Second thoughts about Japan.

[h2orowe]

Kk, ever since around 7th grade (I'm in 10th now) I've had a thing for Japan. I got introduced with Japan through history, and took a liking to it.

Ever since 8th I've wanted to go to Japan, and in 9th I decided I'd like to teach English in Japan.

Well, lately I've heard alot of things, that would never ever fly by me, in Japan.

I've heard some bad things about the treatment of women, and I just couldn't handle that. If I ever heard one prejuidice remark saying something against a woman, unless in a completely joking manner, I'd end up punching "Ichiro" in the face.


Can someone weigh in the pros and cons about Japan? Cuz I honestly don't want to waste the rest of my high school time, and my college time studying about Japan and wanting to go there, and only to find out that I can't live in that environment.

Note: I'd have no problem taking jokes or anything like Az is getting about Bob Sap and Bobby. I just don't ever like seeing people held down due to a gender/race/religion/sexual preference.

[CNagy]

I've never been to Japan, though I am working towards it, but if you can't control yourself I'd say you really have no business travelling outside the states. I'm not saying that it is okay for the Japanese to discriminate and make rude comments, but I am saying that it sure as hell isn't okay for you to fly off the handle when they do. You are the guest.

[Arkan]

I'd like to punch you in the face. Who says american culture doesn't dameen women already? HUH? I mean with the way that corperations sell a womans body for comercial uses, or how come you never had a female president that can stay in office more than a year? It's not just japan that treat women poorly. It's all men. You go anywhere and there'll prolly be a man putting down a woman, harrasing her or even beating her. You know what, i'd like to see a woman beat you. YEA, give her a bat and then smack the living shit out of you.

God sometimes you're as ignorant as the people you make fun of. I know I sound like a bastard, but I prolly would hate you if you came to my school. My hate wouldn't be justified but the world isn't fair....Maybe it's just your picture that creates all this hate.

[keitaidensha]

every culture has its pros and cons, and if you'd do something as retarded as punch someone for saying something about women you probably do not belong there

[koku]

lol I think arkan has already found someone to toy with.

Either that or he/she is just a major Ass.



I'm amused; carry on.

[Frankey-eh]

I would think, if you were brought up in the Japanese society, you would be glad you're a girl because you don't have to work. Your husbands are expected to take care of you, so you just sit at home, keep the house tidy, cook meals for him, and take care of the kids while your husband's the one who deals with all the craziness of the society like being forced to go to drinking parties and staying overtime and stuff. ^_^

But that's only ideal for Japanese, I think. In America, everyone has too much ideas about independence and college education and careers to be willing to live a passive life.

Happiness is relative and subjective. Someone might look at a housewife as a person trapped in a jail, but that person may enjoy being at home... without the stress of working.

[h2orowe]

:\ well I was exaggerating, I'd never punch someone in the face... that's not even my style of fighting.


I'd just feel way uncomfortable, and deeply saddened about it. I'd still put up with it, but I'd probably be like "Hey, you shouldn't say that".

Hell, I live in a heavily populated Vietnamese community, "Little Saigon", and my white friends are always like "Stupid fucking gooks" even in a joking way, that pisses me off, and I say "Shut the fuck up" or if someone calls someone else a "Fag" I spit them out about that.

[ESPayne]

Like the other guy said, every culture has it's pros and cons. I take it that you live in some ultra PC community where nobody does or says anything that might offend someone? If not, do you go around smacking people where you live? I seriously doubt it.

[ESPayne]

Damn! I was in the middle of something and posted too late.

[h2orowe]

Well, I do know every country/community has pros and cons... and that's why I'd like a list of Japan's :\

I want to know more about the country I plan to live in... cuz I plan on teaching High School as an English teacher, not as a JET.

[ESPayne]

Well, I do know every country/community has pros and cons... and that's why I'd like a list of Japan's :\

I want to know more about the country I plan to live in... cuz I plan on teaching High School as an English teacher, not as a JET.

How long do you plan on staying? Are we talking a year or do you plan on living out the rest of your life here? I've never had to worry about travel/working/permanet residency Visas, so I don't know very much about those issues. Anyway, is there something specific you were wondering about?

[Azrael]

It's not the easiest country to live in. You really have to be able to detach yourself and not care about a lot of things. And you have to be OK with never, ever being able to become a part of the society you live in, no matter how hard you try.

Arkan: Chill.

[Arkan]

Hahahahaha, I'm just playing with him. I stated somewhere on this forum. I'm not really the uber ASS I appear to be. What ever I say unless it's really really really insulting, it's usually a joke.

