New female Japanese PM, but is it really that big of a deal?

Ok, a lot has happened recently here in Japanese politics, so I'll try and keep it brief.

As you already know, Japan has it's first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi. Personally, I'm not so quick to jump for joy, as Australia had its first female PM in Julia Gillard years ago, and that did not go over well - though I felt that was a combination of high expectations, undelivered promises, and Kevin Rudd. From what I have seen of Takaichi, I don't see her pushing for more inclusion of women in positions. I am also concerned that her cabinet is also made up of ministers that have in recent years been tangled up in financial corruption. Takaichi says the matter been resolved, and the ministers involved had been punished - but the fact they have kept their jobs, when your average peasant's head would be rolling in an instant if they did the same thing. Rules for thee but not for me I guess. 

Regarding the policies I have seen so far - the issues of foreigners is the current trend at the moment here in Japan. Most likely in a reaction to Sanseito's sudden rise to relevance in the Upper House elections back in June this year made foreigners the scapegoats by puffing up how crime is rising because of foreigners (it isn't). Some of her policies make sense - basically kick out any foreigner who is breaching their visa or illegally staying in Japan: That is a no brainer. Another is for Japan to refuse "economic refugees" - those leaving their country not because their lives are in danger, but fleeing from poverty and lack of job opportunities. Keep in that mind that successfully getting asylum in Japan is pretty damn difficult, only a handful of people get their refugee status recognized in Japan each year, way less than other countries. Thing is though, some misinformation has been popping up recently about Sanae Takaichi's policies:

The post is absolute BS, if you watch the video in that post, she is reiterating her stance against economic refugees that those illegally staying in Japan. That's it. Don't get why some folks are trying to claim that it's more than that. The fact of the matter is, Japan needs foreigners for labor due to the ongoing declining birth rate, and to get rid of the people who not only fill in gaps in labor, but also contribute to Japan's Health insurance and pension systems would be absolute stupidity on Japan's part. If some politician was dumb enough to pitch that idea, good luck explaining to the people why their health insurance premiums and pension fees are increased without any significant improvements. Very hard sell. 

Unrelated, but the Japanese government did revise the business manager visa earlier last month. The rules and requirements have been tightened to stop certain people from abusing the benefits of the business manager visa. By that, I mean it was clearly intended to stop mainland Chinese from abusing the system to easy Permanent Resident visas for themselves and their families. When this revelation came out, a lot of Japanese people were pissed, and the fact that a of Chinese were bragging about it online did not help one bit. I think there's nothing wrong with tightening the requirements - if you're not going to contribute to the betterment of Japan and simply leach off the benefits, why should you be rewarded with permanent residency?

Toji's Guide/Thoughts on Being an ALT

Ms. Baker (left) is best ALT waifu

In a rare change of pace, I'll be posting a kind of guide here today. I had actually written this up a few months earlier, but decided to hold off on uploading it until it was much closer to the end of my current ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) contract. I figured that since I'll be moving on to a new job at the beginning of next month, I should probably summarize what it's been like for me to be an ALT out in the woop woop parts (a.k.a rural) of Ibaraki  and things to be aware of, for anybody who is thinking of wanting to come to Japan to work. While some might think that ALT work is incredibly easy work, that's not always the case.

Note that these are purely from my own experiences only, and while some of these experiences and pointers may vary from place to place, other pointers are generally applicable to all schools.

1) ALT work does not pay much these days*. 

When I first started working as an ALT in Kamisu city back in mid-2016, I was earning about 13,000 yen a day - approximately 260,000 yen a month. However, after having to move to a different city, my pay was reduced to about 12,500 yen a day - around 250,000. In my current city now? I'm not even earning that. Due to some number manipulating on my employer's part, I'm earning about 12,000 yen a day - 240,000 yen a month. However, this includes the expenses to cover commuting to school. In my previous two cities, the commuting pay was separate from my regular pay.

Regardless of the company, anyone who has been an ALT will generally agree that these days, it's a race to the bottom for companies to pay as little as legally possible to ALTs. While it would seem at first glance that dispatch companies are being tight with money, it's more to do with the Board of Education being tight with the money - but not necessarily by choice. The problem is that the budgets assigned to them by their local/prefectural governments are getting smaller. Despite this, Boards of Education still want good quality ALTs, even if they can't/won't pay accordingly for said ALTs. Dispatch companies want to pay their ALTs more so they'll stay on, but they also want to win more contracts and build up their reputation throughout the country. So it's a snowball effect, starting with governments being stingy on children's education.

While I won't say avoid ALT work like the plague, I would advise that you carefully check how much you will get paid per day - or at the very least, per month. Some job advertisements will show the annual pay, but it seems to be an attempt to hide how little you will be paid. If you can, only take the jobs that pay at least 250,000 yen a month. Also, with the current situation of the CCP virus, dispatch companies are desperate for ALTs right now, and I would dare say that you might have a bit of room to negotiate. Just don't be too greedy if you do try negotiating.

This won't be a problem if you're only thinking of doing a year or two in Japan as an ALT, or using ALT work as a means to get a better job as soon as possible in Japan, but this is not the kind of work you would want to do long term. Some people can make this their living, but I've found those sorts of people tend to be few and far between.

*... However, this is from my experience working for a ALT dispatch company. Companies like Interac and Altia Central are examples of such dispatch companies. If you get lucky and work directly for a city's Board of Education, you will get paid significantly more (I spotted a job-ad not too long ago that was offering 290,000 yen a month), as there is no middle-man taking a cut out of your pay. However, from my own observations, it's rare to see a city's Board of Education advertise for an ALT. In my 5 years in Japan, I've probably seen only 2 - 3 positions advertised, and heard of a co-worker successfully get a direct-hire position. Also, you will most likely need a Japanese driver's license to be eligible for a direct-hire position.

2) Your role will vary depending on your schools. 

Officially, ALTs are there to assist the teacher in teaching English to students. In Junior High School and High School, this will generally ring true. At those schools, there will already be dedicated Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs) to teach English. Your role there will usually be reading from the textbook, checking the students' work, and preparing any extra material that you think may be useful, such as English boards, worksheets and so on. Basically, you get the easy work, and it's no surprise that many ALTs would prefer to work at a JHS or HS. 

Elementary Schools on the other hand... well, that's a different story. Unlike JHS and HS, there's not always going to be a dedicated JTE at an elementary school. There will more often than not be at least one teacher there that can speak English, and therefore, your only point of contact if you have questions or concerns regarding day to day operations at the school (unless you've got some Japanese ability under your belt), but will either not be confident enough to run an English class, or may have other responsibilities running classes for their assigned grade. This means that you will more than likely be preparing the lessons, preparing the materials (assuming the previous ALT didn't leave any materials for you to use) and running the classes, with the homeroom teacher usually playing the assistant role. You may get lucky and have some teachers that will get involved in the lessons and planning process, but I have found that to be the exception, rather than the rule. If you're lucky to have a head teacher who has experience teaching English, and takes charge of lesson planning and running classes for some of the grades - enjoy it while you can. In my five years, I've only encountered two or three teachers who took the lead for the class; two of those teachers were involved in the planning process, while one planned the entire lesson, and kept me in the loop on what they would be doing for what lesson, occasionally asking for my input or ideas.

3) Not all students are created equal.

Presumably, if you're wanting to be an ALT, you should at least have a little bit of experience working with children, or at the very least have the patience to work with children. I mean, you are going to be working at a school after all. A school. Full of children.

While I have been very fortunate to have had pretty good students overall, that streak came to an end this year, with my 6th graders at my elementary school. One class is usually ok, but the other... fucking hell. I hate the class, and I have found that the source of why the class is so bad is down to most of the boys in that class being absolute pieces of shit - disruptive, won't listen, then complain they don't understand because they're disruptive and won't listen. You need to have patience with children, and if you don't have patience for children, or willing to learn patience, do not bother becoming an ALT. 
Generally 6th graders can be arrogant, because they are essentially the kings of Elementary school - of course this comes to a crashing halt the second they go in to Junior high school. But basically, you need to learn to keep your cool in front of the kids, regardless of what happens in the classroom.

