Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Some Questions Answered

I have been contacted by someone who wants to do the same thing as me, and will face the same obstacles as I did because of their age.

This post will hopefully answer their questions, and help anyone else in a similar position.

1. Is Gaba a weekend training course?

Gaba is a conversation school (eikaiwa) where I teach students. The training I was referring to in my previous posts was the school's training. It may be confusing as they refer to their teachers (like me) as 'instructors'. The busiest times at conversation schools are weekdays evenings and weekends, and you decide your own schedule at Gaba, so that's when I work.

2. How did you go about finding private students and then tutoring them? Is GABA essential to do this?

I found my private students through a company called the Foreign Instructor Centre (unfortunately I can't find their website). I found that company on GaijinPot.com and applied to them through it, and now they send me the details of prospective students usually around five times a day. When you reply to them saying you're interested in a student, you suggest a time and place for the lessons, they ask the student if they're interested too. Then they arrange an unpaid thirty-minute demo lesson between you and the student. If the student likes you, they arrange with both you and the company to meet a certain amount of times every week.

Gaba is not essential to do this. In effect, I have two jobs. I work at Gaba on weekends and weekday evenings, and meet private students at different times spread throughout weekdays.

3. Also, I did read on your blog about another job interview?

I have had several other job offers from other schools, I've lost count but it's probably close to fifteen. All of these schools found me via my 50-word advert on Jobs In Japan.com.

4. What other types of jobs would it be POSSIBLE for someone like me to get? The only one I'm aware of at the moment is working in a restaurant.

I think the best option for any native-English speaker coming to Japan is teaching English. I am 18 and started work a month after arriving, and, two weeks later I've earned around Y30,000 (£150). Gaijinpot.com advertises for all types of jobs, but the most common is definitely teaching.

5. I didn't find anything on your blog about homestays, so I'm guessing you completely scrapped it, or ignored it?

That's true, in my blog post on Accommodation I didn't mention homestays.

Honestly, this is because I had forgotten about it being a viable option. Personally, I wouldn't want to stay with a family for 10 months or so, because I would want more privacy and freedom than might be offered. However, it might be a good idea to organise one for the first few nights as they can meet you at the airport, and introduce you to the Japanese language and culture with less of a shock.

My recommendation is definitely a guesthouse, or gaijinhouse. This means you live with other foreigners and share your kitchen, bathroom and living room with them. You might have your own rooms (like me), or stay in a dormitory. I am staying with Sakura House. There is more information on how to organise monthly (it is minimum stay of one month) accommodation with them on an earlier post.

If your heart is set on a homestay, here are a few websites I've found that might be useful.

Go Japan's Homestay page (follow the links on the page)

Go Japan's Homestay advice page

Homestayweb.com (helpfully split up into area/city)

Homestay Program Index

6. I'm just wondering how you got your apartment? In terms of coming to Japan, and having that apartment already rented? (Or arranged?). Did you have that done through a website like Gaijinpot?

I arranged my guesthouse through Sakura's House website. There's more information about the best way to find what you want with them on my Accommodation post.

7. I do meet the requirements for the Working Holiday Visa, and I'm just wondering when I should apply for it?

Basically, you should apply for the visa somewhere between six months and three weeks before you want to enter Japan and enter Japan within six months of receiving the visa. It takes about one week for the visa to be issued after application. There's more information on my Visa post.

8. About the language. My Japanese is worse than shocking.

Don't worry about language ability. English is everywhere, and although I have knowledge of Japanese, none of it was practical experience, so think of what I have done so far as using English only. Ask for someone who speaks English at banks, or shops or wherever you need help, and 90% of the time, someone with be able to help you, at least in Tokyo. I have made improvements in my language ability, but have encountered difficulties and frustration, as I mentioned last week.

9. How should I set up a bank account? Is there a specific bank I can go to that will do it? (Being under 20 years old.)

The bank account was difficult, I must admit. Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Bank was recommended to me by Gaba, who said that I would be able to open an account there being under 20, because I would be working with them. If a company like Gaba asks you to open an account, they might be able to help you open one, like Gaba did for me. If you work with private students (not arranged through the Foreign Instructor Centre as they require a bank account) then you will be paid in cash so you don't need to worry. More information here.

10. Finally, about the mobile phone. I read on one of your blogs about needing a 20 year old to buy a mobile phone over there. Is this in every case?

As far as I know, this is in every case. Also, most phone companies are shutting down pre-paid (pay-as-you-go) services in the next few months because of crime. This is unfortunate, as the service is almost perfect for foreigners staying for a few months. I'm not sure exactly when they are being phased out totally, but they are no longer available at big-chain electronic stores or even the phone company branch shops. I had to buy mine from a convenience store.

With regard to finding someone over 20, I just asked a housemate if he knew anyone over 20 who could help me out, and I had a phone by the following evening! Sum0 (from Sum0's Japan Blog) found someone at Mickey House in Shinjuku (a language exchange cafe) who bought one for him, so maybe you could take a trip there when you arrive. Maybe my earlier post on Mobile Phones will be helpful too.

Books I recommend are 'Japan: A Working Holiday Guide', by Louise Southerden (this has been my bible for the last few years). In terms of teaching, I think 'How to Teach English', by Jeremy Harmer is very good.

I hope this has been helpful, and has answered any questions you have. If there are still some problems, let me know and I'll try to help you sort them out!

