My Future

I know that this may be a bit premature, but I'm thinking that I might stay in Japan for longer than a year.  I already plan on staying through next September, which would put me at about 14.5 months which is already over a year, but I mean longer than that.  I haven't even been here three months* yet and I feel that I still have so much to do.  I'm just starting to meet people (although this process is longer and more difficult than I would like it to be) and just starting to be able to pick up small things in the language.  Assuming that things go well for the rest of my planned time I'm fully ready to make this an extended stay in Japan.  The only thing is that this is a slightly sudden revelation and no one but me knows this decision.  I have a feeling that I'll be disappointing a lot of people once this fully comes out, but I'm finally at a point where I have the base for what I want: every day to be an adventure (for better or worse).  I'm pretty excited/happy that I made a decision even though it could change over the coming months

To kind of throw this in with the main idea of my post, I have been more aware of people staring at me now.  Surprisingly the worst was when I was on the train, in Osaka City no less, and roughly ten people, most of them around my age, stared at me.  Other than being not-Japanese I didn't do anything to make them stare at me.  I didn't do anything rude, I don't dress strange, just me not being the same I guess was enough.  The only thing is that being in Osaka you would expect people to not care about another foreigner, especially when it's the younger generation who is generally more open and used to different cultures.  None of the stares were mean or glares, but my point stands nonetheless.

*My three month anniversary in Japan is coming up on the 19th of this month.  While it may not seem like a long time and not an important date, it is to me.  Three months, or ninety days, is the longest you can be in Japan being legally needing a visa.  I guess that the milestone helps justify my time here (not like I needed a reason).  It's pretty cool to me since I did not move growing up, so I really only had where I grew up and college as extended stay locations (in this case more than two months at once).

Sick and Sightseeing

For the past seven days I have been battling and recovering from a cold.  I spent the whole weekend in bed and got to enjoy all of the normal downs of being sick: fever, cough, aches, vivid dreams, and a raspy voice.  Lucky for me it didn't get so bad that I needed to go to the hospital or a doctor because that would have been problematic for me.  I think that I should probably figure out what I would do if I ever got to that point.  Thankfully I am getting better, although I am not 100% yet.

I am looking forward to the fall weather and activities.  I hope that I can get enough sightseeign in before it gets too cold and before the leaves all turn  brown and fall from the trees.  I'm hoping to make it out to either Kyoto or Nara some weekend.  I am also excited to see an Osaka Evessa game (basketball) since I can see one for as little as 800 yen.

I am starting to really get a hang of how things work around here on a deeper level and I am slowly (emphasis on slowly) learning Japanese.

Happenings

So even though this happened the other week I finally got around to getting my health insurance straightened out.  It's a real inconvenience that important places are only open during normal work hours.  It's like you are not allowed to have a job if you ever want to get something done or you have to take a day off.

My neighbor is usually fairly audible when talking, even at night to at least 1:30AM on a lot of days.  This includes week days.  Two or three nights ago at around 10:15PM or so I hear it getting loud.  This time it may or may not be him and it might be upstairs, but either way I decide to hit the wall a bit.  Most people from around my area know that it means to quiet down, or if you're not being loud, hearing a sound once means that you accidentally hit the wall so I decided to try it here.  A few minutes later I hear my doorbell ring twice in succession and before I could even get up It was rang two or three more times.  Looking out the peep hole I saw people I had never seen before but I open the door.  It turns out to be the guy next door and his girlfriend (I hear a guys voice much more than anything else so I'm guessing).  He just stands there while she talks.  I say that I don't understand them and she says "bang, bang, bang!" with a knocking motion.  I was shocked that they had the guts to come over to my apartment to complain when they are incredibly loud, especially since it was so early and possibly wasn't even me that was making the noise she was complaining about (since she said "bang" multiple times).  She kept talking for a while even though she could tell that I didn't understand it and then said "goodnight" and left.  I could hear the door close and then they yelled at each other.  They are worse than neighbors in college and it's worse because these people are in their 20s and are always loud yet are willing to complain over one small thing.  Very hypocritical.  