I perform and dance for the amusement of others, me lord. And it's only at the expense of one man. Haha I'm allready hooked on "Make a job at joey once a day". I just need another fix.

Haha joey don't take a gun to your school and whack off some kids because of me. Don't take anything I saw too seriously. I just have some violent urges to your comments.

[koku]

To be fair, you should know something THIS SIGNIFICANT ahead of time.

I mean, if you wanted to work and mold your college career path towards it, you should have probably found out what it's like living there from a secondary source already (and not to mention plenty of secondary sources).

I would put down study abroad/living there yourself but that's too much to expect (some people just can't).

I remember lurking through forums and such figuring stuff like this out. Obvouisly I don't know it all, but it saved me from realizing something obvouis way too late ^^.

Also a lot of people know this/experienced this and still enjoy it. So there is a balance of good and bad times.

[h2orowe]

Well, this is the year to start planning my college, so I still have time, but it's like I NEED TO KNOW NOW! Soon....

I plan on living there, cuz I wanna teach full time as a High School English teacher. I don't wanna do JET. I wanna completely live there.

I just wanna know of any discrimination that goes on in the country and the depth it goes unto.... I honestly don't care if I get like the OH YOU SILLY GAIJIN or any other comments at ME, but I just don't wanna walk into a country that's 50 years behind our country in equality.


Arkan: I'm not the kind of person to explode. I try to avoid conflict if it comes up, and only fight when nescasary (Spelling!), so I'd never EVER bring a gun to school. Hell, I get paranoid with a CD player in my backpack.

How are teachers treated out there? I mean I understand in JHS, since they don't have detention they don't care about you. In like HS do they have strict rules? Will the kids actually appreciate what you do for them? Because honestly, the U.S.A. has a shitty teacher treatment... thingy.... I mean how much shit do you have to give the teacher? 6 or 5 periods a day! They're out here every morning, almost, teaching us valuable information that'll develop us into beneficial members to our community, our country, and maybe the world. I hate it when kids back talk the teacher, when kids go out of their way to disrespect the teacher, when kids talk shit on the teacher, and other things like that.

I am prepared for that, though, but I just want to know what it's like out there?

I'm pretty set on going, I just want to know if it'll be so discriminatory that I can't even live there.

[kitsunepixie]

I'm a girl who lives in Japan who considers herself a feminist, and guess what: I love living in Japan. Sure, there are many cultural practices here that I wouldn't want for myself (like being a career homemaker), but likewise, there are many aspects of American culture that I similarly reject. If someone wants to be a homemaker, I admire their decision; it is admirable, whether you are a man or a woman, to take care of one's family. To have a comfortable family life in America nowadays, you need both spouses to be bringing in an income and taking care of the kids, while in Japan, the husband is still expected to be the main breadwinner. The situation for women is changing slowly, but more because Japanese people want it to, not because we Westerners are pushing them to.

[Arkan]

Well, this is the year to start planning my college, so I still have time, but it's like I NEED TO KNOW NOW! Soon....

I plan on living there, cuz I wanna teach full time as a High School English teacher. I don't wanna do JET. I wanna completely live there.

I just wanna know of any discrimination that goes on in the country and the depth it goes unto.... I honestly don't care if I get like the OH YOU SILLY GAIJIN or any other comments at ME, but I just don't wanna walk into a country that's 50 years behind our country in equality.


Arkan: I'm not the kind of person to explode. I try to avoid conflict if it comes up, and only fight when nescasary (Spelling!), so I'd never EVER bring a gun to school. Hell, I get paranoid with a CD player in my backpack.

How are teachers treated out there? I mean I understand in JHS, since they don't have detention they don't care about you. In like HS do they have strict rules? Will the kids actually appreciate what you do for them? Because honestly, the U.S.A. has a shitty teacher treatment... thingy.... I mean how much shit do you have to give the teacher? 6 or 5 periods a day! They're out here every morning, almost, teaching us valuable information that'll develop us into beneficial members to our community, our country, and maybe the world. I hate it when kids back talk the teacher, when kids go out of their way to disrespect the teacher, when kids talk shit on the teacher, and other things like that.

I am prepared for that, though, but I just want to know what it's like out there?

I'm pretty set on going, I just want to know if it'll be so discriminatory that I can't even live there.


Ok with my insulting jokes aside. You should just research a lot. Before devoting yourself to that life try visiting there first. I am proud of you trying to help younger kids. Teachers are underpaid, underappreciated and over worked.

[Arvynia]

Joey - when you are faced with the decision of going elsewhere - and on your own free will, ask yourself if you are open to anything.

Don't expect anything.
Expect the unexpected.

