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[I'm an expert]

the one by the station? basically the most popular 280 place in the city. being proud of it is about as 田舎っぺ as it gets lol.

Bit of a story for you JGAF and I need some advice:　I just "temporarily" left my position as head teacher at the international middle/high school where I worked

i found this post from that guy. he says international school. the people i know who work at international schools dont need licenses. while theyre technically full staff and teach their own classes, they're still not like the japanese teachers. only what i know, could be totally dependent on the school, also the fact theyre private.

 

[Desmond]

Yeah, the one just by the station. I used to live their ebi and しゃぶしゃぶサラダ lol

Isn't there a guy that's posted in this thread that was part of the actual staff at a Japanese school? May have been private. I think his username started with a J. Jijidasu or something?

Maybe he can gib job plz

There's plenty of gaffers in Japan whom I've never seen post here.

 

[Porcile]

There are teachers who teach their subjects without having to do all the 三者面談 家庭訪問 stuff but they have a bunch of responsibilities beyond just being in the classroom. I think being a full time public teacher here is something like 30% teaching 70% doing other stuff, even for the non-homeroom teachers, and as expert said, understanding the culture of being a teacher is just as important as teaching your subject.

It's hard to see where a non-native could fit in, but it's not like the teachers here are gods in terms of what they do or the subjects they teach. Most are just regular joes who did a teaching qualification or a degree at university, did a placement at a school for a couple years and got tenured. Youngest full-time teacher at my school is 23 i think. It's definitely possible to go from not being a teacher at all to being teacher, but how that works for gaijin is probably completely different and not common at all.

Any of the info I've found so far is from a fair few years ago and not much about public school. I think private is easier, especially if you have some prior qualifications, skill in your subject and Japanese language ability.

 

[I'm an expert]

private/international i know for a fact doesnt need license or language skill, again from people i know. but i guarantee the big name schools in tokyo need some serious credentials. but you could probably be the big dog teacher in like an aomori international school. i also have a friend whos a kinderkids manager if you want to go daycare style teaching.

 

[urfe]

Don't need a license for a private school, just someone willing to hire you and give you actual responsibility.

Usualy the only reason to hire someone is because they're native in English and the private school wants to do some sort of immersion.

I know of Asian foreigners who have become teachers, but that's by integrating as Japanese first.

Public school teaching license I've had Japanese friends study for and fail on numerous occasion. Public means most likely rotated through a bunch of schools and no real say. I think some places flat out disallow foreigners from doing this because of it being public sector? I think Debito raised a stink about that a while back.

If sticking to teaching, the Masters in TESL and getting a uni job is the obvious route. It gets more saturated every year though.

 

[Porcile]

I'm going to do another year at my current school anyway, and after that go from there. But coming to the end of this year I've been thinking of how I can step up more than the average gaijin English teacher round here. I'm never gonna be an expert, my brain and motivations in life aren't wired that way, but don't want to go too far down the dark path either.

 

[I'm an expert]

im not a teacher lol..although to be fair the teaching industry here rivals my own when it comes to hours worked. with bukatsu and shit those people put in 12 plus hour days too. good on you if you plan to get some actual training or knowledge under your belt.

there are a lot of different avenues for teaching in japan too. doesnt have to be just schools or eikaiwas.

my personal fear with english teachers is they always get trapped if they dont have a plan. eventually making 3, maybe 4 million yen a year just isnt enough for what they want in life. and then they realize theyve spent years doing nothing to try and change that fact, but have to keep paying the bills. so whats left to do but marry a japanese woman and dig in for life. thats not a meme, thats an epidemic lol.

 

[urfe]

I'm going to do another year at my current school anyway, and after that go from there. But coming to the end of this year I've been thinking of how I can step up more than the average gaijin English teacher round here. I'm never gonna be an expert, my brain and motivations in life aren't wired that way, but don't want to go too far down the dark path either.

It honestly would not be fun to be a normal teacher IMO. It would be only to say "see, I'm not just an ALT, you have to respect me now", and I don't think that's a good reason.

If you love education and love Japan, then I would get a teaching qualification in your home country, and then teach at an international school in Japan. Then you can probably teach the age group you like and the subject you like. Your ALT experience will also not seem like a waste, but a proper gateway to teaching.

I have friends that do it who love teaching, and they are fulfilled.