Now that I've been here long enough I finally have enough money to have disposable income!  I'm looking to spend some of this extra cash on learning Japanese so I can get to the point of at least having a basic conversation.  I also want to buy a new camera so I can take better quality pictures, and I am looking at bigger apartments since mine is kind of small.

I'm also really looking forward to cooler weather.  I heard that fall really only lasts for a week or two, I don't know how much of an exaggeration it is but it's a little disappointing since I enjoy the crisp weather and sightseeing at this time is the nicest in my opinion due to smaller crowds and the changing leaf colors.

Work and Cosmosquare.

I finished another week and this time it was six days since I had to work Saturday.  Saturdays are actually a little simpler than weekdays because you have less students and because the day is shorter.  It was relaxed and everything got done on time but when I got home I felt dead and it was only the afternoon.  I did not do much of anything yesterday as a result.

Last weekend I decided I wanted to go to the bay but wanted to see it at night so I waited until it got dark.  I took the subway to Cosmosquare and walked along Seaside Park.  I walked down to the Osaka Maritime Museum which looks really cool being a dome that looks in accessible (because the only way to get to it is through an underground tunnel).  I found out when I got back that it has closed on March 13th of this year after only being open for 13 years.  By the time I had gotten down to the museum it had started to drizzle and I figured that it was only rain and since I hadn't seen everything that I wanted that I would keep going.  That was a mistake.  I was already a ways away from the station and there was no good place to walk as the rain picked up and eventually became a downpour.  Another trip cut short by rain.  To top it off, 95% of my pictures turned out horrible since my camera is not meant to take pictures of things that are further than 30 feet away at night so everything was black.  I at least saw a few fireworks and could see the Ferris wheel lit up from so far away.

Week One and Shitennoji Temple

I finished my first week of work at my new job.  When Friday came it was nice.  I had worked seven days in a row again as a result of going from my old job to this one and the days of the week I work.  I'm getting the hang of my new job pretty quickly.  I didn't really have a proper week of training so I am still forgetting small things like moving around desks and chairs at certain times so when my class goes into another room and someone else uses my room it is set up for them.  Every day I feedback from someone on how to improve my lessons and to make sure I include everything needed.  All of the feedback has been constructive and everyone has been really nice since I started so it's been easy to adjust, but I still hope that I figure everything out as soon as possible.  Other than working out lessons I am responsible for reviews of the students each month.  The only problem is that I've only had one complete week with them so how can you really base someone's strength's and weaknesses off of such a short time?  Not every class is taught each day either so some I have even less of an idea of.  Again, though, I have been given help with this task so it's less of a burden.  The kids all seems to like me and so far I've done a good job of keeping them entertained while ensuring that they are safe and learn.  Sometimes it seems like what worked one day to keep their attention doesn't work the next day.

Yesterday I ended up waking up early enough to go out to a temple.  I made my way down to Shitennoji Temple in Tennoji, a place where I've wanted to go for a while.  Right when I got out of the subway I noticed that it seemed to be a lot more open.  Most of the buildings aren't as high although every once in a while there are tall buildings.  One intersection seemed to be very wide and it seemed like I could see for miles.  After walking south a bit I looked to my left and it really opened up!  I could see a cemetery and a large temple.  I was not expecting to see that.  Most of the pictures of the area only show the pagoda and the temple and nothing else around it.  There weren't very many people but there were people working cleaning the courtyard area so it wasn't very peaceful.  In a way it ruined the visit.  I spent maybe an hour and a half walking around going everywhere I could.  I didn't get to see everything, though, so I was disappointed.  Most of it closes at 4:30, but the internet made it sound like the only part that closed was where the pagoda and temple are.  I was planning on going to Tennoji Park and walking around but as I was leaving the temple the sky started to get dark and it started to rain.  At least the rain brought cooler temperatures.