I want to go to Japan - whatever I find over there, whether I like it or fucken hate it - I will mold myself to deal with it and accept it.

I look forward to going to Japan - regardless. Of anything. Period.

You are building Japan to be this perfect place. There is no such thing. :)

Just be happy and enjoy it for what you can. Besides, if you decide to go, you only have to stay there for a year, unless you cut it short. Don't like? Come back.

[h2orowe]

:D I think I'm still set.... especially after Kitsune's post....

I mean, as long as it's not depressing, I can live with it.

I just have a very equality pressed mind, I've gotten in a fight for defending a mentally handicapped person (as you can tell, I'm a person who seems to be always negative about himself, but to me it's just being humble. So, I don't wanna brag about it, but maybe in another post :\). I just like to see everyone, regardless of Sex, Sexual Preferance, race, religion, and whatever else there is being treated on the same level.

Although, I'm prepared, like I said, for the Gaijin thing :\ I'm going into Japan, not Everybody land, so I'm prepared for a fair share of racism towards me, or if not, just a sense of being left out.

[Chinpokomon]

Why don't you study abroad for a year? While asking opinions on an internet forum is not a bad start, nothing can compare to having your own experiences there.

[h2orowe]

I was thinking about it... does it cost money? What do your grades have to be?

Can someone supply a link to an informal website..


And Thanks alot for all the help! I just want to enjoy what I do in life.

[Arvynia]

You might wanna look into a college that definately sponsors exchanges - talk to Neko about it. She's doing it. :)

[charrick]

Guys... Most of you are telling h2orowe to just research. Well, he's trying to research but few of us are giving him very meaningful answers. I'll try to add more...

I've lived in Japan for a year (through study abroad) and I'm going back there for a year working for NOVA (no jokes, please!). I think I know pretty much about Japan.

I'd say that Japan is a sexist society, but it's not like some conservative Arab country or anything. Females are free to do pretty much whatever they want, especially in terms of expressing themselves. This doesn't mean that they will get the top position in a company, but they aren't kept behind bars, either. Women tend to work in their younger years and then quit their jobs either when they get married or have a child. Then, they sometimes go back to the workforce when they are much older. Because of this, women are not expected to have life-long careers and are generally not taken very seriously. Most women in the workforce are OLs (office ladies) and basically make coffee, fax messages, etc for the salarymen. There are very few salarywomen, and I'm sure that if a well-qualified woman were to apply to the same job as a man, she would definitely be discriminated against and a man with a lower-quality resume would probably get the job. But I believe that after a while, she would find a job. I don't think that all companies would treat women like that but I'd say that it's common.

A marriage is rarely a partnership. There are usually roles. The man works and is dominant and the woman cleans and raises the children and is submissive (but she is usually in charge of the money). This is not always the case, but it's generally true. Also, it's usually not that big a deal for a man to cheat on his wife if on a business trip or whatever, but I'm sure that if we took a poll, most Japanese people regardless of sex would agree that nobody should cheat.

The situation is sort of bad but don't think that women are as submissive as geishas or anything. Also, it seems that younger women are more outspoken (as outspoken as Japanese can be, anyway) and don't fit the mold. Again, there are no societal rules that keep women from doing anything. They don't need to hide their faces or stay at home or marry. It's just that the Japanese culture sees women as homemakers.

So, in a way, Japan is sort of like how the United States was like 50 years ago. But is that SO bad? Couldn't you live for a while in the days of "I Love Lucy"...with cell phones and the internet?

But DEFINITELY try to study abroad there or get into the JET Programme or an eikaiwa (NOVA, AEON, GEOS, etc) for a while. These things will only take a year, not your entire life, so it would be easy to get a real career as a teacher in Japan once you've experienced what teaching is like (especially through the JET Programme). If you love the experiences, go back. But I bet that 90% of Americans and other foreigners (at least from the West) would admit that Japan is a great place to live for a while, but would be a bad place to live for the rest of your life.

Personally, though I'm a man who considers himself allied with the feminist cause, I would be more concerned with how much a medium pizza costs (US$25), if I can find Mexican food (only in, like 2 restaurants in the country), and if I even like the taste of Japanese food (no), which you'll be eating a whole lot of.

[Chinpokomon]

And Thanks alot for all the help! I just want to enjoy what I do in life.

Sheesh, what a conformist. ;)

[h2orowe]

I absolutely love Japanese food :P and if they have Chinese, I'm set! :D


I just wanted to know how severe it is with the prejuidice toward women. The only thing that I still find horrible is that it's not uncommon to cheat.... that is just low, but good thing, like you said, most Japanese don't agree with that.

