An Almost GaijinPanic Attack? Oh and Fun ^^
Hello fellow Gaijinpanic writers and all our readers. I want to talk about a few questions I have had lately. One as I mentioned worried me for a bit and inspired the title.
Number one: JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) aka 日本語能力試験.
I recently applied using the paper form bought at my friendly neighbourhood Kinokuniya. I only took it once before in Canada and didn’t remember some of these strict details about the ID photo and the address. If my memory serves I did not need an ID photo in Canada and it has similar rules to passport ID photos, (really necessary?) Also in the explanation booklet it mentioned to make sure your name is on the nameplate at the address you give or the paper that says where to go and let you take the test will/may not be delivered, (What about those like me renting without a place to put it on our mailboxes?) It made me a little worried that I may end up wasting my money since it says incomplete or incorrect submissions will be filtered out. I want to know what other people know or how they understood these points. The photo I can understand since it is in Japan and they like to use ID photos to make sure someone who did not apply does not take the test of another person. Most apartments do not have places to put your names and I suspect I am not the only test applicant to live an apartment alone. I wonder if they are just trying to scare people or not. If so, too strict no? Thoughts please and thank you. Also do check out the study tools in the links. Last point on the JLTP is that a good flashcard set is made by WhiteRabbit Press for those looking for one.
Number two: Holidays.
I was surprised that some schools didn’t give the students the extra 2-3 days in between the public holidays as days off. Not a problem just a little surprised. The 1st and 2nd are not official holidays so I understand business and schools can choose to take the extra days or not. I had the idea of Golden WEEK in my mind and never noticed this before is all. Also was not as bad as I thought for touring around nearby. I was lucky and saw some things that where not usually open were open during this time. My example is the inside of the Pagoda at Toji in Kyoto. There was sign that seemed to say this was only open to the public for the month or two around this time. One reason to try and brave the crowds during busy tourist seasons, who knew? Seeing Toji was not bad for crowds, but the restaurants in Kyoto station sure were and made me want to run to the countryside. Gotta enjoy any break you get so sorry if I seem whiny. I did enjoy the holiday and hope my fellows in Japan did as well.
Fun: Plays! Concerts!
One thing that I’m not sure if it is in guidebooks or not, but possibly overlooked by many people is the playhouse and concerts in big cities like Tokyo and Osaka. Kansai’s famous playhouse is in a city near Kobe called Takarazuka. They put on all kinds of plays and operas. I have yet to see one and tickets are not that cheep. It is well reviewed by those who go and I recommend trying it to any theatre fans in Kansai that are tired of the temples and museums. They always have something going on there judging by the posters around Osaka and my informants. I love theatre and will update once I have checked it out myself.
自己紹介タイ～ム！
Hey everyone! I’m Brendan, one of the new contributors here at gaijinpanic.com. Actually, I’ve been on with the site for a few months already, and have completely neglected to write anything…. wooops. But in my defence, I’m in an on-going process of cramming for the JLPT N3 level. So, for my written contributions to this website, you are likely to see me discuss culture and insights into my study process.
As for a quick introduction, I’m a 23 year old Canadian studying in Japan until August. In September of 2011, my Japanese speaking proficiency was terrible at best, and I had only been to Japan for a short 2 week vacation two years prior. I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship from my home university, and I entered into a great school with courses designed for foreigners with little-to-no Japanese ability. I had actually studied Japanese for a total of 3 years prior to this, but had no ‘field experience’ – that is to say, I had next-to-no speaking practice. I had studied around 2000 vocabulary, 500 Kanji, and maybe 60 independent grammar structures. But I had never applied them, out of lack of opportunity and lack of confidence to even attempt to. I studied Japanese at my home university, but in class, there was NO speaking opportunity, and the classes and tests were formulaic and hardly stimulating. Thus, my ability diminished with time.
Living in Japan has been a great experience to me so far. My proficiency has increased, and I can get by in a conversation much better…. and this is after only four months. By August, as I mentioned earlier, my goal is to achieve N3 proficiency. To that end, I’m studying like a madman (I love Japanese coffee shops… no… I love coffee) as often as possible.
