Job Discussion Forums

sammael · Joined: 02 Apr 2003 Posts: 9 Location: Osaka

Anyone have hints to deal with life in a small town when working for a miserable company and with a foreigner community that is very small?? Hints will be appreciated!
Shocked

nakanoalien2 · Joined: 04 Mar 2003 Posts: 52 Location: Nakano, Japan

Don't live in a small town now, but here are some hints since you've asked:

-learn Japanese (hey-perfect place, right?)

-when you get bored of that, find a series, miniseries or a director you like and rent every single video in that collection. I recently watched "V" -haven't seen that since I was 10. Seen a ton of Hitchcock and the Sopranos first season. If you need any advice here - just let me know. It takes alot of practice but you can become immune even to the worst B movies. Of course, if the town is really small you may need a sponsor just to get video membership.

-Find a girlfriend/boyfriend whatever and stay inside alot. Twisted Evil

-Explore outside. You can always plan to jump on a train and just go for 3 hours somewhere you've never been, by yourself - it's pretty fun.

Don't suggest drinking alone. Bad idea.

-Bob

Guest · Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2003 10:02 am Post subject:

Definitely don't drink alone.

Explore the country side.

Take your small gaijin community to the local karaoke place - there must be one.

Learn cookery (or anything else you might be into) from Japanese experts in exchange for a bit of English practice.

Swap the books you've finished with anyone else who has books in English.

azarashi sushi · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 562 Location: Shinjuku

Move to a big city and find a better company to work for.

mc · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Posts: 90 Location: Aichi, Japan

Besides the obvious advice about going out and meeting the natives or learning the language, I would suggest the following:

Get some kind of "always on" Internet connection (e.g. Yahoo BB, Sala, Katch). Then find a p2p network that you like and start downloading like a fiend! Movies, TV shows, music, books, you name it. And of course this kind of Internet connection will give you plenty of opportunities to email family and friends, keep abreast of current events/sports/whatever in your home country, play online games, check out these forums -- 24/7.

This is not to say that you should sit in front of a computer 24/7 (it might even make things worse for you by enhancing your isolation), but at least you would always have the option.

Good luck and hang in there! Very Happy

Spiderman · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Posts: 13

Attitude is everything. Just think of how worse off your life would be if you were working for the evil INTERAC! Twisted Evil

cheryl · Joined: 01 Apr 2003 Posts: 119 Location: Japan

just how small IS that town you're in?

genkiT · Joined: 15 Mar 2003 Posts: 10 Location: Kushiro, Japan

If you find the cost of videos too much, or difficult to get hold of, and you don't want to spend the big bucks on sky perfect installation, you can always watch local TV shows. It doesn't matter if you can't understand the Japanese, in fact it's more fun if you don't - you can make up your own stories. With a bit of imagination you can while away the hours and giggle yourself silly Laughing

Otherwise infiltrate a sports club... just keep turning up until they include you in their group!

sammael · Joined: 02 Apr 2003 Posts: 9 Location: Osaka

Thanks all for the hints....Originaly from a city of over 500,000 in Canada, now in a city of 140,000. Never liked small towns, and Japanese small towns...well it is worse!! Shocked

I am trying to learn Japanese. Went to the international center to get a tutor, my schedule does not allow me to interact with what other Japanese do in their spare time.
SEEMS that it would be a loss of face to be seen teaching Japanese to a gaijan.
As for movies, internet and PS2, being a people person, these things are not up my alley....yet! Know one guy who has been here for 3 years. He is a little socially inept and don`t want to go down that path!
Mad Twisted Evil

! I tell you! I am going MAD Evil or Very Mad

Thanks all!

azarashi sushi · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 562 Location: Shinjuku

So.......... CHANGE cities and go to where there are more people. Why did you choose a small city in the first place if you know you don't like them?

Shonai Ben · Joined: 15 Feb 2003 Posts: 617

Can you tell us where you are exactly?
You may be able to take day trips to a bigger city
or go to the mountains or the seaside,but we don't
know where you are.
How about a city name?

homersimpson · Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 569 Location: Kagoshima

At the risk of sounding like a jerk ...
140,000 is not a small town (not by Western standards anyway). The language is most likely the true barrier, because someone who is a self-proclaimed "people person" should not be so miserable. Maybe the job is the real problem. That negativity is probably fueling your frustration. As for the gaijin community, people should remember when they choose to come to a country overwhelmingly homogeneous, they shouldn't expect to see large numbers of like faces.

Willie Nelson · Joined: 27 Mar 2003 Posts: 9

Do you like beer? Or tasty food? Hell, you can't go too far down a road in Japan, especially in a city of 140,000, and not come across a lantern saying 'yakitori' or 'udon' or some such. Walk out your door and into the nearest place. Become a regular. It's so easy to make friends in Japan. You don't even have to speak a lot of Japanese. "So desu ne" goes a long way. I live in a town of less than 10,000 and never feel like I'm going mad. Haven't even seen another foreigner in over a month. If your job sucks, then that's another matter. Suck it up and make the best of it and get out when your contract is up. With all the good jobs out there, there's no reason to be unhappy in this country unless you just don't have the right kind of personality for living abroad. What area do you live in?

Guest · Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2003 3:58 pm Post subject:

Are you sure you've found all the gaijin in your town? If you're in an eikaiwa, what about the high schools and vice versa. There are jets in the tiniest corners of Japan. Start asking around. Your students will probably know where the foreigners are because they may have studied somewhere else before or they have friends who do.

It can take some guts strolling up to strangers and intoducing yourself, especially considering the language barrier, but it does get easier and people can be very friendly in small towns. They will be more shy of you than you are of them, but after a couple of bottles of sake noone will care.

Have you asked your students if they would be interested in a class night out? You might be surprised. They probably think you are far to busy. Ganbatte.

sammael · Joined: 02 Apr 2003 Posts: 9 Location: Osaka

It is NOVA I am working for. The city was CHOSEN for me....and I didn`t say NO!!!
Himeji is an hour and a half away, Osaka, Kyoto is 3 and a half hours away!! The whole NOVA thing means that I don`t socialize, with students without the manager finding out damn fast, langauge is indeed a barrier and at night, most things just shut down!!
Tottori is the wettest spot in Japan, though I am meeting more people now, after visiting other places in Japan, Tottori is a hole!

Thanks for the info!!

CHEERS