Japan

[drunkenmaster]

haha ok ok.

I get a long just fine thanks, but then again I would like to consider myself relatiavely well travelled.

As I said, I was just playing devils advocate to show the other side of the coin, as chosing to move to Japan (or any country) for years is a decision to be weighed carefully and its not all skylines and magic frogs as the rosy pictures and stories you often get told in online car forums. To people who think they are going to be buying and selling cars and getting drift lessons on every street corner without a word of nihongo, you are obviously better men than I. If I were considering to move anywhere on my own free will and not for business purposes, personally I would want as much balanced feed back as possible before I abandon my family and friends possibly under false pretences.

I dont hate the place, I had the time of my life last weekend after a short train ride to Kyoto and at work I get to contribute to cars the global public will not see for years. I do have an end in sight though so I can easily tolerate any difficulties however I would have to very seriously consider all the things mentioned if I was here for a year or more continuously and justify my motivation to do so.

Anyhow, I apologise for portraying less than a perfect picture of the place, actually R34 Vpec's are plentyful and cheap, performance parts are practically given away at you local conveneince store/gasoline stand, and every girl is hot and wants you to take them back to Australia when you leave.

Edited October 18, 2005 by drunkenmaster

[RB-Sam]

Anyhow, I apologise for portraying less than a perfect picture of the place, actually R34 Vpec's are plentyful and cheap, performance parts are practically given away at you local conveneince store/gasoline stand, and every girl is hot and wants you to take them back to Australia when you leave.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

TAXI!

airport please.

its funny i dont know what to expect. spose no one can until they go.

have you gents got your license's over there?

[Streeter]

yeah aussies get a really easy time with licenses. If you have a full aussie license its roughly 4000 yen and a day of stuffing around to get your japanese license. Only test is an eye test.

I came here a bit over 2 years ago with zero japanese, hooked up with a chick in 4 days that spoke a little english so I used her as my translator. 2 weeks later I had found a drift store and negotiated a price on an s13. (My primary goal to moving to Japan was to drift) Yes its sounds like a totally retarded plan but after 2 years Im still having the time of my life.

I think a good attitude and confidence have alot to do with getting things sorted. Both that I have little of LOL so it cant be THAT hard?

I actually went back to aus for a 1 week trip just last week. I was missing Japan before the plane had even left the ground at Kansai. Surprisingly I hated Australia the whole time I was there, I forgot how bad the drivers where, how rude some people can be and how small even Melbourne and Sydney are. So my one week in Aus has added atleast another 4-5 years stay here. (moving back to Aus is something Id like to hear from Rezz about cause I had trouble being back for just 7 days! LOL)

That said though I can easily see its not for everyone but I gotta say my only regret about moving to Japan is that I didnt do it 5 years earlier!

[RB-Sam]

streeter what do you do for work , how did you find a job and where to stay?

[Streeter]

Im supremely lazy. I just got a job through nova working 5pm-9pm mon-fri. I get about $2400 AUD clear a month... a little more would be nice but Im loving the 4 hour days LOL

Nova is pretty crap as far as conditions and how dispensible the company makes you feel, but the pay is ok and the work is easy.

Nova baby sit you through everything, although being nova they totally rip you off where they can. So I stayed in a Nova apartment for about 2 months and then organised and moved into my own place (bigger and cheaper)

I also send the odd car part back home for some extra pocket money.

[totoro]

ok i will not type as much this time! hahahaha

i think everyone has varied experiences and it will depend on each person. some enjoy the adventure of knowing nothing and getting around... others need to know exactly what they are going to eat.

i am assuming you know yourself a little so just think how you want to survive here then hopefully move up to living...

also travelling and living is a totally two different things, so what you can enjoy while travelling for two weeks may not be fun after a year.

and rezz is right in a back up plan is always good and have enough money to live for a while withought working as its always good to know money is not a problem for a while.

[RB-Sam]

ahh ok

i think i may learn some jap after all, one of the chefs wives is giong to teach me

[drunkenmaster]

also travelling and living is a totally two different things, so what you can enjoy while travelling for two weeks may not be fun after a year.

That was my point more or less, but expressed much more clearly

Going around blind buying/ordering random stuff may be fun on a short holiday and classed as a memorable experience, but in everyday life when you want something specific, its just a hassle.

