Ch 121 Summary now up

(Okay... super long reply to be chopped in *3*! O_O)

Oohhhh... That's another story entirely... >_< Do take care. Stalkerish types are just... *shiver* If possible, I'd probably suggest having a travel partner to go to Japan though. There are some experiences that are better shared. ^__^

Eikaiwa is working in private companies. Sometimes it'll include school stints but usually not. It also has its share of ups and downs, but it's fun. ^_^ From what you mentioned, your experience with kids would be great for getting in. Lots of the conversation schools (Nova, Geos, Aeon, ECC - these are the big four) have kids lessons that start as early as 2 or 3 years old and goes from there. And you don't need to know Japanese to apply for most of these. Actually, a number of conversation schools prefer people who don't know the language since it keeps the students from being able to get away with Japanese in class. For me, it was an ongoing joke with the students when they got stuck for an English word and would use the Japanese word in class. I'd remind them that they had to speak English and use the word they'd just said in an English sentence to which they'd immediately pick up on. Everyone pretty much suspected or knew I understood Japanese but I rarely let them use it. :P

Likewise, in HS I took French classes and while we had a reasonable amount of practical application, it's still the part that tends to be the weakest. In Japan, the push is for that "immersion" experience, that when you go to the conversation schools, you're essentially stepping into an all (English) environment and that's it. ^_^

I was there for just under 3 years (my apartment lease came up before my contract since I moved to my own place in the middle/latter part of my first year). By law, people working full time in English conversation schools must be paid a minimum Y250,000 / month (I'm not sure if this is limited to English Conversation or all full time working visa jobs). Some places get away with Y230,000 while others have little add-on supplements for living expenses in the big cities as well. You need to watch those things, but overall you can definitely live.

The question of "comfortably" depends on the individual though. Japan's a small country so space is at a premium. Larger apartments for cheap is harder to find, and most places are on the one room bachelor concept (1K/1DK; in Quebec it'd be the equivalent of a 1-1/2). These days, key money is becoming less common for foreigners and there are companies that specialise in placing foreigners in apartments. Visibly foreign people potentially will have more problems finding places, although it's a bigger problem for males than females when going with straight Japanese companies. Standard rent for a furnished apartment usually runs around Y70-80,000/month in Osaka. (Current tax is 5% clear across the board including income tax on your wages).

Quitting your job is definitely a hard decision. If you have the option of taking a year off that'd be great, but it isn't always possible to do so. ^^; If you do think you want to go, you'll need about... $3-5000 saved to pay for your airline flight and monies to get you through your first month to your first paycheque. If you have a reasonably professional wardrobe (suits or similar), you won't have to worry about that aspect adding in. ^_^

(cont'd from previous)

The nice thing of going with larger companies / programs is that you won't be too isolated if/when you go. If you go with smaller private schools, you could potentially feel really isolated especially if it's in a small town where there are no other foreigners except your co-workers. I think this would be a lot harder to deal with than going with a big school and ending up in a large(r) city. Of course, small schools tend to encourage more socialising between staff and students as well. "Free lessons" for the students in a sense. :P

A jumper is a person who commits suicide by jumping in front of a train. Someone I know over in Japan right now witnessed one, and when asked "how are you today" a friend's student once said at the beginning of class that she wasn't doing too well and that she'd see a leg. @_@ It took a few moments for my friend to realise she literally meant that and it wasn't her weak English. Basically, she'd seen the aftermath.

The female cars, I *think* were implemented due to the high rate of groping incidents on the crowded trains. In Osaka, there was a "Chikan. Akan" campaign (Groper/groping. Bad.) to increase awareness, but I guess segregation was their general solution for the problem. A really good friend of mine, when walking home from work got pinned to the guardrail by a car because the driver wanted to cop a feel. That was really dangerous and probably the worst I've heard in terms of danger. (She contacted her embassy as well and got counselling over the incident). One of my part-time teachers came to work in tears because while at the video rental shop, she'd been looking at some CDs and happened to look down at the floor, and found a guy lying on the ground so he could look up her skirt. She'd been in full view of the till yet no one there had said or done anything. :-/

The most common I think though, is groping on the train. And when you're travelling during rush hour, and you're packed in there like sardines, it's really hard to keep things like that from either happening, or from grabbing the offender. I think that's the main reason for the segregation. Again, I was really lucky in that I didn't witness to many of these acts either. I've heard some really ick stories. :-/

Views of foreigners is... well it's interesting over there. If you look at anime, the foreigner is usually some hulking ox of a brute or some such. It really depends on the people. Some are really good and completely non-discriminatory. Others view foreigners as lesser. Others still view foreigners as a pretty accessory if you will. Of course, there are times when you can take advantage of this too. (like gate crash other peoples karaoke rooms or parties at restaurants...) :P

(last one! ^^;; )

Some people in Japan attribute the increasing crime to foreigners but I think that's generally bunk. Foreign gang related things might be up, but overall, that's not the crime that worries me over there. Granted over the course of a year and with the population Japan has, you'd expect some nasty crimes so I think much has to do with increased reporting as well. Maybe I'm a bit too sensitive, but crimes against children especially, whether by kids or by adults worries me over there. When I lived there, there was the Kobe murder of Jun Hase, an elementary aged boy who's head was left by the school gate. The murder was done by a junior high school student and was just plain sick. (Just about every time I've been back over the past few years, there's always been a child abduction/murder that had recently been committed). Maybe it's the ongoing societal degradation we see all around us. The increasing view of not seeing others as human beings. (Actually, the crime that caught my attention this past trip was a girl who was slowly poisoning her mother with thallium and using her as a test subject). Mind you, we've been having random drive by shootings/killings this year up here so... @_@

Japan has some unique problems like the higher suicide rates, hiki-komori (usually school avoidance), and school bullying compared to what happens here and there's the greater stress on performing academically, and the push to go to cram schools and such. BUT, at the same time, to put things in perspective, when you hear about the crimes in Japan, it's national news. Overall the country as a whole is quite safe.

In the case of the school I was with, the non-socialising clause was added to the contract after some incidents with minors not going home after going to parties with the teachers. Parents understandably got pretty upset over it so the clause had been added in a number of years before I'd gone to work over there. Most companies don't have that condition and encourage socialising. But, like I said earlier, you don't need to know Japanese before going over, and in fact, certain schools offer Japanese language lessons for their foreign staff so that they can manage better. ^_^

Actually, it's surprising how many people did get into relationships. ^_^ One friend was sort of engaged at one point but she eventually broke it off while others have resulted in marriage or children or what have you. ^_^ It's not like you can completely prevent things like that happening or you can completely isolate yourself. (Although I think I did a pretty good job myself...) ^^;

There are lots of options over there and some that don't go the typical English route either. A number of jobs unrelated to education have since started popping up over there for foreigners. ^_^ I'll see if I can't find you a list of useful links for things over there. Whether you really want to go or not aside, it can be interesting and fun to look at. ^_^