Renting an apartment in Japan

Since arriving in Tokyo, I have moved 3 times. When I first arrived, I was living in a guesthouse. For foreigners, especially when first arriving in Tokyo, this is the best choice. With only a 1 month refundable deposit and 1st months rent, you’re ready to move in. But the downside is that the rent is high and everything is shared (bathroom, shower, kitchen and living room). For someone private like me, this is not the ideal living situation. After one month, I moved into a private apartment. But of course, the new apartment, which I had found through an agency catering to foreigners, was about the same. Although no key money or guarantor was needed, the rent was high and the apartment was very small and old.

Once I felt settled into life in Tokyo, I decided to look for a better apartment, this time through a Japanese agency. Now I must say, the options are much better (auto-lock, separate shower and bath, closet), the rent is reasonable and there are many apartments to choose from. But the downside to this, the deposits! For someone willing to commit to several years, this is great. But for those unsure of their length of stay, this can really break the bank. I put down 5 months rent to move-in. Ouch! 2 months deposit, 1st months rent, 1 month non-refundable gift money to the real estate agency, and 1 month non-refundable guarantor’s fee. Despite the excess of rental fees, it was worth every penny to finally have a place to call home.

School Children in Kyoto

I just returned to Tokyo from a nice trip to Kyoto where I saw a lot of beautiful temples, shrines, and gardens. I also saw a lot of school children from all over Japan who were there on school trips. I had a lot of fun talking with them. They would come up to me in small groups and were very excited to try out their English on me. I was happy to see that they weren’t afraid to speak in English. Even though most of them didn’t know many words in English, they still tried their best to communicate. It reminded me of a trip I took to Kyoto 20 years ago and of meeting many groups of school children there at that time, as well, but those children were more afraid of speaking to me in English than the ones I met on this trip. I was happy to see the change in both the children’s willingness to speak to foreigners and also in their improved English ability. I think that the increased emphasis on English education in elementary and junior high schools in Japan is producing excellent results.

Why Learn English?

Howdy everyone!

Today I read the introduction on the blog. It says "Teachers' diary and thoughts about education." So today I would like to ask a question to all of you? Why do you think it is important to learn English?

In many European countries, Germany, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and more, you have to learn English to be able to be a successful college student. Almost everyone in these nations can speak at least a little English, and if they graduated college, they can read, speak, and usually write fairly well. Why do you think this is? For many countries in Asia, it is the same. If you go to India, the Philipines, Singapore, or Malaysia, almost all college students can speak English very well. Why do you think that English is so important to these people?

It is interesting when you compare Japan and the United States to these countries. In the US and Japan, people can usually speak only one language, no matter how long they went to school. In the US many people can understand a bit of Spanish, and in Japan, many people have studied English, but both countries are basically mono-lingual (only speaking one language). Why do the US and Japan put so little effort into learning other languages when so many other countries try so hard to learn a second or even third language?

I think that the US and Japan need to tell their people how much fun it is to learn another language, as well as all the benefits- such as experiencing a new culture and increased career opportunities- that come with it. I think it's great that so many students at Global Communications feel the same way I do.

(If anyone has any ideas why English is so important to these people, or why they think English is important for them, please write a comment. Thanks!)

Karuiza's Most Famous Resident

Three fun facts about Karuizawa,possibly the most famous resort town in Japan.

1) John Lennon visited Karuizawa often. Even though his wife, Yoko Ono, may be from Saitama, John's favorite place in Japan was Karuizawa.
2) Karuizawa is the only town to host both summer and winter Olympic events. In the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics, Karuizawa hosted equestrian, or horse riding events, and in the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic games, Karuizawa hosted the curling events.
3) Mt. Asama, the second higest mountain in Japan is located in Karuizawa.

Mt. Asama was in the news the other day because it had an eruption. You can see a picture at the top of this blog. Mt. Asama is still an active voclcano and erupts from time to time. When you visit Mt. Asama volcano park there are safety shelters to hinde inside in case Asama has a sudden eruption (though I really doubt that they would do much good!).

Mt. Asama erupted early in the morning of February 3rd. Many local residents and tourists heard and felt the eruption. No one was hurt, but school children wore masks on the way to school to keep out volcanic ash and were not allowed to go outside and play during break times.

Have you ever been to Mt. Asama? I think it is one of the most beautiful places I have been to in Japan. But like many beautiful places, it can also be dangerous. If anyone has any good Mt. Asama stories, or maybe has seen an eruption of Mt. Asama or a different volcano first-hand, please post a comment. I would like to hear about your volcano experiences. Especially being from a place with no volcanos, I find these fire-mountains very interesting, and a little bit frightening.