I'm in Japan, and here are some photos.

But you can find pretty cheap accommodation and very reasonable meals (if you know where to look).

Hotels are expensive in Tokyo, however, and there aren't a great number of youth hostels.

Travel in Japan is quite expensive (rail and plane). It is far from a backpackers paradise.

I admit, something about the photos and captions did strike me as Momusian. But then again Andrew does host yer site, so it's an homage. ;-)

Anyway, OH NO I'M NOT JEALOUS NO. (*keeps counting down to trips next year, annoyed that time does not go faster*)

I like the captions inside the photos. Looked like a good time.

One small thing, that's not quite "the metro" in the photos, those are JR Trains rather.

Now I live and work in Meguro-ku. Jiyugaoka is my station.

poetry.

or something.

I've just heard that I'll be back in Japan for six weeks early next year as artist-in-residence at Future University, Hakodate, Hokkaido, all expenses paid. It'll be my first trip to Hokkaido. Future University looks like the kind of place invented specifically for me: university as art / technology laboratory. It reminds me of something Eno said once. He said 'Why is there a Heritage Ministry but no Ministry for the Future?'

I live in Yokohama, although I'm at work in Aoyama at the moment.
Did any of you others in Japan go to the Sonar festival last weekend?

Nice pictures, by the way. If you're still in Japan with more money to burn, I suggest a trip to Kanazawa.

Didn't go to the Sonar festival last weekend. What was it? I fell ill and stayed home last weekend. : (

I didn't realise so many ilxors were in Japan. Let's have a FAP!

There's also this exhibit at the International Forum next to Tokyo JR station - "The Mysteries of the Human Body" going on until Jan. 16. I have morbid interests. I've already been to the Meguro Parasitological Museum but wouldn't mind going again.

M. Mess-injure, from your stated tastes, I would definitely recommend the exhibit of ancient Japanese torture implements at Meiji University.

Sonar was two days of people standing in auditoriums so crowded that it felt like a rush-hour train, watching guys standing virtually motionless in front of powerbooks. Probably so crowded because a YMO reunion (under another name) was the headlining act.

I know Nishi-Funabashi well. A buddy of mine used to live out on the Tozai line near Kasai. Not nearly as nice as Nakameguro but comfortable and relatively cheap.

I was just traveling in Hokkaido this summer. I started out in Sapporo, so I didn't make it down to Hakodate.

Sapporo is a really nice city. The food is great. Nice scenery in Hokkaido too. Parts of Hokkaido qualify as actual wilderness.

I've just had a lovely day at a bath-house about 30 minutes out of Kyoto. The baths were outdoors, in a lovely mountain-valley setting surrounded by pine trees. I could definitely get used to this. (Momus: after this experience, I can certainly understand your likening water to a drug. And, like you, I was unable to take any photos inside the place, despite how picturesque it was.)

http://japaneseguesthouses.com/db/kyoto/images/kurama_images/kurama_outside1.jpg
http://japaneseguesthouses.com/db/kyoto/images/kurama_images/kurama_hotspring3.jpg

It does! I wish I could go back but I'm left with the shop while my parents do business in Tokyo. My dad wants to move to Osaka or somewhere in between Osaka and Kobe.
Did you have floodings? My parents complained about it and also an earthquake (5,0). Could only have been in Tokyo region.

Did you hear about the collective suicide? Nine people in all killed themselves.

Nathalie, I didn't experience any floodings but I did feel the earthquake from my Tokyo hotel late one night. It was pretty exciting. I didn't hear of the suicide, though - sounds terrible. Any ideas as to motive? I'll look it up on Google News now...

I wonder if the Beeb would print my thoughts on the rise in suicides:
I guess we're supposed to feel sad about the suicides. I do feel sorry for the families left behind and those who have to clean the mess. But I don't think suicide should be necessarily viewed as a bad thing. Perhaps it provides sweet relief for those who elect it. Having experienced deep depression and disgust with the overcrowding in Tokyo, I feel suicide is an understandable reaction to the nausea of living here.
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Momus, you have written in praise of high-density living. But have you ever taken the train on the Musashino line during the morning rush-hours every weekday for three months straight? The crush of bodies is so heavy that I can feel the air being pressed out of me. My saving grace is that I am tall enough to breathe unobstructed instead of having my face smushed into someone's arm or back.

The smoking salarymen who pollute the fresh morning air despite the JR signs telling them not to smoke between 7 and 9 am really gets to me. The Japan Tobacco signs that question, "Are you a good smoker?" are particularly risible. I imagine a similar campaign in public health, safety, and politeness with a JR Chuo line sign: "Let's suicide nice!" NB: For those who aren't familiar with suicide in Tokyo, the Chuo line is a very popular train line for people to commit suicide on because with few stops, the trains travel at very high speeds. About once a week, commuters are inconvenienced by someone jumping in front of a speeding Chuo line train.

"J-Rock, I thought you were from Toronto for some reason!"

Sean and Ned, I am from Toronto, born and raised, but I've spent the last couple years living and working in Japan. Didn't mean to confuse you.

We should totally have a Japan FAP.

What kind of camera are you using? Everything's so crisp.

To answer your question Sean, I work in the communications department of a large pharmaceutical company. I initially came over just to teach English for a year and kind of tripped and fell into a pretty comfortable situation. Four years on my friends back home are starting to wonder if I'm ever going to leave (I am).

There's a lot of information available on the internet regarding English teaching. The necessary qualifications vary according to the type of position desired. Generally, a university degree is required, but not always. If you're interested in working at a university then you're probably going to need at least a Master's.

http://nf.wh3rd.net/photos/pics/misc/meal.jpg

If you want to teach at a university, you have to have some kind of teaching experience, preferably ESL/EFL or you really aren't going to get your foot in the door.

I'm at a decent eikaiwa now, and I'd be glad to talk about it if you contacted me privately. I will say broadly that N0VA and ECC are really bad ideas, though.

Laura is OTM about the mega-eikaiwas. By most accounts, they are less-than-enjoyable places to work. The smaller eikaiwas are often better places, but sometimes are far worse. There are horror stories about teachers getting ripped off, etc.

The mega-eikaiwas are probably the easiest way to get a job and visa from outside Japan. They'll take people with no experience or background in education, secure you a visa, and have a job waiting for you when you arrive.

Re: a qualification. Not having a university degree makes things much harder. A degree is one of the government's standards for getting a visa to teach English. I've heard of people finding a way around this, but I think you'll have to come to Japan on a tourist visa and try to find some kind of job.

Finally, you might want to check out the JET Programme. That's how I came to Japan. It's a bit of crapshoot in terms of the location of your assignment, but the pay is good, and it's a unique experience in Japan.

Hope that helps.