In my experience, 4th graders can also be a handful. Oddly enough, despite my earlier comment about 6th graders being arrogant, my experiences have been generally positive aside from this year. The 6th graders I have worked with have mostly been shy, but rarely have they been disruptive. Though the 6th graders that I have worked with for more than 1 year I have found to be a bit more lively, but again, rarely are they disruptive, and I have found those kinds of students to be fun. 
This does carry on a little bit in to junior high school. The 1st graders are usually still full of energy and enthusiasm, though by the time they reach 3rd grade, it's pretty much non-existent - the weight of trying to pass their entrance exams to get in to their desired high school is on their shoulders, and I do not envy the kind of pressure that has been put on them. All I can do for them is help where I can. If they ask for my help, great. If they don't it, that's fine too.

More importantly, what you need to realize is that because you'll be working in a public school, not every student is going to be enthusiastic about learning another language, let alone English. Yes, you'll have a few that genuinely want to learn and improve their English, and in my experience - not just schools in Japan, but language learning in general - girls tend to take English (and language learning) more seriously than boys. That's not to say that there aren't boys who want to learn and improve their English, but you'll find it more likely that girls will be studying harder for English. So, if you aren't getting a good reaction from your students, it could simply be that they're not really in to English, and not necessarily a problem with you personally.
Of course, if you decide to work in an Eikaiwa, most of your students are there because they want to improve their English (or at least, their parents want them to).

4) Welcome to the rice fields, motherfucker. 

While you might get assigned to a major city, and be able to get by with zero or very little Japanese (more on that in the next section), chances are, you're going to be assigned to work in a rural city. Depending on your personal preference, this could be seen as a paradise of peace and quiet, or it could be absolute torture and boredom. If you're in the latter category, I'd suggest finding an apartment near a train station that can take you somewhere more lively for the weekend.

On the other hand, while it is possible to get to your school by bike or walking, having a driver's license from your home country will make you more appealing to ALT dispatch companies, as it means they can assign you to cities and schools where you might need a car. Most companies will provide a car  (for a certain monthly fee) to get to school and to allow you to go about your day to day business. If you do decide to go for a company car, the company will reimburse you for the daily cost of commutes to school, and will pay for the regular car inspections (the shaken/車検). In addition, they will cover any repairs to the car, provided it wasn't your fault. If you have a valid license from your home country, it means you have the opportunity to transfer it in to a Japanese driver's license. 

Also, being in a small rural town means news travels around fast. This also means that as an ALT, you could potentially face greater scrutiny if you're caught doing something you're not supposed to or, just as bad, be accused of something you didn't do (especially if you're a man). Potential punishment can vary between having to leave the city (and your employer having to assign you somewhere else quickly), to being outright fired by the company. I have known this to happen to some friends who are no longer ALTs, but have fortunately bounced back and are still living and working in Japan.

5) If you want better work in Japan, git gud at Japanese, gaijin.

While ALT dispatch companies will advertise that Japanese ability isn't required, it's partly true. While you might not need Japanese to teach English at your schools, you will definitely need Japanese ability to get by outside of school. If you happen to be assigned to a rural city as discussed above, Japanese ability is a must. Need to go to the doctor? You're going to need Japanese to adequately tell them what's wrong. Need to set up an account for your apartment's utilities or phone? You're going to need Japanese. Need to go to city hall for anything? You will need Japanese, but some city halls will have a booth dedicated to assisting foreigners, though I am not sure if this is standard across the country or not. Fortunately, some cities have night schools for learning Japanese, and it might be an idea to take it up if you're thinking of living in Japan long term.

Alternatively, you could work at an Eikaiwa school, which pays more than typical ALT work. However if you want a job in Japan beyond being an ALT or Eikaiwa instructor, you will need Japanese proficiency, along with physical proof of that proficiency. By that, I mean you need to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test - more commonly known as the JLPT (or 能力試験). Most non-ALT jobs these days will require that you at least have JLPT N2 certification, which is roughly the equivalent of advanced/business level Japanese, with N1 being considered the equivalent of native level Japanese. If you can at least get N2 certification, it will open up a lot more job opportunities for you within the country.

If you're intending to take the JLPT, there are plenty of textbooks available to purchase to cover vocabulary, grammar, kanji, reading and listening. The JLPT is held twice a year in Japan (first Sunday of July and December), whereas most other countries only hold it once a year in December. Registering for the test isn't cheap, but the benefit of having that certification is worth it.

6) The Summer Vacation - the good and the bad.

There are two things you need to be aware of concerning working as an ALT in public schools: Your schedule follows that of the school year, and you're paid based on the number of days you work each month. But the thing is, you will receive your pay the following month. For example, your pay for January will arrive in February. Since you won't be working in August because of the summer vacation, come September... see where I'm getting at here?

Some companies will pay between 50-75% of your regular monthly pay to help you get by until you receive your September pay in October. I believe Interac is one of the dispatch companies that does this. Unfortunately, my employer is not so gracious, though they do offer a little extra work during the summer break so I got a little bit of pay to get me through the following month, which was why I loved only having two weeks of summer vacation last year. In any case, it's recommended that before the summer break, you save up some money to help you get through September.

Also, be especially aware if you're starting in August (or even April), this is even more important, as your first pay won't arrive until two months later. Fortunately, my employer was upfront about this part before I moved to Japan to start work. At the very least, you should ask your employer what their policy is regarding pay for the summer break when factoring in the initial cost of moving to Japan.

In Conclusion

Those are my pointers for the moment, though I will be sure to update this post if there are any other key points that I think would be important for anybody who is wanting to become an ALT in Japan. However, due to the coronavirus, it's more difficult to enter the country at the moment, so you'll need to factor the cost of quarantine on top of everything else if you are able to get in to Japan

Lastly, while this post could be seen as hating on ALT work (and there are plenty of former ALTs out there who do hate the job with a passion), ALT work is not all bad. There is some joy in teaching students English, and see them improve over time. But as I mentioned earlier, this is not a long term job. At the very least, it's a good experience, and also a good way to move on to better jobs in Japan - provided you're willing to put that extra work in to be eligible for a better job. On top of that, though, you need to be prepared to accept that Japan is not exactly like what you see in anime and pop-culture. It's quite different from western culture in some ways, but in others it borrows a lot from it too, creating this weird fusion between old and modern. In any case, the first few weeks will be a little bumpy as you acclimate to your new environment, but if you're able to stick it out, you'll come out of it for the better.

At some point, I will probably shift this guide over to my main site, as this will probably get buried by future posts.

Lies! Deceptions!

When you prepared all week for an interview that you were told was going to test your Japanese proficiency for the role, yet the next round interviews turn out to be done almost entirely in English:

While it is a relief that the interview was over, it did feel anti-climatic that I was only asked maybe 2-3 questions in Japanese. Fortunately, they were questions I actually prepared for, and I was able to use the questions I prepared in Japanese to answer the questions that they ended up asking me in English

Has Japan changed me?

 So I just had a quick read about this post, and figured I should write about whether any of those applied to me, and why/why not. I mean, I've lived in Japan for 6 years now - five of those years dedicated to working in rural towns in Ibaraki prefecture.

 1. Your English will change.

Eh... not really. However I do feel my accent has changed a bit. Given that I'm from Down Under, I have to adjust my accent accordingly to teach English to students, as they're learning based on American English. The rare times I tell off students, or just having a bit of fun, I'll let loose the Aussie accent. At the very least they'll stop what they're doing and stare at me in surprise, confusion and horror that I can talk like that. 

When I'm outside of the classroom though, I swear like a madman, much to my girlfriend's annoyance - though I try to cut back on it. Also, hanging out with non-Japanese friends does help in avoiding the use of loan words.