So, if I take JET, I can teach in Japan full time after?

But wouldn't I need to know Japanese to teach English? or in High School is it more of just grammar/literature?

[Arkan]

It's not uncommon to cheat in a lot of places. Usually places where you marry young. And it's usually the guy cheating.

[charrick]

You can teach anytime you want. In fact, you can be a janitor until you're 35 and then become an Engish teacher in Japan. Just go through college first. Spending time in Japan before you decide to stay there for the rest of your life will help you enormously. I can almost guarantee that if you live there for a year, you'll have serious reservations about living there for the rest of your life.

By the way, if you're into anime, Japan is not an anime world. And if you're not into anime, why the heck Japan? Hehe...seriously, Japan's a cool country but you're still young and I think this idea to live there forever is sort of like a dream that kids have...like being an astronaut. Many have the dream but then you learn your limits and the difficulties of the situation later on.

By the way, you don't need to know Japanese to be a JET or eikaiwa teacher but it would be best to start learning it now. It will only help you. And if you do decide to become a life-long teacher, you'll need to know Japanese fluently. You might be working with people who don't know English and if you ever hope to make friends with Japanese people (which is the reason I think you'd want to go to Japan), you'll need to learn Japanese eventually.

And lastly, no, they don't really have Chinese there. They have "ramen" which is just as Japanese as Chinese. Besides that, they don't have much of what I would call real (or even American style) Chinese food.

[h2orowe]

Awww, no love for the Chinese food.... I have been deeply saddened.

No! The reason is not anime! Still, I do enjoy anime, but I for sure know that anime is not Japan, and am going to have to explain that to my Japanese club one day. "Cosplay Pagent!!! WOOT" -.- I hate you, Japanese club..... NIHONGO KURABU!

I just sorta got drawn to Japan by the history (I love history), and than just sorta stuck with it :\ I don't have the funds to visit, so maybe I'll study abroad. Keep the helpfulness coming though!
and what I meant by learning Japanese to teach full time, is because I heard if you do JET than you shouldn't know any Japanese, or at least they prefer you don't.


Thanks for the help....

Arigatou Gozaimasu Foru Za Herupu.......

[Bissrok]

i'm hope i can save up enough to do study abroad by my senior year, but i really wouldn't want to live there much longer than that. i mean, having beer in vending machines is cool and all, but i'm not sure how long i could stand the place.

[Scott]

Japan is a good place... but like America, it has its downs as well as its ups. There really isn't any country in the world that has everything going for it and nothing against it. Sure, sometimes women are still treated like crap, but they've been improving. Keep in mind that there's a lot of stuff that gets blown out of proportion or publicized simply because it's bad and interesting, and a lot of the everyday good stuff just gets ignored.

If you want to teach - good luck. There's a lot of opportunities, and a lot of them can lead to dead ends and frustrations, from what I've heard.

[alansmithee]

I absolutely love Japanese food :P and if they have Chinese, I'm set! :D


I just wanted to know how severe it is with the prejuidice toward women. The only thing that I still find horrible is that it's not uncommon to cheat.... that is just low, but good thing, like you said, most Japanese don't agree with that.



Umm, no offense but where do you actually live? In 1950's storybook America? This, along with your attempted brainwashing thread just makes me think you don't live in the real world. Cheating is just as common in America as it is in Japan. Sexism is almost as common here as it is in Japan (just often takes other forms). And also, many women in Japan and America want to stay home and raise a family. I mean honestly, does the average salaryman's day seem that glamourous? Just because more married women in America work doesn't mean that they necessarily want to, many do so from necessity.

[h2orowe]

Yes, I live in 1950's storybook America.

[Chinpokomon]

Arigatou Gozaimasu Foru Za Herupu.......

No....
just...
No.

[h2orowe]

Awww, porque?

[Henjin]

I went to a great Chinese place outside Kobe that had delicious gyouza... And there were several Chinese restaurants in Kobe's Chinatown... Obviously I can't speak for the whole country, but it doesn't look like Chinese food is all that hard to find.

[Invictus]

Personally, though I'm a man who considers himself allied with the feminist cause, I would be more concerned with how much a medium pizza costs (US$25), if I can find Mexican food (only in, like 2 restaurants in the country), and if I even like the taste of Japanese food (no), which you'll be eating a whole lot of.

QFT!!! The first thing I'm doing when I visit the States for Christmas is running down to the local California Pizza Kitchen and stuffing my face with cheese that actually tastes like cheese. ;)

Anyway, h2orowe, Japan is a very *different* place from the United States. I hate being politically correct, but in this case you really can't come expecting to impose your values on the Japanese. It just won't work, and you'll go nuts from trying.

