Job Discussion Forums

[mrjohndub]

I have nearly completed a year in the inaka and will be moving into the city for work the next year (continuing to work for a large chain eikaiwa). At the present, I live in a single apartment and live a normal life with a respectable routine, am in good health and have no complaints other than that my naturally extroverted nature has been underwhelmed by the past year's social adventures. I currently live within the Tokyo metro area, but am not usually interested in drinking heavily, clubbing or joining things just for the hell of it. I go to the gym a lot, play basketball and invite the few friends that I've made to do things...be a guest for dinner, play some competitive sport, be a workout partner or exchange music. These activities seem to have their limits in terms of satisfying my desire not only to make good friends, but also enjoy variety. Quite obviously, people take a long time to make friends. I like variety in not only activities, but also in the people that I hang out with...this would be the same behavior that I would naturally exhibit at home. It is worth noting that my Japanese, though poor at present, is expanding and I am working on it. I do speak other languages and that has come in handy, not only to communicate with other foreigners, but as a bargaining chip for hanging out.

My real question is this...I am considering living in a guest house, carefully chosen, for the next year. My reasoning is that I will be able to interact with a larger group of people who share my circumstances and I will be satisfied more by having others around me. Though I don't think of myself as reliant on others for stimulation, it would be nice to not be so solitary, I think. It seems to me that there's something unhealthy about it, and if there is something healthy about it, perhaps I've exhausted it by now.

Does anyone have an experience that would shed some light on how this could potentially work out for me? I'm certain there are some drawbacks for this lifestyle compared to the one that I have now, but I'm feeling ready to shake things up a bit. I think that I could use a little bit more bustle and transience around me. Unlike some posters, who talk about how friends go so quickly, it seems like nothing ever changes in my sphere. That is becoming unsettling to me.

[markle]

Hmm I guess there is always the risk that you'll end one of those guys that hangs around guest houses, impressing backpackers with their local knowledge and language ability .... until they realise what a full of sh*t, deadbeat loser he really is.

Still by all means get it out of your system, I had a great 3 months living in a student share house 3 years after I'd left Uni, but it would've started getting a bit pathetic 6 months down the track.

[mrjohndub]

Was part of what you thought was great the fact that you knew you were only going to be there for a few months? ...Did you consider it your home, and was that a factor in how you judged the living circumstances on a day to day basis?

I understand your point about tiresome people being a likely encounter...

Do you think three/six months is the general shelf life of enjoying a guest house environment?

thanks

[sidjameson]

Why not go for a shared apartment instead?