2. Your alcohol tolerance will increase.

My case is a bit unique in that I quit drinking since coming to Japan, and haven't really been drinking ever since I graduated over 6 years back. Partly due to health reasons, partly due to being the only one among my friends and girlfriend who can drive us anywhere. So yeah, no alcohol for this guy anymore... though I do miss the cocktail parties, I'm not gonna lie.

3. You'll travel more around Japan than abroad.

Before the pandemic, I would often go to Tokyo to visit my girlfriend.  Unfortunately, Tokyo is the last place I want to visit right now, especially how cases of the Wuhan virus have spiked since the beginning of the Olympics. During this pandemic, my girlfriend and I have traveled to other towns - whether it be for berry picking, or going to an outlet mall where you can usually find a good bargain on retail goods. Also this year, before the summer break concludes, we're planning to go to a ryokan in Gunma.

4. You’ll find yourself automatically following the rules

I feel this is partially to do with the common Japanese expression "The nail that sticks out gets hammered in" (出る釘は打たれる) - and this applies especially to foreigners. For some weird reason, Japanese don't like the idea of people stick out or being unique. And when it comes to following rules, if you break them as a foreigner, you stand out even more - not to mention give foreigners a bad name. 

Also, while Japanese people generally follow the rules, the pandemic has shown me that this is not always the case.

5. You won’t worry about being single 

Given that I've been in a steady relationship for a number of years now, this really doesn't apply to me.  

6. You will join the church of the konbini 

 Anyone who has been to Japan for any period of time will know that convenience stores in Japan are pretty awesome and... convenient, especially in big cities. Though in rural towns, while there are convenience stores, your mileage may vary. In the previous town I was living, there were 3 convenience stores within a 5 minute walk from my apartment. In my current town? It's more like a 15 minute walk to get to two of them.
However, supermarkets are in most cases going to be the cheaper option. The only difference being that they're usually not open 24/7. But it cannot be denied that convenience stores in Japan are great for those times you need a quick bite or need to pay your bills.

7. You take an umbrella everywhere – even when it’s just drizzling

Haha. Nope.

8.You appreciate the seasons more

I appreciate that I would rather spend summer back in Australia than in Japan.

Also, before the pandemic, I enjoyed going to the summer festivals, especially when I was living in my previous town. Since I was living in the town center, where the summer festival was also held, it was a two minute walk to get there. Plus it was always a nice surprise to bump in to my students who were also attending.
Yeah, I really miss the summer festivals.

As for other seasonal events, I never really did pay that much attention to them. I haven't been to see the autumn leaves since I was in Kyoto 6 years ago, haven't been to any hanami-related events for perhaps 3-4 years now. However, I did go to a temple for New Year this year. 

So, has Japan changed me? If we were to use the above as a benchmark... no, not really. However, there is one aspect I feel that Japan has changed me that the article hasn't covered: patience. Since coming to Japan, I've learned to be more patient with things, and come to understand that Japan does certain things differently to Australia - for better or for worse. Also, despite working in elementary/junior high schools, it is generally better than working in hospitality in that I don't have to deal with drunk people. 

Christmas in Japan 2019

Came back from a two day trip in Tokyo to spend time with my girlfriend. Feels a little strange since I was back home celebrating Christmas last year.

Getting around Tokyo (especially Ikebukuro Station) during that time was pretty much:

On the 24th, we had KFC for dinner - the traditional Christmas dinner for all who celebrate Christmas in Japan. As for the 25th, we went to a small Italian restaurant in Sugamo. I have to admit, I really enjoyed the gnocchi they served, as it also had pieces of sweet potato thrown in to the mix, which gave the dish a surprisingly mild and sweet taste to go with the cheesy sauce. Would definitely have it again if the given the opportunity. On the 26th, my girlfriend needed to work on her thesis for most of the day, so I wandered around Akihabara and Ikebukuro before meeting up to buy each other's late Christmas presents. I bought her an external hard drive, whereas she bought me a HG Char's Zaku II (Red Comet version), and some protein powder.

While we weren't able to spend much time together, due to her having to finish up her thesis for submission by the beginning of next month, I was happy to see her, as it has been about two months since we last saw each other. She promised to make up for it after she's submitted her thesis next month by coming to Chikusei (which she hasn't done in quite some time). While it is a small city, I want to go check out Furispo, as in all my time here, I've never been there, despite having heard about it, and even passing by it from time to time. I guess it's one of those places you'd go with friends rather than alone. Anyway, having her come to visit is something to look forward to.

Getting a Japanese Driver's License

After over an hour's drive to Mito from Chikusei, and a five hour wait between submitting all my documents to getting my photo taken and some final details, I have finally received my Japanese driver's license. The best part of it, is that I don't need to renew my license until 2020. However, with all the patting myself on the back and jerking myself off over such a tremendous feat in the history of gaijin...

You know what? I will just skip to the part of the general process of transferring your home country's license in to a Japanese license, should you ever need to drive in Japan beyond one year.

Before you even go to a Licensing Center, you will need the following documents:

- Your home country's driver's license * (more on this after)
- A translated copy of your driver's license (which has to be done by the Japanese Automobile Federation, or JAF)
- Your passport
- Your residence card
- Your certificate of residency, which shows your current address and your nationality (you can get this from City Hall - it cost 250 yen when I asked for one in Chikusei)
- Passport size photo, though you can do this at the licensing center. The one at the Mito licensing center can do it for 800 yen, though 8 photos, so it's handy if you need extra photos in the future.
- Decent Japanese language proficiency. If you're not that confident in handling this on your own, I would recommend you bring someone with decent proficiency, or if you are lucky, bring a native speaking friend along.
- Also, I would recommend bringing a book, or something to help pass the time (I brought my 3ds), as you will be waiting around for long periods of time

In truth, I tried to apply two weeks ago, and found out that I needed the certificate of residency. From various material I had been reading online, the information regarding the required documents led me to believe that my residence card alone would have been sufficient, but that wasn't the case. It's called a juuminhyou (住民票), literally certificate of residence. As I mentioned above, you will need to go to your city hall and request for one. They will want you to tick a number of boxes which indicate what information you want displayed on this certificate. I was not too sure what specifically the licensing center wanted, so I just checked all the boxes to include all the information just in case. It costs 250 yen, so this won't hurt your wallet at all.

Next, you will need to head to the Driver's Licensing Center in your prefecture. Depending on where you live, this could be a fairly short trip, or it can be a long one. The licensing center for Ibaraki prefecture is located in Mito, and it takes a little over an hour from Chikusei city. Besides bringing money to pay for your license, I would recommend either bringing food and drink along, or have some money to buy some food and drink, as this can take up most of your day. In addition the booth for applying to transfer your home country's license to a Japanese one is only open for a very short time - for the center in Mito, it is only open from 9:00am - 10:00am weekdays, so you may have to take a day off to do this. I was lucky this time around, as due to schedule changes for my schools, I had today off, so I did not have to worry for applying for time off.

Once you arrive at the Licensing center, you will need to head to the booth for transferring international licenses in to Japanese licenses. It should be marked in English as well as Japanese, otherwise, just look for 外国. They will give you some forms to fill out, and they will point out which fields you need to fill in, and you will receive a separate form to check some boxes. In Mito, they also gave a separate English form for this on top of the Japanese one, so you know what the questions mean. Basically it's asking whether you've driven under the influence of alcohol, ever passed out due to medical conditions, and so on. Once you have filled that out, you return to the booth, and they will ask for all your required documents.
With regards to your home country's license, they will want to know when your license was first issued. If your driver's license does not contain that information, you will need to obtain that from your country's department of transport, or equivalent for that, otherwise you will not get any further. I have also read that some people who renewed their license before coming to Japan have also encountered difficulty, as you are required to have stayed at least 3 months in your home country after receiving your driver's license (hence, why they want your passport). I had actually renewed my license a month before arriving in Japan, so I was concerned I would not get approval, though my driver's license had the date of when I first received my license, which was over 10 years ago. Apparently this was fine for me, but I have heard other stories where this is not the case, so it is possible this could vary from prefecture to prefecture. I asked the JAF at the time I had my license translated, though they said I would be fine. In any case, just be aware of this. Oddly enough, they asked me about the nature of the driving lessons I took in Australia, such as how often I had lessons, how often I practiced, and whether I took some form of test. Since it had been over ten years, I couldn't remember the specifics, so I ended up giving general answers, which they seemed to be satisfied with.

