| "SOJOURN" Living In The Land Of The Rising Sun |
| Konnichi wa, Ogenki desu ka? (Good day, and how are you?) Hajimemashite yoroshiku onegishimasu Welcome to this special chapter in my website that is being dedicated to my extended travel to Japan. I will be using these next few pages as a journal and scape book of my experiences while away from home. "Sojourn" means to go and live somewhere other than home for a while but also not for too long. I hope you enjoy my entries and I welcome any comments...Please do not use any matrial or pictures from my site without frist asking. I am likely to say yes...so Please be polite. Dewa mata ne(Nice to have met you, I will see you soon) Regards, Desmond (Ozgood) April 3rd, 2002. |
| April 3rd, 2002 I now finally have my plane ticket in hand, purchased with JAL($1200.00cdn taxes included) ...wow...cool...only 25more days to go and I'm outta here...You must understand, this was no walk in the park...well at least I wouldn't let it be. I've been wanting to do this since about a year ago, and slowly but surely I have brought myself to this point. This whole project is one major life changer. Believe me it's not simple, easy?? Maybe... To be short, I've had to sell my car(2month ordeal), pay off my debts, sell off my personal items, close bank accounts, shut down cell phone, take the bus and train to work while still working full time down town for the last 2 months (2.25hr Commute each way), study Japanese on my own(last 6 months), and spend about 400hrs searching the internet on sites related to "Living and working in Japan" so that I wouldn't make the same mistakes as all those before me. Oh yes and let's not forget 2 short one week trips to Tokyo in the Fall of 2001, to get a feel for the enviroment, and to visit my close friend Joanna.( You can see pictures of each trip on my TRAVEL's Page. I am now in the process of applying for a WORKING HOLIDAY visa from the Japanese Government since my 50 or so resumes that were sent and emailed out did not get me sponsored or a Job right now. You must understand...I want to only go to Tokyo or it's adjacent prefectures, and in order to get a job teaching ESL, you have to apply with in a certain time frame especially if you are expecting to get hired overseas. Every one of these sites that you can learn about how to get a Job in Japan will tell you that it's a minimum process of 2 months from the day they say they want you. Please remember also that they want you in Japan in Feb, Mar to start in April. So as you can see, I have taken matters into my own hands and I am now getting ready to go on my own. This is a more expensive route yet EXCITING...and I hope to keep it relatively inexpensive armed with all my countless hours of research. From all the responses I got from potential employers, they all wanted me in Tokyo already to come for an interview. Even my limited friends over there and some of the new contacts that I have made in Japan have said the same thing...Go over and with in a week you should be able to get a job that will help you to get an appartment, and eventually sponsor you, but that might take up to a month, so be prepared to live on your own, come over on your own and Job hunt on your own. This I think mainly applies in Tokyo and Osaka(Major Cities) Really quickly...why Teach ESL? Well because, it is the fastest and easiest way to get a Visa sponsorship, an appartment, and assimulate into the Japanese culture. Do I like to teach? Well Yeah...of course...Believe it or not almost everything I've being doing since I was a teenager involved teaching. Maybe not classroom style, but teaching and training, never the less. I hope to open a school of my own so that I may realize the fruits of my labours and utilize my exprience in Business. OF COURSE I WANT TO MAKE A LOT OF $$$$$$$...otherwise I wouldn't go. When do I plan to come back?? I'll be back and forth...but I hope to live there for a couple of years at least and develope business. I certainly don't want to come back and be at or near the same level as I am now...that's also why I am selling off so much...This is not a 1yr BACK PACK trip...but I'm not also immigrating there. Well that's it for now... |
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| May 23, 2002 Well here am in Sapporo now...Sorry I've not made any entries lately but its been sooooo hard to find some free internet and everything is in Japanese here and the free internet places usually have restrictions on what websites you can get into. So basically this is a summery and I will fill it all in later when get the time...in the mean time if you need to contact me...please use my hotmail addy [email protected] Lets see I arrived in Tokyo April 29, 2002 at the start of Golden week. That was fun and then it was off to Nagoya on May 5, 2002 where I did my training as a teacher with Peppy Kids. Next they sent me off to Sapporo on May 20, 2002 and here I am. Sooo much to talk about and sooo much to show you all in my pictures...ok...take care all... |