As expert probably said a million times, if you don't like teaching, then get away soon. I wasted 5 1/2 years (ages 21-27) teaching. It was a great experience, and I still have many good friends/connections from it, but it boils down to a lot of work experience I don't have and a lot of catchup I'm still playing.

 

[I'm an expert]

Your ALT life summed up. Glad someone else gets up early too lol.

Part 1: http://imgur.com/gallery/rdBrH
Part 2: http://imgur.com/gallery/MnPpM
Part 3: http://imgur.com/gallery/z2qIQ
Part 4: http://imgur.com/gallery/Nwbz8
Part 5: http://imgur.com/gallery/0bRDy
Part 6: http://imgur.com/gallery/g9Xgs

 

[Porcile]

That's actually pretty funny and well written.

Anyway, big reason to not be an ALT would to not be at the mercy of another teacher for the most basic stuff. You're at the mercy of someone or some kind of system but at least it wouldn't be someone else in the same classroom. And yes, teachers work crazy hard but not like I wouldn't work crazy hard in my usual field (animation or design) either here or in the UK.

 

[I'm an expert]

alts are at the mercy for basic stuff because they are dumb. like straight up. young, untrained, no language skills, no life skills. i realize you genuinely are an exception to all those points but one out of a million, of course theyll treat you guys like babbies.

and not saying you wont work crazy hard.. but maybe you should try to teach something not english then

 

[bluethree]

I love my english teaching job but working as a full time corporate instructor is quite a bit different than something in a school. I'm trusted to run the whole thing by myself and they're even expanding my duties a bit to include cool things like business trips. Better pay and more frequent vacations too (3 weeks fully paid starting next week!)

Worried about what comes next, but for now what I have is really nice.

 

[I'm an expert]

assuming by next you mean after japan, not next for the job

 

[Dingens]

expert posting in the Japanese learning thread made me want to ask all of you something. What are your favorite places in the country? Feel free to list as many as you'd like.[...]

better late then never:

as strange as it may sound.. I think I fell in love with Atami. it's like a monument of Japan's economic wealth in the 80s and at the same time a memorial for uncontrolled real estate speculation and bubbles.
For you who don't know about this place: Atami was basically a small village south-west of Tokyo with lots of famous hot springs. It experienced a ridiculous boom in the 80s and quickly grew into a city. In its peak time they had more than a hundred hotels there - in what is basically a narrow bay.
But when the bubble burst in the early 90s, the city went with it, and so it has been on an endless downward spiral ever since. What makes it different from other real estate speculation towns like the ones in china for example or other run-down inaka villages is, that you can feel there was life here once. You can still grasp how vibrant it must have been during the 80s. There are as I mentioned (rusty) high rise hotels everywhere, but apart from a few areas it's basically deserted. From the looks of it, there hasn't been a single investment made in the last 20 years. Everything still looks like 80s Japan - but with a lot more rust and broken concrete. It's also funny to compare train stations along the way... If you want to see an original shinkansen train station, this is the place to go
And then there is also (the last existing?) 秘宝館! Basically it's an incredibly laughable
sex-museum... just look it up.
It kinda feels like straight out of some post apocalyptic manga and is basically the wet dream of anyone who enjoys cyber punk. I guess that's also why I like it

There has been some new developments lately, so I fear it may loose it's charm eventually

I uploaded a few pics I took last year, feel free to take a look

http://www.abload.de/gallery.php?key=uReQbiE6

 

[Ayumi]

Yo, I looove Atami. The sex museum is nothing short of awesome. They even have vending machines with adorable mini-Hitachi vibrators.

There's a shop down the bay run by an old couple with sea food from live tanks/boxes, the food is amazing. It's pretty simple to get there from Tokyo by train. We also went on the ferry to 初島 which was great. Palm tree garden with hammocks, a very beautiful and clean onsen with an outdoor pool (it was actually my first experience swimming naked in an outdoor pool with strangers). There are other activities too! The place is very nice and relaxing.

I haven't actually been that much around Japan yet. My in-laws are from a tiiiny town in Akita, which is really nice to visit, but I could never live there. I do love the country-side, but that place is way too rural for me.

Went to Kyoto once, which was nice. Would love to visit the ski-side of Japan up north for the ski/snowboarding nostalgia. No rush though. We'll probably live in Japan for a very long time at least, and it's easier to go somewhere when the kiddo get a little older.