I also sense more than a hint of cultural imperialism... remember that equality of gender roles et. al. are basically exclusive to the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe. Heck, even going to as culturally similar a country as Mexico will instantly reveal vast differences in basic attitudes toward life. Equality of almost anything is not something the rest of the world takes for granted.

As a final note, I will warn you that getting angry in Japan is positively the most counterproductive thing you can do. Unless you are someone who can control himself even against the deadliest of insults, Japan is not the best place for you to be. Japan will try your patience like nothing else, and you are expected to nod and smile in reply.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Teaching English is not a career. If you are 40 years old, and your only job has been AET (foreigners cannot even become real teachers, and you wouldn't get a long enough visa to apply for citizenship most likely), then I will personally put you out of your misery. There is no upward mobility, no pay raises, no nothing. Just more teaching English. That's fine for a single bachelor who wants to get laid, not so good for a 35-40 year-old.

Just a warning.

[h2orowe]

........so, I can't even become a full time teacher.....


Aww, fuck.

[Henjin]

QFT!!! The first thing I'm doing when I visit the States for Christmas is running down to the local California Pizza Kitchen and stuffing my face with cheese that actually tastes like cheese. ;)


California Pizza Kitchen is not real American pizza. You leave that hippy crap alone. You want real pizza, you need to come to Chicago. :p
(And no, I'm not talking about deep dish. Just in general.)

[nice gaijin]

........so, I can't even become a full time teacher.....


Aww, fuck.
This is why research is important.

Seriously, thinking so fondly of and planning on living in a place you've never been to and seem to have a minimal understanding of is setting yourself up for pain and misery.

As a side note, if you plan on becoming a teacher, I suggest reading Dumbing us Down (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0865714487/qid=1128667562/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-3488758-8035006?v=glance&s=books) by John Gatto, and see how the compulsory education system conditions us to act and think in certain ways.

[Invictus]

California Pizza Kitchen is not real American pizza. You leave that hippy crap alone. You want real pizza, you need to come to Chicago.

Oh, as an Italian-American, I'm well aware of that. Unfortunately, there is no place to get real pizza in Phoenix, so I take the next best option, which is quality ingredients and real cheese.

Agh, I feel like crying now! I would take even decent Pizza Hut pizza here in Japan! :( (Would make a great movie title: Weeping For Pizza. ;))

[Kaji]

It's possible to become a full teacher, I've seen it before.

That said, the man also had a half-Japanese son in class 2-6.

[Kaji]

Oh, as an Italian-American, I'm well aware of that. Unfortunately, there is no place to get real pizza in Phoenix, so I take the next best option, which is quality ingredients and real cheese.

Agh, I feel like crying now! I would take even decent Pizza Hut pizza here in Japan! :( (Would make a great movie title: Weeping For Pizza. ;))

Qualitywise Pizza Hut is exactly the same in Japan (or at the very least, in my area of Saitama) as it is in the states (I speak from experience on this one). As for what they put on the pizzas, you need to be very specific about what you want or else you'll find bits of onion and corn on it where you don't want them. Spell out what ingredients you want and you'll be fine.

[kitsunepixie]

If you study hard, then you should be able to get a scholarship to study abroad in college. Also, I wouldn't say that the JET program discourages people who know Japanese from applying...a number of ALTs in my pref. were selected for their schools based on the fact that they can speak Japanese quite well. Other schools, on the other hand, would prefer someone who wouldn't be able rely on Japanese to communicate with the students as to make them use English in the classroom.

[Invictus]

Yeah, but it takes all the fun out of life having to pay $30 for pizza. It's a crime against humanity. :P

Besides, I don't have Pizza Hut in my area. There's Aoki's Pizza, and maaaybe Domino's...

[Kaji]

I hear ya on the $30 bit. You can always try what happened to me once...Ordered a large pizza, told them I wanted ham and pineapple. They asked if I wanted a Hawaiian pizza, I confirmed what I said before, and they said that it was a Hawaiian pizza. Got the pizza half an hour later to discover that there were onions and pieces of corn all over it. Called back, had them fix it, they brought me two mediums "because they didn't have any large pizzas left." Not going to complain about the extra bang for my buck.

Besides, at least you don't have to tip the delivery boy, no?

[Kaji]

Forgot to mention it earlier, but there's one thing about Japanese. When you're applying for a job over there, the less Japanese you know, the better (that way you won't speak Japanese in class is the logic). Once you're there, the more you know, the better. Hence, never let on to how much Japanese you know unless you really have to for some reason...