Obon Week

So this past week I surprisingly had off.  The only reason that I did have it off is because I wont be working for this company for much longer so I didn't care to work at another location for three days.  I ended up doing less than I would have liked, but then again, if I really wanted to do more I wouldn't have been so lazy.  Even though I didn't do much, I still managed to complete a few important tasks.  Since I got paid I paid off my bills (something that has been bothering me since I got here), and I still have money left over!  I even bought myself some pillows (finally), and better "sheets" (I found out after I bought them that it is meant for a futon, I made it work).  I still need pillows cases, though.  Most of my confusion stems from my lack of Japanese.  However, now that I'm not poor, I can afford weekend Japanese lessons so I'll have a better idea of what I'm doing!  I also bought more hangers so now all of my clothes are hung up and I managed to make my apartment look presentable and not like I just moved in. I also made my way to the grocery store so now I have food to last me for a while and I even managed to pick up things like a hand towel and a pink pot (it was all that they had and I wanted pasta).  For dinner I made myself rice and salmon with garlic powder, salt, and pepper sprinkled on and I decided to cook the salmon in Dijon mustard.  The mustard gave the meal a little kick which is what I wanted (I tend to like unconventional food pairings).

I did say that laziness cost me the opportunity to see what I wanted to see (still no Sakai City Museum), but I completely forgot about the heat.  I decided to go to my nearest Seiyu to see what they had (where I got my groceries, fancy new pot, etc.).  when I was checking out the cashier asked if I wanted a bag, I shook my head yes but was only given one and that was because of my pot.  I tried to put everything into the one bag but only half would fit so I had to go back and pay two or three yen for another bag (that was filled and overflowing).  I guess that's another case where my lack of Japanese has come back to bite me.  That wasn't a problem in itself, though.  When I started walking to my train station a few blocks away the bags started to rip from the weight.  A screwdriver that I had bought had poked through the bag and ended up stabbing me once in a while on my way back.  The worst part about it all, though, was the heat.  It was about 96 degrees Fahrenheit, or 35.6 degrees Celsius with the humidity way up!  By the time I had reached the train station, an mix of the heat/humidity, and carrying my two heavy bags that were falling apart on me caused me to be drenched in sweat.  When I finally got back to my apartment I felt horrible and not since I had to lug my suitcases from the airport to my apartment had I felt this physically tired.  While that was the most physically draining day, it wasn't the hottest.  A quick stop to my nearest combini early in the week made me feel like I was melting and so that discouraged me from wanting to do much even though I had set my sights high.  If only a minute in the sun made me feel like lying on my bed with the AC down to 23, I didn't want to be out for over an hour.

A few nights I did walk around, but they ended up turning into excuses to go buy some food I didn't need.   My most successful night brought me to Dōtonbori.  I knew that it was going to have a decent amount of people, but I didn't expect it to be the tourist trap that it was.  Osaka Castle has nothing on it.  I wont lie, though, I went there pretty much just to be a tourist myself.  It was definitely worth seeing once, but not some place I care to go again.  It is the smokiest and dirtiest place I have seen yet in Japan (which is cleaner than a lot of places, but still).  It was difficult to enjoy everything that was going on when you had to watch out for other people walking into  the whole time.  I did manage to get myself a picture of the two most touristy signs in all of Dōtonbori.    

                                                                             Glico Man:

I also took the time to see Hozen-ji Temple since it is right in the area.  Again, there were too many people there to appreciate as I could.  After walking around aimlessly for a few minutes I found Namba Parks.  Every set of stairs I climbed I thought it was the top.  I was wrong about five times.  The view was really nice, but my camera is horrible in low light situations so most of my pictures were either black or blurry.  As I was leaving I did happen to see Tsutenkaku and I got a few bad pictures of it.

Now I just have to make sure I'm ready for my new job!

Job, Break, Thoughts

I worked my last day at one of my locations recently and soon I will be starting a new job full time.  Recently I have been very tired because I have been working both my current job and training/working for my new job before going to work.  No rest for the wicked.  Luckily Obon is next week so I will have a few days to relax.  My plans aren't ambitious at all.  I hope to catch up on sleep, pay some bills, review some notes for work, and maybe visit a few places.  The last weekend I had off I got really lazy so I didn't do much.  However, this time I hope to at least go to the Sakai City Museum and maybe put stuff "away" since I still haven't really settled in (A tiny "apartment" leaves no room for anything).

