November 04, 2004
Welcome To Japan!
Sure, Canada is closer but the language up there isn't nearly as changeling. If you have a college degree you may want to try teaching English. Still in college? How 'bout an internship? Or maybe you're an experienced professional, or a research type.
Getting a teaching job here is really pretty easy as long as you have a degree. Professional work takes a bit more time and effort but jobs and visas are around to be had. Speaking the language is hard and reading even harder, but that's not such a big deal if you're in Tokyo. My recommendation, however, is Kyoto.
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Be prepared to be a lifelong outsider. Also it helps to be white.
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Bookmarked the second link, it's a gem -- thanks, mexican.
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I lived in Tokyo and absolutely loved it. I can't wait to go back (and probably will, pretty soon). But fuyugare could not be more correct. I was going to be a lifetime outsider wherever I went anyways, I suppose, but it is infuriating when you sit near a little old lady and she gets up and moves to the other side of the train just because you're a foreigner. Some good links there, thanks. A few sillier links: Metroblogging Tokyo, the Peter Payne homepage, How to Tell if You're Japanese (obviously still informative if you're not), Fucked Gaijin, and, of course, how to swear in Japanese.
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Kyoto? Pah! Too full of peculiarly obsessive gaikokujin and wide-eyed tourists both Japanese and foreign, shuffling along. Actually, if you want to see temples, shrines and all the traditional stuff, I suggest Nara as a better alternative. It's very near Kyoto and, unlike Kyoto, most of its sights are withing walking distance. It also has the wonderful Todaiji temple with its enormous Buddha. But for places to live, I'd recommend Osaka, where I lived for two years. It's noisy and chaotic but also lively and interesting. You can get to Kobe, Kyoto, or Nara in half an hour, and as it's in the middle of the country, points east (Nagoya, Tokyo) and west (Hiroshima, Fukuoka) are a manageable Shinkansen ride away. You can also get almost anything you want in the city Oh, and learn Japanese. You'll always be an outsider if you can't speak the local language, but you'd be surprised how many people will accept you when they realise that they can communicate with you. Mind you, it probably helps if you are short and dark-haired. Tall and/or blond(e) foreigners look freakishly out-of-place in Japan. Some old people seem to be uncomfortable around foreigners, and will shuffle away from you on the train at the earliest opportunity, but there are plenty who won't. If white, you will understand what it is like to be black or brown in certain parts of Europe and North America. This especially applies to Americans, but don't complain about how X or Y is much better in your home country. No one wants to hear it. And try not to spend all your time with other expats - that really will make you a perpetual outsider.