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Japan GAF |OT| I'm not planning a trip; I live here!

Z

Zornica

Banned
just came home after hiking for 13 hours through Okutama. I'm probably going to die tomorrow, but that's part of the fun, right?

urfe said:
Any idea if the nomihodai requires a minimum of courses bought per person?

Just no one feels like there's hidden costs I thought I'd bring it up.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if I understood the whole system yet...
if I understood it correctly, there is either an all you can drink or an all you can eat (and drink) option, right? so if we are going for the all you can drink one, I can still order food normally, right?

Ayumi said:
Sorry guys, but I think I might have to cancel on you tomorrow...
Click to expand...

too bad... but as they used to say in stargate: there is always next time :)
 
A

Ayumi

Member
I might change my mind tomorrow! But right now I don't think so.
Time will tell~ But I'm definitely up for meeting again in the future, last JapanGAF meeting was truly awesome!
 
E

ElectricKaibutsu

Member
Zornica said:
I'm not sure if I understood the whole system yet...
if I understood it correctly, there is either an all you can drink or an all you can eat (and drink) option, right? so if we are going for the all you can drink one, I can still order food normally, right?
Click to expand...

I didn't put us down for a course or anything, so we'll just order whatever we want. I did that because some people have dietary restrictions. It would be easiest if we could all just split the bill evenly at the end, but if someone really can't eat most of the food, I'm sure we can split it in a way to make it fair to everyone.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
Gromph said:
Man is only ¥1500 .... don't worry i will pay it for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks. There's another meet-up I have to attend to earlier, but I'll try to head there as soon as I can if possible. I'm on pocket wi-fi, so I'll probably be able to keep you guys updated through here in case I end up having to arrive late.
 
U

urfe

Member
B02NxO_CQAA67z9.jpg


I've been trying to collect all the ガチャポン Mother 2 characters, and unfortunately have three Mr Saturns now! (and one Ness)

If anyone wants a Mr Saturn for 300 yen tonight, let me know!


----

Also, just curious who else has been really using the Mario Kart 8 promotion. It's almost over, and while I've decided to buy Game & Wario with it, I'm undecided about Zelda: WWHD. Saving 40% seems great, but I'm not sure if I'll ever actually play it.

Either way, I've already picked up Nintendoland and Pikmin 3 with it, so I'm hoping another promotion like that gets done in the future.
 
E

ElectricKaibutsu

Member
urfe said:
B02NxO_CQAA67z9.jpg


I've been trying to collect all the ガチャポン Mother 2 characters, and unfortunately have three Mr Saturns now! (and one Ness)

If anyone wants a Mr Saturn for 300 yen tonight, let me know!


----

Also, just curious who else has been really using the Mario Kart 8 promotion. It's almost over, and while I've decided to buy Game & Wario with it, I'm undecided about Zelda: WWHD. Saving 40% seems great, but I'm not sure if I'll ever actually play it.

Either way, I've already picked up Nintendoland and Pikmin 3 with it, so I'm hoping another promotion like that gets done in the future.
Click to expand...
I did Pikmin and Wondeful 101. I played through Pikmin and enjoyed it but didn't feel the need to buy it. I just couldn't get into W101. Wind Waker is my favorite single player game on Wii U, but I'm a Zelda fan.
 
Aizo

Aizo

Banned
So many nice people in JapanGAF—offering to pay for a someone to join.
I just sent in my app for JET today. I hope I can come back and meet up with you all soon. If I don't get into JET, I'll find something else. I'm coming back to Japan, though!
 
A

Ayumi

Member
AlabastreAizo said:
So many nice people in JapanGAF—offering to pay for a someone to join.
I just sent in my app for JET today. I hope I can come back and meet up with you all soon. If I don't get into JET, I'll find something else. I'm coming back to Japan, though!
Click to expand...

Didn't know you left, I thought you just moved to Kyoto. You have to come back!
 
T

ThatCrazyGuy

Member
Sorry if this information is somewhere in the thread, but I cannot find it.

Somebody posted that they work for or are aware of a recruitment agency, or something of that sort that did placement for professional jobs in Japan. Anybody have that link?

Sorry. I might be going crazy as well.
 
E

ElectricKaibutsu

Member
ThatCrazyGuy said:
Sorry if this information is somewhere in the thread, but I cannot find it.

Somebody posted that they work for or are aware of a recruitment agency, or something of that sort that did placement for professional jobs in Japan. Anybody have that link?

Sorry. I might be going crazy as well.
Click to expand...
I'm not the person you are talking about, but there are a bunch in Japan: Hays, Robert Walters, Enworld etc. They're always happy to receive resumes if you have good experience and can demand a high salary. If you don't mind my asking, what field are you in? I have a friend at Hays who places IT people.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
Alright, I'm not too sure if I'll be able to stay for too long because there's another place I might have to go to afterwards, but I'll be on my way soon (man, how I wish I was still staying near Uguisudani Station...).

