Reunion Trip to Japan 2014

In 2010-2011 I went to Kansai Gaidai in Osaka for my year abroad in university. While there I met some amazing people from all over the world (mostly the US) who have been great friends despite the long distance. Last year we decided to arrange a reunion in Japan because so many people were out there already and the rest of us wanting to visit. (Although the original plan was that I'd already be living there). So with the help of the wonderful Gabe we arranged a week in Kyoto with some people from Gaidai. Sadly not everyone could make it.

Wes and I also took this opportunity to visit Tokyo (which he's never seen) and see friends of his who have been travelling around the world for the last 6 months (who has a blog about his travels and food call Culinary Sojourn).  So it will be the two of us, and his best friends Josh, Ben (who have been travelling) and Stacey (Josh's wife), as well as Gabe.

This is happening this Thursday which is crazy because I'm also moving to London on Tuesday in preparation for my MA in Japanese Translation which starts the Monday after I get back!

This is the first time I am going to Japan for pure holiday purposes rather than for study or work and I hope to post regular brief updates of our 2 week adventure as they happen. At the same time I hope to be doing some posts on Japanese culture, language and a guide to visiting Japan for 2 weeks called Japan Hacks on my Japanese Language site Japanese Talk Online.

As a quick introduction this is our rough plan for the next two week!

TOKYO:

Thurs 11th - [Ben, Josh and Stacy arrives (pm)]
Fri 12th - [Jenn arrives (am)] MEIJI SHRINE & HARAJUKU & SHINJUKU - Wes arrives (10pm)
Sat 13th - ZOJOJI and SENGAKUJI and TOKYO TOWER (am) ODAIBA (pm) - Gabe arrives (pm)
Sun 14th - JIMBOCHO book district and MUSIC INSTURMENT AVENUE (am) en-route to AKIHABARA (pm)
Mon 15th - GHIBLI MUSEUM (am?) & IKEBUKURO (pm)
Tue 16th - KAMAKURA
Wed 17th - YOKOHAMA [Ben, Josh and Stacy Leave]
Thurs 18th - a surprise day
Fri 19th - NIPPORI Textile Town (am) & ASAKUSA & SKY TREE (Asakusa Eel for dinner)
Sat 20th - [Jenn, Wes and Gabe head to Kyoto on the bullet train]

KYOTO:

Sat 20th - Everyone arrives [check in 4pm]
Sun 21st - TOJI flea market and FUSHIMI INARI and TOFUKUJI TEMPLE (and surrounding temples)
Mon 22nd - From KINKAKUJI down the Philiosophers Path (visiting shrines on the way) to KYOMIZUDERA finishing in GION.
Tue 23rd - KANSAI GAIDAI (am) and OSAKA shopping and dinner (pm)
Wed 24th - NARA
Thurs 25th - (Imperial Palaz Photoshoot day!) NIJO Castle, TOEI KYOTO STUDIO PARK and KARAOKE PM
Fri 26th -  OSAKA and SUMIYOSHI TAISHA
Sat 27th - KOBE (some people leave Sat)
Sun 28th - Everyone Leaves

Well Laid Plans II - NOT Going Moving to Tokyo

日本へ引っ越していません！予定がかわりましたが９月からイギリスのロンドンで修士をする予定です。

What’s happened?

As you may or may not know I have been working as a trainee project manager for an American company based in Detroit who make hardware and software for systems diagnostics tools for vehicles (basically machines that connect a computer to the car which scans it work out if there are any problems and what they are). I took the job under the pretence that I would be their representative in Tokyo to work directly with their customers Isuzu, and was told when I was first interviewed that this would be as soon as September 2013.

