外人の問題

pjonからの質問: wahh love your blog ♥♥♥ keep it up!~

Ahhh thank you! <3

ileftmysoulintokyoからの質問: hey, for that Muslim anon, I went to Tokyo with a headscarf for 3 weeks and nobody noticed me! weeee! (except other foreigners, I felt harassed!) If you wander around looking at everything people tend to notice because you aren't 'going with the flow' so just walk fast and pretend to know where you're going! *runs speedily*

匿名ユーザーからの質問: Hello~,I was just wondering but would people glare at me if i'm really pale[not joking but if you put a blank page next to me i'm basically the same color] it's one of the things I would like to avoid,my friends just tell me not to stick out

Hi! Thanks for the question. Actually in Japan, pale skin is the goal for most* women. When the sun is shining, you will see almost every lady using a parasol to avoid the slightest tan. I have freakishly pale skin, and some of the mothers from my classes have complimented me. They are generally envious lol.

However, as a foreigner in Japan, you WILL stick out. So try not to interpret any stares you get as “glares”, just a sign of curiosity or interest. ^_^

*This doesn’t apply to women of “lower” means who spend their time working outside in fields, etc.

I’m back in the USA (regretfully…) and have some time on my hands, so I’ll try to get this back on track a bit. I have several submissions, but more are always welcome! <3 Hope everyone is doing well.

匿名ユーザーからの質問: uh actually that sounds quite culturally inappropriate... o_O

Lol this is definitely in reference to the penpals post.

Rereading it, I’ll agree with you. It’s a good idea to make friends ahead of time to practice your language skills, and when you plan a visit, they will often offer to show you around or lend you a place to stay. 

However, begging someone you’ve never met to open their home is probably rude in MOST cultures. :P

pinku-t0kyoからの質問: Your blog is really funny lol but I don't get some posts (probably because I have never went to japan XD) like why is it a problem being female? And what does it mean you have to sell your kidneys first before you send goodies home? Sorry if these are stupid questions :P

For your first question about being female in Japan, I wrote a blurb on that here. The “sell your kidneys” joke is just referencing the price. Anything aside from a letter is hella expensive. Thanks for the questions!

匿名ユーザーからの質問: oi, there's a billion diff ways to get to japan other than teaching or marriage. business, translation, tranfer student, eastern studies, becoming a buddist monk, etc. it's the lazy ppl who claim to love japan but refuse to learn the language or spend time educating themselves who sob for help like "plz just give me money so i can live in tokyo and not really work just wanna shop with geishas" . japan will kick their sorry underacheiving asses out before they pass security in narita.

匿名ユーザーからの質問: for all you poor gaijns out there: get Japanese pen pals and build friendships. It's what I did, and then I begged them to let me stay in their house for one night when I visited in return for gifts from, uh, well, non-Japan. I stayed in 6 different cities for the week I was in Japan, saved on hotel costs! >.<

Half-great advice! :P

Probably best not to beg though.

匿名ユーザーからの質問: Hey!Fan of yours and I see ppl have been on a roll. Here's my dilemma-I'm about to start getting my BA in business and a minor in either Language or Eastern Studies (in Canada) I'm quite good at Japanese and have a strong affinity for the Japanese way of thinking and most certainly would like to work there.But-I'm Muslim.I have light skin and dark eyes (am Syrian/Cherokee) I've been getting shit all my life from covering my hair, and even tho Japan isn't all 9/11 hyped, how many Muslims r there?

I quite often see Muslim women, but I haven’t seen too many men. However, that shouldn’t stop you from working in Japan. I will tell you that Muslims are definitely a minority, so you will face the difficulties that come with that. Best of luck!

oppressed-white-manからの質問: Why do white men in japan have sexist opinions about white women in general?

Pretty sure this isn’t a thing. Some people prefer Japanese women for various reasons. Men everywhere tend to have highly sexist views of women of all colors. 

匿名ユーザーからの質問: I live in Osaka doing an exchange for one year. My year is up in July, and I'll have graduated college. I don't know if it's worth it (cost wise) to try and find a place here to start work or to go do a year and a half of grad school and try for JET. Thoughts?

Congrats on graduating!

So I think this is largely a matter of opinion, but I’ll give it a shot. 

The first thing to consider is where you are from/where you would be going to grad school. If you’re from the US, I know one way tickets can easily pass $1,000 depending on the season.

It’s often a lot easier to find a job while you are in Japan, and cheaper. You have the chance to look for a cheaper apartment, do in-person interviews, and use your Japanese friends and contacts as leads. 

JET is a good program, obviously, and very competitive. Private English schools are not as competitive, but you should do your research on companies and find one with a good reputation. 

I’m not sure how you go about getting a work visa from your home country while in Japan, so you’ll also want to research that.

All in all, it’s my opinion that, if you’d like to work in Japan, it would be easiest to find a job while in Japan. I’d definitely recommend my company iTTTi Japan. If you go home and can’t get into JET(not doubting you, just for the sake of argument <3), it might be keep you from returning for awhile. Many of the private English schools don’t cover air fare like JET does, but pay just as well, sometimes with better working hours. So in the case of private schools, it’s easiest and least expensive to look while in Japan.

匿名ユーザーからの質問: I have been renting an apartment in Tokyo for more than 16 years!Is my Hoshonin still responsible for me. If so, to what extent. My landlord wants to charge one month rent for thank you and renewal money every two years even though they have never changed the carpet(already 5 years old when I moved in) or done any repair work at all during the time that I have been there. Can they still go after my hoshonin?

Woa! I’ve only been here about one year, so I’m not sure how much help I can be. However, your hoshonin will definitely be hung out to dry if you just run off. I think the best thing to do would be to go through the proper procedure and pay what you need to pay for breaking the lease if you can’t hold out until the lease is up. 

kanaganaからの質問: I'm planning on doing a study abroad in Japan at some point (either next year or the year after) and I was curious about a couple of things. First: would you recommend a homestay or living in the campus dorms. A friend of mine did a homestay a year or two back and she said it was a great experience, but I was wondering what other people thought. Second: is it possible to get a part time job with a student-visa? The campus is in Tokyo, if that helps. By the way, love your blog! :)

Hello! If you have the opportunity to do a homestay, I would take it. You won’t get many other chances to have the Japanese family experience. You get constant cultural exchange, and I think the homestay aspect of study abroad really enriches the experience. That being said, it might magnify the culture shock you experience, if you have been used to living in a dorm especially. It’s been my experience that people doing homestays sometimes have problems with the privacy issue. It’s not uncommon for your host mother to come into your room and gather your dirty laundry, or tidy things up. 

Anyway, I’d do homestay, but it all depends on you. As for working on a student visa, you are not allowed to work on a student visa unless you obtain permission from the immigration office. I don’t know much more than that, but there seems to be a good thread about it here. 

Thanks for the question, and I hope I helped a little! 

heytherehydrangea replied to your post: You teach English in Japan right? Do you need a college diploma, or would a high school diploma suffice? I’ve been interested in teaching in Japan so I was wondering. Also, any tips and advice would be appreciated! おねがいありがとうございます~

you need a college degree. while i’m sure there are schools that recruit without a college degree, that seems kind of sketchy to me. the degree is required for most (all?) visa types that English teachers work under.

Thanks!

back-ass-words reblogged your photo

A good way for a white person to understand life as a minority.

I agree completely. ^_^