[Pierrot le Fou]

Really, it's not that expensive to get it from Pizza Hut. They charge 400 yen for delivery, which means if you pick it up, it's free. While a 400 yen tip seems like a lot, and is, it can be taken off the price of the pizza. Toss in a coupon (the 600 yen for over 2500 yen order) and you can get a large pizza with a load of toppings for about $20.

On the special days (8-9-10th of every month?) they have a pick-up special where it's about 1500 yen to get a large deluxe pizza or somesuch, which is potentially cheaper than it is in the US.

Dominos is a tad better than Pizza Hut I think, but I loved Domino's back home for the chain pizza places, so I may be biased.

[Chinpokomon]

Forgot to mention it earlier, but there's one thing about Japanese. When you're applying for an English teaching job over there, the less Japanese you know, the better (that way you won't speak Japanese in class is the logic). Once you're there, the more you know, the better. Hence, never let on to how much Japanese you know unless you really have to for some reason...

Fixed your typo...

[Kaji]

Fixed your typo...

Foreigners apply for jobs outside of teaching English in Japan? hehehe...

[Chinpokomon]

http://www.moviepostershop.com/item_img/1-26138.jpg

[DoM of the South]

h20rowe,

you seem to have a lot of opinions for a 16 year old. Most think more about their favourite sports teams or movies, but you seem obsessed with equality. You sound like a bit of a crusader. How can you hate cheating? have you been married, only to find your wife in bed with the postman? I think its unfair that all the talk of cheating seems aimed at men cheating on women! Women cheat on men, and suprisingly not just in Japan. You wouldn't have your shows in america where they try to work out who the baby's daddy is if women didn't cheat (not always the case but you get the idea).

Try not to be perfectly neutral, you will get tired quickly trying to fight the cause of every person who has been wronged against. Maybe you shouldn't become a teacher but a human rights lawyer?!

Definitely go to Japan as a tourist if you can to confirm and dissolve your preconceptions as i can guarantee that you will have a good time, especially as you sound like the type of person who will experience everything! But don't be suprised if during college you fall in love (with a person or a hobby) and decide that your time would be better spent elsewhere. Keep an open mind and don't try so hard to please everyone all of the time!

DoM

[Henjin]

He's just showing off.

[Uska]

I would think, if you were brought up in the Japanese society, you would be glad you're a girl because you don't have to work. Your husbands are expected to take care of you, so you just sit at home, keep the house tidy, cook meals for him, and take care of the kids while your husband's the one who deals with all the craziness of the society like being forced to go to drinking parties and staying overtime and stuff. ^_^

But that's only ideal for Japanese, I think. In America, everyone has too much ideas about independence and college education and careers to be willing to live a passive life.

Happiness is relative and subjective. Someone might look at a housewife as a person trapped in a jail, but that person may enjoy being at home... without the stress of working.

Wow rika, first chick I ever read putting it that way. Thoust art most wise. There are way too many ppl here that think that's completely machista(umm I don't have a term for it in english atm but it means man > woman), but coming from a chick that's great. lol I think if they don't want to work and stay at home fine, if they want to pursue careers or whatever that's great too. I know I would love to stay at home 8)

[more cheerios]

It's alright, I don't think I'll ever go to Japan. I just don't have any desire to. :)

I think I'd rather go to Ireland, Iceland or Spain first.

[Scott]

He's just showing off.

DoM or H20Rowe?

Personally, H20rowe doesn't seem like a bad guy, just a young one.

[Henjin]

H20rowe. And I didn't say he was a bad guy. He's just a young guy who obviously is bothered by some of the things he sees... It seems like he's not yet mature enough to deal w/ that frustration, but who is at that age? I just meant the whole "I'm gonna punch them in the face if they look at a girl funny" is showing off.

[Sayaka]

I heard that Chinese food is really expensive in Japan. True?

[Scott]

I heard that Chinese food is really expensive in Japan. True?

It was more expensive than the cheap Japanese places I could go to in Tokyo... eh, 10-12 dollars for a relatively large (by American standards) meal, though meat dishes were more expensive than the norm.

[atomiton]

It's better to do something and have some bad experiences, than to regret not doing it.

Just do it.

You will only hear the bad news and everyone's different.

It's like asking the waiter if the Chicken Cordon Bleu tastes good, and the waiter says: "Unless I'll be chewing it for you first, I don't see how that matters."

In other words, people have different tastes. Japan is different. Spend less time on the internet and more time enjoying being there. It's a wonderful world... don't let your eyes be tainted by the dirty spectacles that the internet has to offer.

