Popeye is really good too but very noisy and nearly impossible to get in at rush hour without a reservation
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Japan ERA |OT| We all お箸上手 and 日本語ペラペラ in here!
- Thread starter Mailenstein
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Popeye is really good too but very noisy and nearly impossible to get in at rush hour without a reservation
The Great Burger has several branches, one in Harajuku. They also run several different shops under different names, but they're the same. I like The Smile in Shinjuku because it's really easy to get to.
Hey everyone, nice to know all the threads i was used to are back on ERA too.
Anyway, i'm here to ask you opinions/tips as i am planning to move to Japan.
First of all, yes, i do speak japanese. I graduated in japanese language and culture here in Italy, and i had an N3 certificate for a couple of years. That said, i'm not that confident in my language skills, especially because i haven't used it at all in the last 6 months or so, and i know that its not enough for business-level and highly specific jobs (at least in the beginning).
So, the first question is: what kind of job can i realistically pursue with this level of language skills? I would really like to work in the translation business, but i'm really open to other office jobs/other stuff as a starting point.
Second, my plan was to move around April-May '18, when my current work contract naturally expires.
I've been working as an office clerk in a logistic and transportation company since July (so roughly 9 months by next spring), a place i throughly dislike but pays well, so i've been intensively saving money to leave as soon as possible. My idea was to find a job in Japan before leaving, as i think going there without a job and just accepting any kinf of バイト till something better pops up goes against having saved money and one's natural career progression. The point is, is it feasible? I don't really know how to look for a job from abroad (although i admit i haven't started looking yet), and i know working visas are a mess there and i really have no idea how much japanese companies hire from other countries. Does anyone have any tips or previous experiences about applying for jobs from abroad?
Third, by the time my contract expires, i'll have saved up around 10.000€, i had to accept my current job for urgent reasons yet i was able to save up a lot monthly, does that sound like an acceptable amount of money to start in a new nation?
I'm just trying to gauge my real possibilities there and plan in advance, as i really don't want to become yet another one of those who moved to japan out of passion and ended up with really basic jobs.
Thanks a lot in advance, and i'm open to just any kind of advice, comment or critique, planning this is something that makes me really excited but also extremely scared, as i know how hard it is to find a job and how quickly things go bad when you can't find one for a while.
Anyway, i'm here to ask you opinions/tips as i am planning to move to Japan.
First of all, yes, i do speak japanese. I graduated in japanese language and culture here in Italy, and i had an N3 certificate for a couple of years. That said, i'm not that confident in my language skills, especially because i haven't used it at all in the last 6 months or so, and i know that its not enough for business-level and highly specific jobs (at least in the beginning).
So, the first question is: what kind of job can i realistically pursue with this level of language skills? I would really like to work in the translation business, but i'm really open to other office jobs/other stuff as a starting point.
Second, my plan was to move around April-May '18, when my current work contract naturally expires.
I've been working as an office clerk in a logistic and transportation company since July (so roughly 9 months by next spring), a place i throughly dislike but pays well, so i've been intensively saving money to leave as soon as possible. My idea was to find a job in Japan before leaving, as i think going there without a job and just accepting any kinf of バイト till something better pops up goes against having saved money and one's natural career progression. The point is, is it feasible? I don't really know how to look for a job from abroad (although i admit i haven't started looking yet), and i know working visas are a mess there and i really have no idea how much japanese companies hire from other countries. Does anyone have any tips or previous experiences about applying for jobs from abroad?
Third, by the time my contract expires, i'll have saved up around 10.000€, i had to accept my current job for urgent reasons yet i was able to save up a lot monthly, does that sound like an acceptable amount of money to start in a new nation?
I'm just trying to gauge my real possibilities there and plan in advance, as i really don't want to become yet another one of those who moved to japan out of passion and ended up with really basic jobs.
Thanks a lot in advance, and i'm open to just any kind of advice, comment or critique, planning this is something that makes me really excited but also extremely scared, as i know how hard it is to find a job and how quickly things go bad when you can't find one for a while.
My wife works in translation and she's yet to take any level of JLPT (though I know she's doing so in the near future) — but her level of ability was quite evident in the interview (conducted entirely in Japanese and with a translation test component) so they hired her right away. It all depends on the company: some care about the piece of paper, but some don't care as long as you meet their specific criteria. You never really know until you inquire.
As for getting hired while living abroad I know that it's possible but also (anecdotally) more difficult. Companies often have multiple interviews and then there's the matter of contract signings, etc. In my own experience, I had at least five times the interest in me once I had already moved to Japan.
I moved to Japan with less money than you did as well. You just need to factor your living expenses and see if it is feasible for you: you need to take into account location, the food you eat, the size of the place you'll be staying at, and anticipated transportation costs, among other things.
I've seen people come here with less qualifications and money than you have and made out fine, if that helps to ease your worries.
