Living in Japan is not easy

[eruchan]

Originally Posted by Doutas

Hi,

I am currently working on the seminary work, a study about discrimination of foreigners in Japan, so I would like to ask you, if you have ever felt discriminated because of your origin or if you have ever noticed such kind of discrimination in your surroundings. Thank you very much

Doutas,
it's kinda difficult to define discrimination. for example, there are always much more steps to perform when it comes to 区役所 matters. but, i'm not so sure whether you can classify that as discrimination....

as to day to day life, i don't really feel that. but that maybe becoz i am a less sensitive person??? i don't know...

[eruchan]

Originally Posted by Ronin4hire

I want to go to Japan on a year long working holiday visa but I DON'T want to teach English if I can help it. Preferably I want a job that doesn't place a lot of responsibility on me and the only thing that is expected of me is to not mess up. Working in a pub for example would be sweet. Of course I will take a lot of money with me there so that I can travel during time off... I will just need a job to make ends meet.

I am studying at Japanese at uni and am able to hold down a basic conversation. I would consider my ability at an intermediate level... or at least that's the goal. By the end of the year I'll be expected to gain a lvl 3 when I sit the JPLT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test).

Is this realistic? Any suggestions?

Personally, I think that your plan is quite realistic. Actually, i have met people doing it like that. In Roppongi or Azabu area or areas around that end of town (i assume you are coming to tokyo), there are some bars, restaurants or pubs that employ foreigners. Sounds like you are heading for a great trip!!
One year will be great to explore Japan, I think. About money, yeah, take loads but if you are coming to japan for sure, you should start exchanging some Japanese yen since NZD is quite strong recently.....

I actually took 3-4 months to go on a great trip in Europe and South America... it was excellent. good to hear someone who loves travelling too!!!

[SakeSan]

Konnichiwa!

I'm going to Japan this summer. I really love Japan, and it has been my dream to go there since a was a little kid. Now I've saved enough money to travel to Asia on my own.
Besides that I'm really excited about my trip in July, I'm also quite nervous, because it is my first time that I'm traveling alone by plane.

I have been planning my trip since January, and I also into learning the Japanese language and knowing more about it's culture.
I think understanding the Japanese culture and be capable of speak the Japanese language a bit, is a very important step, but even with a real good planning things can still turn out differently, neeh?!

I will be staying in a hotel in the Iidabashi area, and i really want to invesigate Tokyo on my own.
So, I really want to know if that is a difficult thing to do.
I have bought a map to guide me trough, but is it still hard to orientate in Tokyo, or do you could get lost easily?

Also, I really want to take the train, or metro to Akihabara [Akiba].
Akihabara itself would be my main target to visit, and I was wondering if it's difficult [as a tourist] to buy a train/metro ticket, get on board and move yourself around.

Another question I'd really want to ask is if I can bring along a lot of cash money, instead of travel cheques. I read that, because Japan is a really safe country you can easily take 100.000 Yen with you without having to be on guard all the time.
I rather prefer to take cash with me. If you have travel chques with you, you need to find a bank first to change it into paper money and coins.

I hope you can answer this questions for me.^^
Thank you very much, arigato gozaimass!

Matane!

[Doutas]

I have just started my work, so I don't know that much yet. But I've heard, for example,that "japanese only" pubs and restaurants are not uncommon, or you can often get in trouble hiring apartment, because you are a 外人. Don't you have trouble in job, or just that other people don't take you as a regular member of the society?

[Firebird]

Originally Posted by Ronin4hire

I want to go to Japan on a year long working holiday visa but I DON'T want to teach English if I can help it. Preferably I want a job that doesn't place a lot of responsibility on me and the only thing that is expected of me is to not mess up. Working in a pub for example would be sweet. Of course I will take a lot of money with me there so that I can travel during time off... I will just need a job to make ends meet.

