I live in Japan - Ask Me Anything

[tanitani]

Moved here two years ago to improve my language ability and be a church volunteer. (They provided my visa)
I teach English as my main job.

Thought it would be just 2 years but ten months in met my future husband and now planning to stay forever.

Not sure if any of this is interesting for people but if you have any questions go ahead!

(Also planning a wedding in another culture - fun and definitely interesting.)

@Mygingercat I’d recommend at least 10 days, a week is really short and you’ll cut two days off with arrival and leaving.
Also to shake off the jet lag.

IF possible two weeks is ideal, but if you were happy to pick just one or two places and really soak them in, that would be fine.

V interesting thread, thanks OP.

Is it true that Japan is a very inhospitable place to be overweight?

Aaaaah Japan ♡ We miss it so much (my husband is Japanese and we get to go back a couple times a year but do miss living there)

@AlaskanOilBaron generally everyone is very slim, I have seen more curvier people recently but generally yeah, overweight is not seen as something attractive or healthy here. Diet ads are common and the “before” pictures don’t really look all that bad sometimes, compared to UK culture.
Japanese people on the whole are smaller. There is a famous celebrity called Naomi Watanabe who is really curvy and a comedienne, some people say she is an inspiration for bigger girls in Japan but a lot of her jokes or comedy plays around her weight so I can’t personally see how she’s changing anything for bigger girls.

@YouJustDoYou always nice to meet another international couple! What prefecture is your DH from?

OP changing the vein slightly but can I ask about ESL in Japan? Is there still demand for teachers? What qualifications are expected and what is the salary like?

@evaperonspoodle there is still definitely a demand for teachers - only qualification required is a university degree but I got hired by an eikaiwa (language school) and they didn’t mind that I didn’t have one. That’s kind of unusual though, big schools want one.
Salary can vary depending on the school or company but an ALT in a high school is usually around £1500 - which goes quite a way in Japan to be honest. (that’s the salary I usually see advertised)
Tokyo I’m not sure though.

Thanks tanitani, that's interesting. Can I ask what the preferred learning style is? A friend works in China and said even in International institutes it is still very 'old school' with an expectation to teach/learn by rote, there isn't much room for creativity. Is Japan similar?

@evaperonspoodle

I don’t work in the school system so I couldn’t say for sure, but there might be an element of that. I do notice some of my university students using unnnatural phrases that they tell me they’ve learnt in school, so there might be an element of not realising what English is no longer used, or what’s most appropriate.
I work in a private language school company so there’s more flexibility. I use textbooks but can create more personal or up-to-date style lessons.

I know there is the strict only English rule a lot, which makes it easier for foreigners with no japanese to get a job here, but sometimes if you can explain a grammar point in Japanese they get it so much quicker and it really helps! So this strict way of thinking I’m not so keen on. See the reason, but doesn’t always work.

I think the system hasn’t changed much over the years - and it shows in the students vocabulary sometimes.

I am visually impaired, and I was recently in Korea, where technology is very advanced, and often means a touchscreen or something else that I can't use easily. Do you know, for example, What the accessibility is like in Japan? I just attended a dental conference for special needs, and considering that there are 4300 special care dentists in Japan, I'm guessing their accessibility is quite good. But I'm just wondering how people go about using the ATMs, buying train tickets etc.? I was told that in Korea there is, or should be at least, one ATM that has a regular keypad and somewhere to place your headphones, but I never found this. So what is Japan like? Even for things like autism or other special needs

OP he was born in Osaka.

@Hellokittymania unfortunately Japan doesn’t have the best reputation for being considerate of special needs. The technology is super advanced but they still use a lot of old technology alongside it. There’s often a lack of disabled access and it was mentioned that they’re not ready for the olympics in terms of disabled access.
Maybe in the main cities like Tokyo there might be more, but I haven’t really seen much screen help etc like you suggested. I’ll keep a closer eye out and see what I find, now that I’m specifically looking for it!
I would recommend searching in any groups for people who’ve already travelled here with any impairment.

There’s many things that are changing and people are trying to change here and that is one of them. But I’ve noticed even though things do change, they take a long time to do so.

Am considering a two week walking holiday in japan but I am concerned about the heat. What would it be like from 10th September on?

I am so glad I found this thread. I am planning an approx 4-6 week trip starting just after Golden Week next year (bit said I might miss Sakura unless I head to Hokkaido) but I want to avoid GW so it is a must. Given I have a good stretch of time there do you have any must do things for me that are not necessarily your 'normal' tourist things. For full disclosure and help in advising I do have several tattoos which I know can impact me in things.

ありがと

@Petals23 it’ll still be pretty hot in September, hopefully this year won’t be as bad as last year so you may be okay.
It finally starts cooling down in October.
It may be cooler this year but I wouldn’t do it in September just in case.

@PotterHead1985
People always ask this but to be honest I say DO the typical touristy things - they’re amazing and fun and always show great sides of japanese culture. There are adorable character cafes around - japan has lots of cute cafes so I recommend always checking what’s nearby!
I don’t really have any secrets about what to do here, but I really want to go to Iga prefecture it’s famous for ninja things. I haven’t been but really want to go.

For food, when you want to have a cheap day go to a supermarket and you can pick up nice bento boxes and snacks. It’s better than the convenience store food but if you want to buy from there 7-11 is usually fresher than family mart.

Takayama is supposed to be beautiful - I sent my parents on a day trip there when they visited and they came back amazed.

You’re sensible to avoid golden week - Kyoto will be busy whenever you go. There’s a lot to do so make sure to give yourself a LOT of time so you can really enjoy it.
Arashiyama is my favourite - it’s so lovely and spacious so even with lots of people it’s not too bad.

Tokyo - embrace the craziness and enjoy! Maybe stay away from roppongi, it’s not so great and at night doesn’t have the best reputation.

Onsen or swimming pools are the only place you’ll have restrictions with tattoos, anywhere else they may stare but that’s it’s
I have some, although mine are covered most of the time.

I hope some of that helped- when I started this thread I didnt realise (don’t know why) how many travel advice questions I might get. There’s SO many places I haven’t been, I’m not the best tour guide here......so apologies if it’s not too helpful!

@tanitani that's great info thanks. I'm going for 6 weeks as I want to properly immerse myself in the culture rather than a fly by night two week holiday. I have always been fascinated by Japan and Japanese culture.

@PotterHead1985
That sounds like a great idea - so lucky that you can do that. Hopefully as you visit you can find your "regular" places, even if you're only there for a short while. I love that feeling on holiday!

@floraloctopus
I'm not quite sure what you're getting at?