If all goes well, you will end up in one of two situations. Japan appears to have some sort of agreement with the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Taiwan, South Korea, or USA (only Maryland or Washington)
If you happen to be from any of these countries, congratulations!  You do not need to take a written or driving test. In fact all you need to do is take a very simple eye test which only takes less than 2 minutes.
If you are not fortunate enough to be from any of the above countries - you will need to take a ten question true/false test before doing a driving test. I don't know much about this section, as I fall under the former category and only had to take the eye test.

After my eye test, they took me to another room to get my photo taken. Since I went there in casual, my photo does make me look a bit scruffy, but compared to other photos for licenses/passports, it is not actually that bad. Anyway, after some more waiting, I finally received my license, and some instructions about instances on if I move or change my name due to marriage. They also gave me a small leaflet explaining in greater detail those things. By the time I was ready to leave, it was already 3:00pm - over my half of my day gone right there, add to that the drive back to Chikusei, and I didn't get home until just before 4:30pm.
I have to admit, compared to the system of getting a license in Australia, Japan's system is a bit of a pain to go through. If not for the fact I live an hour away from the licensing center, I would have gone home in between waiting periods. I don't remember having to spend an entire day at a licensing center in Australia just to get my driver's license, though I suspect things have changed since I first got my license over ten years ago. All in all, it certainly was an interesting experience - and while there plenty of pages online that highlight this process, I felt like adding my two cents on my experiences going though the system in Japan.

Kamisu City - Initial Thoughts

After about an hour and a half of driving from Mito city, I finally arrived in Kamisu city yesterday afternoon. I had heard, and also read up about how you would need a car to get around. Man, they were not kidding. Since the driving system in Japan is pretty much the same in Australia (left hand drive, right hand steering wheel, etc), it was pretty easy to get to the hang of things. One thing I will say though: I'm not sure if this is just a Kamisu thing, or Japanese people in general, but for a country that is really hung up on following rules, nobody around Kamisu even tries to do the speed limit. On the major roads, I think it's about 50 km/h (which for me is pretty slow, since the average on most roads in my home city is 70 km/h), but it's not uncommon for people to be going faster. On top of that, I hardly saw any pedestrians out and about - at most I probably saw 10 people, with the majority getting around by car. When even the convenient stores have a sizeable car park, it's definitely a sign that Kamisu is car-dominated city.

Anyway, my apartment upon arrival was completely bare - no fridge, no washer, no microwave, not even any curtains. However, I was advised that the fridge/washer/microwave would be arriving on monday afternoon. On the other hand, I had to go out and buy everything else, and I also spent today purchasing the remainder of my necessities. Learning from my times as an international student, I've stuck to purchasing cheap things, including a cheap mattress, a cheap fold up table, and a cheap stool. As I'm not going to start getting paid until late October, I've been putting together goals, and keeping a closer eye on  my purchases so I can keep my expenditure as low as possible. As I also want to travel to Kyoto for Christmas for the 2 week winter break to visit my girlfriend, it's even more important that I try to get on top this now while I'm in the settling period. Fortunately, most of the necessities I've purchased are the sorts of things I can use in future accommodation, so it's short term pain for long term gain.

I will be starting my first day of work on Thursday. I am a bit nervous, especially because I did so-so on my demo lessons during the training, though I was told in feedback that my lesson plan is technically sound; I just need the confidence to be able to perform in front of a classroom of students, and I am hoping this will become easier after the first few days of work.

Almost time to go

After over two months since my last post, I'm now in the final 11 days before I head off to Japan. While my training in Mito city does not begin until the 22nd of this month, I decided to leave earlier to spend a week in Kyoto. It is strange how it's been over a year since I was last in Japan. While my girlfriend came to visit me for two weeks, I feel I should spend a bit more time with her before starting my new job. Fortunately, while we will be apart (again), we'll at least be in the same country this time (laughs).

Since my last post, the company has confirmed where I will be working - Kamisu city, in the southern part of Ibaraki prefecture. To give you an idea, it's about an hour and a half drive away from Tokyo.
I've never been to Kamisu city before, let alone the Ibaraki prefecture, and neither have any of my friends. As far as I can tell it is a rural area - something I was not surprised about, and I certainly do welcome the opportunity to experience a different aspect of Japan, as all of my previous experiences have been in the major cities.

Despite some training being provided, I am admittedly nervous, as I will be teaching elementary school kids. Because of this, I have been told I will be running the class, and coming up with lesson plans, as opposed to assisting - a role that is usually more for foreigners working high school students. They have told me that there is a syllabus to work from, but I am also free to write up my own material. Having no experience in teaching children in a classroom environment, I am panicking a little bit. However, I know that there are other resources available online for teaching english as a second language - resources that I used in preparation for my demo lesson for the interview process (and follow up interviews for city placement). Furthermore, my mother used to be an English teacher, and has been providing me with advice on materials, and how to write up lesson plans.

I know that the first few weeks will be particularly stressful, just as it was stressful adjusting to studying abroad. Hopefully, I can adjust fairly quickly this time around. I will probably look in to support groups for foreigners teaching working in Japan. I have heard and briefly come across such a thing while job hunting earlier this year, so I think I'll follow up on that before I go.

From International Student to English Teacher

It's been over a year since I last updated this blog, but I do have some news with regards to what is happening in my life.

Recently, I have been employed by a company in Japan to be an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) to help teach English to children at public schools in Japan. Due to the conditions of my contract, I won't name the company that I am with, but I do plan to post about my experiences in dealing with them. As I haven't started working yet, I intend to post about the process that led me to being offered a job - in another post, which should hopefully be coming soon.

The End of a Journey: 道の終わり

The past fortnight has been really hectic, with tying a lot of loose ends, spending a lot of time with my girlfriend, and... returning to Australia. By the way, I've been back home since the 21st of this month in case you were wondering.

Looking back on the past year, I am really glad that I decided to undertake on such a great opportunity to study in Japan - more specifically at Ryukoku University in Kyoto. Not only did I gain greater proficiency in Japanese compared to when I first arrived in Kyoto, but I have experienced many things and places, made many new friends - and met a very special someone. Admittedly, the last few days before I left were really difficult for the both of us, though we did spend everyday together doing things, whether it be cooking and eating together at my dorm, watching movies, eating out at more well known cafes and restaurants, to even just helping me send my parcels back to Australia. We also went to Arashiyama, which was a really fun experience, even if it wasn't quite spring at that time. Despite all this, we have decided to continue being together (albeit in a long distance relationship), and we have continued to stay in regular contact. However, I am planning to return to Kyoto in August for a little over a week to be with my girlfriend, and once again in January. 

Ultimately, my goal is to work in Japan, and I am hoping to accomplish this by next year (pending on my results of last semester at Ryukoku University). In the meantime, I want to pass N2 for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, keep up to scratch with my Japanese conversation skills by finding a club if possible (and regularly talking with my girlfriend), and to continue researching on possible companies that I want to work for in Japan. I have already begun asking around, though the JET Programme seems to be the most recommended option, despite my hesitation that I will most likely not get my preference of working at a school in Kyoto. At the very least, I would like to work at a school that is near Kyoto, just so it will be easier to stay in contact with my girlfriend while she is still studying .
Oh, and the other thing I want to do is find some work, though one of my old bosses has offered me some temporary work in the meantime - hopefully that will expand to at least next year, though I have been assured six weeks to fill in for someone who will be on leave during that time. I'll most certainly know more about the situation when I speak to my old boss later this week.

