[Miss Japan 2008]

there are just google her, she's kinda cute but typical of the modeling/miss universe industry in that i'd rather date a girl that doesn't look like her

[Ah, help me figure out what I'm gonna do please.]

just an update

i'm in japan now

it's more awesome than can be fathomed by human minds

hakkouda has some damn sweet snow

however it's getting a bit mushy now, and learning to ski on deep mushy snow has been like starting all over again since i was used to groomers on the north shore mountains of vancouver (also missed most of the season due to injury). nevertheless it's a lot of fun. i'll be back next season, if not at this lodge i'll figure something out at one of the other locations nearby.

 

still don't have a proper paying job but just working for free room and board at a nearby resort. can't complain really. not sure what i'll do in the summer months yet. at least here i'm not spending any money. think i've spent 150yen since i arrived in tohoku a month ago.

[Ah, help me figure out what I'm gonna do please.]

 Originally Posted By: thursday

A large dose of reality given though not asked for.

You're far too young to be doing this. You need to go get a Masters or a PhD and then have some fun.

Just cos you speak a language dun mean you can teech it mun.

sorry mate, just no longer interested in handing over cash to the universities. maybe someday but it's pretty low on my list of priorities. going to university does not necessarily mean you are able to teach a language either, even if you studied how to teach languages, a degree does not make you a good teacher.

anyway, kind of straying into philosophical territory and i'd rather keep it on track. i appreciate the insight guys. you are right about local contacts being important. it seems that most of my good job opportunities come by chance encounters with the right people at the right time, the job offer at the lodge was a totally random encounter by email.

i think i will just wait until i get to japan before i start looking for summer work. fwiw i'm bringing about 10,000$ with me so i should be good for a while. free room & board at the lodge while i'm there too.

[Ah, help me figure out what I'm gonna do please.]

 Originally Posted By: ger

Teaching English is a pretty safe bet and the money is ...OK... but a Uni degree is often required. I know a few people who are doing it without Uni degrees. They've patched together enough work for an OK income but they can't get the most desirable gigs. Sometimes smaller schools don't care though. They're happy enough if you're young and look like apple pie. If your creative, with an entrepreneurial spirit, then you might be able to come up with other things. Anyway, having a job at a skihill on a working holiday visa sounds like a good way to check things out and have a good time. What resort will you be working at?

Thanks for the info.

I will be working at sansou lodge @ hakkouda mountain. next season I may be working with a local guide at hakkoda, but if that doesn't pan out I'll be back at the lodge.

[Ah, help me figure out what I'm gonna do please.]

Yeah, believe it or not I was designing web pages and working with databases at 12. That's not that unusual these days.

 

Yes I have a girlfriend in Japan and it's possible that we'll be tying the knot next year, but that's not quite decided yet.

 

My primary purpose for going to Japan is because I want to. Guys, I'm not looking for criticism here, you can either help me out by providing options that in your experience are realistic considering the recent change in the english employment sector of Japan, or you can choose not to participate, I just don't see the need for criticism.

 

The lack of a degree is a minor setback but a large number of NOVA employees were people with 1year working holiday visas who similar to me only had 1 or 2 years of university education.

 

I'm sensing a bit of elitism here, what's wrong with someone wanting to go to Japan and looking for ways to make it work?

[Ah, help me figure out what I'm gonna do please.]

I'm open to suggestions, as I said english teaching is not the only thing I can do. I have experience managing a 20 employee, multi-branch company here in Canada, and have experience importing and exporting however due to my future location in northern Japan it will be a little difficult to access goods that I would like to export (i.e. starting my own business).

 

I've also got nearly a decade of experience in php/mysql & web design but I'd prefer not to do that for work.

 

Any ideas welcome.

[Ah, help me figure out what I'm gonna do please.]

Howdy all,

 

A little intro on myself, my name is Cory, 22 years old from Vancouver Canada. The going to Japan-bug has been with me since about a decade ago, now I have finally gotten the opportunity to actually go and do it.

 

I will be giving up a cushy job with a salary far above the average for my age, and far above what people without a degree usually make (I don't have a degree!) I'm leaving on a working holiday visa but will be converting it to either a student or spouse visa after 1 year. I just can't stand it anymore, I can feel myself getting older and roots are starting to grow from the bottom of my office chair. . .

 

I have been offered a job at a mountain in Tohoku, obviously seasonal, I start in March 2008 and will be working there again at the start of the next season.

 

I am concerned about what kind of summer or part time job options a young degree-less gaijinsan has considering the recent deflation of NOVA. Are private English lessons easy to set up or has the nova situation killed any hopes of that? Is there other work available for foreigners without much trouble without resorting to impoverished living?

 

Any help/insight would be appreciated!