Drawn by a friend in Malaysia; the above is certainly my spirit person and who I’m being now.

“Japan? Isn’t it expensive there?” Is the first thing I hear when I mention that that’s where I feel I must go next. It was probably the third thing I heard when I mentioned going to Los Angeles back in October. “It’s only as expensive as you, a visitor, make it.” I respond. But why Japan when SEA has so much more affordable ventures and offerings?

My older brother introduced me to many things of Japanese creation from anime, to video games, manga, concepts and the like. All of them combined have had a profound effect on my (and countless other people’s) character without a question. To visit the origin of all these contributions to my being is something meaningful to me and would be even more so if my brother of all people would go there with me. However the distance form North America to Japan makes for a costly flight only rivaled by departing from South America itself or other countries with smaller airports. This added on to the modernity of the country, strength of the yen against the western currencies and unique things to do there add up to an expensive trip that many discard as a fantasy.

These thoughts and (primarily) having no one to go with is largely why I’ve held off on going to Japan (and many other country I’ve had countless opportunities to venture to) as I feel I’d go to them later. But the appearance of cheap tickets and having stayed so long in a ‘safe to spend’ area of the world has made me see that I have spent all the time I desire in Thailand and SEA at the moment. I want a challenge, a change-up to the formula I’ve developed. LA did this for me in October and was well worth it, but this is something else. It’s a big enough deal for one to go to Japan, but a week or two week long trip is not long enough for the country. It stands alongside Germany for me as a location that I’d try to stay at and even work to understand and experience more there.

Each has a dream, and each goes to another country to fulfill it.

Talking to people made me research on how to get a job in Japan. The usual method is to get a job teaching for at least 6 months or so, then fly to japan, and then search for other work while you’re there. I am stubborn in not wanting to formally teach again (yes I would informally teach as that’s more free), however no matter what I say, I could change that thought. The second method is more risky but also can be equally rewarding: fly to japan and find your job there on a tourist visa. Japan does not offer a working holiday visa for residents of the USA, one must go there to live or to tour with little to no in-between. Surprisingly, it’s preferred by employers for one to be there and apply because it costs money to hire and pay for someone to get to Japan and, also surprisingly, countless people turn down the offers late which costs even more. Showing that you are already present in the country is very showing of one’s dedication and courage to work in Japan, though the challenge from there is what job and how your language learning skills are.

As the USA has professional cuddling as an odd occupation, Japan has a tear wiper job for individuals who want to dry the tears of women/men who want to cry. Both jobs raise eyebrows no matter where you’re from but are quite different types of ‘odd’. I can’t deny that I would like to experience an opportunity of the like there, however receiving a work visa for that is where the concern lies. It takes 2 months or so to turn a tourist visa into a work visa. So you have one month to find work and have an employer fill out paper work to create the visa in the next two. Jestyne and Google filled me in on the pros and cons of working there.

Cons: xenophobia, long work hours/difficult work-life balance, language barrier, cost. When it comes to foreigners, there are Japanese who love them and some who despise them entering their workplace. Some restaurants and establishments deny usage of their services to foreigners as the kindness, respect of space and person and manners apply primarily to Japanese individuals, so when foreigners are there, those go out the window and one does get stared at and sometimes poked/touched to register if he/she is real. This does not apply to all who Japanese individuals mind you, as there are plenty of smiles, encouragement and help that citizens there exhibit on a daily basis.

Long work hours result from the work ethic in Japan which is known worldwide. Some companies have it that one cannot leave until all the workers are done, so the work can go on for longer than anticipated. Afterwards it’s not uncommon for coworkers to go out and drink together to establish a bond. To not do so is frowned upon or seen as odd. Work can spill into weekends as well making it difficult to have freetime away from anyone/anything related to work itself.

Language barrier and cost I put as hand in hand as Japanese (to me) is like every other language: difficult to learn, but only as hard as you make it. Focusing on listening and speaking is important more so than reading/writing since people cannot be avoided and are the key to making new friends and enjoying oneself. Foreign friends can only take you so far there.

The pros are simple: experience, challenge, opportunity. These all are similar – it is rare for someone of the West to work in Japan let alone visit it. Getting a job outside of teaching is extremely difficult without intermediate Japanese language skills and a bachelor’s degree. However, it is this very challenge that grabs my attention because the experience is always worth its weight. The food is something that cannot be ignored; sushi is what comes to most people’s mind when they think of Japanese food followed by ramen. But some udon I’ve tried and other foods in countries that hold authentic Japanese cuisine show way more than I and many others are aware of there. That alone is strong. Add to this the technology within the cities like robots, the toilets we’ve all heard of and the like, as well as the flip side with rural areas, peaceful temples and mountains, and ryokans (Japanese style inns). As small as the map shows it to be, Japan is massive and stretched out where it is. A month can take one from the capital to Kyoto, Osaka and the like, but to go further and see cities and regions we’ve not heard of is something that I would love to see myself even knowing that one can never see it all. Add to it how it’s very unheard of for a foreigner to get a job there outside of teaching and you have my attention to see what I can do.

Yeah I got the weird factor down already for being out here.