I am studying at Japanese at uni and am able to hold down a basic conversation. I would consider my ability at an intermediate level... or at least that's the goal. By the end of the year I'll be expected to gain a lvl 3 when I sit the JPLT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test).

Is this realistic? Any suggestions?

I also hope that will be realistic, because im leaving to Nihon on the 24 June this year, for 1 year. I´ll try to keep u up to date.
I´ll probably also keep my english blog up-to-date
Work and Travel Japan

Firebird

[Pjok]

Ho there hoping you can answer this really weird qustion..
My mom told me that some of our friends from mallorca have this neighbor and their son has moved to japan and lived there for four yrs ot something like that. the only reason he stays there are because of his work. he says that the people in japan are really weird and their daily life isn't any better if you know what i mean ?? (I got pretty mad hearing it)

[samurai007]

Originally Posted by Pjok

Ho there hoping you can answer this really weird qustion..
My mom told me that some of our friends from mallorca have this neighbor and their son has moved to japan and lived there for four yrs ot something like that. the only reason he stays there are because of his work. he says that the people in japan are really weird and their daily life isn't any better if you know what i mean ?? (I got pretty mad hearing it)

I'm not sure what the question is, but "really weird" is entirely subjective. What's "weird" to one person or culture is perfectly normal to another. The Japanese people and culture is quite different from the west in many ways.

As for their daily life being no better, I'd say that's true. They tend to work very long hours and are often under a lot of stress. Their standard of living (in terms of "how much stuff do they have" tends to be no better than the US average, I'd say... worse in some areas (like hot running water on all faucets and clothes dryers and central heating/AC and insulation being relatively rare) and better in others (lots of cell phones, nice TVs, newer cars with lots of gadgets in them, etc).

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Doutas

I have just started my work, so I don't know that much yet. But I've heard, for example,that "japanese only" pubs and restaurants are not uncommon, or you can often get in trouble hiring apartment, because you are a 外人. Don't you have trouble in job, or just that other people don't take you as a regular member of the society?

"Japanese only" bars and restuarants are very uncommon, and they generally aren't bars or restuarants, but pink salons or (barely) legal prositution houses gaijin probably should be messing around with anyway.

There is sometimes difficulty in renting an apartment because 1) you don't speak Japanese and 2) the culture of apartment renting isa little unique (key money).

[MMM]

Originally Posted by SakeSan

I will be staying in a hotel in the Iidabashi area, and i really want to invesigate Tokyo on my own.
So, I really want to know if that is a difficult thing to do.
I have bought a map to guide me trough, but is it still hard to orientate in Tokyo, or do you could get lost easily?

Also, I really want to take the train, or metro to Akihabara [Akiba].
Akihabara itself would be my main target to visit, and I was wondering if it's difficult [as a tourist] to buy a train/metro ticket, get on board and move yourself around.

Another question I'd really want to ask is if I can bring along a lot of cash money, instead of travel cheques. I read that, because Japan is a really safe country you can easily take 100.000 Yen with you without having to be on guard all the time.
I rather prefer to take cash with me. If you have travel chques with you, you need to find a bank first to change it into paper money and coins.

I hope you can answer this questions for me.^^
Thank you very much, arigato gozaimass!

Matane!

Tokyo is pretty easy to navigate, but even if you get lost, I wouldn't worry.

Taking the train to Akihabara is very easy (just don't look for "Akiba" on the train map).

Cash is king in Japan, and I wouldn't worry about carrying that much cash.

How old are you, by the way?

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Pjok

Ho there hoping you can answer this really weird qustion..
My mom told me that some of our friends from mallorca have this neighbor and their son has moved to japan and lived there for four yrs ot something like that. the only reason he stays there are because of his work. he says that the people in japan are really weird and their daily life isn't any better if you know what i mean ?? (I got pretty mad hearing it)

Japan has rich people and Japan has poor people. I don't know what people from Mallorca are like, but I imagine it's very different from Japan.