On a new topic, I lost my wallet tonight. The contents of my wallet were as follows: Canadian Driver’s License, Canadian Debt Card, Japanese Debt (Cash) Card, Japanese University Student Card, and my Gaikokujin Registry Card. Ouch. Actually, spoilers for the punch line, I found my wallet in the end. But, anyone can lose anything at any time – foreign country, or at home in your own back yard. So what do you do if this happens to you? First, Japan has the lowest crime rate anywhere in the world. Period. If you lose something on the train, on the street, anywhere, you are surprisingly likely to see it again. Check any local businesses or even a nearby train station – they have lost and found boxes just like they do in North America. And get this: people in Japan are SO honest, they are likely to go -out of their way- to bring lost articles to aforementioned lost and found boxes! If that fails you, head over to ANY Police Box (交番) and let them know your situation. They will send a notice out all across your district, letting other Police Boxes know to be on the lookout for your lost item. Finally… and this one should be obvious… why you carryin’ ’round all that stuff? You’re in a foreign country! Leave the important things that aren’t often used (Passport, Credit Card, alternate ID/Debit Cards, etc) at home! You should always be ready for an emergency. Do you have records of all your numbers just in case you DO lose a card? Or a backup 1000 yen so you can have a meal/ride the train in an emergency?
Alright guys, that’s it for now. Peace.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, everyone! 明けましておめでとうございます！今年もよろしくお願いします！
I had the chance to wear a kimono recently, and I was able to videotape how to put it on (sort of). Enjoy!
Basic Update
I’ve gotten a lot of “what the hell are you doing in Japan now?!” lately, so let’s set the score straight.
From August 2010 – August 2011, I was teaching English in Osaka at a Junior High School and two Elementary Schools. I was an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) through The Jet Programme. I moved out of my apartment and back to my hometown for two months, but now I’m back in Japan to start a brand new (but no less exciting) adventure!
I am living in Tokyo and I am a Research Student under the MEXT (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship. For now, I am living in a dorm and I am going to a university for 6 months to improve my Japanese before entering grad school So far, everything as been really wonderful, and I hate to have any complaints at all given that I’m being treated well with my scholarship, but I have a few.
I don’t know who’s brilliant idea it was to put me in a dorm that is 1.5 hours away from my university, but that’s where I am. I wouldn’t mind if that’s all that was available, but almost none of my classmates live in the same dorm as me and as a result it is taking longer to get to know people. I’m actually going to a different university in April, so this really shouldn’t be a big deal for long… but there’s a catch. The dorm I’m living in will be shut down as of March 2012… meaning that I need to find a new place to live. So let me get this straight, not only did they place me in a dorm nowhere near my current university, thereby segregating me from my classmates, but I will have to move once these 6 months are up and I’m stressing out about writing entrance exams? Thanks guys.
But in all seriousness, I’m loving everything. Setting up banks accounts and getting my Alien Registration Card sorted out took some time, and the scholarship this month was a little late, but I live in a fantastic dorm. It’s really a shame that it’s shutting down. I’ve met tons of people from all over the world and they all cook awesome food for me to eat! I can’t wait to learn how to make some of this stuff and pass it on through generations of my family. Mmm. But that’s all for now! I’ll keep you posted (literally). Until next time!
Back in Japan!
Hey everyone! After a long stint in Osaka, I’ve now moved to Tokyo to start my Masters program. More on that later, for now, I’d like everyone to welcome Brendan to the GaijinPanic.com crew! More regular updates from me should be up in the next little while. Stay tuned!
Doctors, Maid Cafes, and More!
Greetings! It’s been a while but I have lots of new info to share.
- Doctors
First is a few interesting facts about Doctors in Japan. Most clinics have strange breaks and are walk in only. If you are really sick you can put up with waiting as long as you find a place open but not very convenient if you just need something routine such as a physical. If you are sick too you would rather be resting at home but you have to what you have to do. You now know to watch out. Any specialists though of course are appointment and referral only so ask a friend or a nearby clinic where to go if you need the extra attention. Some medicines are in powder form, which I had never seen before coming here. Some are pill form too so it will depend on what medicine you need. Try to stay healthy but hope this information helps if needed.
