a car to (their regs are much tighter than oz) - which is why he probably said that (no?)

I live in sadogashima - an island off the coast of niigata ken. Not as bad as it sounds - I can get to tokyo (by ferry and rail) within three hours

Badman - you want to be on JET. The difference is that it's a government job - not working for a business. You teach in high schools instead of offices. The pay is good, the perks are better than the rest (hey, you become a public servant!) - for instance, my rent is subsidised - I have a huge (japanese standards) place and pay only 30,000yen a month - compare that to what the other guys have listed. The only real bonus with a company like nova - you have a much better chance of getting a big city placement (if that is what you are after). I hear that GEOS is the best of the commerical places.

And as far as not being able to own a car... I own three well, two now, I sold my mx5 this week (still have an r33 and a s6 rx7).

This topic comes up a lot in performance forums - and I have posted about it a lot - so do a search there too, you'll learn a lot.

[HARDCOR33]

Rezz,

Have you considered exporting a car when (if) you leave Japan? The laws on importing cars in to Australia say that you have to have owned the car for 6 months and have is registered. Then you throw it in a crate...save your 12,000 Yen for a few months then buy a whole heap of cheap 2nd parts...throw them in a crate and come home...fit some to the car and sell the rest for a tasty profit.

Your thoughts? (this is what I was planning on doing)

[Merli]

I went to Japan earlier this year (in January) for Tokyo Auto Salon, in Kaihama Makuhari, Tokyo... Without mentioning the obvious, it's breathtaking, and puts any Australian Auto Salon to shame. So much so, that you'd be quite content NEVER to attend another SAS again in your life.

I went for 2 weeks. The plan was to spend the first week going to TAS, visit Veilside, JUN, Top Secret, and all the bargain basement stores like Yellow Hat, Crystal, Up Garage... Whilst they were all awesome, and I'd love to visit them all again and again, after the first 4 days in Japan, I realised that there was SOOOO much more to the country than just cars.

The people were sooooo cool, and weird/funky at the same time. Their customs nearly always left me speechless and in awe. For a country that has quite heavy influence in the major cities, it's rural and outskirt towns/cities are just overflowing with Japanese culture and way of life. It's such an amazing country.

I loaded up my backpack, left my suitcase in the hotel room in Tokyo and spent the next week taking the shinkansen up and down Honshu, going to Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Nagano (it was all I could fit in ) There is just sooooo much more to Japan that I didn't see, and I really want to see.

I'd love to go back and live there for a year or two... I'm taking Japanese lessons now, so I'll see how I go

Perhaps we can have an SAU meet over there next year!

[DaiOni]

"Have you considered exporting a car when (if) you leave Japan? The laws on importing cars in to Australia say that you have to have owned the car for 6 months and have is registered. Then you throw it in a crate...save your 12,000 Yen for a few months then buy a whole heap of cheap 2nd parts...throw them in a crate and come home...fit some to the car and sell the rest for a tasty profit."

though rezz would know it, this info is waaay off the mark.

[Rezz]

Originally posted by HARDCOR33

Rezz,

Have you considered exporting a car when (if) you leave Japan? The laws on importing cars in to Australia say that you have to have owned the car for 6 months and have is registered. Then you throw it in a crate...save your 12,000 Yen for a few months then buy a whole heap of cheap 2nd parts...throw them in a crate and come home...fit some to the car and sell the rest for a tasty profit.

Your thoughts? (this is what I was planning on doing)

Yes man, I'm just about ready to launch my website, got a shipping deal going on with the cars/parts and accessories, and 2 or 3 propositions to expand and I haven't even opened yet!

As far as importing cars goes (wink> DaiOni) it's more like: Private ownership in Japan for 1 year (requiring a parking space), registered (of course), import approval, and with the container, to make it worthwhile, you'd need 2 cars in the container, plus parts. Or you could just export the car, they work out the freight cost from the dimensions of the vehicle. I got a Mitsubishi Pajero going next month for a freight cost of $1400 to give you an idea...

[Duncan]

Originally posted by Merli

Perhaps we can have an SAU meet over there next year!

our next meet is at the end of a mystery cruise, you know.....

[DaiOni]

...and what was he doing with the 12,000 yen? buying dinner?

[Rezz]

Originally posted by DaiOni

...and what was he doing with the 12,000 yen?  buying dinner?  

...at one of those classy Shabu Shabu places...