And just to make sure, how are we supposed to recognise each other once we're there?
 
E

ElectricKaibutsu

Member
JulianImp said:
Alright, I'm not too sure if I'll be able to stay for too long because there's another place I might have to go to afterwards, but I'll be on my way soon (man, how I wish I was still staying near Uguisudani Station...).

And just to make sure, how are we supposed to recognise each other once we're there?
Click to expand...
We'll be the group of awkward looking foreigners in front of the police station.
 
E

ElectricKaibutsu

Member
I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE NAME OF THE PLACE!

It is Kin no Kura Jipangu (ジパング) NOT Jr. I blame their website :)

btw: I'm wearing a denim jacket with khakis and black rimmed glasses.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
Ahad to return home because I had left my debit card behind... I'll probably be arriving by 19:10. Guess I should head straight for the bar, right?
 
J

JulianImp

Member
According to Google Maps, I should be arriving to the bar at 19:16. Just in case you guys end up spotting me first, I'm short and am wearing black trousers and a beige knit sweater.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
I think I'm where I should be, but I don't see the sign for the place... I'm between a pachinko parlor and a 7/11.

Could anyone post a link to the place in google maps?
 
Gromph

Gromph

This tag is currently undergoing scheduled maintenance...
Staff Member
Was a pleasure to me you all.

Enjoy the rest of the night!
 
MightyKAC

MightyKAC

Member
Thanks for another great GAF meetup guys!!! And special thanks to Gromph for being his usual awesome self :D.

Sorry I could'nt join you guys for the after party, I'm sure you guys will have some interesting stories to share later.... ;)
 
J

JulianImp

Member
Thanks for the fun times, everyone! I'll definitely try to attend the next meet-up as well if it happens to be held before my return.
 
Z

Zornica

Banned
just came home after an awesome 1:30 hour train and bike ride. I really need to move -_-

Thanks for the nice evening! and especially thanks to Gromph! I hope we'll get the chance to talk a little bit more next time.

ElectricKaibutsu said:
OK, we're heading to the restaurant now. Meet us there! Maps is on the previous page.
Click to expand...

(Yesterday, 06:55 PM)
looks like I missed you by about 2 minutes -_-

MightyKAC said:
Thanks for another great GAF meetup guys!!! And special thanks to Gromph for being his usual awesome self :D.

Sorry I could'nt join you guys for the after party, I'm sure you guys will have some interesting stories to share later.... ;)
Click to expand...

the after party was something else, they had the finest beer in all of shibuya in that place.

urfe said:
Just to be clear, I remember none of your GAF names.

I'm Chris.
Click to expand...

chris 1 or chris 2?


btw: speaking of vending machines, I actually came across a special one yesterday.
http://abload.de/img/foto133426uta.jpg
http://abload.de/img/foto1335ctu9h.jpg
 
T

ThatCrazyGuy

Member
ElectricKaibutsu said:
I'm not the person you are talking about, but there are a bunch in Japan: Hays, Robert Walters, Enworld etc. They're always happy to receive resumes if you have good experience and can demand a high salary. If you don't mind my asking, what field are you in? I have a friend at Hays who places IT people.
Click to expand...

I am game industry (production/qa). I can't demand a high salary, haha.

Thanks for the links. I just wanted to poke my nose around and see if something can lead to a contact here or there in the future. The big web. Thanks again.
 
DCharlie

DCharlie

And even i am moderately surprised
Hays, Robert Walters, Enworld etc.
Click to expand...

heh, it's a small world. I play (well, not for a while recently) football with a load of the guys from En-world. Used to play with Robert Walters a lot too.

Anyways, yeah - the recruiters are one good outlet - i would strongly advise anyone job seeking who is based in Japan to hit up the job fairs. I really didn't want to go when i was searching and the wife forced me into it - but of all the interviews i got to, all but two were from the job fair. The job i ended up getting was from that sort of event.

Plus it's a wide range of companies and you can get to have an interview or two right there and then.

This year i was there on the other side of the equation as a firm looking to hire - it was pretty stunning how little IT talent there was coming through - the stats showed very few people who were going to graduate with Comp Sci or Software Engineering.
 
T

ThatCrazyGuy

Member
Ayumi said:
Used to work in a Japanese game related company up until recently. Game designers are always welcome. Do you have any good experience in that?
Click to expand...

My background is project management. Just light design work.

Thanks for input DCharlie. I had some leads, but some of the HR told me of course it would be easier/smoother if I was over there already. haha. I don't want to cold move. Maybe though. Maybe just hang out for a month to sniff around.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
This talk about game-related companies has piqued my interest, since I've been working as a game programmer for a while and I'm also learning about game design and would want to work in a Japanese gane company eventually. The one issue is that my country has no university-level careed related to games, so all I was able to stud was a short (3 year) course on game design, programming and an introduction to other fields (technical drawing, pixel art, sound/music, etc.).