As far as working is concerned, I am excited for my new job although I know it comes with a lot of responsibility.  On the other hand, my current job has such a nice, relaxing atmosphere that I wont have at my new job (working with more people and having more responsibility).  I really think that I will learn a lot in my new job and I think that it will be beneficial to me.  It's definitely a good "career" move.

I have noticed some things about Japan so far (and it's not like they are a secret, far from it in fact).  There is the stereotype about Asian drivers being bad drivers, but so far the large majority of drivers are seemingly responsible (although I have not drove and don't plan on driving any time soon and I don't pay all that much attention to cars).  However, when it comes to walking and bicycling, it's like they are actively trying to get in your way.  Since my knowledge of Japan is limited, and limited to Kansai/Osaka I don't know if it is representative of all of Japan or just my area.  So, in Japan people supposedly are supposed to walk/bike on the left hand side.  But no, it's wherever they feel like being is where they are.  I've been in situations where I have been walking on the left hand side of the sidewalk when multiple bikes are coming towards me.  The one on the left stays to the left, the on in the middle moves left a bit and the one on the right moves more to the right.  This might be okay if I wasn't so far to the left that I couldn't go to the left anymore.  I had to scurry to the center to avoid being hit.  This scenario happens far too often and it is the bikers fault most of the time.  Another example would be people walking.  I have been going down the stairs (this happens to the worst degree when a big group of people just got off the train) on the far left when a group of people start walking up covering the whole width of the stairs.  People are so oblivious either because they don't take their nose out of their phone or because they just choose not to pay attention and I come so close to getting clobbered because some man doesn't look up while walking in the wrong spot.  This sort of thing has to be my biggest pet peeve because it's bothering to wait to get around someone when they are doing something that they shouldn't be.  It also slows me down and I usually have a schedule to keep to but there's always the surprise slow person/group that you get stuck behind.  Now I have heard that Kansai and Osaka are more Western so one of the things they do is walk on the right hand side, but I don't know how true this is and, if so, how many people actually do so for "Western" reasons and how many do so because of ignorance.  This isn't to say that people in Western cities that I have been to don't get in your way, but this seems to be more of a constant.

Experiences at Work

I have been fairly busy lately.  Trying to figure out how to get to my locations with enough time to pick a lesson and quickly review it.  Depending on if I have taught the lesson before or not determines how long I need to prepare.  I also have had trouble with Google Maps saying that it takes a certain amount of time to get to one of my work locations only for it to take five to ten minutes longer.  Being nearly late is never a good thing but especially not when you've never been to the place before.  Not surprisingly I have found that those with a higher level of English are easier to teach than those with a lower level.  Even though those in the lowest level have the most difficulty with English and therefor don't need as much to cover as those in higher levels, there isn't usually enough to not have to repeat to the point of boredom.  On the other hand I don't know how much learning is going on in the top levels because most seem to have a firm grasp on the English language.  I also would say that I'm happy that it's the weekend but I work on Saturday and Sunday.

Training

I have finished my my training and now have one day left off before I start officially teaching.  I started on the 23rd and it lasted for four days.  The first day I took a quick three stop train ride to the area.  I ended up walking past where I was supposed to turn because I didn't notice a building/shop that I was supposed to turn at.  When I did get to my building I was looking for how to get in (the door to get in is on the side but there are doors in the front) and I met another person who I would be training with.  We got into the building and found where we would be training the first day (it was just as hot inside as it was outside lucky for us the one room with A/C on was our training room).  I met two others that were already waiting when we entered the room.  A fifth would soon enter.  We introduced ourselves and waited.  Our training the first day was conducted over the tv even though there were two other senior staff in the room.  We went over the basics of how to teach a lesson from the company's book.

