Getting out of Japan... (frequent updates)

[LANFOH]

G'day Rezz,

Id have to agree with Ant, although you havent made a "backup plan" to come back home with, the life experience that you gained in Japan and the fact that you lived over there teaching English independantly will prove to be an advantage for you when you get back to Perth. Another positive from your time in Japan is you have gained a strong insight about Japanese culture and language, this is a valuable asset for you in your future endeavours.

The fact that you may have lost interest in the country is probably because you have exhausted your options maybe? Having teaching as the only real source of income without other avenues to explore would do the same to anyone.

Good luck

Michael

[DaiOni]

If you are teaching English, one year abroad is 'life experience', two is stretching it, any more than that and you are kidding yourself. I wish it was the opposite, but you can see, on any of the teacher forums, exactly what the reality is - as so many people have found when they return home. Try to imagine it from an interviewer/potential employer's viewpoint (I've done hiring/firing in the past - and I know what I'd think...). At the very least, you have to be able to tangibly demonstrate why you stayed so long, and how you constructively spent that time.

If you're teaching in a corporate situation, then that multiplies your issues somewhat (teaching in the government system is invariably easier to 'sell').

If you have language skills - then you have that as an option (unfortunately, the avenues to pursue that aren't as frequent as they used to be). If you have the ability and capital to start your own business, and exploit your language skills - then there's another avenue.

For people who enjoyed teaching (and weren't a teacher to start with), retraining in education is a great option - you have the skills, the learning-curve is therefore easy, it's relatively cheap and definitely one of least time-intensive options (if you already have a degree, a dip ed is only a year-long course, + whatever requirement subjects you need).

Other than that, it's back to square one on the career path (not so great if you're not young), pick up a spade, or find some sort of realistic retraining for a new career. As with any job-searching, nepotism is the best thing you can rely on (great if you have it).

/2c

[Mr. En One]

Justin,

I see the picture now. Hey, Im 32, a devoted R owner but I dont let it control where I want to go. I control the toys in my life not the other way around. It has only been this way since I was about late 20's or so...this means there is a game of which autos/boats/bikes etc are but secondary items.

Chalk it up to experience, toe squeeze your go-fast pedal, and create the next chapter.

So ur phasing out of the place, I can see why. Come back and utilise your experiences gained for yours or others benefit.

Always two reasons for everything ... that means Im either full of ideas or full of crap

Mac

[andrewwr32]

yeah Ive only been here a couple of years. Perhaps I put blinkers on to the more annoying aspects of Japan but without them it wouldnt be Japan. ie. If people didnt stare and treat you differently (sometimes better, sometimes worse) then it would be just another thing that is like home. This is actually a reason why I dont like Tokyo that much; its alot more of an international city and that seperation of foreigners doesnt seem as big as other places and to me it just doesnt feel like `real` japan.

I think that your lifestyle really dictates where the best place to be is. For me drifting and being a general nuisance is what I love and do most of the time. In japan its infinitely better than Australia for that reason... but I sure wouldnt want to raise a kid here. So Im in Japan for now and when circumstances change then I might think about heading back.

eg. At the moment I go out and drift and talk crap with D1 drivers atleast a couple of times a week... back home.... well I guess Ive got track days once a month or I could have interesting conversations with the cops LOL

For work I put in half the number of hours I did in my IT job in Aus and comparing to the amount I used to actually clear its alarmingly close.

Can I stay here being an english teacher and drifting till Im 50? certainly not... but at the moment Im drifting 3-4 times a week and putting in a whopping 20hours of work (talking to mainly uni/highschool chicks) so for me at the moment the positives of being here far outweigh the sh!tty parts.

Dude you should sell that to a travel agent or the jap tourism board, assuming they have one.

Enjoying this thread, very interesting. I don't want to LIVE in Japan, but I'd sure love to visit. They seem to me so Gung-Ho! about everything and I kinda like that, it's my personality, however childish it may be here in Aus

Just a Q - Rezz, you can't get outta the city? I suppose over there - country prices would be worse than the UK - and that's seriously expensive (but beautiful, and one place I would move from here in Aus. (I'm in Brisbane for 16+ years, but born in UK).

It does make sense that in such a densely populated place you would get psychos. I've heard shocking shit about the Jap underground (in years gone by), though I never know if true or not. Hey, check out fortitude valley! Plenty of people stumbling around muttering shit or shouting at imaginary friends and pushing shopping trolleys with weird unusable garbage in them. Then, haven't been out for a while - I have a great GF

Cheers for the interesting read...

Andrew

[akeenan]

It does make sense that in such a densely populated place you would get psychos. I've heard shocking shit about the Jap underground (in years gone by), though I never know if true or not.

oh it makes sense.... yes it does.. oh yes it does

[Cefiro_PWA]

It does make sense that in such a densely populated place you would get psychos. I've heard shocking shit about the Jap underground (in years gone by)' date=' though I never know if true or not.

oh it makes sense.... yes it does.. oh yes it does

Wow this is great!