From what I've been told, it seems my best bet would be studying for a university degree in some other field (maybe related with programming) and then seeing if I can find a Japanese company interested in sponsoring a work visa for me. Does that sound okay, or are ther any other/better alternatives than that that I'm unaware of?
 
A

Ayumi

Member
JulianImp said:
From what I've been told, it seems my best bet would be studying for a university degree in some other field (maybe related with programming) and then seeing if I can find a Japanese company interested in sponsoring a work visa for me. Does that sound okay, or are ther any other/better alternatives than that that I'm unaware of?
Click to expand...

A BA from University is the "safest" way to a visa. If you have great experience in the field you're applying to a job for (in this case: game programmer) then it usually does not matter what your BA is, as long as you have one.

Of course it might be better to have one in the relevant field, but many companies don't care. Keep in mind that most Japanese companies want someone great and not someone who are mediocre and *still learning* unless they are interns/graduates. But even so, you will still need to show great understanding and skills in the field you're applying for.

The companies can find gaming programmers anywhere. There are tons of them in Japan. You need to show them why they should hire you and sponsor your visa instead of hiring a local guy who speaks perfect Japanese and don't need any visa sponsorship.
 
J

JulianImp

Member
Ayumi said:
A BA from University is the "safest" way to a visa. If you have great experience in the field you're applying to a job for (in this case: game programmer) then it usually does not matter what your BA is, as long as you have one.

Of course it might be better to have one in the relevant field, but many companies don't care. Keep in mind that most Japanese companies want someone great and not someone who are mediocre and *still learning* unless they are interns/graduates. But even so, you will still need to show great understanding and skills in the field you're applying for.

The companies can find gaming programmers anywhere. There are tons of them in Japan. You need to show them why they should hire you and sponsor your visa instead of hiring a local guy who speaks perfect Japanese and don't need any visa sponsorship.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips! The fact that I'd have to be good enough for companies to consider hiring me over a Japanese employee is a fact that I had overlooked, as it makes perfect sense for them to hire whoever takes the least amount of effort unless I happen to offer them something that local prospective employees lack.

That gives me a very clear goal in the short term, so I guess I'll be looking into that once I'm back in Argentina.
 
A

Ayumi

Member
JulianImp said:
Thanks for the tips! The fact that I'd have to be good enough for companies to consider hiring me over a Japanese employee is a fact that I had overlooked, as it makes perfect sense for them to hire whoever takes the least amount of effort unless I happen to offer them something that local prospective employees lack.

That gives me a very clear goal in the short term, so I guess I'll be looking into that once I'm back in Argentina.
Click to expand...

No problem!

Might also want to note (as you probably have thought of) that the better Japanese you speak, the more desired you become to the Japanese market. A talented guy who speaks great Japanese (and English) is more valuable than an equally talented guy who only speaks Japanese. Though this varies from company to company of course.. some companies don't really care if you speak Japanese, but most of them require it since the staff don't know any English, and you'd need to be able to communicate with them a lot in Japanese while working with them. I was the only one who knew English in my old office and it was very good on me since I was able to perform extra tasks that none couldーmade me very valuable to them.

Again, not all of them care, but most require it for being able to actually communicate. It depends, of course.
 
A

Ayumi

Member
Double post time!

Train fans have experienced the speed of super-fast maglev trains, during test runs for members of the public in central Japan.
One hundred passengers whizzed along a 42.8km (27 mile) route between the cities of Uenohara and Fuefuki, reaching speeds of up to 500km/h (311mph).
The Central Japan Railway Company is running eight days of testing for the experimental maglev Shinkansen train on its test track in Yamanashi Prefecture.
The maglev trains are even faster than Japan's famous bullet trains, which currently travel at about 320km/h (200mph).
They use magnetic levitation, hence the name, to "float" above the train tracks.
Click to expand...

This is sooo cool. The route was between Uenohara and Fuefuki, on a distance of 42.8km (27 mile). Apparently, maglev trains are due to be up and running by 2027.

The ones being tested in Yamanashi will eventually run from Tokyo to Nagoya, carrying passengers between the two cities in about 40 minutes. Currently the journey takes an hour longer than that by bullet train.
Click to expand...

Source: (BBC NEWS)
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-30051961
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30067889
 
Z

Zornica

Banned
Ayumi said:
Double post time!



This is sooo cool. The route was between Uenohara and Fuefuki, on a distance of 42.8km (27 mile). Apparently, maglev trains are due to be up and running by 2027.



Source: (BBC NEWS)
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-30051961
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30067889
Click to expand...

too bad I missed the raffle :/
But I'm sure there's going to be another chance within the next 13 years.
I wonder if they'll be able to finish the hokkaido shinkansen before the maglev.
(yeah, probably not...)


btw, as it is really getting cold lately, I could use a new coat. My attempts to buy one have failed so far. (mostly due to size issues - I'm about 1,90)
any idea where I'd have to go for a nice selection of coats and jackets in my size?
is the Japanese H&M comparable with the European one in terms of product range?
 
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