arawk

@Eirikr said:

@arawk said:

I have to pay for my apartment but the company I work for sent everything up for me. I didn't even have to look for a place. That is one of the good sides of working for a dispatch company. They helped me set up all my utilities, get my apartment, and other incidentals.

Ha ha, lucky. I had to do everything myself. I would have been totally screwed had I not had the good fortune of sitting next to a guy on the plane over who basically lived in the same area and let me stay with him for a bit.

I have heard it was extremely unusual that my company didn't set me up with any of that stuff, but until I'm out of their employ, which should be pretty soon, I'll remain mum about who they are. But in other words, they seem to be one of the worst dispatch companies and thus one to avoid working for.

The only thing the refused to help me with was get a phone and internet...which completely blew my mind! Two critical things when living on the other side of the world and having no contact with the outside world. Fortunatly, NTT and Softbank have awesome customer service and I was set up in no time. I never did a good answer on why they refused to help us...

@MikeFightNight said:

@arawk said:

@I_Stay_Puft: I know right! There are a couple stores near me that have tons of Dreamcast and Saturn games...all around a buck apiece!

Dude, can I open a standing tab with you to scoop up as many Saturn fighting games as you can carry out of those used stores? xD Looking at e-bay prices a few months ago was out of control, especially when that stuff is probably a lot cheaper in stores over there. Side question, can me and a friend crash at your place if we come to Japan for a raid? xD

If your friend is Jeff Gerstmann then the raid is on!

@IzzyGraze said:

@Eirikr @arawk : Ok. Seems like Korea is still the bigger cash cow for me at the moment. If you guys aren't tired of answering questions. Does Japan pay for your apartment? Maybe I could teach in Japan for my second year in Asia.

I have to pay for my apartment but the company I work for sent everything up for me. I didn't even have to look for a place. That is one of the good sides of working for a dispatch company. They helped me set up all my utilities, get my apartment, and other incidentals.

@IzzyGraze said:

@Eirikr @arawk : How do you guys like teaching ESL? I'm looking at teaching in Korea but haven't really found many good places or the good ones want someone more experienced. How do you find the pay vs. living expenses? Did you guys know Japanese before arriving? Do they pay for your plane flight?

I love teaching. I work for a dispatch company (you`ll have to decide if that`s the route you want to go) and it was as simple as applying and interviewing. Dispatch companies have a history of hiring ANYONE, so even with no teaching experience you can get a job teaching for most companies. I can`t really complain about the pay. I was teaching part time and didn`t have a full time job in the states so yeah. I also don`t live in a big city (Tokyo, Osaka etc) so the cost of living is a little better. I have a pretty comfortable lifestyle, but I`m also not providing for a family at this point so I can easily get by on what I make. I didn`t know much Japanese before getting here (still don`t know a ton) but I teach English so the company I work for doesn`t care (they will pay you more if you can pass some tests). I also had to pay for my flight over here.

@MiniPato: haha...sorry man! I must be off my game. I`m at work and thought you were serious...this is like Thanksgiving dinner all over again!

@MiniPato: wow...sorry...I hit the wrong reply button. If you can take a joke then why fly off the handle so quickly? I just wanted to see what duders lived in Japan. That`s all. I was simply responding to what I felt was a stupid comment. Sorry, I thought it was from you. Either way I`m not mad at anyone just annoyed (the same as you obviously) that people some how thing Japan is this big freakin circus. A person watches one anime and assumes that is exactly how Japan is. Or they watch one porno and assume there are chicks on every corner dressed like bears just pining for someone to have sex with them. It`s 2013 and I get really annoyed when anyone just assumes that `Japan is soooo foreign and crazy` just because it is different than their culture. So, again I`m sorry you are pissed.

@Funkydupe: As far as I know, no. They are running the iphone 5 on 4ge lte...but I can tell you the internet (which is all fiber) is blazing! When I called to sign up they said my slowest speeds might be 100Mbs...and asked if that was OK...after I picked myself up off the floor I agreed! I`m at work right now so I`m only pulling 25Mbs http://reviews.cnet.com/internet-speed-test/?result=26123

@PandaBear: I live in a town with a nuclear power plant. I also used to live near 3 mile island before moving here. I`m not all that worried. They do monthly tests (and have been for years) and publish all the results. I guess I should be a little worried but I figure they are concerned enough with public health and safety...

@Video_Game_King: I think it`s because a huge percent of the population is rather old...Japan is pretty low tech which is odd. People still religiously use day planners, fax machines, etc when more advanced options exist. Although, I can`t really blame them...when was the last time a day planners battery died...

@MiniPato: Yeah I love jokes. But it gets old when people like to perpetuate stupid stereotypes. Not everyone is dressed like a furry, and there isn`t anime music playing constantly. Now every girl wearing a school girl uniform...that we can talk about! Cause that`s everywhere! haha