 

[urfe]

expert posting in the Japanese learning thread made me want to ask all of you something. What are your favorite places in the country? Feel free to list as many as you'd like.

I visited Yakushima in my first year, and I loved it. It's my go-to answer for favorite place. Reminds me of Vancouver Island.

I've been to Okinawa about five times, and I love the north part of the main island a lot.

I went to Sapporo/Otaru/Toyako last year, and loved the feel of Hokkaido, reminded me of Vancouver.

I did a Takayama (Gifu) and Nagano trip this year, and I loved the mountain lakes in Nagano. Nice chateaus to stay in, onsens by lakes, not super hot in the summer. Takayama had a mini-Kyoto feel to it.

I also love Tokyo though. It's really fun and convenient being at a cultural capital, especially as a dorky gamer. Dragon Quest event? Tokyo. Final Fantasy? Persona? Tokyo.

My next times are probably either back to Hokkaido (northeast most likely) or to the Seto Naikai. I still haven't been to Miyazaki, Oita or Kumamoto in Kyushu, and my wife loves all places, so that'll happen soon too.

 

[Valkerionseven]

As for places to visit. I recommend Koffun burial mounds in Osaka city for the history nerds. It's really interesting to me, and I always recommend it lol. Though admittedly there is not much to see.

Sakurajima is nice around spring and autumn, too hot in the summer. Hope for a clear day as well, its beautiful. -coughbias-

Yamaguchi-ken's Tsunoshima has some beautiful beaches in the summer and really cool waters to swim in.

Went during Obon weekend so it was pretty crowded, but it was really nice. A bit of drive to get to... bring lots of food as well, their closest grocery store was closed on Sunday so we had to get food from the combini on the last day. Can camp and or rent a small... fuck what are they called... beach cottage...? that has AC, tables, and refrigerators. Was the best thing from the summer.

All I can think of for now.

 

[hampig]

better late then never:

http://www.abload.de/gallery.php?key=uReQbiE6

The last 5 minutes I've been just sitting at work staring at your album. Thanks for sharing, seems like a neat place.

 

[urfe]

Nice having a long weekend for Christmas this year.

I didn't take time off next year because no plans really to go away. Get 9 days off anyways.

With most people out of the office next week, will be good to focus on work... or slack off badly. Hopefully the former.

 

[Futaba]

As much as I do love visiting family for Christmas, I do miss my home back over in Japan, looking forward to flying back!

 

[Desmond]

Having no luck with tests for Translation positions. Back to studying I guess...

 

[Darksol]

I made the mistake of going into Tower Records in Shibuya today. It was full of fan girls trying to take a picture of two ugly ass outfits that SMAP wore on their last tour.

 

[urfe]

Having no luck with tests for Translation positions. Back to studying I guess...

How far are you getting in the application process?

 

[mrklaw]

My father in law is looking to get a 55" 4K TV - quite an upgrade form their current 32" HDTV. I already have a shortlist from when I bought mine, but I'm wondering what they might need to accompany it.

1) Internet. I will use this as an opportunity to get them to install bloody internet finally. Are there good sources of 4K content for the Japanese market or are they likely looking at Netflix or Amazon as the usual suspects? Any other providers as they're old and perhaps more traditional in their viewing habits - NHK docs, wildlife stuff etc. No more mobile wifi while at their house, and they'd be able to FaceTime with my missus when we're back in the uk.

Would welcome any suggestions for internet provider too, or are they much the same?

2) DVR. They have a panasonic HDD DVR which they literally use as a VCR- switch it arch recordings or set them - they don't watch live TV bor rough it so no pause etc. Also it's a few years old so no 4K. Are there new DVRs that support 4K? Think they both have BS and CS feeds into the house.

 

[I'm an expert]

In terms of the tv, assuming the tv they get has Netflix and other smart tv apps, that would be their immediate benefit of 4k without external media formats. Nhk is already beginning 4/8k broadcast tests in certain markets and we can expect the UHD rollout for broadcast tv will be quicker than the analog to hd transition.