The next three days were held at a second location.  We reviewed how to go about teaching a lesson and then watched a lesson being taught.  Later we all taught 1/3 of a lesson, then 2/3 of a lesson, and then two whole lessons.  Everyone that I taught was a least in their 20s and they all seemed upbeat with a good sense of humor.  Teaching got easier as I did more and familiarized myself with the program.  The classes with more people and higher levels were easier to teach because there is more to the higher lessons and more people means a longer time so the whole period is filled out nicely (there are only so many times you can repeat a part of a lesson when a student seems to be grasping the material and saying everything correctly).  My favorite part of teach so far (which isn't much) is clarifying or explaining points.  These parts aren't structured or planned and actually has something to do with me answering instead of using the book.  I don't know if I could plan a lesson myself to last for the whole class, but I at least like a less structured and less formal atmosphere.

The third day was a little more teaching but mostly training.  The five of us training went to a chain (Yoshinoya) and most of us got gyudon.  It's a great price because it's cheap (only 280 yen for the small) and filling and the service is very fast.  Some of us hadn't even ordered by the time someone received their food.

The last day was us learning how to teach the children's classes, but without children.  We were really just told and shown and then practiced with one another.  Teaching a children's class sounds like it could be interesting.  And unlike with adult classes, you are guaranteed to have the same kids for a year so you really get to know them.  On the last day or second to last day we received schedules for the remainder of the month before we were to go to our regular schedules.  I got lucky and had three days off before working two to finish out the month.  One of those days I am to go to a location only one time and the other I will be going to one of my two regular branches.  In addition to getting schedules for the remainder of the month, some of us were also given changes in our normal work schedules.  I was one of those people.  Already one of my locations is i nice 35-40 minute commute and my other location was to be a nice 10 minute commute (actually to where I was training), but I had that location changed and now I have two locations that are over 30 minutes away from where I am living.  I am not happy about this.  I rented an apartment in a location so that I could be close to at least one location, and if I had known that both of my locations would end up being on the Osaka/Hyogo border I might have moved to Kobe instead as to not spend over an hour each day traveling (even the location that I will be at for only one day is in Hyogo).  I am going to try and change one of my locations to a closer location.

After the last day of training ended we said by to each other since we wont be working with one another and exchanged numbers to keep in contact.

I had wanted to go to the Sakai City Museum during my free time but the past two days I decided to stay up late (and now tonight is a third) and ended up being lazy in the day.  I have managed to walk around my area each day and get a better feel for where I'm living, though.  I also had to go back to Yodobashi-Umeda to have Softbak look at my phone yesterday since it kept resetting after only a week of having it.  I did take time to get some takoyaki (pretty much octopus in a ball of batter).  It wasn't amazing but I want to try it again with maybe some added flavor. During one of my late night walks I stopped by another Yoshinoya and got what I believe was Japanese curry.  I really enjoyed it and have convinced (without much effort) myself to go try other cheap 24 hour places that are right by my apartment.  Earlier that day I took a walk north by the rivers that the Keihan City Mall is by.  By chance I ended up walking down to Nakanoshima Park which is really beautiful.  As of now it's probably my favorite place in Osaka.  There is a bar and grill in the park which made the park smell of steak and other foods which didn't hurt.

Now tomorrow (today) I get to pick up a free rice cooker and wait for some mystery mail to arrive while figuring out how to fill out my National Health Insurance forms.