That absolutely makes sense of course, it's just that i'm really scared of the case of arriving uneployed (i'm quite young and the job i'm doing is my first serious one, so i still need to get used to the working world), or finding jobs like waiter and such (and i'm not saying this as a critique, i've already been a waiter, but one's career trajectory should go upwards, not down). Hell, i need a job before also because otherwise i wouldn't have a visa, except a tourist one.
Anyway, do you (or anyone else) happen to know any sites to look for jobs from abroad?
Yeah, i'm considering those money as a safety net more than actually spending them for food excetera. If i can find a job from abroad, i should be able to keep those money safe and use them for expensive stuff like apartments initial payments, documents and so on, and emergencies of course.
That actually makes me feel a little bit better hahaha!
Im just really low on confidence and extremely anxious, hence me trying to figure it all out months before.
First of all, you'll never get a work permit doing stuff like waiting. You might get jobs if you have professional experience as a chef, animal trainer, or if you are a sommelier, but you'd also need to find someone to hire you first. It's generally frowned upon to come here on a visitor permit to look for jobs, but not unheard of.
Unfortunately Italy has no work holiday agreement with Japan, so you're out of luck there.
Most people use websites like Gaijinpot when applying from overseas, but a lot of them require you to be a native English speaker for teaching positions, or have a business Japanese fluency (which, in my opinion, barely passed N1 is the lowest scale, and I speak from experience). There are other sites like Career Cross you might want to take a look at, too. You can always directly contact companies you think might want to hire you, as long as you have the relevant skills.
If you fulfill the requirements, you could always do a master's degree at a Japanese University (maybe even get the MEXT scholarship), work on your Japanese language skills and try to do job hunting Japanese style. Although I did undergrad and then job hunting, not master's, I know plenty of master's students that also found jobs that way. You can even extend your residence permit for up to a year after graduation, do part time jobs to keep you afloat and look for permanent jobs.
Hey guys , I'm going to Kyoto (3 days) and Osaka (4 days) for my honeymoon next year in April. I've booked the Hyatt Regency Osaka for the Osaka leg, but still looking for a suitable Hotel for the Kyoto leg. Any recomendations? Budget would be about 250 -300 usd a night
Anecdotally talking, nearly everyone I know that got a job in Japan did so in that manner.
Getting a job from overseas is much more complicated than even being here on a tourist/student visa as far as I can tell.
Even in Gaijinpot you can find plenty of job offers that only apply for people residing in Japan.
My advice to Philippo would be to try and come in Japan in some manner that would allow him a longer stay (go to an University or even 6-12 months to Japanese Language school) and use the time to go to jobs interviews and look for opportunities.
I'd advise consulting the Japan Travel thread.
There is a link to the travel thread in the OP. The post right above yours also directed someone to the travel thread.
Sorry, I'm not a local but I figured someone here would know the answer to my question.
Has anyone seen those limited edition PS4 slim covers anywhere? Looking for this one in particular:
The cover itself was a limited product Sony sold exclusively on their online store last year (although if you bought the PS4 you could also get it) so your best bet is either Yahoo Auctions or maybe this site, which lists the cover used for sale for 4800 yen(there's only one available, so you need to move quickly).
Hi everyone. 12-year resident of Hiroshima here. Right now my favorite konbini chicken is のり塩チキン from 7-11. I agree with the above user that 7-11's とり天 was great and cheap, but none of the ones near me carry that anymore. But のり塩チキン are also cheap and contain only 107 calories per piece. I usually have two with some ice coffee for breakfast if I don't have a chance to eat breakfast at home. For Family Mart, I actively dislike ファミチキ. It's nothing but breading. I much prefer their スパイシーチキン. Also, my local Daily Yamazaki currently carries Peanut Butter M&Ms for some reason.
I think they still sell the buns at mine. I used to take those home and slap some cheese and mayo on there. Shit was divine with a couple tall boys on a Friday night.
I'll have to check that at my closest Lawson, thanks for the heads up.
Most Japanese remark I've seen in this thread so far. (Aka "how to tell someone has been well integrated into Japan" ^^).
And they haven't been there for the last 2 days!! I think they've been rotated out. Now I'll have to do with a single ピザまん for breakfast, which sucks because 7-11 has the worst ピザまん of the big three konbinis.
I hate karage because of how bad fried food is for you, but MAN is konbini onigiri delicious. Only around 100-200 calories a piece, too.
How long have you lived here? The novelty wore off for me after about 6 months and I kinda can't stand conbini onigiri anymore
Also a fan of tunamayo. I feel like the ones at 7-11 are not very good at the moment. I think they've gotten cheap on the amount of actual tunamayo in the onigiri. It's like maybe three bites with actual flavor and the rest is just rice. Used to be a lot better.