[Xenotrauma]

If you really want an idea of how to plan out college h2, I'll just throw out one of the things that a lot of the kids at my school do... International Business.

If you enroll for International Business in a school that offers Japanese resources, you can take it as your language and will probably have to spend a year studying abroad there. This will let you not only go over and get a taste for the country to see whether you like it or not, but will get you a degree that you can do pretty much anything with. You can graduate with a degree in International Business and go on to get an MBA or whatever and do... well, pretty much whatever you want ^_^ If you go over and totally love the culture, an International Business degree can get you hookup over there too.

Like PLF said, teaching English is really -not- a career... unless you go through the horrific gauntlet that IS naturalization. But there are people who do a lot of things in Japan that don't teach English, and people who seem to spend enough time over there to get their fill without rooting down. Just from what I know about people on this forum, I would hit up hapacheese... because his kind of job might suit you better.

[h2orowe]

Fuck! I hate SBC browser.... I swear I'm so close to throwing this god damned computer out the window.... not really... but typing me saying that makes me calm down :\

I had a big post typed out, and what does my browser do? Freeze, like always, when I try and post it, and I copied it to make sure I got it, and it didn't copy >.<;

Well, I'll just shorten my post :\

Henjin, I wasn't bragging and I think I even said I was exaggerating about the punch thing, I don't even punch in real fights.

Yes, I'm not your average 16 year old, but than again, most average 16 year olds are just douche bags who try and act gangsta.

I think I might just do what my first ever career plan was (since 4) and become a marine biologist (what the girl I currently like, Michelle is going to do) and just do JET.

Xeno, I don't like business though. I'm more of a people/teaching person, I like to help people, and I am horrible with numbers.

Can someone please explain what Naturalization is?

[Henjin]

Becoming a citizen of a country.
And why don't you just use IE or install Firefox or something?

[Xenotrauma]

It's cool if you don't like business h2, I can't stand it either. But if you want to do the non-business side you can, like me, and major in International Area Studies ^_^ It's the thankless broke life of a grad student more or less, but I love school... so winding up a professor somewhere really doesn't bother me that much. Granted I couldn't say exactly what job I'll wind up when I'm out, but I can't say what I'd do with a marine biology degree either so.. whateva!

[h2orowe]

I'm considering using IE, Henjin, it's just this is alot easier to acess my mail with :\ and I like the layout a bit.

How hard is it to become natrualized?

[Chinpokomon]

I'm considering using IE, Henjin, it's just this is alot easier to acess my mail with :\ and I like the layout a bit.

How hard is it to become natrualized?

You have to give up your American citizenship.
Thinking about becoming a Japanese citizen is a big step.

[Henjin]

Yeah, I don't think I could ever do that...

[Pierrot le Fou]

In order to become a naturalized citizen of Japan, you need to live 6 years under the same visa status (so if, for instance, you came on JET on an instructor visa, and switched to Nova on an 'arts and humanities' visa or whateve it's called, even if you were around for 6 years, the visa change would disqualify you). Once you have the 6 years under a single visa status, you need to apply for citizenship with a sponsor. You have to write a 1 page essay in Japanese on why you want to join, as well as being able to prove that you are an upstanding member of society (i.e. not even a speeding ticket against you), as well as showing that you have a steady source of employment and won't be a leech on society. Then you will gain citizenship -- or at least permanent residency en route to citizenship.

It ain't that easy...

[Kustom]

H2, I would really advocate the following based on personal experience: when you go to a place as foreign as Japan, try to limit your expectations to the bare minimum (like people eat, drink, have 2 arms and legs and one head). Expectations are the main sources of prejudices and disapointment when going to a country.

Say you want to go to Japan because you love anime (or ikebana, or Japanese history, whatever). This is only an infinitely small part of the experience that living in Japan is. Chances are you won't find as many animes as you thought you would and instead go nuts on other things you completely overlooked. This is extremely common, the best way to brace yourself for this is not expect anything, take it as it is, and remember that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger (pretty useful when sampling Japanese delicacies).

Remember Az's words: "you must accept what you can't change or control".

What worries me is that you seem to be an extremely PC sensitive person, with lots of righteous ideas that won't ever fly in Japan and make you miserable. No offense, but making threads in which you confidently boast that you will introduce Japanese schoolgirls to free thinking by mail only means that the reality check will hit you the hardest. This is in no way limited to you, it is natural for everyone to underestimate the hardships of living in a different culture and people routinely do so on this forum.