Getting Stuff Done

Today I was ambitious (I had to be) and got a lot done!  I went to my ward's office to add my address, and while I was there I confirmed my enrollment in the National Health Insurance.  Apparently I will be getting a form in the mail in a week or so.  After I did that I took the train to go open up a bank account.  I get off the train and go outside only to see that to get where I need to go means walking probably eight times the amount than if I were able to walk in a straight line.  To make things worse, when I was getting on the train to leave later that I saw an exit the exited into the building I wanted to go to.  I still don't know what I'm doing half the time, but I guess it takes a while to get used to everything.  I get to the location and the first floor is only for ATMs in the building that I wanted to go to.  I decided to take the elevator up to the second floor.  It doesn't look like I'm supposed to be there (not that it's off limits, but that it's not meant for what I want to do).  Of course, this building is only meant for corporate account openings.  I am told to go to another building and go to the second floor.  Easy enough, I know where it is.  I get the the location and am told that this is only an extension and that I want the 19th floor.  Okay, again, I take the elevator up to the 19th floor.  This is actually the right place!  I start the process and tell them that I don't have a phone number yet because the website that I looked at for phones said I needed a bank account first.  Nope, can't do that.  I get pointed in the right direction for the phone company and go find it.  The building that I am sent to has everything electronic you could need and then some.  I had time to walk around it and didn't even go to every floor.  The first floor is just dedicated to phones and has at least three of the largest phone companies in Japan right next to one another.  This is very convenient!  I try to get it where I pay off the phone over two years.  Not my luck (but expected), I can't because my visa is only for one year.  I have to pay for it all up front.  The first two phones that I pick are sold out so I finally get my third choice.  It is fairly cheap compared to other phones (in Japan), and I'm short on cash.  After waiting a bit for the only fluent English speaker (the one I was talking to had enough to probably help her if she got lost in an English speaking country which is more than I can say about my Japanese skills), I finally get to go through everything.  There was a lot of talking and paperwork (at least compared to when I got my last phone), but the woman who was taking care of me was incredibly nice and easy going.  I actually talked to her about me being here and that she had gone to New Zealand in high school.  She also mentioned having an exchange student living with her.  She seemed older than college but not old enough to have high school aged kids.  I didn't ask her age because I thought it would be rude but I was confused.  To top it all off, they were playing Random Access Memories over the speakers!  After I got my phone I went back to the bank and opened my account.  It was very simple and, again, everyone was very nice.  To finish my seemingly never ending trip I went to a department store and bought a shower curtain, a pan, and a notebook for work.  I still don't have a pillow, cup, or rice cooker because my funds are running low.  I've been using a (thinker) blanket they provided as a pillow and a towel and a blanket.  The bed is springy and isn't very comfortable.  The next month or two will be tight money-wise.  I have to figure out when I get paid and when everything is due.

Getting to my Apartment

So after waking up early yesterday to make sure that I had enough time to exchange my money to yen.  It being Saturday meant that my options were very limited.  I went down to check out a little before 10:00AM fully expecting to walk but they had a van waiting to take me to the airport.  Lucky for me because the rest of the day was going to be a sort of struggle.  I went to the first location to try and exchange yen.  I could only exchange up to $100 and I couldn't use $100 bills or $50 bills.  Luckily I had just enough in $10s, $20s, and $5s.  I decided to go to the other location but it was run by the same people and had the same policy.  I went up to the monorail to get a ticket.  I don't know Japanese, but it was straightforward.  You insert money then simply look at the map where your stop is (which had both English and Japanese names), and it will show a price, then on the screen you press said price.  I go wait for the monorail and when one comes it is coming from the opposite way I'm used to.  I had seen that the line closer to the airport would take me to the station I needed to go to.  I asked a man and said I needed to get to Umeda Station.  I didn't completely understand him so I didn't get on but instead went to ask the woman manning the ticket desk.  After a little back and forth of which side rail I should take I was told to go to the side further away.  Another monorail came from the same side a few minutes later and I saw the woman who worked at the station run up and tell me that I should take that train!  I thanked her and got on.  Then the train started moving, and it went back the way it came from.  I did not expect that.  I thought it was going to loop around because I had never been on  train that did this.  After I got off I asked two ladies where to get on for the Hankyu line.  They were very nice and talked with me and showed me the way.  They said that they had just come from Okinawa and that it was much nicer there (I forgot to mention that everything I had heard about the humidity is sadly true).  I got on the train to Umeda Station.  It was easy this time because I needed to go all the way to the last stop.  I did get confused on which one that was because a lot of people got out at a station that looked like Umeda Station from the pictures I had seen (color-wise).  It was an awkward ride because of my luggage and backpack combined with my immense sweating (92 and humid isn't fun).  I got off and went to a man who worked at the station and asked him if he know where a currency exchange was.  He told me a direction, but it wasn't enough for me.  Luckily and woman was standing right by and stopped and offered to help.  For the next ten or so minutes she took me all over Keihan Mall to get me to a bank that was open.  I couldn't believe how lucky I was, she pretty much saved me hours of looking.  I thanked her and she left.  I exchanged my money to yen and was given a fan because the teller saw how sweaty I was.  After that I went up an escalator to get a ticket.  I was looking around when a woman who works helping people find their way got me an English map and gave me directions on how to get to my next line.  She showed me where to start going downstairs and gave me the maps that she had drawn directions on.  I got to the station and got to walk my bags down the stairs.  The whole day so far I didn't want to get in people's way more than I already had with my giant bag and smaller one so I just dragged them if they turned and weren't on their wheels.  This became painful and tedious.  I got off the train, went outside to the street corner and, just my luck, there was a white guy sitting at the cafe.  I asked him if he knew where Osaka Castle was (since I needed to go south of there) and he pointed in a direction and said he thought it was over there but wasn't sure.  Good enough for me.  I thanked him and went on my way.  I reached my destination that was my rental company and was shown the way after some paperwork and talking.  Even though I am here by myself I definitely could not have done all of this without the people that helped me get here.  Now I get to furnish my apartment with a few small things and go buy some food to last me!

