So, I asked a question on what kinds of services I can offer and got a number of questions from some readers through mail and the comments section. I had been thinking about offering an actual service but while some the responses I received weren’t exactly what I was thinking, I was glad to get questions that gave me things to write about, and hopefully are useful not just to the people who asked the questions but also to other readers.
Clara was among the first to respond to my call (thank you, Clara!), and so it is only polite to respond to her first. The questions are as follows:
1) How did you get a job in Japan besides teaching English? Can you register with job agencies like Pasona and they will help you find a job hopefully? What if you are in Singapore and not in Japan?
I got my first non-teaching job at a translation agency in Tokyo simply by searching job sites online and sending my resumes out pretty much indiscriminately. Location and benefits weren’t major factors for me as my main purpose was to first, get out of teaching and then move on from there. To be honest, I would’ve preferred to move to Fukuoka, the place that made me decide to move to Japan in the first place, but the Tokyo company responded first and I ended up there. I think it is important to be clear about your purpose. Money never was a real factor in all the decisions I make to this date. Otherwise, moving to Japan would be the last thing I would do considering all the unnecessary rent, utilities and the amount of tax I have to pay, and without CPF contribution from employers. I love the life in Japan and I enjoy freedom over money. Give me a job that pays 10 million yen a year with never-ending overtime work vs a 3-million-yen-a-year job with zero overtime work, I’d take the latter anytime. This is also why I chose to work only 3 days a week at my current job even though that means I have to be tight with my expenses. I’ve never registered with Pasona but yes, you can register with as many job agencies as you can find. There are companies who are open to hiring people who don’t already reside in Japan, and there are probably more agencies that do so, especially the ones specializing in hiring multilinguals. Some of these businesses may allow for Skype interviews, although for the translation company, I actually made the trip to Tokyo for the interview. But I was living in Nagoya, so that’s less of a big deal than if you were to fly over from outside Japan.
2) I’m studying in Yamasa right now (recommended from your blog- it’s a great school! V intensive course, worth the money) and I bought a futon. How can I carry/lug it back to Singapore? Do I have to throw it away after using it for less than a year?
I’m glad you find Yamasa useful. It’s funny because I’ve actually had a number of readers tell me they study at Yamasa, so maybe you guys know each other. As for the futon, if you don’t want it already, you can sell or even give to other Yamasa students, or post it on Craig’s list. If you prefer to bring it back home, the best option would be to courier it back since I find it one of the most difficult things to carry around. I do know of some people who couriered their futon back to Singapore.
3) Any recommendations on how to spend your time travelling around Japan after studies are over? Cheap, free and easy please.
As I was busy looking for a job after my studies, I didn’t get to travel around then, but if cost is more important to you over time and speed, then you can try using the Seishun 18 ticket that allows you to travel on JR local and rapid trains. Another option would be to take night buses. A shinkansen ticket from Nagoya to Tokyo costs around 11,000 yen, but a night bus ticket can be less than 5,000 yen depending on the type of bus you take. Accommodation is the easiest because guesthouses are usually only around 3,000 yen a night. I’ve put up at some guesthouses for as cheap as 800 yen a night. Alternatively, I sometimes stay overnight at what the Japanese call Super Sento or Super Bathhouse. They usually cost a little under 3,000 yen for 10 hours’ stay and include a bathing area (duh?), sauna, cafe, massage services, TV area, gaming area, and a sleeping area. Also, men and women are typically on separate floors so you don’t have to worry about running into naked men. If you’re looking for free places to stay, I would suggest you ask friends living in Japan to let you put up at their place, try couchsurfing or WWOOF. The thing about WWOOF is that you’ll have to first pay an annual fee of around $80 and work certain hours at the place in exchange for free food and accommodation. Last, if you don’t have any place in mind and don’t mind anywhere, I suppose the Kansai area is the most cost effective to visit since you can get around those places from Aichi pretty easily. And while you’re still in Aichi, perhaps you might want to visit Shirakawa-go, a World Heritage Site in Gifu. The place is beautiful all seasons although you might die from the heat during summer. I haven’t been there myself but it’s definitely on my list of to-visit places.