So as it is, I'll leave this blog up for people who are interested in wanting to know a little bit more about living in Japan (as a student).

二日間の神戸の旅行 - Two-day Kobe Trip (part 2)

Following from Two-day Kobe Trip (part 1)

The next day, we checked out of our hotel, and planned to go to the Herb Gardens. Straight after leaving the hotel, we went to a small bread shop to have a late-ish breakfast. It was interesting little shop in that the main shop was on the ground floor, but two floors up (via stairs) was a small little dining area for customers who want to eat their purchased bread and have juice or coffee also.

After breakfast, we stopped by the station and put our luggage in a locker again, before we headed off to the Herb Gardens. We used the rope way to get there, which is located near the Shin Kobe station, and more or less right next to the ANA Crown Plaza, so access to it is very convenient. After paying for tickets, we boarded the rope way, and enjoyed the trip and the view of Kobe.

Interestingly enough, the weather that day was shifting back and forth between rain and snow while we were out, but when we took the rope way, it was definitely snowing - which made it pretty damn cold to be hanging around outside while we were at the herb gardens. We had a look at the small museum that was there, explaining the history of how flowers were used to make perfumes, and even had samples to smell. We also went up to the upper levels to see a small hall there for plays/concerts and what not, but nothing was happening there that day, so it was pretty quiet there. However, we went outside from that area to take a look at the view outside. Apparently we were able to see Osaka from where we were, but even with the coin operated binoculars there to use, it was still pretty far away. 

After that, we decided to take the path to walk down towards the greenhouse. As it was out of season, most of the flowers and plants were not in bloom, though we decided to take a look and those that were in the process of growing. We had a look at the signs, and found it a little amusing that despite some plants having more than one sign assigned to them, they had two different spellings for the plant - in katakana, surprisingly - such as the Roman Chamomile below:

We ended up at the greenhouse, and took a look around. We not only had some pancakes at the cafe that was there, but we also decided to take a foot bath that was located just outside of the greenhouse. It was great considering that it was cold, though it was a bit annoying that the way it was set up, you could only sit and face towards the greenhouse, as opposed to the city that was behind us.

Afterwards, we left the Herb Gardens, and made our way to Nankin-machi - Kobe's China-town. We walked around, and purchased almost everything we passed by. As we had eaten quite a bit after that, we decided to skip having dinner, and go straight to Kobe Tower - something we were planning to do the previous day, but ran out of time.

Despite having gone up Kobe Tower on a previous trip, the view was still amazing regardless. Considering the price (less than 1000 yen), you would be crazy not to go. I've only been to Kobe Tower at night, but I love going at night, just to see everything light up.

After spending some time at Kobe Tower, we finally decided to take the train back to Kyoto station. When we returned to Kyoto, it was still snowing surprisingly.

(Sorry it took a little while to get part 2 up)

二日間の神戸の旅行 - Two-day Kobe Trip (part 1)

最近忙しすぎたから、神戸の旅行についてまだ書いていなかった。ごめんみんな！

Back at the end of January, just after exams had finished, we (my girlfriend and I) went to Kobe for two days. We had originally planned to go just after Christmas, during the Christmas break, but because she fell ill just before we were about to go, we decided to reschedule to go after our exams finished.

Getting to Kobe from Kyoto doesn't take that long by train, and it takes even shorter time by taking the Super Express. We arrived at Kobe before lunch, and decided to leave most of our bags in the locker at the train station. The reason for this, is because the hotel we booked at (The Meriken park Oriental Hotel) was way out of the way from where we were going that day, and it would take too long to check-in and leave our bags and then go back. Furthermore, it doesn't cost that much to use the lockers anyway, and there was no time limit.
From the station, we headed to Kitano - a historical district of Kobe that is known for having a lot of European-style housing that was built during the later part of the Meiji era, and early part of the Taisho era. Many of the houses are still used for residential purposes, but a number of them have been converted in to museums, so the area is a tourist attraction. As this area is right up along the hill of Kobe, and having been accustomed to the relatively flat surface of Kyoto for so long, it was a little bit of a struggle for us to be accustomed to walking up such a steep surface.

We were out at Kitano for most of the day, though by late afternoon/early evening, we started to make our way to the bay area, looking at shops along the way. My girlfriend wanted to go to a particular bread shop, as it is one of the better known bread shops in Kobe - oh and Kobe is known for bread, as my girlfriend explained to me, which I found very surprising. As a port town, and given my experiences from of Fremantle (a port town) back home, I just assumed it was more known for seafood than anything else - but apparently that is not the case. 

Compared to other bread shops that I've been to in Kobe and in other areas of Japan, this particular shop had a different system in which you purchase bread. Rather than pick out the bread by yourself, you stand behind a rail, and the staff instead will help pick out the bread that you want. According to the staff, this is more to help customers who aren't sure of particular breads, and rather than have the customers handle it, the staff are able to explain about the specific breads, and even offer recommendations based on what the customer is after. I found it to be a rather interesting system, though was curious about how this would operate when the store becomes busy. However, I didn't get the chance to ask that question, so we left with our purchases in hand, and continued towards the bay area.

Originally, we had planned to go to Kobe Tower, but by the time we had already arrived the tower was soon closing (last entry is at 6:30pm). So instead, we decided to go grab some dinner just across from the tower. However, we found that since it was Friday, many of the restaurants were very busy, and others were a little bit too expensive for us students. We checked a map of the building we were in, and decided to check all of the restaurants that we were interested in. Eventually, we settled on one restaurant that had a nice view of the tower, and was decently priced. We ended up purchasing Pizza, and a serving of cheese fondue, which was the restaurant's main specialty.

After dinner, we finally checked in to our hotel. Since we checked in on a weekday, the price was really cheap - roughly $50 per person, compared to the usual which would be over $100 at least. Anyway, as we were being led to our room, the staff was explaining a number of things to us, most of which I didn't understand. However, when my girlfriend asked some questions about water, and vending machines, apparently he responded in a way that even my girlfriend couldn't even understand, but was too embarrassed to ask again. Well, we eventually found out that there were no vending machines at all in the hotel, which was a total pain. However, the room, despite it being a standard room was pretty damn nice. It had a nice view of the city, with Kobe Tower right in front of us. I didn't take a picture of the room unfortunately, but here's one I grabbed from the net to give you an idea of what our room was like:

While there were no vending machines, and the closest convenience store was pretty far from the hotel itself (past Kobe tower easily), there was a small fridge with drinks available for purchase. But, given that it is a fancy hotel, the price for drinks was really expensive, even for Japanese standards. We settled on the cheapest drink available - water for $2. It sucked, but it couldn't be helped.

Anyway, I'll finish this post now, and write up about the next day's experiences in another post. Stay tuned.

三日間の東京の旅行 - Three-day Tokyo Trip

Yesterday, I returned from a 3 day trip to Tokyo, together with my girlfriend. Admittedly we only did bare minimum planning, and as a result the trip was a little rushed, though still fun nonetheless.

We took the Shinkansen from Kyoto station to Tokyo, which took a little over two hours. We were able to get student discount by applying for it at the university, so we both saved a little bit of money for the trip. The other alternative was to take the midnight bus, which would take 6-7 hours, and we would probably get very little sleep on the trip, so we chose the Shinkansen as a result. 

When we got to Tokyo, we headed over to Asakusa-bashi to check in to our hotel - except we made the booking for the same hotel over at Asakusa and not Asakusa-bashi. So after a little bit more navigating around through the Tokyo's train network, and a little bit of a walk, we finally checked in to our hotel just after lunch. For a hotel that cost just under $50, it was a nice room (though not as nice as the one we stayed at in Kobe, but I'll talk about that in another post). My only criticism would be that the bathroom was ridiculously small: so small in that the sink was located next to the entrance way of our room. Anyway, after little bit of a rest, we decided to go to Akihabara.