In Osaka

I finally made it to Japan!  For it being my first time on a plane and being out of the country, things went fairly smooth.  After receiving my boarding pass (and a little sass from the woman behind the counter) I made it through the TSA portion fairly fast.  I actually waited in line for the boarding pass for the second leg of my trip from Narita to Itami.  When trying to to past some point before receiving my second boarding pass I was asked where my bags were.  I told the man that when I originally checked in that I was told that they would be taken care of for me between flights.  That was not so.  Luckily for me my bags were going around only a few hundred feet from where I was.  For the first flight there were about ten movies that ranged from bad to mediocre (minus one or two that I had seen) and there were other tv shows, games, and music to listen to.  It was slightly disappointing.  Because of the time most people were sleeping and the plane was pretty dark, nothing like those cheerful commercials.  After a while there were no good places to put my legs so they started to cramp, and this is even with having an aisle seat (that I was lucky enough to switch to right before I checked in).  Once I finally reached Itami I decided to walk to my hotel instead of asking about a bus/van to the place.  I was completely sweaty and it took me a while to cool off.  All I have to do tomorrow is exchange my dollars into yen and go to my apartment company's office.  Easier said than done (especially with two suitcases and a backpack).

Leaving

Today is the day I leave.  I will be on my way to Narita in a few short hours and then on to Itami.  Everything is slowly coming together.  I'm surprised, actually, at how well things have worked out when getting ready.  I feel that I have everything.  This usually doesn't happen when I go on short weekend trips.  I feel that I'll probably get there, and in a few days, wish that I had brought something else, though.  These next 48 hours are going to be hectic.

Apartment

Finally, after spending a lot of time looking for a suitable apartment, I have found one!  My apartment is in a great location and, from the pictures, looks pretty nice.  Own the downside, it's a small apartment with no balcony, and the washing machine isn't in my room but on another floor.  At least there are also driers!  From my apartment to the my closest work location is a fairly short trip.  However, for my second location, I have to travel 35-45 minutes depending on the time of day.  There weren't too many other options that would make my commute shorter and give me everything that I wanted so I had to make some concessions and I did so with my commute time.  I'm slowly wrapping things up before I leave and don't have too much left now.

Plane Ticket and Apartment Search

I bought my plane ticket a few days ago.  I'm flying into Narita so I can get my resident card and then over to Itami since it's closer than Kansai International is.  The one problem is that I am having a difficult time finding an apartment that fits everything that I am looking for.  Everyone that I really like is either too far away, too expensive, or already rented out.  I would rather stay in my budget than pay more to get everything else that I want so I'll probably get a place for one to three months and see if I can get a better place later on.  It doesn't help that my two work locations are about 35 minutes apart, so finding a good place in between is even more difficult.