- Private Lessons
I have been doing a few private lessons now. There are different websites, community boards and such to advertise to find students so keep your eyes open and ask around for those in your area.
Tip, get to know your students a bit and consider what they need and want from the lesson. Some may need business English for work, want to write well English, or simply want to practice speaking. Might be a good idea to specify what you can and are willing to do. If you don’t know business English yourself, may not be a good idea teach it unless you make a point of learning the material yourself first.
- Cafes
There are many themed cafes here in Japan: manga (comic), internet, maid, and cat. There are more. They all require a sign up or entrance fee on top of merchandise, food, drink. You are allowed so much time to enjoy reading comics, using the internet and such. The Maid Café I went to required you to order some many items and gave you so much time. They are very gimmicky but may be fun to do once for the experience. My friend and I went to a maid café thinking it would be a regular café just a bit expensive and the waiters have costumes. No they had things such as pictures of the waiters for sale and you could pay to play a game with a waiter. A lady was playing jenga with one of them while we were there. Pay attention to what you get for how much money to make sure you are don’t feel ripped off. I did enjoy the rice omelet the waitress drew a cat on in ketch-up.
- More!
Another note I thought to pass on is to get tickets for things such as Disneyland or Universal Studios in advance if possible or you may have an extra wait in line to get then on top of the ones for the attractions.
Those living here with train cards like Suica or Icoca, be warned in some small countryside areas you may be in trouble since they may not have ticket gates let alone the scanner for the cards. You may just have to put your ticket in a box at the station and buy it from the vending machine when you leave. I’ve run into this several times now. Once we used the card and luckily there was a person there to give us a note to fix our cards since we had to pay cash. Another time there was no one I could see but I had not used my card so it was fine.
That’s all for now, stay tuned for more helpful information and adventures.
Entrance Exams and Cram Schools
Hi all! Here is my latest information to share (rant-ish-ness not intended).
To start here are a few facts about school in Japan…
-Most students go to a jukku (cram school).
-Only required by law to finish junior high school.
-Most if not all schools have exams to pass before you can attend.
I think it is interesting and admire that almost everyone still finishes high schools even though it is not required.
One thing that interests me is the prominence of private schools. Private school’s entrance exams are easier but tuition is higher and public school’s entrance exams are harder to pass but they are reasonably priced. What concerns me is what happens if they can’t afford the private schools and fail to pass the public school’s exam? A loan may help the financial situation but what if you can’t get one? I thought the purpose of public schools was to educate all those who want it, so why do they have these difficult entrance exams? I do not have all the details so this is based on what I have been told.
The idea of children and adolescent going to cram schools for several hours after regular school day make me feel for Japanese children. When can they be kids and have fun? The amount of time does depend on the school and the student though so they may still have time for fun. Many take other lessons too and also have homework from both regular and cram school though.
First lets look at who goes to cram schools and why?
- Public school students who need extra help since teachers are usually not available to give extra help in public schools apparently.
- Those who want to do better to get into a certain school.
A student of mine told me the above statements. Since most students go one can imagine only a small percentage actually need the help. The students who don’t need it and still go are part of the cause of the discipline problems I have heard from assistant teachers in schools here. They feel no need to pay attention since they will review or learn the material in cram school later that day. I didn’t mention but cram schools are privately run so they do cost money as well. In the end schooling may cost the same whether choosing only a private school or a public school and cram school.
If the entrance exams are as difficult as I am led to believe then reasonably the ones in public schools would not be the bottom of the ladder for brains so why do so many go to cram schools? Cram school and entrance exams do seem more of a focus in junior high years since high school is not required but they still go and need to pass the entrance exam. I am not sure about the difficulty of the exams but if it is so bad that everyone needs the extra cram school lessons I think the level could be adjusted.
To me it seems a few small changes are all it would take to reduce if not eliminate many problems like suicide over failed entrance exams, overwork from cram school, financial worry for parents, and discipline in Japanese schools. I know that it is a complicated issue that I do not have all the necessary facts for, and that things are not as easy to do as to say but figured it would be a good blog topic.