For internet, remember there's two companies, the isp and the actual cable company (most likely ntt). It totally depends on location and what's available to be able to 'recommend' anything and honestly if you go with a major one like Flets, Pikara, or the phone providers like Docomo or AU you'll be fine, You're basically just shopping for perks and sign up bonuses. Get fiber if you can, if not vdsl probably fine.

Not really into dvrs but outside of your tv's builtin recording I'm sure you can get something a la Torne for UHD recording. But in all honesty, would they really care about that?

 

[mrklaw]

They record a few things but probably not an urgent thing to look at. Although if they do get decent upload speeds and internet I'd definitely look at getting something in the house so my wife can record things and watch back in the UK.

 

[Jijidasu]

Poked my head in here randomly and saw a post of mine quoted; good timing I suppose!

I was a head teacher at an international school that did not require teaching certification but masters in the applicable field at least/experience. I left that job because it was an absolute mess and have since joined a big firm as a translator. End of the day it was just that teaching wasn't my "thing" and I wanted more of a challenge.

 

[I'm an expert]

They record a few things but probably not an urgent thing to look at. Although if they do get decent upload speeds and internet I'd definitely look at getting something in the house so my wife can record things and watch back in the UK.

I meant the 4K recording. Like do they really care about that or you're just trying to be as tech geeky as possible? Their current dvr would be fine, no?

Poked my head in here randomly and saw a post of mine quoted; good timing I suppose!

I was a head teacher at an international school that did not require teaching certification but masters in the applicable field at least/experience. I left that job because it was an absolute mess and have since joined a big firm as a translator. End of the day it was just that teaching wasn't my "thing" and I wanted more of a challenge.

There a reason you went into translation instead of something else?

 

[Jijidasu]

There a reason you went into translation instead of something else?

It was the only thing I could think of that would keep my mind occupied all the time (I got very bored of mundane teaching activities) but it also makes use of my education and Japanese skills too. Can't say it has failed me yet in providing challenges (nearing two years). It's all technical translation/interpretation for automobiles (the content ranges from the innards to marketing materials). It's great.

The pay is satisfactory, too.

 

[I'm an expert]

Was just trying to get more information for the people in here interested in the opportunities they have. ALT->translator isn't exactly uncommon, nor is the ALT with a language study background, so just wanted to see if there was some other interesting tidbit there outside of the norm for them.

 

[Porcile]

Coincidentally, while travelling back home I met a couple non-English foreign teachers going the same way as me and I got talking to them. They'd bounced around Asia doing teaching ESL, and then went back home to get their teaching cert in their respective fields, and then found themselves in Japan teaching their subjects at international and private schools. I have a masters already, but if I want to make something out of teaching, I'm probably going to need an extra real qualification at some point since I don't have anything teaching related, besides some experience here and there. Was to good to hear some differing experiences.

I also met another teacher who has worked for Interac for like five years. Different story lol

 

[woxel1]

Anyone have a restaurant recommendation for a tradiional New Years dinner? My fiancé and I are in Tokyo on the 31st and would like to have kaiseki (or at least soba) before midnight!

 

[Darksol]

地震びっくりした

 

[RurouniZel]

First time here, please don't kill me. DX

So I'm 35 years old, I've worked the same office job for nearly 10 years and with all the hubbub going on these days I'm seriously considering pursuing that dream I've kept tucked away in the back of my fantasies of just leaving Connecticut forever and moving to Japan. Granted, back in the day it used to be for anime and shit, these days I hardly watch any and am mostly interested in experiencing something new, learning the language further (I've taken many private lessons in New Jersey and went through the first two books of Minna no Nihongo so I'm decent enough in conversational Japanese... I think. Which means of course I'm not lol) and learning more about the culture. I just need a change.

But because I'm 35 I recognize that doing something like emigrating means I have to consider the possibility of making this a permanent change which means I have to do this right, not just jump at the first thing with no plan whatsoever.

I do not have a work visa which would essentially limit me to Teaching English at the start, but I also want to consider if I should get certifications for other professions like IT so I can migrate to something that pays better later on lest I be stuck teaching English until the end of time. I was wondering if anyone here has done something similar and if they would know where to start (I googled IT certifications and the options are simply mind-blowing in terms of the sheer number). Would there be other possible professions I could get a certification in while I'm still in America that I would be able to consider after moving to Japan?

I also have no real idea what the difference between ALT and Eikawa are other than being an assistance versus actually teaching. Do either involve a lot of overtime?