Placement

This morning I received an e-mail informing me of my placement.  I quickly scrolled through it to see if anything stuck out and when I did I thought I had been placed in Tokyo!  I wasn't too happy about that so when I actually read it I saw that I had been given two locations: one in Osaka, and one not too far over the border in Hyogo.  It did say that my training was in Osaka but (erroneously) gave train stations for Tokyo which caused me to think I was to be working there!  I also have bought most everything that I need except for a few small things and so all that's left is to buy my plane ticket and find a suitable apartment.

Visa

I went down to the Japanese Consulate today and picked up my Visa!  The next step is to get my placement which I should receive in the next few days.  Now I need to focus my time to getting ready to move.  I still have a lot to get together but at least I know what I need to do.

Getting Started

I officially started my job search in January 2012.  I utilized every available tool to help me get acquainted  with the general topics of being an English teacher in Japan (the two most helpful websites being www.eslcafe.com and www.gaijinpot.com).  When I started out I strictly limited my job search to Kansai, specifically Kyoto, Hyogo, and Osaka Prefectures.  I was interested in the area because it is cheaper than Tokyo, had its own distinct culture, and was still a very populated area.  To top it off I had a friend attending college in the area.  Eventually, after applying to numerous job listings, I finally widened my search.  Apparently Kansai in general, and especially Osaka, do not list their openings for those overseas like other areas or do not have as many per capita.  Eventually I expanded my job search to all of Japan and had a few interviews and actually was offered a few (but not many) positions but knew that I really wanted to be in the  Keihanshin metro, and since I had a job, I was in no rush to accept a job in a place I wasn't 100% satisfied with.  Now, even though I started my job search 17 months ago, I took a break from applying for jobs in Japan to focus on ones back home.  The jobs that I was offered were short term as that's how you get into my preferred field, but were too short to be viable to me in the long run (loans and relocation expenses) so I started back up with English teach jobs.  After applying to numerous listings I eventually decided to go back and re-interview with a company that I already had in the past.  It was the first company that I had ever interviewed with: Jibun Mirai/Nova.  I had seen an ad about an opening in Osaka and decided that as long as I could support myself, I truly did care about the location more than any other aspect.

The Process:

I applied to a listing on Gaijinpot.  Of all of the sites that have jobs listings, Gaijinpot's is by far the most convenient for applying for two or more jobs.  Since you have to make a profile, if you only apply for one job on the site it's not worth it unless you can't contact the school/company directly.

I got an email confirming my application with the total number of applicant so far.  The first email was quickly  followed by an official email asking about setting up a time to interview.  If you live overseas the interview will be conducted over Skype.  The interview is convenient, quick, and not very difficult.  I would still make sure that you are prepared.

The interview process is pretty simple. They will first go over your resume, ask about where you are from, what school you went to, what you did with previous jobs, and proficiency in other languages. The main part of the interview will consist of them giving you a scenario and asking how you would teach it. It will probably be four things and it will bet set up something like "In a workbook/textbook there are two pages, on this page there is X (maybe pictures of people doing different things) and on the other page there is X (questions posed by person A and answers given by person B). How would you go about teaching this to a group? (probably five to six people)" There is a little more, I don't remember it all, but this is the main part. You get asked where you prefer to teach and if you are okay teaching kids and adults. You are not guaranteed either age group or any specific location (although, from what I understand, they are pretty good about getting you close to where you want). You are asked if you will want company housing or if you will want to find your own. Then you have time to ask whatever you want. I shirt and tie is enough, they aren't dressed in a coat when interviewing you. You will know if they liked you at the end of the interview, but will get and official response within a few days (they are fast about it), and are then asked to send documents to them for your Certificate of Eligibility.

With the exception of the interview you are in contact with the same person throughout the process.  I have had my emails responded to fast and courteously so I I feel that I am on the right track.

I have received my Certificate of Eligibility and now just need to bring it to the Japanese Consulate to get my Visa!  Once I do I can get my specific placement and buy a plane ticket.