I also read a lot of other guys accounts and see a similar English teaching theme going on so I imagine they cater to some extent for fresh non speaking westerners to some extent. My account is different I guess because I work for a Japanese company, my sanity, ease of living and entertainment is not overly high on the priority list.

Getting some Nihongo language under your belt will be a great help, it's definitely not impossible to live here without. Just make sure you think about your lifestyle at home, what you enjoy doing and what you take for granted and imagine if you will be able to do that here as well.

[DeL]

if someone was to go to japan and work for nova but didnt want to stay at there apartments, how hard would it be to organise other living arrangements?

[Streeter]

depending on where you get stationed. The easiest way would be to speak to the other teachers at your school, generally there will be atleast one or two not staying in Nova apartments and they can point you in the right direction. That will cut down on alot of looking around.

In Osaka its a piece of piss, with many apartments not requiring key money etc... although most need to be furnished which still can cost a fair bit initially.

[DeL]

could you organise it before you left and tell nova so they can send you where you want to go rather than somewhere else?

[Bart Japan]

I think that organising it before you go is stipulkated in the interviews. IF you have a place to live you have to tell them and they will post you near where you will be living.

Looking at www.kfm.to might help but it would be very hard from another country. Just let Nova settlt you in you can find some friends and things to do while its safe and easy and while you still ahve the escape clause and then move out and save a shit load of money.

Or do as acquaintences of mine did and be evicted because you have too many parties in your house and then find an absolutely great place with your currently two or three also evicted house mates and be the envy of all of your other Nova friends.

[Streeter]

^^ agreed and as stated you can move in to a place that you have organised before you get here but using the nova apartment for a month or two isnt going to kill you.

[RB-Sam]

so with nova you apply and if they accept you they send you there set it all up and tell you what to do aye?

what happens about food and transport and other things like so

[Bart Japan]

they pay you to travel and try to help you a little with how to travel but dont worry about anything it is all fixed for you. As for food if you get good housemates that should be an easy matter of talking to them and finding out where to buy cheap and what to buy. Dont worry if you get the right housemates eating will be the last thing on your shopping list as drinking will use up all your money.

NOVA do it all thats why they charge through the nose. THey take all the risk on you so you pay for it. but then again they really dont want you to be in the company in 12 months unless you are a team player and like puttin gup with their shit.

But all that said this has been a great six month holiday from reall work in australia so I am loving it.

Had a Iaido grading yesterday and missed 1st kyu only got 2nd kyu after 4 months.

Had a Japanese speech contest today, came last and got the please stop studying Japanese award. Who would have thought the Japanese had a sense of humour.

[DeL]

^^ agreed and as stated you can move in to a place that you have organised before you get here but using the nova apartment for a month or two isnt going to kill you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

fair enough, im just scared if i do get accepted they will send me some place in the country, surronded by farms. One of the reasons i want to go to japan is to get into some drifting so going somewhere with very little drifting would be very dissapointing.

[Streeter]

Thats pretty much what happened to me.

I left Aus to goto Osaka but got stationed in Kochi for about 8 months. (You dont get much more country than that)

but just like the country in Aus there isnt much to do so surprise surprise the drifters there are some of the biggest nut cases there are.

I miss Kochi a little, the garages were far more freindly and they really went out of their way to help me get setup. The scene is bigger in Osaka but lately Ive been wondering if thats a good thing or not.

Also parking is ALOT more in big cities, dont forget crime either One other annoying thing is at track days its usually totally packed where as in the country the track days are not only cheaper but you get alot more time too.

So getting "stuck" in a country town may not be such a bad thing.

[DeL]

i guess will wait and see, need to get accepted first. Its just the first drifting i ever saw was from osaka on some old school vids. Wanted to go there ever since. So you are saying ther should hopefully be some sort of drifting where ever i go.

[Streeter]

well from the places Ive been and seen, yeah... maybe not as many cars getting out and about but still drift seems to be all over the place.

[Bart Japan]

THe chances of you going to the country side at the moment are very low. Nova are screaming for teachers because of a fair bit of bad management at every level of Nova. Dont worry we asked to go to the country and we got Nishinomiya a city of 500,000 and only 30 mins from osaka.