General questions about Japan :)

[belltower]

Hello

My name is Caleb, I'm 21 and I live on the east coast of Australia. I've spent the past couple of days reading random threads that are posted on this website and decided that I should join myself as its evident that there are alot of friendly members who are happy to help in any related situation.

I'm currently completing my TESOL Diploma through online study, unfortunately I have no Bach. Degree. My plan is to complete the course and save sufficient funds so I can make my way to Japan next year with a Working Holiday Visa.

I have a couple of questions and would greatly appreciate any insight/enlightenment, I do however apologise if I've repeated any previous threads.

1. Is it possible to gain employment in a more rural environment, rather than city etc with only having these qualifications and if so what would be the best way to find work. Note: I do have an interested in the bigger areas such as Kyoto and Hiroshima etc
2. May seem a silly question but i was wondering if any knows what gym fees are like in Japan
3. I live at a coastal town close to the beach etc and am hoping to try and find the same in Japan as well.

I do have many more but I suppose that it is best to save them for later discussions as this post is already fairly massive.

Thankyou again

[gfell]

Originally Posted by belltower

Is it possible to gain employment in a more rural environment, rather than city etc with only having these qualifications and if so what would be the best way to find work. Note: I do have an interested in the bigger areas such as Kyoto and Hiroshima etc

There are heaps of language schools in rural Japan crying out for teachers. It seems the majority of teachers head to the cities, so if you prefer rural Japan, you will have little competition. Just keep scouring the job ads and sooner or later, a school will advertise.

Originally Posted by belltower

May seem a silly question but i was wondering if any knows what gym fees are like in Japan

Gym membership is around 8000 yen / month depending on the times you go and plan. I pay casual rates of 1200 yen per visit and I can go anytime. The gym has a pool, sauna, weights, walking machines etc, aerobics, golf and so on. This is Central Gym in Kobe.

Originally Posted by belltower

I live at a coastal town close to the beach etc and am hoping to try and find the same in Japan as well.

Countryside Japan has many of these type of settings. Try Izu hanto which is in Shizuoka prefecture and Wakayama which is south of Osaka. Both these locations are about 90 minutes from the big cities by fast train.

[belltower]

Thankyou for fast reply

That gym sounds awesome and very affordable. Is fitness in Japan a big industry?
I suppose that a gym would be very hard to come by if I'm located in a rural area?
Ive been researching on the two locations that you suggested and they both look terrific and beautiful.
When I start to try to gain employment in these areas what would be the best plan of attack? i.e after reading threads about the major corporation schools it appears that it's hard to have a preference in where you would like to teach. So would I look up schools in the area and contact them etc. Reason being as I have no Bach. Degree etc.

Thankyou again

[gfell]

Fitness is just as common in Japan as Australia. Central, Fitness First and Konami are some of the big fitness gyms here.

I have lived in rural Japan before, and you will be hard pressed to find a big gym. At best, you may find a small gym attached to someone's house who sells membership to the locals. Probably the size of around 20 tatami mats and just basic weights. You will probably have more fun going for morning runs and buying your own dumbells etc.

Going on a working holiday visa shouldn't really close doors for you. Actually, many schools will like this fact as they don't need to stuff around with your visa. Especially so the smaller rural schools! I suggest searching online for the schools. Something along the lines of "english school wakayama" or "英会話wakayama".

英会話 = English School
和歌山 = Wakayama
静岡 = Shizuoka

Another area you may consider is Mishima or Numazu which is located right above Isu Hanto. Try "Merry House English School". I used to work for them many years ago and am sure you will love the area. It's not too far from the coast and plenty of rice fields and am sure there is a big gym nearby. The website used to be www.merryhouse.jp/ but seems down at the moment.

If you come across an English school only in Japanese, don't hesitate and still contact them.

Good luck with the search.

[belltower]

Thankyou again for your advice

Hearing about the gyms and the visa/rural school etc has made me very happy and even more excited than before.

I had a look at the areas that you suggested and they really do look fantastic and the ideal locations, is Wakayama a Prefecture and Mishima/Numanzu/Isu Hanto etc all located within the state? My sister went to Japan last year for a school trip and she said that she enjoyed those areas and the surroundings the most.

I'll definetly look into 'Merry House English School' and again thankyou very much for your suggestions and advice.

Thankyou again
I was thinking that would it be a good idea if I waited until I finished my course, obtained a passport/working holiday visa etc and contact the schools then or would it be better before?

[Antonio]

You're welcome. Yes, they are all located in the prefecture Shizuoka. You could either fly to Narita airport or Nagoya airport. I would suggest Nagoya as it's easier and the shinkansen goes straight from Nagoya to Mishima. From there you would take the local trains.

Best to apply to the schools 1 month before your planned arrival.

Cheers.

[belltower]

Thankyou for your reply/advice

You have def been a great help. Will check that out.

Thankyou again

[belltower]

Hello again

I've been doing alot of thinking recently and have come up with an idea:
Im going to travel to Japan hopefully before the end of the year or early next year and have a look around and get the feel for the place, especially in the advised areas of wakayama and shizuoka. Ideally I'll try and stay for a minimum of 2 weeks. Was wondering if anyone could offer any advice/tips for how I should go about preparing as in cheaper alternatives in accomadation etc. I thought that I could look around and possibly visit the english schools in the rural areas, as it was a struggle to find any on the internet without coming across a big corporation.

Depending on how the trip goes etc, I think im going to comit to a Bach Degree at my local university, most likely a bach of arts. My idea is to use the trip as a fuel to complete a course ( most likely a bach of arts. so i can still have a bach degree but also once ive been on my adventures be able to come back home and continue study etc) Was wondering what you guys think in the above ideas?

[gfell]

Not a good idea. To travel around rural Japan without knowing any Japanese or the road will be a huge challenge. Furthermore, the schools really wont have time for you if your are just visiting with the idea to be available in a few years time.

If you want to take a look at Japan, treat it as a holiday. Forget trying to line up a job as your availability is no time soon. Go to Youth Hostels and try to travel around with others. That's the most affordable way.

[belltower]

Hello.
Thankyou for your fast reply.
It appears Ive written my last post not very well and made it a little confusing. Sorry about that.
My intentions were to make it like a holiday, but seek out schools in certain areas by taking names/numbers etc for future plans. I suppose if you look at it like this: if a friend of mine rang up from a city like melbourne and told me that they want to move up and live/work in my hometown, i would tell them to come up and check it out. it makes sense.
Again thankyou for replying.