Took less than a month for me~
I still like some of the hot stuff they sell though.
Not a fan of combini onigiri's personally. Feel like I'm never getting enough inside. Like... the top is empty, just rice, but the bottom is a line of w/e. Always half disappointed lol. They are decent filler items I guess but like I said, always wanting more.
I enjoyed konbini onigiri for lunch for the first year at my previous job. I'd always heat them in a microwave, made them much better.
Then I switched to Subway and now I'm making my own sandwiches, since there's no subway anywhere close.
Then I switched to Subway and now I'm making my own sandwiches, since there's no subway anywhere close.
Is Japanese subway markedly different to where you're from?
I'm from NZ and it's so different it might as well be a different sandwich chain. They don't have any of the sauces I really like, or half the veges, or the Chicken Teriyaki sub!!!
I miss u trashy nz sandos
It's not that different than Subway in Poland (jalapeño count as a regular veggie there though, so imagine my surprise after I asked them to give me max of everything). It's more about my love for sandwiches in general.
Definitely wish some limited time subs were up all the time, since they're much better than the standard menu.
This goes for every fast food chain in Japan tbh.
I miss the Korean BBQ Beef Burger from Wendy's.
So kinda random but need to tell someone since I'm stressed about it. Possibly might be leaving Japan for a while or forever? Who knows, in Spring. I've been doing ok at my job but budget cuts and what not would make it a bit hard for me to stay in my current office next year unless I basically go full salary man and keep working all day and night for nothing. My current supervisor was telling me today that they were not recontacting a lot of the foreigners for this reason, as well as several of the newbies we got in the last two years not doing so hot at their jobs, and one major issue of a guy with a pension for -ahem- younger ladies... (yet they still recontacted him twice before after we brought up our uncomfortable~ness of it -eyeroll-)
Anyway today I talked to my super for about an hour, told her if I stayed it would be my last year as I want to move on. She straight up tells me the detailed above, and is suggesting I get out asap if I want to stay in Japan. She, and others, know one of my dreams was to own my own bar/restaurant which always comes up at drinking parties and events since I was a bartender for a bit in college and after. So~ shes offering to start job hunting with me in January to get a job at a local place and work my way into owning my own joint.
This is all super nice and all but so sudden.... so now the past few hours ive been running around thinking about what I should do in the next few months. Cut contract early and work at some izakakya or bar for a huge paycut, get some also lower paying esl job, or just pack it up as a nice time and try my luck back in the middle of nowhere...
Hmm... heh sorry to blurt this out here on the peaceful era thread, just a random thing that happened today.
Anyway today I talked to my super for about an hour, told her if I stayed it would be my last year as I want to move on. She straight up tells me the detailed above, and is suggesting I get out asap if I want to stay in Japan. She, and others, know one of my dreams was to own my own bar/restaurant which always comes up at drinking parties and events since I was a bartender for a bit in college and after. So~ shes offering to start job hunting with me in January to get a job at a local place and work my way into owning my own joint.
This is all super nice and all but so sudden.... so now the past few hours ive been running around thinking about what I should do in the next few months. Cut contract early and work at some izakakya or bar for a huge paycut, get some also lower paying esl job, or just pack it up as a nice time and try my luck back in the middle of nowhere...
Hmm... heh sorry to blurt this out here on the peaceful era thread, just a random thing that happened today.
Sounds like a really rough situation, I hope you can at least stay in Japan.
My image of people working at restaurants aside from the core staff is a bunch of baito, who are just looking to get a quick buck and I guess I don't see how it directly connects to owning your own place at one point.
Also, not sure where you live, and you probably know that, but food business is one of the roughest out there and most of the places get shut down fairly quickly. Definitely think really hard if you want to follow this road.
Of course I don't know you and I might be 100% wrong, but this dream sounds like feeling that thing X is fun in theory, but once you get into the nitty gritty, it turns out it's not that great.
Is she advising you to get a job at the local place so you get the know how about waiting tables and (maybe) doing some low level kitchen things?
My image of people working at restaurants aside from the core staff is a bunch of baito, who are just looking to get a quick buck and I guess I don't see how it directly connects to owning your own place at one point.
Also, not sure where you live, and you probably know that, but food business is one of the roughest out there and most of the places get shut down fairly quickly. Definitely think really hard if you want to follow this road.
Of course I don't know you and I might be 100% wrong, but this dream sounds like feeling that thing X is fun in theory, but once you get into the nitty gritty, it turns out it's not that great.
Yeah it sucks, I'm grateful I was told early (though I wish it was earlier so I could have knocked out N2 or 3 first as it was my plan for summer.) As it stands it really just kinda throws off my own personal timing for stuff that I had originally planned. Was planning on doing a full three years, trying to get N 2 or 3 just to prove I can speak a bit, then roll back home to USA since it's kinda what the family wants. Low and behold I ended up liking my time here, making some awesome friends, and more so I don't exactly just want to pack up and leave...