I might have more questions later, so my apologies for that. orz

 

[I'm an expert]

First go two pages back and read the convo there. Here's my points quoted below though not all relevant to you. You should also read Porcile's post. Second, I did my undergrad in NJ and just did a 4 year rotation in NJ/NY. NJ is the best state in America. By far. It is highly diverse, educated, wealthy, accessible, unbelievable career opportunities, and offers every possible natural and artificial attraction you could ask for. Americans that think NJ is bad (common internet meme) are most likely uneducated, and most likely poor - sorry for the bluntness. I would gladly raise my kids there. The tristate area is fairly insulated from the rest of the country so you should avoid that doomsday line of thinking, not that it's a rational line of thinking in the first place.

edit: I misread your Connecticut/NJ situation but Connecticut is just as good, honestly. Not as good as NJ but you can't win them all. Sorry you don't have Mitsuwa. =/

We can talk about the legal, career, and financial practicality of the move easily. I'd actually suggest you go to some of the reddit Japan related subs and search/ask there because these topics are very..very.. abundant. But honestly I won't even touch any of the topics in your post here because you're talking about leaving your entire life/career behind to move across the world to a country you have never even been to. You plan to visit for 6 days (probably the most touristy and fantastical places at that) and base your decision on whether to uproot your entire life on that. To throw away your mother country's citizenship for a country you have never set foot in.

I don't know what it is about Japan that makes people think like this but man..stop. Relax. Take a rational look around. The first thing you should do is take a decent amount of time to figure out what your plan for the next few years looks like from all sorts of standpoints - family, career, relationship, goals. See why or how Japan has anything to do with any of them. Second thing you should do is speak to some career mentors in your network to understand what exactly there is waiting for you over here if you do wish to continue in your career or if you completely reset/try something else. The third thing to do is to read, read, and read about all of the challenges and opportunities you have if you do decide to do something like this. There are countless experiences out on the internet, including here on gaf, about what this entails.

Just to be clear, you could get a job teaching English and be here in probably 6 weeks if you applied tomorrow. That's just how that industry works. But again, think about everything that comes with doing something like that. It's not that I'm trying to dissuade you, I'm just trying to make you realize that something like this may be a band-aid in the now that makes everything better temporarily, but you may be making decisions that affect you quite adversely down the line if something doesn't work out as you think. Also you owe it to yourself to not close off the possibilities of other countries that are not Japan that may satisfy the needs you feel you have. Japan is not a paradise.


Anyway, there's plenty of people here that did similar things in similar fields and from similar backgrounds that I'm sure will give their thoughts.

I mean, if your post said you had been thinking of making an international move and exploring options for a while, instead of jumping immediately to throwing your citizenship away, I could've pulled out one of the hundred responses I've given on this question before. Your post was just so extreme, and honestly sounded like you hadn't really started the journey of understanding how to make a living here yet, that I just wanted you to pump your brakes a bit. As for what you think you know about living costs here..again, I think you need to slow down and research a bit. Especially about actually buying property and what that entails.

Where exactly would you like to live? What kind of lifestyle would you like? Your career options also fit into this question. If you just want non-skilled work living in a 1DK, come on over man. Not sure how that fits into 'saving' and 'life pursuits' though.

Edit--

Also the whole Brexit..Trump..god damn millenials thing.. you have to understand that these are not automatically cured in Japan. There is a generation of young people here. They too are incredibly non-active and unmotivated in a lot of areas. They too waste their energy and lives on stupid things. The work and schooling culture here is absolutely brutal for young people. How up to date are you on Japanese politics? Japan is in a very sensitive spot right now with how Putin and Trump are going. Abe has a very fierce plan that he's trying to pull off. Hell, even the shit with Koike, her predecessor, and the Olympics is just a tiny glimpse into how things are run here.

You're an adult obviously, I don't need to tell you to avoid the grass is greener mentality. If things like the movements of young people affect you that much, how will you deal in a country where you have no cultural or linguistic understanding of what the people around you are doing? Or is it enough to just say 'well, it's not my country, so whatever'? Which wouldn't make much sense if your goal is to actually be a citizen of the country.

Seriously, not points to dissuade you. Come, man. It's a great country. Just trying to give you points to think about, mull over.