It had been two years since I had been to Akihabara. Compared to Osaka's DenDen Town, Akihabara is a beast in terms of finding your way around. I remember some of the places that I had been to previously, including some of the game centers, and a few of the anime goods stores. One thing I've found though, is that while there are plenty of stores and buildings around, it is for that very reason that you'll usually get a decent bargain for goods. While in Akihabara, I purchased the Master Grade Exia Dark Matter gunpla for about $40, whereas the usual RRP would be around $50. I also picked up a Figma of Tekkman Evil (or Saber as he was called in the english-dub all those years ago) for about $30, and some MSG weapon accessories also - in order to make Conroy's custom Jegan ECOAS type gunpla once I return home. Interestingly, I also picked up an old Star Wars figure of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker for just over $10. I used to have a lot of Star Wars figures when I was younger, but eventually gave them to my nephews. I found the same figure in Osaka, but cost twice as much, and was fortunate enough to come across this in a Tokyo store. We spent a few hours there, having ramen for a late lunch in the process, before heading to Odaiba.

I have been to Odaiba previously, but never in the evening. As a result, it was a real treat to see the 1/1 scale of the RX-78-2 in the evening. I had a look at the small trailer shop inside, and was surprised to see some new Gundam Front Tokyo exclusive gunpla, such as a HG Gundam Unicorn Phenex, and a two pack of the Unicorn and Banshee Norn, each with exclusive weapons. Furthermore, the Unicorn was a glossy white kind of plastic, with green psyco-frame. The Banshee Norn also had green psyco-frame, though the weapon included is one that can be found in the Gunpla Builder's part accessories products. Furthermore, because it was more expensive than usual, I decided against buying it.
We also had a look at the Gundam Front museum. It was updated this time in that it also featured Gundam Unicorn and Gundam Build Fighters related things on display. Also, compared to my last trip, the exhibition area had changed in that it was now about celebrating the 35 years of Gundam, including showing all the series and related Gunpla that were released in line with each series - though it was only restricted to the main Gundams/mobile suits of the series (though I noted that there was no love for the second season of Gundam 00). Also, they were heavily promoting the soon to be released Gundam: The Origin OVA.
Finally, we went to the cinema area. Again, different from when I went previously. The main features that I enjoyed were the One of Seventy Two short film, and the Shambloo vs. Neo Zeong fight in Odaiba. One of Seventy Two was more or less a fight involving the Sleeves' upgraded Bawoo (resembling Full Frontal's Sinanju) against the Unicorn Unit 2 Banshee, and the Unicorn Unit 3 Phenex. Both the Banshee and the Phenex take on the Bawoo, before the Phenex goes completely out of control, attacking the Banshee and its mothership also. The Shambloo vs. Neo Zeong fight was very interesting - though frankly I think the Shambloo has nothing on Neo Zeong. After that, we had a quick snack before we caught up with one of my friends who I used to work with back in Australia.

The next day, we went to Disney Sea. It's actually the first time in 20 years that I've been to a Disney theme park, so it was quite an interesting experience. We decided to take advantage of the Fast Pass, and used it for the rides with the longer waiting times - which we were able to check regularly on their site via my phone, which meant we were able to make the most of our time. We ended up using the Fast Pass on the Tower of Terror, and one of Indiana Jones rides. My experiences of rides when I was a kid was certainly different to how I felt about them now. They really weren't that scary - it was more like driving a car; that I had no control of, and was going really fast. But it was very exciting nonetheless. The Tower of Terror, however, was a different story. I've never ridden on any drop-style kind of rides before, so I didn't know what to expect. Compared to what I've seen before, this ride is mostly done in the dark - so you rarely see anything - only the feeling of free fall, which was really scary. It was scary, but exciting as well - it's very hard to describe.
Aside from the rides, we also ate snacks as we walked along, trying various flavours of popcorn, including black pepper, orange marmalade, strawberry, and - my personal favourite - curry flavoured popcorn. We also tried Mickey Mouse shaped churros, and I had maple balls and icecream, along with some coffee to help keep me going. We ended up having dinner there also - it wasn't anything spectacular, but I did particularly enjoy the sauce and the rice that was served with the meal for some reason.
We stayed all day to watch the final show, along with the fireworks before leaving Disney Sea.

The final day, we went to Asakusa and Tokyo Sky Tree. Because it was the weekend, it was incredibly busy at Asakusa. It was a really different experience compared to Kyoto. As a result, I just did not enjoy it as much as when I came for the very first time. I also found that food shops have introduced new rules that whatever you buy from them, you need to eat it either in front of their stall, or around it. My girlfriend explained that this was something that was introduced a few years back, certainly after my first trip in 2008. I'm not entirely sure about the reason however. I also find that some of the shopkeepers to be a bit rude to me, maybe because I'm a foreigner and he had to deal with a lot of foreigners - but he just assumed that I didn't understand when he told me the price of the food (in Japanese). I was searching through my wallet for adequate change after he said the price the first time, before repeating in English and showing the price on his calculator. Ok, fair enough, that I'm foreign, but when I reply with "はい" after you've told me the price the first time, assume that I understand what you just said. It was a minor gripe, though my girlfriend told me that Tokyo station staff seem to be a little ruder compared to those in Kyoto when she asked them questions on which lines/platforms to take to get somewhere. Maybe they're just finding being polite in Tokyo to be too tiring?
Anyway, after Asakusa, we caught up with another one of my friends for pie and coffee at Tokyo station. All three of us certainly had a lot to talk about, including life in my hometown (as she had worked there for a year, and that was how we met), and my friend seemed to be really happy to meet my girlfriend. After about 2-3 hours of hanging out, my friend had to leave for another appointment, and we headed over to Tokyo Sky Tree.

Admittedly, we were pretty tired by the time we headed to Tokyo Sky Tree. We were planning to go up the tower, but because of the rather long line, and the cost of getting in, we decided to give it a miss. However, there was a small ice skating ring set up right next to the tower, and we both decided to do a little ice skating. It had been a little while since I last ice skated, so I was little rusty at first, but quickly got back in to the swing of things. My girlfriend on the other hand, had never ice skated at all, so I helped her out and showed her the basics of how to move around, and generally just making sure that she didn't fall over. For someone who had never ice skated before, she got the hang of it pretty quickly, and the fact that she did not fall over even once (without me holding her) is pretty impressive. After a little while, we decided to stop, and take a look around the shops some more, before we finally decided to head back to Tokyo station and head home by Shinkansen.

All in all, it was a fun trip, albeit a little poorly planned on our part. If we had the money, I would definitely like to stay for a week, but no more than that. I find that compared to Kyoto life, Tokyo life is just so damn busy. I also remembered that there was a time that I envied Tokyo for being covered completely in high-rise buildings, but when I went there on this trip, I found it really overwhelming. I commend anyone who is actually able to live in Tokyo and able to manage the busy life, as I don't think I could take it.

I have been meaning to post about my Kobe trip from a few weeks back, so expect my next post to be about that (hopefully).

End of Semester

Last week, I finished the last of my exams - and therefore the end of the semester, and official end of my year in Japan. Unofficially, I'm staying until the end of March to do some travelling and catch up with friends I haven't seen in some time.

To be honest, I'm quite surprised that this semester went by really quickly. First, I was just getting to know some of the new students that came to Japan at the beginning of the semester back in September, and before I knew it, it's already February 2015. The worst thing, is that only now I'm just starting to get to know those students, and they're pretty cool to talk to and hang out with. Furthermore, after the farewell parties last week, it started to sink in that the other students and friends who have also finished will also be leaving soon, with two of my friends going back home next week. It has also started to sink in for my girlfriend that we only have two months before I go home, though not for good. 