Definitely need to half a talk with the family who I think were getting the impression that I liked it over here. The plan was always a year, then decided to stay one more since they offered and the money was good but was always thinking about the after and how I can use my new language skills even at a simply conversational level to my advantage in USA.
Just a lot to suddenly think about and plan for when my personal time table was leaving next October, to all of a sudden plan a swift possibly April-May exit when all the companies are hiring. Won't look good to break a contract early but neither is not having a job lol. The owning my own place thing has always been one of those back of my head dreams, I know it ain't easy and most of their staff like you said are part timers. Going from a full time job in to a part time one isn't exactly what I want. I'm probably more suited to an ekaiwa job or looking for some ALT work if anything since I've only been here and studying for two years. I'm grateful my super is offering to help with staying local (would not have to set up a new apartment and what not since the land lord likes me for not screwing up my place like other foreigners have in the past lol) but I doubt i could afford it on a major pay cut...
My main boss was a ALT coordinator back in the day, something like 15-20 years ago and their time table back then was 3 years max so when he was hired this year (and will be retiring in April as well -eyeroll-) he kept bringing that stuff up, but since this isn't a ALT job I never minded it. I know this is his "big move as the main boss" but it will kinda screw the university's program up with almost all of their foreign staff not being recontracted to be replaced by fresh faces and no one to train or help them...
-oh well- already spent a weekend being anxious about this lol, time for a few months more of it. Sorry for ranting hehe
Definitely need to half a talk with the family who I think were getting the impression that I liked it over here. The plan was always a year, then decided to stay one more since they offered and the money was good but was always thinking about the after and how I can use my new language skills even at a simply conversational level to my advantage in USA.
Just a lot to suddenly think about and plan for when my personal time table was leaving next October, to all of a sudden plan a swift possibly April-May exit when all the companies are hiring. Won't look good to break a contract early but neither is not having a job lol. The owning my own place thing has always been one of those back of my head dreams, I know it ain't easy and most of their staff like you said are part timers. Going from a full time job in to a part time one isn't exactly what I want. I'm probably more suited to an ekaiwa job or looking for some ALT work if anything since I've only been here and studying for two years. I'm grateful my super is offering to help with staying local (would not have to set up a new apartment and what not since the land lord likes me for not screwing up my place like other foreigners have in the past lol) but I doubt i could afford it on a major pay cut...
My main boss was a ALT coordinator back in the day, something like 15-20 years ago and their time table back then was 3 years max so when he was hired this year (and will be retiring in April as well -eyeroll-) he kept bringing that stuff up, but since this isn't a ALT job I never minded it. I know this is his "big move as the main boss" but it will kinda screw the university's program up with almost all of their foreign staff not being recontracted to be replaced by fresh faces and no one to train or help them...
-oh well- already spent a weekend being anxious about this lol, time for a few months more of it. Sorry for ranting hehe
From what I understand, the shortest way to owning your own place is to save a lot of money. One of the ADs in 月曜から夜ふかし quite at one point and later he talked that he's going to work really hard to get enough money to start his own restaurant.
http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/special/index.php
Is this a good deal? I will need to take either this or the NEX to Shinjuku area from Narita. I will only be in Tokyo for 3.5 days and leaving Japan after that via Hanida. I'm not sure how much I will use the metro system combared to the subway system. I will likely take whichever Google maps tells me is easier.
Is this a good deal? I will need to take either this or the NEX to Shinjuku area from Narita. I will only be in Tokyo for 3.5 days and leaving Japan after that via Hanida. I'm not sure how much I will use the metro system combared to the subway system. I will likely take whichever Google maps tells me is easier.
How do so many people not see this isn't the travel thread?
Mailenstein , maybe make the text larger in the OP.
Mailenstein , maybe make the text larger in the OP.
Dude, you really need to chill. Please don't bring your aggression over to Era too, it already ruined the last thread :X
It's not like this thread is particularly active anyway, and there aren't really that many people who post in the wrong thread. At worst it's a minor inconvencience for those who really don't want to deal with travelers?
That's because at 7-11 you should be getting the cheese and bacon one, not the pizza one. I mean, it's still convenience store stuff but hey.
OP
OP
Done.
No aggression here. Stop stirring problems when there aren't any, thanks.
7-11 has this mysterious meat and rice bento that seems to only be there sometimes that's REALLY good. It's labeled around 490 calories. I don't like to have bentos too too often, but usually when I want to treat myself and just eat garbage, it's never there. I did finally nab it last week. That was nice.
Probably going to recontract tomorrow, which means I'll be here until at least August 2019. Probably longer, though!
Probably going to recontract tomorrow, which means I'll be here until at least August 2019. Probably longer, though!