Well, as you may have noticed this didn’t happen. What DID happen was: 

• I went to Japan in September 2013 to meet the Japanese customers and see what their quarterly meetings were like (8 hour days for 3-5 days in technical Japanese). I then did unpaid training for a month in November (they paid for flights, food, living etc), and at this point the move to Tokyo was pushed back to March 2014. 
• I had asked before I left in December (after the second quarterly meeting with Isuzu), if they could give me enough notice if they wanted me to train in Detroit for a few more months so I could get a training work visa (so I could get paid), but boss decided I could just do the training at home in the UK. - While I was in the UK I was working from home and began translating daily emails and just researching what the company did and follow the progress of the projects. 
• This went on until March when another quarterly meeting with Isuzu happened in Tokyo (they alternate between Tokyo and Detroit). At this point the move to Tokyo had been pushed back to July 2014 (I predicted August because of previous delays), so I put together a concrete process plan of what we needed when to complete the 3 month process to register the company, get an office, get my visa and get my accommodation. 
• When I went to Tokyo in March for the Isuzu meeting I took some extra time to meet Japanese companies that would help with the whole process and to work out more concrete costs. I also took the opportunity to swing around to Portland to see Wes. Work then took that chance to have me go to the office a few times for more training and then another quarterly meeting the last week (June).

At this point I was getting pretty anxious because the registration process should have begun by then and my schedule had been pushed back to September 2014. And despite me emailing work for confirmation on what was happening (among other things like giving me more project related work) I got no response. I was determined to find out what was happening this last week (which didn’t help the stress that had built up over the last few months). Basically my boss said that as long as the tax for setting up an office wasn’t too expensive (ie needing to pay tax in the US and Japan) then we would go ahead. BUT he didn’t think I was ready yet and needed more training. 1-2 months worth. In Detorit. Which I would need a training work visa for (note: I’d asked for this in December). This would mean 1 month to get visa, 2 months training, and 3 months registration = AT LEAST ANOTHER 6 MONTHS DELAYED.

TL;DR – Work kept pushing my move to Japan back more and more and more, and now say there will be (at least) another 6 month delay. This mixed with lack of communication (never replying to emails), and lack of security (still no job contract despite asking for one since the beginning), I’ve decided to give up Japan and find something else. I discussed it with Wes and he agrees and supports me and is amazing in all kinds of ways. The point of getting jobs in Japan was so we could be together but that just isn’t happening with this job.

What now?

One plan B I’d been playing around with for the last 4 months has been a Masters in Japanese Studies at SOAS University in London. The MA will be in Japanese Studies with a major in Management in Japan and a minor in advanced Japanese language and translating. So I’ve spoken with Wes and we’ve decided that I will go to London to study while he stays in the US and works. He’s going to find a better job that the hotel, probably admin work, and then use that money and experience to get a job or do an internship or an MA in London at the beginning of next year (we're still working out the details for this too so please don't prod him about it). I’m still working out how I’ll fund my own living because although this job has provided me the funds for the MA, it hasn’t covered living in London.

I take this opportunity to do freelance translation work while studying and try to save up some more money and get more experience (or if it’s unpaid translating, just experience). This will also give me more time for studying for the JLPT N1 and for working on J-Talk Online (which I’ve been neglecting the last few weeks).

I talked to work and my boss told me to go for the MA which was pretty understanding of them. He did say that he still wanted to put me in Japan which means this gives them another year to sort themselves out and to convince Isuzu that they need to put someone in Japan. (He wants to save money by not needing to open an office but transfer someone directly into the customer's office to work). He was saying he might be able to have me work part-time while studying but this isn't going to happen now and I finish work tomorrow.

How do I feel?

Well despite the stress caused by work I’m actually sad to have been put in this position and feel forced to leave. The people at the company and the team at Isuzu have been incredibly kind and accommodating, and I feel like I’ve learnt a lot from them all. The boss is a really nice guy too, he’s just not very well organised and isn’t concerned with details or things he doesn’t think are important. I'm a little frustrated because I wanted to have started a career and be in Japan with Wesley by now, but that's been put on hold for longer because of all this. But I’m glad I had the opportunity to have a job where I had a lot of responsibility, independence and could use my Japanese and travel to Japan. It’s just a shame I can’t make a career out of it.

