Living in Japan

[koolaid]

Hi folks,

I've decided to take the plunge, and will be leaving my "safe" corporate job soon. I've been spending the last few months working on my "muse," and hope to have that effort launched shortly. I've also been saving part of my paycheck in order to support myself for a few months after quitting my job.

Here's the plan: I want to move to Japan for approx. 3 months and train in a martial art I love while I'm there. I've been wanting to do this for a long time, and have come to the conclusion that there is no point in deferring your dreams. I have a one-way ticket departing 5/1 in my hand.

I'm still exploring my options for housing, and haven't come to a final decision. Before doing so, I wanted to leverage the knowledge and expertise of the 4HWW community to see if anyone has tips/suggestions/ideas for short term (2-3 months) budget conscious living accommodations in Tokyo, Japan.

If anyone has any sort of advice or feedback, would appreciate it very much. Best of luck to everyone out there looking to live their dreams.

- Sam

[kamakiri]

Immigration will not let you in to Japan with a 1 way ticket.

[sub8hr]

Budget conscious and Tokyo don't belong in the same sentence. I can't for the life of me remember what it was called now, but when I lived in Tokyo there was a company that had furnished apartments in a bunch of different locations that you could rent for short periods of time. You had to prepay up front, and you couldn't extend your contract when it was up. It wasn't the cheapest though.

[Darren]

While I am probably parroting Tim, I think you should do it.

He is so right when he talks about people NOT waiting for retirement to do the fun things in life....or waiting to release 250 days of stress from a 2 week vacation.

Even at 40 things start to go bad physically. There was just an article that says "old age" starts at 27 here (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1162052/Old-age-begins-27--scientists-claim-new-research.html). You can't backpack when your back gets sore from sleeping in a sleeping bag. You have restricted travel arrangements when you have medicines. etc. You can't bounce back if something goes wrong para sailing at 65 years old...hell you don't even WANT to do that stuff at that age.

YOU SAID: that there is no point in deferring your dreams.

Go. Live! If it doesn't work out, come back. We'll be here.

[kamakiri]

Encouragement is great, but this guy needs a reality check. In my 20 years of living in Japan he wins the award for having done the least amount of research.

[koolaid]

Kamakiri - would appreciate if you could drop the pretentious, deprecating tone, get your facts straight, and offer some constructive advice if you have anything to say. Is it really necessary to be such a prick on a message board where people come to share ideas and help each other achieve their dreams?

I'm not leaving the country without doing my homework. Far from it. I studied abroad in Japan for a year as a college student, and I am a regular visitor, going back every year in the summer to participate in my school's natsu gasshuku (training camp).

I didn't want to inundate readers of this board with trivial details, so I kept my post fairly simple. I have done my due diligence on Japanese immigration policies to understand proper protocol for ST stays, situational visas, and pre-approved exceptions. I've done research on housing and living, and have several options I can turn to. However, utilizing the collective brain power of 4HWW readers, I wanted to see if anyone else had creative ideas or Tim-minded "life hacks" that I had not previously considered or explored. At worst, this was an opportunity to share my story and offer encouragement to someone else out there considering a change in lifestyle to follow their dreams..just as other readers have done for me.

With that being said, I apologize if my original post came off as naive or ignorant. Hopefully this clears things up a bit.

Would appreciate any feedback, advice, or general thoughts from readers out there. Best of luck to you all.

[kamakiri]

Good luck with that buddy.

[Stallion]

Kamakiri, why couldn't of just left it at your first comment? You had to come back and insult the guy. You don't have to be a dick to people.

[macattack]

938 posts and no class

[kamakiri]

I know this guy. I have met him many times. He didn't have the same name, but he has been proceeded by thousands with the same 'plan'. The last thing the streets of Tokyo needs is more trash.

Buying a ticket and hopping on a plane is easy. Getting a visa isn't necessarily hard, but it is a pain of a process to go through. With out an alien registration card, you can't even rent a video in Japan. Giving him a reality check isn't nearly as harsh as the reality of getting turned away at immigration. I am not quite sure what he meant by trivial, because without proper paperwork you can't get electricity, water or gas.

@Stallion & Mac - I am not here to gain your approval, nor do I care, but just an FYT, I was quoting Tim.

[webgal]

This has the potential to be a helpful thread and I don't want to pull it or keep it under the microscope.

There is constructive criticism in here even if you are not liking the tone. I would suggest not reacting to it but rather getting some first-hand information. Seems to me the most important issue here is getting the facts and not focusing on the tone or your feelings.

Having said that, if we can just type the facts and keep the tone more civil.

[TimW]

When I went to Japan in 1989, I went on a 90-day tourist visa. Had to have a rount-trip ticket (LA to Hong Kong return with two stop-overs in Tokyo). Went to Tokyo, found an English school that would sponsor me, went to Hong Kong to get my work visa.

Came back, got alien registration card. Amusing, since the police lieutenant (?) for the station serving my area asked us to come into his office...thought we were in trouble...just wanted to practice his English.

Got card. Worked and lived life, then left 15 months later.

Is possible to live in Tokyo on budget...just have to know how. I lived (mostly) like a Japanese...local salary, apartment (large by Japanese standards at 300 sqft), about a 30-min walk from Shinjuku station...convenient for missing last train when drinking. :)

At at local Ramen-ya, Yoshinoya shops. Some shopping at local grocery stores. Made my own tortillas using wine bottle as rolling pin. Beware MISO...looks like peanut butter but is NOT. Ask how I know. :)

For you: At the time, Japan offered Cultural Visas for people wanting to come study something. Maybe it'll work for you. Regardless, 1-way ticket is a no-go. They don't want people staying permanently.

[edgyscott]

The cultural visa isn't a bad way to go. The tourist visa has less paperwork and no lag time waiting for approvals. You'll need an outgoing ticket though, Korea is the destination of choice for most of the expats I know on a budget. Thailand is a bit more of a travel hub as is Singapore.

What martial art? I know a great aikido teacher in Kyoto.

Japan is doable on the cheap, but it can take a bit of work.

S

*expat, permanent resident, been here 10 of the last 15 years