| Japan : AN OVERVIEW For a country that lived in the self-imposed isolation until 150yrs ago, Japan has not hesitated in making up for lost time since the world came calling. Anyone who's eaten Sushi or used a Sony Walkman feels they know something about this slinky archipelago of some 6800 volcanic islands tucked away off the far eastern coast of Asia, and yet, from the moment of arrival in this oddly familiar, quintessentially Oriental land it's almost like you've touched down on another planet. Japan is a place of ancient gods and customs, but is also the cutting edge of cool modernity. High-speed trains whisk you from one end of the country to another with FRIGHTENING punctuality. Everyones watch is set to the almost exactly the same time with a variance of a minute or two and everyone lives by the clock here. You can catch the sight of a farmer tending his paddy, then turn the corner and find yourself next to a neon-festooned electronics games parlor in the suburb of a sprawling metropolis. One day you could be picking through the fashions in the biggest department store on earth, the next relaxing in an outdoor hot-spring pool, watching cheery blossom or snow flakes fall, depending on the season. Few other countries have, in the space of mere generations, experienced so much or made such an impact. Industrilized at lightning speed, Japan shed its feudal trappings to become the most powerful and outwardly aggressive county in Asia in a matter of decades. After defeat in World War II, it transformed itself from ATOM bomb victim to wonder economy, the envy of the globe. Currently facing up to recession and rising unemployment after years of conspicuous consumption, Japan still remains fabulously wealthy and intent on reinvention of the twenty-first century, when, together, with South Korea, it became the first Asian nation to host Soccer's World Cup in 2002. You don't want to wait until then to visit though. Given the devalued yen and lower prices, Japan is now more attractive than ever to anyone keen to see just what makes this extraodinary country tick. It's never going to be a cheap place to travel, but there's no reason why it should be wildly expensive either. Some of the of the most atmospheric and traditonall Japanese places to stay and eat are often those that are the best value. In the cities you'll be first struck by the mass of people. In this mountainous country, one and a half times the size of Great Britian, the vast majority of the 126 million poplulation live on the crowded coastal plains of the main Island of HONSHU. The three other main islands, running north to south, are Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu, and all are linked to Honshu by bridges and tunnels that are part of one of Japan's modern wonders. It's so extremely well developed when it comes to roads and, tunnels, train systems and ferries. If you're after the latest buzz, the hippest fashions and technologies, and a worldwide selection of food, head for the exciting, overwhelming metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka. The cities are also the best places in which to sample Japans traditional perfermance arts, such as Kabuki and Noh plays, to catch the titanic clash of Sumo Wrestlers, and track down the wealth of Japanese visual arts in the major museums. Outside the cities, from the wide open spaces and deep volcanic lakes of Hokkaido, blanketed by snow every winter, to the balmy sub-tropical islands of Okinawa, there's a vast range of other holidays options, including hiking, skiing, scuba diving and surfing. You'll seldom have to travel far to cathc sight of a lofty castle, ancient temple or shrine, or locals celebrating at a colourful street festival. The Japanese are inveterate travellers within their own country and there's hardly a town or village, no matter how small or plain, that doesn't boast some unique attraction. It's not all perfect though. Experts on focusing on detail(the exquisite wrapping of gifts and the tantalizing presentation of food are just two examples) the Japanese often miss the broader picture. Rampant development and sometimes appalling pollution, together with the sickly bad habbit of smoking is hard to square with a country also renowned for cleanliness and apprecciation of nature. Part of the problem is that natural Cataclysms, such as earthquakes and typhoons, regularly hit Japan, so few people expect things to last long anyway. There's also a blindness to the pernicious impact of Mass tourism, with ranks of gift shops, ugly hotels and crowds often ruining potentially idyllic spots. And yet, time and again, Japan redeems itself with unexpected beautiful landscapes, charmingly courteous people, and its tangible sense of history adn cherished traditions. Most intriguing of all is the opaqueness at the heart of this mysterious hidden culture that stems from a blurring of traditional boundries between EAST adn WEST. Japan is neither wholly one nor the other. |
| November 16, 2002 Hello Everyone, Well all is still going well for me here in Japan. I just wanted to let you know that I am now more settled. I never did get a proper digital camera so all the pictures that I have taken are very and from my SONY CLIE. I am living in Funabashi which is actually located in Chiba, the prefecture to the east of Tokyo. It takes me about 35mins to get to work on the train. At the moment I have been keeping very busy with business as well as teaching. Only just recently I cut my shifts down to 6 days a week and only working at 3 places instead of 4. So now I actually have a day off. Well as it has been I am super busy so I will have to write more another time. Don't worry I have been keeping a journal so I will refer to that one and my pictures when I can to upload. In the mean time Best wishes to all and have a great Winter season. |
| 6 months of missing information is yet to be uploaded. Fear not I have it all on a Journal to put here in the near future. |
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