Job Discussion Forums

Bobby McGee · Joined: 31 Dec 2009 Posts: 8

Hi! I'm heading to Akashi in May to teach, and I was wondering if anyone has any first hand info on the place. I've searched, and done some research online, and so far I know:
1. It has the longest suspension bridge in the world
2. It's a pretty small fishing town near Kobe
3. There is a bar named Murphys owned by an Irsih guy, where all the gaijin hang out (this is from an old thread, so I don't know if it's still true!)
4. There is a castle, planetarium, a fish market, and baths.

Really what I'm interested in knowing about is the general vibe of the town, whether the library has a decent English section, and any impressions/experiences anyone has had with this area. Any any info would be appreciated! Thanks! Very Happy

kanjizai · Joined: 29 Jun 2003 Posts: 69

Akashi is a great city. I lived there for a year and half. Its a city of about 300,000 people. Great location; its close to Awaji Island, 15 minutes from Kobe, 20 minutes from Himeji, and 30-40 minutes from Osaka. In the city there is a grocery store with a few international items, and a regular departments store thats reasonable and a few mom and pop shops. There is a good Indian restaurant run by a good guy. There are a couple of other fast food restaurants and local izakayas. There is a great park thats good for running , martial arts, or what ever activities you like that has a lake and large track/stadium that holds pre koshien baseball tournaments. r.

The vibe is good in the city. very relaxing. About the Library, I recommend the Himeji Library for the English sections. Im not sure what the gaijinpopulation is like there now, but when I was there this was the headquaters for a NOva area,so there were quite a few foreigners floating around.
It is a nice place to get acclimated in Japan. Let me know if you have any questions, Ill be glad to answe

Bobby McGee · Joined: 31 Dec 2009 Posts: 8

Thanks! These are the kinds of things I'm looking for. When did you live there? If it was a NOVA area I'm guessing a few years ago. Did you work for them? I'm going over with Aeon, so I'd be curious to know anything about that particular branch.

I've heard that my Japanese will get good fairly quickly, since not very many people in the area speak English. Would you agree? I've been studying and taking classes, but it's slow going so far, and I'm heading over in May.

I'm really looking forward to just getting there and walking around exploring. I've seen videos of people IN the Pearl Bridge, but can you actually walk across it? And are there any cool nature trails of any kind around?

Thanks again! Very Happy

ShioriEigoKyoushi · Joined: 21 Aug 2009 Posts: 364 Location: Japan

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lenoreelux · Joined: 30 Nov 2009 Posts: 44

I have been using the Genki series http://genki.japantimes.co.jp/index.en.html

Their website has a great free study room site
http://genki.japantimes.co.jp/self/self.en.html

I use it quite often and you can moniter your progress on the site as well. They have quizes for vocab, Kanji, verb conjugation, and even quizes for JLPT vocab ect. This site helped me a lot while studying Japanese at my university and while I was studying in Japan.

I am also a member on YesJapan.com. They have lessons and a ton of videos that you can download with very useful Japanese. They are also very entertaining as well. The only downfall is that you have to pay a monthly fee but I don't mind that at all. The people on the mesage boards there are very useful. Most of them also have Skype so you can practice online with them if you want.

It will help you even more if you make friends with some Japanese and try not to spend too much time with English speaking people. It helped me a ton while I was studying in Japan. I rarely hung out with the other foreign students. It will also help if you have a problem and you can't wait for someone from your office to help you out.

Good luck with your new adventure and learning Japanese... It is not easy. But it is fun and rewarding. I decided to go teach in Japan for a change of pace and also to try to become a fluent speaker.

Bobby McGee · Joined: 31 Dec 2009 Posts: 8

Thanks, I will definitely look into those sites and try to study as much as possible. The only problem I have right now is that I'm working two jobs to finance the whole thing, and I have very little time for study. I'm taking a Beginning Japanese class at a local community college, and I have a private tutor, but that's about all I have time for until I go. I'll try to put stuff on my mP3 and listen to it in my car- that's a good idea (though illegal, I believe Razz

) I have those Pimsler (?) CDs. I'll also get a few more books and kill myself on the weekends. Screw fun, I have to study! Wink

Thanks for the advice and links! Very Happy