OH - AND COME TO THE THREAD --- http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1206948

 

[RurouniZel]

First go two pages back and read the convo there. Here's my points quoted below though not all relevant to you. You should also read Porcile's post. Second, I did my undergrad in NJ and just did a 4 year rotation in NJ/NY. NJ is the best state in America. By far. It is highly diverse, educated, wealthy, accessible, unbelievable career opportunities, and offers every possible natural and artificial attraction you could ask for. Americans that think NJ is bad (common internet meme) are most likely uneducated, and most likely poor - sorry for the bluntness. I would gladly raise my kids there. The tristate area is fairly insulated from the rest of the country so you should avoid that doomsday line of thinking, not that it's a rational line of thinking in the first place.

edit: I misread your Connecticut/NJ situation but Connecticut is just as good, honestly. Not as good as NJ but you can't win them all. Sorry you don't have Mitsuwa. =/

To clarify, I'm not thinking "doomsday" per say. I've been thinking of going to Japan for a while, just kept putting off really evaluating it until now. Though I would miss the Mitsuwa in Edgewater. Great times there. XD

I'm just tired of CT for many reasons, despite my family being here (no problems with the fam). I don't get out much here because there isn't much here that piques my interest; and I feel stuck in my current job which is stressing me out to high heaven and doesn't even feel very rewarding. Additionally I have a very good friend who lives in Wakayama (I spent 2 weeks at his place last year during the spring) and while I know there are more job opportunities in the Tokyo area over, I think I'd be more comfortable in the Wakayama area if I'm honest.

I know that trying to move to Japan is a huge gamble; I could end up miserable. But I'm also pretty miserable right now; my life is very unfulfilled (35, no wife/family or even a girlfriend) and while I used to play games to ignore it those are starting to wear thin as a distraction. Maybe this is what they call a mid-life crisis? As far as throwing away a career, I don't really have a career (majored in Illustration in college, not the brightest move of my life) and I don't know how stable my current job is anyway as a lot of people were laid off a few months ago in my department. I am not confident I could get a job out of state as I don't have any special skills that would get me hired over a local. I've thought about going back to school to get a real major, though as I only recently finally paid off my college debt I'm not exactly eager to put myself right back into debt.

I feel like going to Japan might be a good idea for me since I have already studied a bit of the language (I know about 150 kanji... I know it's not even 10% but I hit a roadblock due to a lack of daily exposure), have a friend there, and have an inherent interest in the country (plus at this rate I'm likely going to be forever alone anyway lol). There are other rather stupid reasons, like how I've grown to dislike driving a car (been rear-ended twice in the last couple years) and wouldn't mind taking trains/buses everywhere from now on.

But I also admit that I am not specifically skilled which is why I felt like asking questions. There are many things I'm not aware of like the price of health care/dentistry, things I should/shouldn't do before coming to improve my chances of succeeding (or at least not completely failing) in Japan, etc. I know that Eikawa teachers have to do more than teach, but I am failing at learning the specifics of what those other things entail. Depending on the program I research I hear horror and success stories in virtually equal measure, and I know it's possibly a dumb thing to do but again; I'm already kinda miserable as things currently stand.

 

[I'm an expert]

anything I would say from here on is honestly just stuff I've written over the years and personal opinions on the overall situation, rather than anything directly related to your personal situation. if you're interested in any of that, you can ask or pm me. otherwise i suggest checking https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginjapan/ and http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=702034

 

[RurouniZel]

anything I would say from here on is honestly just stuff I've written over the years and personal opinions on the overall situation, rather than anything directly related to your personal situation. if you're interested in any of that, you can ask or pm me. otherwise i suggest checking https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginjapan/ and http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=702034

Thank you for the links. I apologize if I offended in any way. orz

 

[I'm an expert]

you didn't lol..I just wish I wasn't the only active user in here most times lol. product of my abundant time now

 

[RurouniZel]

you didn't lol..I just wish I wasn't the only active user in here most times lol. product of my abundant time now

No it's okay, it's me. I was inconsiderate asking questions that have likely been answered more than once and I just asked rather than read the thread because I was just feeling down today. I apologize for that. I'll read through the reddit posts when I'm in more of a mind to do tons of reading. XD

 

[I'm an expert]

youre misunderstanding, you didnt do anything wrong. what im saying is the only thing im going to do from here on is cram my opinion down your throat which is completely irrelevant to you or your questions. other people can be much more helpful than me, and you should wait for them.

if you want to teach english in japan, you can be here in a few weeks. you will probably be happier here than you are at home. you will probably stay here forever. nothing i say would change those things.