Thank you! Did you become fluent in Japanese after 6 months of studying in Yamasa? My Japanese is still below par compared to my classmates who are already pera-pera in speaking. I can only speak in broken Japanese, sentences which stop halfway cos I can’t figure out the other half in Japanese. And I always fail my listening tests. I’m in 103 class now, and I took my JLPT N3 test when I was in 102 class, so naturally I failed my N3. Disappointed, but it was a good learning experience. Any tips on improving my Japanese speaking and listening skills and passing JLPT tests is much appreciated.
I don’t think I know any of your readers. There’s only 2 Singaporeans at Yamasa atm, from what I know.
Yes, Shirakawa-go is on my to-go list. Probably autumn or winter. What would you recommend in Kansai? I would go find out more about this area of Japan too.
What are you working as now? 3 days a week? What do you do on your off days then?
I know I’m asking a lot of questions, and no worries, you can feel free to answer them as and when you like. Or not answer at all if it intrudes your privacy.
Once again, thank you for writing. 🙂
I’m not sure what 102 and 103 class mean. Did you take the AIJP class? I remember our classes were labeled A, B, C and so on back then. I actually had studied Japanese in Singapore for some five over years before coming to Japan. When I joined Yamasa, I already had a JLPT2 (under the old format), but I wasn’t fluent then. I could speak and write complete sentences but I would have to think in my head how to form my sentences before speaking, which slowed me down significantly. So technically yes, I became fluent only after my 6 months with Yamasa. Now, speaking Japanese is like speaking Mandarin to me. I no longer have to think much when I speak.
The best way to improve speaking and listening is to go out and speak to people or hang out with groups of foreigners whose only common language is Japanese. Listening-wise, you can probably watch more TV. I personally enjoy Japanese variety shows and the best part is, they’ve got so much subtitle plastered onto the screens, it helps learners a lot. And use what you picked up on TV as soon as you can even if you are not entirely sure if it is used that way. If you get it wrong, people will correct you. That’s how I learned. I got a lot of “No, that’s not how you use it” in my early days of learning. I still get them now sometimes though because I think using it is the quickest way to find out if you’re understanding it correctly.
For Kansai, I’d suggest you go find out about Takeda Castle in Hyogo. I haven’t got the time and opportunity to go myself yet, but I’d definitely like to witness the sea of clouds some time in the future. It’s dubbed the Machu Picchu of Japan but you have to be lucky to catch it since the scenery is dependent upon weather conditions. If you’re going to Kyoto, I recommend Arashiyama and if you’re heading to Shiga, I suggest you try Omi Beef, one of Japan’s finest beef. I don’t have much to contribute about Osaka and Nara since you can easily find those information on regular travel magazines.
I’m currently doing online and overseas sales for a trading company. Frankly, people ask me what I do on my off days a lot, and I realize I don’t really do much. I do some freelance work on some days but on those days that I don’t, I really don’t remember what I do =/
And what did you like about Fukuoka that made you want to work there and move to JP in the first place?
I don’t really know what it is that I like about Fukuoka, but being there made me feel like I want to live there, and it still does every time I visit the prefecture. The atmosphere is wonderful, it isn’t overly crowded, it’s partly countryside yet you can get to the city in a few minutes. And the tasty food, attractive people and their cute dialect make it all the more better. But having made a life around the Kanto area for most of my time in Japan makes it a little hard to pack up and leave. Apart from the friends here, some of my work don’t allow me to do it offsite. Most of the money being around Tokyo also makes it a little hard to take off just like that.
If my aim is to be an employee, it might’ve been easier since, knowing how much I love Fukuoka, a former client offered to introduce me to a position there, but I turned it down.
If you are in Singapore, you could try out this particular upcoming job fair: http://www.topcareer.jp/inter/fair/tcap2016/
I apologise if I was not supposed to post any links.
No worries!
As long as it’s for helping people and not for marketing purposes, I welcome them.