Job Discussion Forums

unsung · Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 34

Do you belong to any CLUBS in Japan?

I think joining a club would be a great way to meet Japanese people and a great way to learn Japanese. I wonder if anybody else has any experience with clubs...?

stretch · Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 59

Taiko club and represented city for their basketball team. Was great for meeting new folk and picking up on some cultural points.

Sage · Joined: 09 Apr 2003 Posts: 144 Location: Iwate no inaka!

Vince · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 559 Location: U.S.

I practiced martial arts with a few groups. Other than that, it was pretty much work and a couple Japanese friends.

BradS · Joined: 05 Sep 2004 Posts: 173 Location: Tokyo, Japan

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

BradS, I had the same feeling of deja vu... So many of my students studying in Canada have made the same request. "I want to join a club so I can practice my English." Those brave few who came out to community activities with me were the ones who actively particpated and brought some insight or hilarity to the activity.

Unsung, consider making your request an offer instead. What could you offer a club or group in Japan? What kind of people would you like to get to know? If you've got something to bring to a group or club, or a driving passion you wish to feed, clubs may welcome you.

Me - tea ceremony, African drum circle, shrine volunteer, yoga, two martial arts, special interest groups (such as the ones JET participants run). Oh, and occupying a seat at the local bar and becoming a character.

unsung · Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 34

guest of Japan · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 1601 Location: Japan

I sometimes play basketball with a bunch of international finance company workers, but it doesn't help my Japanese much since they're all fluent in English. It might be helping my English.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Just because you are in Japan doesn't make it necessarily easy to develop relationships with people who share your interests and passions...

Even back home in Canada, if you wanted to make friends you'd probably do it within the context of work or some kind of extra-curricular group, not a random guy standing at the bus stop. (Although, one of my wife's best friends was made in exactly that manner)...

I also do tea ceremony and practice Chinese kung-fu. Otherwise, I play piano for our church (which consists of both Japanese and foreigners). I also hang out with a bunch of people who ride and fix motorcycles... It's fun trying to learn how to say clutch cable and carburator in Japanese... Smile

Jazz1975 · Joined: 14 Feb 2006 Posts: 301 Location: Zama, Kanagawa

Sorry to throw a wrench in this, but as far as activities go, I haven't seen salsa listed as one of the clubs and activities people take part in. Does anyone on here know of places I can do salsa at and where I can take lessons? I'm not in Japan yet, but am looking to be here teaching English should things go my way. Salsa is one of the things I enjoy now and if I left home, would not want to abandon. Ditto for scrapbooking as I enjoy taking lots of pictures. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. Btw: I think it's cool that there are so many activity clubs out in Japan. Makes the stay a lot easier when you don't have to give up the activities you do back home.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Si. There is definitely an active salsa scene in Japan. You can x-ref to my review on a couple of places in one of the Roppongi threads a few months back.... El Cafe Latino was the place where we ended up partying, and as far as I remember, they even had a Japanese "salsa" magazine that was dedicated to the "scene."

abufletcher · Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2006 8:22 am Post subject:

In general, I'm not a club-joiner either in Japan or anywhere else I've been. There's jus something about the nature of "cluby people" that rubs me the wrong way.

But I have joined a local RC airplane "club" which basically just amounts to heading out to a quiet calm spot in the mountains on weekends, gassing up the model and flying and chatting. As in Jim's case I'm learning some interesting vocabularly ("aileron trim, 40-size four stroke, deadstick, etc.) and even some nice bits of grammar. Plus it gives me an excuse to just hang around with a group of Japanese men mostly my same age. It's all pretty laid back.

What I have to "offer" is an interest in (experience building) WWI scale models but also an awareness of what the RC scene is like in the US. I can be fun (and linguistically not so challenging) to compare equipment prices and preferences. Everyone marvels at my "Mode 2" transmitter that is the equivalent of driving on the other side of the road (in the air) with controls reversed from the Mode 1 that's used here in Japan.

This hobby costs me 10,000yen a year to be a club member -- and maybe a further 40,000 a year in wrecked aircraft and spare parts. But I can honestly say this is the closest to normal social interaction I've had with regular Japanese in the 10 years I've lived here.

Jazz1975 · Joined: 14 Feb 2006 Posts: 301 Location: Zama, Kanagawa

Jazz1975 · Joined: 14 Feb 2006 Posts: 301 Location: Zama, Kanagawa

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

I just joined a hiking club mostly to get out and about but I've also met a lot of other people both Japanese and not.