I have been thinking about our future. I do want to come back and work in Japan, but it will most likely not be until next year. I want to do some part-time work back home in Australia, just to get some money coming back in again, and during that time, prepare for the JLPT N2 exam that I was not able to take last year due to illness. Hopefully I can come back for a holiday in August to see my girlfriend for a little while, and possibly again in December/January, if circumstances allow it. After that, I would want to start looking for work in Japan as an english teacher, though not necessarily through the ever so popular JET Programme. My main is concern is where I would end up working if I decided to go through JET. While you're officially allowed to put your preferences of where you want to work, it's very rare you ever get those preferences, especially if you're proficiency in Japanese is very good. The story I have heard is that those with high proficiency are usually sent to small, out of the way, country towns, whereas those with little to no Japanese proficiency are sent to the bigger cities, where they're able to get by without too much struggle. I know that finding work in Kyoto is highly unlikely, but I would like to get work somewhere close to Kyoto, in order to stay close to my girlfriend.
I have some friends who have/are working as English teachers, so I've contacted them to find out about their experiences about the work involved and such. Ultimately I want to get as much as information as possible, so I can decide on the path to take to find work in Japan.

As for her, she hasn't decided on what she wants to do yet, as she still has a few years left before finishing university, though she has said that she would like to do post graduate, so that would be another year or two there. What she wants to do after that, is uncertain, but she has mentioned that she would like to work abroad, though that's not definitive yet. Whatever the case, I'm prepared to stand by whatever decision she makes.

On an unrelated note, we went to Kobe last week, but I'll save that story for another post.

The Lock-up

Yesterday my girlfriend and I went out to Sanjo to a themed restaurant called The Lock-up. As you may (or may not) know, Japan has a wide variety of themed type restaurants and cafes, the most commonly themed one being maid cafes where the maids play games with customers and almost pamper to their every needs. However, The Lock-up is far from that - it is a prison themed restaurant, with the waiters/waitresses dressing up as police officers or convicts, and each of the booths set up as prison, which does it make it cosy for couples... when you're not being spooked by the random activities of monsters and convicts wreaking havoc on the poor customers.

Anyway, I should probably start from the very beginning. After being greeted by the waitress, she guided us to a waiting area, which we had no idea what we were supposed to do at the time... until the lights went out and someone seemingly dressed up like Sadako from The Ring comes out, crawling along the floor to scare us. They disappear, and the red lights go on, before switching off again, and the strobe lights kick in and Sadako pops again, standing right behind us. They really go all out in creating a terrifying atmosphere. I was more amazed at the effort put in to it, rather than being scared. Unfortunately, my girlfriend was too terrified to share in my appreciation （笑）
After the initial scaring, we're guided to the next room where another waitress dressed in police uniform greets us and explains some of the details, and asks us which of us is to be handcuffed and what crime we committed. My girlfriend told the officer that I eat too much (でも、それはうそじゃない（笑））, and hence, I was arrested on those charges. Leading us along, with me cuffed to the waitress, she guides us to our table, which resembles a prison cell. Because each of the tables are partitioned off, it means that my girlfriend and I could enjoy each other's company without having to look at other tables... or so we thought. After receiving our first order of drinks, the lights go off, sirens start blaring, and criminals and monsters start wreaking havoc on all the unfortunate customers - from the sound of the all screaming throughout the restaurant, there were clearly a lot of girls dining that night. My girlfriend was totally freaking out, but again, I was more impressed than scared with the effort they go to in order to create a really scary atmosphere. After a good few minutes of scaring the customers (with some of the monsters/convicts prodding me with a glow stick because I could not stop laughing when they came in to our booth and tried to scare us), eventually the police show up to save the day and start "shooting" all the criminals and monsters, with one of them "dropping dead" just outside our booth. As an extra, it was someone's birthday, so they were playing "happy birthday" while scaring the birthday guy/girl (I couldn't tell, since we're all in booths). After that, the black curtains lift up and we are greeted to a nice view of the area and Kamogawa (the restaurant is up on the 6th floor). While my girlfriend did not enjoy being scared, she found it to be an interesting experience, and admitted that she was glad that I was having fun.

 

For the meals and drinks, it's pretty much izakaya style of meals, with the main focus being on the prison themed drinks and cocktails. The only condition for dining in is that you have to order at least one drink, but since there are non-alcoholic cocktails also, it accommodates for everybody's preferences. The menu has a wide selection of cocktails, and it tells you the strength of the cocktails with a little graph. I had two cocktails, but they weren't all that strong which is nice. Presentation-wise, they were all horror/prison themed, so they look really nice, albeit a little pricey, but part of the cost is covering the work in producing these cocktails. We also had some takoyaki (octopus balls), though we were warned that one of them was a really spicy one, and my girlfriend really wanted that one. Guess who ended up eating the spicy one? (hint: It wasn't her). We also had nachos, though the middle was a little bit cold. However, the corn chips were really nice. We also had some karaage, but it was made black so it ended up looking like coal - it tasted nice though. Finally, we finished up with a chocolate parfait that is made to look like it's partially exorcised. All of this with the view, it was a good experience.
One thing though: while the cost of the individual drinks and meals is not too bad, it does accumulate in the end. Ultimately, between the two of us, it was about 6000円 - a little over $60. However, considering that Australia does not have these kind of themed restaurants, and I've never been to a themed restaurant/izakaya such as this, it was worth giving it a try. Well, I did go to Sweets of Ninja previously, but the experience was nowhere near as extreme as The Lock-up.

If you haven't experienced this kind of thing before, I would strongly recommend giving The Lock-up, or any themed restaurant a try (though probably stay away from maid cafes if you want to keep your dignity...), especially if you're one who's in to scary things.

Coming of Age Day (成人の日)

I had no class on monday. The reason for this, is because it was a Japanese public holiday called Seijin no Hi (成人の日), or 'Coming of Age Day' which is held every year on the second monday of January. Pretty much it is a day for young people who have turned 20 in the past year to celebrate their new-found adulthood, as 20 years old is considered the age when one reaches adulthood (compared to Australia where it's 18 years old).

My girlfriend had explained to me previously that on the day, all the young people will dress up - girls dressing up in very beautiful kimonos (that are apparently so expensive, that many use rentals instead), whereas boys will normally wear business attires, though some supposedly wear traditional Japanese dress. I happened to go to Shijo that day, and it was easy to tell just who was celebrating their adulthood given the number of girls in kimonos and boys in business attire. Even at the Round 1 game center at Sanjo, all the girls were queuing up at the photo booths to do group shots with all their friends. Considering that there are already plenty of those booths available for use at Round 1 (with about another 4 placed outside, just in front of the entrance to the game center), it should give you an idea of how busy it was when I say everyone was queuing up.

Aside from young people being given the opportunity to dress in expensive and beautiful clothes, there is also a ceremony that is held every city ward across the country at 11:30 am. After the ceremony, there are usually parties among family and friends, and plenty of photos. Considering the cost of the kimonos worn for such a day (and you only turn 20 once) photos are apparently the main focus of the day.

From what I have read also, the rate of attendance of the Seijin no Hi ceremonies has been declining over the years. Aside from the cost of the Kimonos (which I guess is understandable), other reasons cited include that there are many who feel they aren't ready yet to take on the responsibilities that come with being an adult, and apparently young people in the past have been disrupting the ceremonies in protest, which I guess would turn people away from attending. However, the most likely cause would be simply the declining birthrate. It seems to be a combination of all these, which kind of sucks, especially for a once in a lifetime (literally) celebration.

Also, once Japanese people turn 20 years old, they can now (legally) do the following:
- Drink alcohol
- Smoke
- Vote

So yeah, another really intriguing national holiday here in Japan.