I’m also relieved at the same time, because I now have a plan again! I’m the kind of person who needs things organised months and months in advance (hence why I’ve have a lot of project/activities organisational jobs) and the lack of knowing what was happening made me pretty stressed at points. I’m also really excited to get back into education and work on my Japanese again (not looking forward to exams though). It will also be nice to be in the same country as my friends for once, and to be there for a long time rather than running off somewhere every other week. I really needed some stability this last half year, so I’m glad I’m going to get some.

Setting Up an Office in Tokyo

So a little background on what I do for those who don't know. I work for a company that makes systems diagnostic tools for vehicles. These are scan tools they make to the specifications of their clients for checking the systems within a vehicle works. One of their main customers is Isuzu, who are a Japanese truck manufacturers that exports all over the globe. Because of this they wanted a person to be on site in Tokyo as Isuzu's main contact, acting as customer liaison and project manager. That's me. The only problem...well a few problems really...is that the company I work for didn't have an office set up in Tokyo and I was completely new and needed training. So I began training about 7 months ago and it's been a mix of on-site work, meeting the team in Isuzu while also setting up the office in Japan because I have the time and organisational skills to do it. If you want something done right, do it yourself. (Unless you don't know how to do it then you ask someone and learn to do it!)

So that's been the bulk of my job the last few months, finding out how to set up an office from scratch single person to use including work visa. That's the main issue really, in order to be able to get a working visa in Japan I need to work for a company that has a company registered to Japan. So we need to register our company. But it cannot be through a virtual or home office, it has to be a physical location with 4 walls and a door, which is actually surprisingly hard to find for a single person when the branch office won't be generating any revenue (as most small offices still seem to cost $2000-$3000 a month including utilities, receptionist services, common area with refreshments, and phone/internet rental).

To say the least it's been interesting and actually quite enjoyable researching the process with the help of JETRO, and finding knowledgeable people to help (which I have found in the form of scriveners who are much better than the lawyers the company were previously looking into). I have almost all the research complete, I just need to check over some details to do with tax and get confirmation to what my company want to do before I can begin the process of setting up the office, registering the company, applying for a visa, finding an apartment and then moving there. I'm hoping this will be done in September. So that's my plan for the next few months.

Well Laid Plans - Job Training and What I've Been Up To

This is a follow up from my previous post Job Training in America - November 2013

It’s been a long time since I last wrote an update with work and Japan and everything. The last time would have been written at about the end of November 2013/beginning of December and now it’s April 2014!! As always things didn’t exactly turn out the way I had expected or planned.

I should probably start with what happened after my trip to Detroit last year. The meeting with the Japanese went well although I was heavily embarrassed by my lack of ability to explain things in Japanese. So I decided to take lessons as soon as I got back to the UK to learn/practice business Japanese. I started that in January after Wes came to the UK for Christmas and it went pretty well. They were private lessons which were expensive but I got what I paid for and found it useful considering I didn’t have much time (or money) for lessons. Together with the lessons I practiced Japanese in my free time with Memrise, listening to business Japanese courses and general study. I didn’t do as much Japanese as I’d hoped/planned though. (I had aimed to get N2 vocab revised by the end of January and that still hasn’t happened).

I’d previously said it would take 3-4 months before I was in Japan, well THAT didn’t happen. The plan was that I would go to Japan in January/February to begin the research process for setting up the office and the move (costs etc), although with another quarterly meeting with the Japanese. Not only was the meeting not in January or February but after a month of bugging them for a date they turned around and said “you organize it”. So that’s what I did and it’s the beginning of April and I’m in Japan in said meeting. Hazzar! This is why I’ve not moved here yet. I haven’t even been able to begin researching the costs because it’s taken so long to get this far. That and boss wants me to train myself more before I move. So it looks like at this rate I’ll be moving to Tokyo in August.