 

[Kazzy]

youre misunderstanding, you didnt do anything wrong. what im saying is the only thing im going to do from here on is cram my opinion down your throat which is completely irrelevant to you or your questions. other people can be much more helpful than me, and you should wait for them.

if you want to teach english in japan, you can be here in a few weeks. you will probably be happier here than you are at home. you will probably stay here forever. nothing i say would change those things.

Kind of how I feel, and yeah, I can see it from both sides now. It's hard to generalize sometimes, especially when similar questions start getting asked. I sometimes browse here, and I always used to think "why the hell is everyone so damn grumpy in this thread!?" Haha!

But the teaching thing, I did that, so am happy to field any questions, RurouniZel, as well as the general Japan ones you'll inevitability have. PM or whatever.

 

[I'm an expert]

Kind of how I feel, and yeah, I can see it from both sides now. It's hard to generalize sometimes, especially when similar questions start getting asked. I sometimes browse here, and I always used to think "why the hell is everyone so damn grumpy in this thread!?" Haha!

But the teaching thing, I did that, so am happy to field any questions, RurouniZel, as well as the general Japan ones you'll inevitability have. PM or whatever.

You want grumpy? Go to the japanlife subreddit. My issue isn't grumpy lol, my mentality just doesn't see how some people can make the choice they do in regards to this specific country. Again, opinions, irrelevant.

 

[Kazzy]

You want grumpy? Go to the japanlife subreddit. My issue isn't grumpy lol, my mentality just doesn't see how some people can make the choice they do in regards to this specific country. Again, opinions, irrelevant.

Yeah, I'm well aware, and like I said, now I understand it. Especially in regards to Japan, there is a lot of bitterness floating around when it comes to getting opinions/information from people.

For better or worse, the vibe I always get is a hostile one. And just to be clear, I'm talking about the wider community, and not here specifically.

 

[I'm an expert]

Nah I'm an asshole lol, I could give that guy a million restaurant recommendations for example but I ignore those kinda posts

 

[Kazzy]

Nah I'm an asshole lol, I could give that guy a million restaurant recommendations for example but I ignore those kinda posts

They are so frequent, I can kind of understand that. It's so easy to say you're going to do one thing, but quite another to actually see it through...

Especially with Japan occupying the niche it does, here more than most places, it must wear everyone down eventually, taking those sort of questions. No matter how well-intentioned people are, it usually always boils down to the same few key-points, so the curtness, I can (sort of) get.

Not here, but I've answered the same things a couple of times too, and in detail. More often than not, they do nothing with it. It can feel pretty futile,

Spoiler

particularly when it's friends who do this!

Whatever, this is a ramble, but I've totally been that person too, so hopefully I can help someone!

 

[Porcile]

I've never visited the Japanlife reddit directly.

This is helpful!

https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/5knnhw/i_am_a_licensed_teacher_in_japan_ama/

On the other hand, I'm guessing this a japancirclejerk troll, but who can be sure:

https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/5kvgo0/how_do_you_talk_to_girls_in_your_daily_life_in/

 

[Porcile]

Hang on, How many of the posters on there are I'm an expert? lol

https://www.reddit.com/user/fuckyocouchjapan ???

This guy? https://www.reddit.com/user/konnichiwadesu

 

[I'm an expert]

You know thats not the first time someone here has accused me here of being on reddit. Someone on gaf definitely used reddit because I believe it was linked in the circle jerk sub before. For the record, again, I've never once posted on reddit or any weird upvote kind of forums. But for real, I take offense you think i make posts like that. I don't hardcore troll or write dumb shit like that ever.

Though there's some serious Big Daikon type shit running through there. I 100% believe some people on there are people I have come across in real life. You should go back over the last 2-3 months. There were some serious troll wars going on through all the Japan related subs. Japan attracts the most special of people.

edit: this fuckin thread lol https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/5fhxgw/request_for_some_career_advice/

 

[Darksol]

大吉! やった!

...it is at times like this where I wish I believed in this sort of nonsense.