New Year (正月）

I know it's a little late, but Happy New Year everyone! ちょっと遅いけど、あけましておめでとうございます！

Celebrating New Year in Japan is a totally different thing compared to Australia. Whereas in Australia, people will typically party on the New Year's Eve, recover from the previous night's party on New Year's Day, and then back to work the next day, Japan is a totally different thing altogether, at least from what I experienced.
For starters, the holiday lasts from the 1st of January until 4th, so a majority of businesses are closed during this period. Also during this period, people will go to temples and shrines and pray for safety, good health, etc. During this time, everyone is going to the temples and shrines, so the more popular ones are incredibly busy. My girlfriend and I did exactly that, although we didn't go to any of the busier ones. We went to Goryou Shrine to pray, before we headed to Shimogamo Shrine, and we decided to check our fortune. My girlfriend had told me previously that whenever she had her fortune told, she would always end up with a bad one - so imagine her surprise when she received the best fortune possible. I ended up with the second best one, so I was happy too, and as per the instructions, I'm keeping that fortune in my wallet. We had a look some more around the shrine area, before we started going around the food stalls area, and ate just about everything possible - taiyaki, candied strawberries, chocolate bananas, takoyaki, red bean soup with mochi (sticky rice cake) in it - yeah, quite a bit. I also had a chance to sample some shouchu that I spotted at a stall. Having little experience in the way of drinking (especially drinks that she's never tried before), she drank in one go and was completely overwhelmed by the strength of the alcohol, while I slowly sipped mine so I can get an idea of the taste. The taste actually reminded me of the Vocaloid Shouchu Lily that I bought on my previous trip to Japan. However, compared to that, this sample was certainly a lot stronger, and the taste more distinct. I was considering buying it, but the price kind of chased me away. However, I will keep it in mind to possibly purchase before I return to Australia.

Also, I forgot to mention, it snowed on New Year's Day and the day after. Having never seen snow before (because I live in Western Australia, and it never snows there because of the climate), I was totally excited. On the second day, at night my girlfriend and I headed to Gosho and play in the snow, building snowmen and throwing snowballs at trees to knock off all the snow hanging on them. Also, because of the snow, it was fairly bright at night, making walking around Gosho really easy.

Anyway, that's it for now. I finish uni at the end of this month, and then I'll have two months of break before I return to Australia. I certainly do have plans for the break, so I'll be sure to post about it when it happens.

Habits formed in Japan that will never work in Your Home Country

A friend of mine recently posted an article on facebook, and after reading it, I felt compelled to share it, and perhaps talk about which ones I find are applicable to me and Australia, based on my experiences in Japan.

First of all, here's the article:
60 Habits You Formed In Japan That Will Never Work In Your Country (archive.org)

I won't comment on all of them, especially since there's 60 points, so I'll just comment on the ones I feel are most applicable to me.


2: Australia's a bit of a mixed bag in terms of police. Sometimes when I'm pulled over by police (random breath tests), some are completely humorless tight asses that just make them so damn unfriendly. On the other hand, I've come across some really nice police officers that are really upbeat and friendly. I had one police officer pull me over to tell me that one of my headlights wasn't working properly and that I should get it checked out as soon as possible. He didn't give me a fine or anything.

I haven't had too much experience with police officers in Japan, except that one time last year when I was in Yokohama and I left my ipod in a taxi. They seemed to be ok, though I got the feeling that they didn't want to deal with a foreigner, especially when they were referring to me as the "gaijin" and not the politer term "gaigokujin". My Japanese may not have been as proficient at that time, but I know rude when I hear it. For foreigners, I don't think #2 is entirely true.

7: This is pretty common wherever you go, whether it be any kind of shop or restaurant (even McDonalds), the staff will always bow when you complete a transaction and leave.

8: From my experience of buying second hand consoles and games, I find this to be true. Especially with second hand consoles, they're usually on display with a small chart next to it explaining its condition, and any peripherals, cables, etc that may or may not be included when you purchase the console. In terms of used games and CDs, when you're at the checkout, the staff will actually show the underside of the disc to allow you to inspect if there are any scratches or whatnot. Since people in Japan typically look after their things, I've never had any problems with the condition of used goods.

9: I still do this, though I guess this is a force of habit, considering I was born and raised in Australia, a country that relies on its cars just as much as America.

10: I do this in Australia too, so I don't find this out of the ordinary (though this is probably because of the way I was raised).

12: Some parts of Australia have made some attempt in getting people to recycle, but we still have a way to go yet. I know my home university does have separate bins for paper, and food scraps, and a shopping center near where I live has something similar, but it's not across the board yet.

14: I still don't have that mentality of piracy being illegal, even after all this time. Software in Japan is indeed a lot cheaper compared to Australia, but in Australia it's been revealed that companies are taking us for a ride by charging us with an "Australia tax." Despite this being exposed by the previous government's IT pricing inquiry, nothing has seemingly been done to address this by the current government.

15: If done in a dormitory full of international students, there's a good chance you will never see your umbrella again - this has happened to me twice. Now, I keep my umbrella in my room, and most students in my dorm do the same.

20: Yeah, this is pretty common when it comes to calling out the attention of strangers, or waiters/waitresses, etc.

21: This really depends on where you are in Japan. I find Kyoto to not be all that stressful, but then again its all hustle and bustle compared to Tokyo, so I think this is completely subjective.

23: I don't think this purely exclusive to Japan, as I know some people in Australia who do this too. I personally don't do this.

26: I find this to be true. Despite the small quantities that are purchased, it's offset by the fact that it's so damn cheap. However, I think this is due to the mentality of you're cooking for just the one meal, and not something that will last you a few days.

28: Littering is so rare around here, it's a nice change from Australia where people have no respect for that sort of thing. Unfortunately, spitting is not as rare. Unsurprisingly, it's usually them men that are spitting.

32: I agree that vending machines everywhere would be pretty cool, but I realised a long time ago that it wouldn't work in Australia for a few reasons. 1) It will most likely be expensive 2) People are too busy driving in their cars to actually utilize these vending machines 3) Australians have no respect for other people's property, and will definitely be trashed fairly quickly. That's right Australians, you're the reason Australians can't have nice things.

33: Yes. Yes. Yes. The 100 yen stores are so damn useful, especially for international students with a limited income. The other place that most students go to for cheap houseware stuff is Nitori. I can get pots and pans there for less that $10 easily.

38: This is certainly nice. You would never experience this kind of punctuality on Australian public transport - especially buses.

42: This depends on where I am in the train. If I am right by the door, I'll certainly get out and clear the way for everyone else. If I'm around the area by the door (but not close to the door itself), I'll usually work my towards the opposite end.

44: Yes and no, for this one. It's pretty common to hear cars sounding their horn around here for no apparent reason (I usually hear this around Marutamachi, and especially around Shijo). The thing about cyclists never ringing their bell is mostly true, and it's one of those things that pisses me off sometimes. Oh I'm sorry, I'm in your way, even though I'm all the way on the left side of the sidewalk? USE THE BELL NEXT TIME お願いします.

47: This is supposed to be the general rule. Unfortunately, you'll always have some idiot who decides to do exactly the opposite when everyone else is standing on the correct side. As a result, those who want to pass are unable to do so because of that one idiot. Usually, it's an elderly person who's the cause. I find this especially common around Kyoto Station

48: This is true, but only because there are usually no bins around (except for cans and bottles). The story that I had heard was that in Kyoto there used to be more bins around for throwing your rubbish and whatnot, but when it was found that someone put a bomb in one of those bins, they were all removed as a result. I don't know how much truth there is to that story, but the point remains, there are no bins around to put your rubbish in (except outside convenience stores)

50: This is true for most streets. However there is one street in Marutamachi where people just completely disregard this (much to the inconvenience of drivers). Also, quieter side streets that have traffic lights are not typically no subject to this rule.

51: Everyone lines up for everything here, even multiple lines just to get in to one exhibition.
Sometimes it can be infuriating, other times it's really useful. Either way, Australians have no concept of lining up. Get your shit together, Australians.

57: Japan is a country of smokers, and it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon. However, it's nice that they still do the whole separate smoking sections at restaurants and game centers (in the form of little booths). However, at the Round 1 game center in Shijo/Sanjo area, the smoking booth has an open ceiling, so the smoke still makes it way around the rest of the game center *facepalm*
In Australia, smoking is being banned out of existence, which is commendable.

There you go, those are my thoughts on some of the things that were listed in that article, though I'm sure those that are living/have lived in Japan may have different opinions and/or experiences when comparing that list.