I have a certain experience of dealing with cultural differences, having lived and worked on four continents, and my best advice is: take it as it is (do not idealize, have no expectations), swallow your pride and keep your principles to yourself, prepare for the worse but stay open for the best. If you are open-minded, you should quickly see that there are more than one approach to a particular custom, no matter how strange or repulsive, and that America is very strange to a lot of people too. But the core of being open-minded isn't to have all sorts of certainties, principles and preconceptions; in fact it's exactly the opposite.

[h2orowe]

Heh, please for the love of god, let that Japanese penpal mind change thingy drop... I said I realized it was stupid... so please, let it drop.

I'm a PC person, when it comes to treatment, I honestly don't care if it's like messing around or something, and I know that if I go in there, it's not going to be PC, and I know to respect another country's culture. I don't expect to change anything in Japan, in fact, I'd rather learn to adapt to another country, and have a better understanding of the world around me.

I think if I had the chance, I'd probably be able to give up my American citizenship, in exchange for Japan's.... if I like Japan enough. If I get friends over there and wife/family, than I would. I'd just visit America, and have family visit me, at least 2 or 3 times a year.

I know, that Japan is not the land of the Samurai, or the land of the anime (thank god -.-, if it really were... imagine how many more Wapanese kids would come and live there), and I know it's not whatever the hell I see on TV.

I know this is a bit off-topic, but what type of books do they have in Japan? Is it as good/better/worse than America/England's?

[Kustom]

I think if I had the chance, I'd probably be able to give up my American citizenship, in exchange for Japan's....

Give up on this one. Otherwise, you got the right attitude.

Interesting survey in Metropolis:
Japan non-fiction best-sellers:
1 How smart and stupid people talk
2 Why bamboo pole sellers won't go bankrupt
3 The etiquette of good humor
4 The idiot wall (a long time best seller calling for bosses and underlings to get along)
5 The art of healthy living
6 The Hagification of aging women
7 Change your fortune through zodiac science
...

[Invictus]

As far as books... if you like manga, you will be in paradise. Otherwise, I'm not overly impressed with the quality of the average Japanese book. They do, however, have some really good foreign books that aren't highly publicized in the States. For example, the other day I found a copy of Diana Wynne Jones' "Castle in the Air," the sequel to "Howl's Moving Castle." Great book BTW, better than its predecessor in my opinion.

However, foreign books are (naturally) more expensive. Manga is so ungodly cheap that it makes up for it, though. :P

[stillbornsinger]

Alright, got a late jump on this thread but here goes...

Charrick, you make an excellent post that is pretty similar to my general experience in Japan except the following statement stuck out to me as BS...

Japanese people regardless of sex would agree that nobody should cheat.


Its been my experience they don't care about cheating so much as getting caught cheating. My Japanese girlfriend even conveighed this idea to me several times while I was dating her. She would say things like "Oh, my friend said to me the other night that she does not care if man cheats on her as long as she does not find out. Do you think she is right? I think maybe she has good point."

And how can you explain love hotels huh? An entire industry that caters to cheaters, every last detail of the hotel is tailored to the cheating Officewoman/Salaryman.

Also you said you wouldn't find any Chinese in Japan besides Ramen... thats BS... I've found Japanese Chinese food to be more similar to actual Chinese (well my experience from Hong Kong) food than American Chinese food is. Its also quite yummy and common.

Kustom gave you some excellent advice h2orowe, you should read it over again and not get stuck on the "free thinking by mail" part.

Pierrot le fou- Do you have any relevant experience of Americans marrying JN's and gaining citizenship? I've known several guys who have married Japanese women, but they tend to move back stateside. But then our situation is a bit different than a schoolteachers since we can't totally control where we go.

[Frankey-eh]

In order to become a naturalized citizen of Japan, you need to live 6 years under the same visa status (so if, for instance, you came on JET on an instructor visa, and switched to Nova on an 'arts and humanities' visa or whateve it's called, even if you were around for 6 years, the visa change would disqualify you). Once you have the 6 years under a single visa status, you need to apply for citizenship with a sponsor. You have to write a 1 page essay in Japanese on why you want to join, as well as being able to prove that you are an upstanding member of society (i.e. not even a speeding ticket against you), as well as showing that you have a steady source of employment and won't be a leech on society. Then you will gain citizenship -- or at least permanent residency en route to citizenship.

It ain't that easy...

...are you sure it's that hard....? I got naturalized in second grade. I had no idea my parents worked so hard for it... the only thing I can say is that speeding ticket is a bit extreme, I think, because I know for a fact that my dad has gotten tickets, and he still got citizenship. ^_^

[Xenotrauma]

The hardest thing about the naturalization process, to me anyway, is producing all the family lineage documents they want... especially when you're not IN America ><