JapanForum.com  


Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
(#1 (permalink))
Old
alanX's Avatar
alanX (Offline)
The Psychedelic Traveler
 
Posts: 1,114
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: An arrogant nation.
Send a message via Skype™ to alanX
Finally... - 10-30-2011, 08:13 AM

It all started with a desire. After about 4 years of non-stop dreaming about Japan, I finally made it here. I finally live in my dream country. Only 19 years old and I've already been here twice in a timeframe of 2 months. Here's my story.
I met a girl on the Internet. She lived in Yokohama and started a pen-pal type deal. Eventually it led to romance and a desire to meet each other in person. I had absolutely no money to go seen her. So, she flew me put to Yokohama with her college loan. I left America, Japan-bound on September 9th, 2011. She was living with her parents in Totsuka at the time, but we spend the duration of the trip in Kannai, at APA hotel. Did everythig possible in Yokohama, and even went to Tokyo a couple times. Just breathing Japanese air was extremely fulfilling. Basically, was the most eye opening, once in a lifetime trip of my life; or so I'd though. I had no clue I'd be back here a month later.
After coming back to the states, we agreed to marriage. I sold my car for plane ticket money and left for Japan with no more than $200 in my pocket. Her parents agreed to let us stay in their house together until we could get on our feet here. Started a part time job as a Handy Man, doing various landscaping work around Yokohama. I was paid 5,000 yen everyday under the table. Doing everthing in this country is amazing. Even going to the ward office for marriag documets is an experience ill never forget. I can turn my head in any direction and immediately see something I've never seen before. Everything was find until various fights with her dad, who is Japanese, and even more with her mom who is a Filipina. In a nutshell, her parents are nuts. Yelling at the top of their lungs over nothing, threaten to kick us out in the middle of the night, act polite one day then call us trash the very next, went to her work and demanded my gf's paycheck so we'd be broke. Eventually, they kicked us out because we're too late getting their groceries.

With suit cases in hand, we walked across town to my gf's grandmoter's house. Begging for a place to stay, money, or any help in general. She told us the house directly across from hers is up for weekly rent, $100 a month. After a quick call to the landlord, here we are. We wrote contact information of a slip of paper and were given a key immediately. We were given various free things like a gas stove, a big rug, some toiletries from her grandmother and the landlord.
Here we are, typing this from the only communication source we have, my girlfriend's iPhone. I'm trying to enjoy every bit of this while it lasts. Living off of a few hundred dollars in savings and my gf's part time job check. I'd gladly give up any American citizenship for this poor life in Japan. Something about the air here.

Feel free to check Flickr for pics. I'm uploading them constantly now. Some are hi-res and some aren't.
Flickr: iShabutie's Photostream


猿も木から落ちる

Last edited by alanX : 11-02-2011 at 02:17 AM.
Reply With Quote
(#2 (permalink))
Old
MMM's Avatar
MMM (Offline)
JF Ossan
 
Posts: 12,200
Join Date: Jun 2007
10-30-2011, 04:20 PM

That is quite a story!
Reply With Quote
(#3 (permalink))
Old
JohnBraden's Avatar
JohnBraden (Offline)
Busier Than Shinjuku Station
 
Posts: 1,110
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madrid/Misawa/Chicago
10-30-2011, 05:07 PM

And here you were, not 2 months ago, wondering and concerned about going through an airport in Japan. How things have changed for you! I bet if you were to look back at it, you'd laugh at how trivial that was in relation to your recent courses of action!

I wish you the best!
Reply With Quote
(#4 (permalink))
Old
Atakicat's Avatar
Atakicat (Offline)
JF Nomad
 
Posts: 136
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Ft.Worth, Texas
Send a message via AIM to Atakicat
10-30-2011, 08:46 PM

Congratulations, and good luck on your awesome new life!
Reply With Quote
(#5 (permalink))
Old
samokan's Avatar
samokan (Offline)
0xFFFF_FFFF
 
Posts: 977
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: All Over Japan
11-01-2011, 12:10 AM

it is not going to be an easy life from now on, good luck to the both of you.


*** Omnia Muntantor, Nihil Interit ***

My Japan Life

-------------------------------------
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On




Copyright 2003-2006 Virtual Japan.
SEO by vBSEO 3.0.0 RC6