[andrewwr32]

It does make sense that in such a densely populated place you would get psychos. I've heard shocking shit about the Jap underground (in years gone by)' date=' though I never know if true or not.

oh it makes sense.... yes it does.. oh yes it does

So guys, where is all the moto-action in Japan? I would guess that shows and salons or whatever are in cities - but what about drift circuits? JGTC racing? Surely they country cos of cost....

Just interested. I love jap cars, my gf loves jap food. A visit is a possibility

Oh, I just bought an R32 GT-R, so there's a little more motivation to visit the land of the rising boost

[BasketCase]

Wow I wish I had got into this earlier!

Good read very interesting, I have been in japan a month, will be back on the 29th Aug, This place is great fun I have had the time of my life here and made good money at the same time!

I love the place and really am fond of thee idea of living here for about a year just to learn the language and get into the culture more.

Alot of the stuff you brought up rezz is definatly true, the STARING! I laughed my ass off when reading that post. So true.

Im in Nagoya at Aichi world expo, I live with Aussies and party every night with aussies so I haven't really been able to get into the culture unfortunatly...

Im starting to look for jobs here now, Like I said I would love to come back here work, live and get into the drift scene more - I have missed my drift ceffy at home and its killed me not to drive a 'real' car in over a month (a VAN is not a real car even if it does dorifto in the wet)

Good Luck coming home Rezz

And streeter I wanna become part of that life your leading!!! Drift 3-4 times a week! HELL YEAH! back home its every friday fortnight wich is still cool but still not enough

-Dave B)

[DCD]

Only red this now! Has Rezz left already?

Anyway...Japan is definitely a country that test's you to your limits. It's hard to live here at times but for me it usually only takes a quick trip back home to "charge up"...and begin to hate my own country for it's own little problems! As I have said many times in these types of threads it's that all countries have their pro's and con's and Japan is definitely not for everyone. Rezz is the prefect example...he was very pro Japan some time ago and now it's hit him hard...but at least he has taken a decision and has done something about it.

Anyway all I can say is you are all a bunch of pussies:D I've been here for 12 years exactly so I should be commended or something! I think it was slightly different for me as I came here when I was younger and finished school here and had my family as "backup" (even if I did live alone in Tokyo for 3 years while in school). Plus living in a somewhat rural area has also helped as I got to alternate as much as I wanted between city and countryside.

Anyway I hope you stay active in this forum Rezz!

[funkymonkey]

Damn...

that is all.

After talking to a few japanese ex-pats and reading what you think Rezz it seems the long termers gradually get sick of the isolation and routine of the place and the expectations placed on you. Just out of curiousity, when was the last time you came back home on a staisfying holiday (ie one where you thoguht you did as much as you could in the time you were here)? Maybe its just severe home-sickness, and you might change your mind when you get back here.

Living in any country that pushes your boundaries is hard, hell I lived in England for 6 months and couldn't take it any more, and they spoke really good english... sometimes ().

[Rezz]

BasketCase: Thanks

DCD: You'd know better than anyone the probs long term Japan residents have... well chalk me up as another casualty. I wouldn't blame the lifestyle so much, I guess teaching English was in fact the real problem. Since I haven't been working (going on 5 weeks now), everything is really fine!!! I can go out without caring about staring anymore, I've been practicing more Japanese, I've been doing heaps of work on cars... things are good. But I'm not working <_< ... so I've gotta go home. Unless you can offer me a job Dino? Hahaha

Funky: I went home in April, but it was only for a week. I also stay with my Dads family in Germany for 2 weeks in May... still not enough time away though... yeah I think it's time to go home.

Just want to reiterate one more time: I'm not anti-Japan. 5 years is a decent chunk out of anyones life, and I need to move on now. I've gone back and read this thread and I can really see the stress of long term teaching (in the same school) and the pressures that go with that coming through. But thats over now, I'm having a good time and I'll be here for another 3 weeks.

Edited August 28, 2005 by Rezz

[drunkenmaster]

Just want to reiterate one more time: I'm not anti-Japan. 5 years is a decent chunk out of anyones life, and I need to move on now. I've gone back and read this thread and I can really see the stress of long term teaching (in the same school) and the pressures that go with that coming through. But thats over now, I'm having a good time and I'll be here for another 3 weeks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Personally I dont know how many of you guys do it. I have been back in Toyota-city for just over a week now (was here for only 3 months last year) and I am fighting off insanity and desperately craving to go home.

I guess for me its the isolation and boredom more than anything.

Going for runs through the farms and wandering aimlessly around Nagoya is not my idea of fun. It is what you make it I guess, and I am not here long enough (4months) to really set myself up I suppose.

The bureaucracy and red tape to do simple things or make simple requests at work is enough to make me want to smash my head into the desk sometimes, but other than that I prefer the office atmosphere here then at home i must admit.

[drunkenmaster]

Then again, after rethinking my post the same would happen in any country you might get transferred to without knowing anyone or the language very well, aside from the bureaucracy perhaps.

I guess Japan is not a bad place, but I can think of more interesting places to visit. I am not sure if I would come here, over say china or germany to open my eyes to the world just because I like owning a Japanese car? I like my favourtie pair of shoes also but that doesnt mean I want to go live in a 3rd world country and work in a sweat shop