So what I’ve been doing for the last 4 months since Detroit is work from home translating and studying Japanese while learning the company projects and process. Besides work, when I realized I’d have plenty of time before moving to Japan, I took the opportunity to make a load of cosplay I’ve been meaning to do for a while and to go to a few cons and events I hadn’t been to in a long time. I also spent the time playing on a lot of the games I’d been meaning to play on but haven’t had time/been out of the country. It was good to actually have the free time to do those things, but I do think I much prefer an office environment so that I don’t have any distractions and have a clear distinction between work and play :/

I have ALSO started up another blog teaching people how to teach themselves Japanese! It's called J-Talk Online (as in Japanese Talk Online). So been spending a lot of time not studying myself to help other people study. It's called productive procrastination and I've really enjoyed helping others with their Japanese so I don't care too much that I've been neglecting my own Japanese.

I feel like I’m complaining a lot, but I’m mostly just taking everything one day at a time. It’s frustrating when things happen at the last minute or I don’t have much communication for the American company as what I’m supposed to be doing or what’s happening within the company. But it’s also really nice to have the freedom, trust and responsibility (and money because as of January I’ve been getting paid! Yay!) So this job is having its ups and downs, although these are mostly ups, and it’ll lead to a lot of new things I think. Unless that plan goes to pots as well!

Job Training in America - November 2013

I'd written this at work in November 2013 but didn't realise I hadn't posted it! Woops...
This is a follow on post from the previous one First Business Trip to Japan and America Job Training

It feels like I’m doing a master’s degree in my company with Project Management and Japanese in the Automotive Market. I’m serious; I have spent the last month doing practice translations, learning automotive vocabulary (for Japanese and English), researching the company, interviewing people, writing up my findings, getting it corrected and just now gave a presentation on everything I’ve learnt. I got feedback from the entire team on what I should word differently and everyone brain stormed ideas for what I should learn next. Which is still a lot and I only have one week left here. I was going to be leaving this weekend, but the Japanese are visiting and so we thought it would be better for me to stay the extra week to sit in on meetings. It was actually my idea. I really enjoy working here. The work’s interesting and the people are nice. It’s just freezing cold and I can feel myself turning into an introvert not seeing people outside of work (besides Katie at the weekends).

Although I did see Wes last week for Thanksgiving, which was super nice. It was good to be with him again. We went to the cinema twice, played games with his friends, watched movies, cooked food, and got to spend Thanksgiving with his aunt, mum, brother and granddad. I miss him already. It sucks that we aren’t in a short distance relationship. I was really hoping that after Japan we would be, but alas governments suck and force us apart because neither of us can afford to live without working and he can’t work in the UK and I can’t in Portland where he is. But he’s looking for a job in Tokyo and because he’s so amazing, I know he’ll get one and we’ll move there together and it will never be long distance again.

So next week the Japanese come here and then at the weekend I go back to the UK. The plan is that I’ll be working/training from home as well as organizing the office for Japan and my working visa. What’s annoying is that it’ll be another 3-4 months before I’m in Japan, which means that long away from Wes (except for Christmas) unless we can afford another visit again. Perhaps if I come back to Detroit for more training?

The World of Durarara

Edit: This post was moved from another blog that I deleted. This was originally posted 24/5/2011

In December 2010-January 2011 I lived in Tokyo for a month and while there there was no way I could pass up the oppatunity of seeing Ikebukuro, the location of one of my favourite anime. ^-^ These are some pics I took and some scenes from the show. 楽しんでね！

Fun at Toyosato K-On School

Edit: This was moved here from another blog of mine that I deleted. This post was originally from 28/1/2011

Oookay, so this was a severly delayed blog of nerdy fun but I was distracted by...shiny stuff probably ^^;; Either way I thought it would be nice to put up some comparison pictures of K-On to the school the anime was based on which I visited last December. I've already put most of these (and more) on facebook but it certainly doesn't mean much unless you have a context to work with. So for those who have and for those haven't watched K-On, here are some print screens of the first episode (in order of how they apeared in the anime) and my own photos of the same scenes (not that I tried to get them exact or anything, I didn't even think of doing this until afterwards). Oh, and if you want to (even if you're not bothered) I suggest watching the first ep just...because
http://www.animeseason.com/k-on-episode-1/