I am fully aware I could be thinking all this and very easily not find something in Tokyo (my new fly in location). Me going there is no different from a foreigner flying into NYC and LA looking for a job. However, not looking like anyone else where you go does do something. That being said, it’s just as much a gamble as any move I’ve taken before. The only other thing to think on is buying a ticket to leave from Japan before being let inside. I have a hard time thinking of where I’d go after Japan. New Zealand is catching my eye as individuals keep mentioning it to me but even with that, the plane ticket prices annoy me to the point where I wouldn’t be surprised if I took an overland journey back west honestly. I feel this year and the next is my time to see friends who I’ve been meaning to see for a long while. Jestyne was the first, in Japan as well there’s someone I met three years ago as well not to mention students in Poland, my host family in Denmark and some around Europe. But that’s a thought, there’s much to decide when it comes to possibly leaving an entire continent behind, I’d have to find an opportunity that allows me to be in an environment with those I care about. Those are the thoughts of now; if the flight doesn’t work this time, I have two months to decide where to from then. This has been the daily update.

My counselor didn’t know what to make of me, or my results.

SHOULD BE: Physician’s Assistant, English Teacher, Therapist, Registered Nurse

SHOULD NOT BE: Physician’s Assistant, English Teacher, Therapist, Registered Nurse

This had never happened before. It was no fluke either. So I had to interpret the outcome

“I feel that though these jobs fit my personality, I feel it’s not in my heart to want to do any of these jobs, that’s my take on it.”

I felt fine with these results, but constant pressure was there. To plan, to know, to panic. This grew into great pain and sorrow. Until I talked to my anthropology professor.

“Jeremy, when you’re sad, you go into a state where you will truly speak your heart if you calm down for a second. So if you could do anything, what would it be?”

“I…just want to wander the world and talk to people.”

“Talk to them…about what?”

“Their lives, their stories, what they’ve experienced and I can share all of mine too. I don’t wanna be paid for that by them though…time is an expense that’s enough for me and I can reach everyone across the spectrum without a price point – rich, poor and everything in-between. And I don’t think I’m a bad person to talk to. People are just…the best thing in the world to me.”

And that’s when I found the first person to bring out and encourage what I felt I should do.

We’re all in a struggle

A struggle is necessary however

In relationships, in growth, and all

There’s fear over two types of struggle:

Long term and meaningless

The former is a trap

That seems short but stretches

The latter is what-if

With lessons but low profit

Many struggles can be happy

And take time

Some struggles can bring change

And make meaning

So select carefully if

You are in the process

Of selecting your next struggle

November 3, 2017 – I’m churning out these posts pretty quick right? So much to update!

I’ve heard before that many people enjoyed the program I’m currently in, but one thing they often regret is not learning more Thai. Well that’s one regret I won’t stand to have. We had a crash course, four days of the basics from hello, to shopping terms, food, numbers, and grammatical structure. Tones scare people along with the 42 consonants and 30 something vowels which can go left, right, above, below or stacked on top of other vowels; however, we avoided the actual characters that appear so foreign to us and opted for English transliteration.

There are five tones in Thai: mid, high, rising, falling, and low. On my online program the tones were divided by numbers 1 – low, 2 – falling, 3 – high, 4 – rising, and mid tone has no number (for ex: krap3 means you say the word with a high tone). In orientation, using accent marks actually taught the tones easily. The accent mark on kráp is slanted upward which tells you the tone is rising. No accent mark is mid tone. Kawpkoon (in my way kawp1koon) starts with a low tone then goes to a middle tone. So combining the words (kawpkoon kráp – polite thank you for males) makes the language seem like a puzzle, which is quite fun to put together after you get down the essentials. Mái at the end of every sentence creates a question, nouns (as they’re presented) double as singular and plural forms, while the words am, is, are, was, and were do not exist. It’s a language where you fill in the blanks based off the questions being asked and answered.

What makes it better is that for formality, you add kráp/kà (male/female) at the end of every sentence and say pom/chân (I male/female) for a subject at the beginning of the sentence; however, to speak quicker and make things easier, you can completely cut out such unnecessary words since I and the listener already know that I’m the one speaking and it’s he/she I’m addressing. For example, we would ask someone, “Do you want chicken?” and be answered, “Yes I would like some chicken.” In Thai, “Ao gai mái?” then, “Gai.” Which literally translates to, “Want chicken?” “Chicken.” To answer with the noun one used in a question is the equivalent of saying yes, and it they don’t have chicken, then they’d say “no chicken.”

The path to understanding is long and steep, but I think I got this.

Needless to say, I’m fascinated at how this language is presented. One word can change all of what you say as it can be very versatile, however adding in tones is crucial because saying mai (high tone) vs mai (falling tone) is the difference between asking a question and saying no.

Of course, Thailand doesn’t have transliterated script just lying around so we’re talking about just speaking the language at the moment. Learning the actual script of the language would take some time. I’ve gotten down how to write each symbol and vowel, but sounds and putting them together is the part I need to practice. Transliteration can be a crutch for a while, but can’t be used forever.

Here’s a sentence that’s basic:

พูดภาษาอังกฤษ? – (puut2 paasaa4 anggrit1 daai2 mai3) = Can you speak English?

For speaking, it’s not hard to get the transliteration down and say it, but looking hard at the actual letters can be mind boggling. I’m lucky to have taken Arabic which looks quite foreign itself. The orientation teacher also said that if you listen to music and can differentiate different pitches, then the language also becomes easier. As when speed comes into play, the tones blend so much you have to adjust to catch which are being used.

So! I shall see how I progress, what I’ve practiced I’ve gotten good feedback on. And I must say, over every language I’ve learned and can think of, this is the only one I’d be fine trying out with locals as they’re quite patient and pleased to see a farang try.