Some follow-up questions have been asked, so I will try to answer them as best I can.

1. I would want to stay by myself and rent my own apartment. I definitely want an apartment where I have my own kitchen etc, and not shared facilities. I checked the Sakura House website, and noticed they had apartments, as well as guesthouses and dorms. Do the apartments have shared bathroom, kitchen and living room? (I wasn't too sure from the website).

I have had a look at Sakura House's website and apartments do seem very appealing. I can't speak for all the apartment premises they offer, but the first one I checked was Nakano Heights. It includes a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom in a 17 sq metre space. The washing facilities are located outside the room so may be shared. The monthly rent is Y115,000 (£575) so it's more expensive than dormitories and guesthouses, but the cheapest apartment Sakura House offers is Y80,000 (£400). Some other apartments do have shared bathroom and kitchen facilities, and may be at the cheaper end.

2. I'll have a look on Google for other websites with apartments in Tokyo and see if I have any luck. I'll hope for finding one with no key money required and a small deposit. Any ideas?

I had a look online and found this website which offers apartments all over Tokyo. In most cases, you will need a guarantor, someone who lives in Japan and has a stable income, among other requirements, which is difficult to do! But they also offer 'Serviced Apartments', which sound easier to get into. You can choose a 'Long-stay apartment' and have a hunt through what you want. Prices seem to start at around Y80,000 (£400).

3. Also, about your answers to you teaching English. You stated you have two jobs. Gaba and private tutoring? Just wondering - how much money do you make through both of these, and how many students you have taken on / how many lessons you average out a week?

I have two private students, one I see once a week for a two hour lesson (Y2,000/hour) and the other I see three times a week for hour-long lessons (also Y2,000/hour). This comes out as Y10,000 (£50)/week from private students. On top of that, I work at Gaba for 1,400/40-minute lesson (soon to be 1,500/lesson). I aim to do 20 lessons a week at Gaba but at the moment it's more like 15. So, I suppose on average I aim to earn about Y30,000/week (£150).

For more information on money and living costs, see my post on Budgets.

A couple more questions:

1. Did you go to Gaba when you arrived in Japan for a 'certificate' ? ie. to get a job with them? Just wondering how it was, and what it involved?

Yes, what they call 'Certification' is actually just their in-house training. Once you complete the three 9-hour days of training and get at least 70% on the test at the end, you can start working for them. The test was very simple and you can use any textbooks or internet resources in the room to help you. I applied to Gaba through Gaijinpot.com and that's how I found the job.

The training basically involved sitting there for a hours on end taking notes, and then practising teaching each other, with one pretending to be a Japanese student, the other teaching them a lesson from the textbook. On the third day, we taught real Japanese people, which was more interesting.

2. I read that you do 15 lessons a week - do you get an email from Gaba with details of a student who wants lessons, then you just have to respond and confirm if you can or cannot do it? (I read something like that on one of your blog entries - was that with Gaba or your own private teaching?)

That system works for my private students. The way Gaba works is that I submit the schedule I want to work in, for example, March, on February 10th and then students book lessons online. The students do choose their teachers but I've already said that I'm okay to work that lesson, so no confirmation is needed.

3. Also, you said you aim to do 20 lessons a week. Does this mean that you get the opportunity to do more lessons? How many do you think on average you could do each week?

I can do as little or as much work as I want to. I could put myself down for every available lesson under the sun - although that would be stupid. I work the busiest times, weekday evenings and weekends, and that adds up to around 15 a week. If I worked longer hours at these times, or worked during weekdays (not much chance of getting booked here because everyone's at work!) then I could work 50-60 lessons a week. You would have to be pretty lucky to actually get booked for these times though, as you only get paid for the lessons you teach.

4. Is it completely random where a student contacts Gaba and is assigned to a random teacher, or can they choose? - can a student 'pick you' in the sense that once you teach them, they can decide if they want to have future lessons with you?

Most of the time they choose, but sometimes they are assigned to a particular teacher because the managers think they would work well together, and sometimes they say 'I don't mind' and they get put with whoever's available. And yes, in order to become popular with students at Gaba, you need to do good lessons so students come back and book your lessons!

Hakone Day Two: Lost in the Snow

I woke up at about 9 and dragged myself out of my futon, it was surprisingly comfortable and I didn't want to get up!

Breakfast was served from 6.30 til 10 so I went down to the restaurant at about 9.40 and the place was empty. There was a breakfast buffet, as you can see from the video below.




This is the meal I chose. It wasn't very big but it was filling.



I then went back to my room and packed everything up, taking a last couple of looks at the view in the full light of day.


After checking out and paying for my room, I walked down to Togendai next to Lake Ashi and took the cable car back to Ouwakudani. The rotten egg smell returned and it was pretty gross but I knew I couldn't come to Hakone and not go to Ouwakudani.


The view was great, just hold your breath.



There were worrying warning signs all over the place. Several areas were closed off because of land-slide fears.











You can see the bubbling pools and the steam coming from the mountain.




By the bubbling pools there's a shop that sells 'Kuro tamago' (black eggs) that are cooked by dipping the eggs into a hotspring pool on the volcano and then taste like any other hard-boiled egg. I bought a bag of 6 for Y500 as o-miyage (souvenirs) for my housemates.


I didn't spend long at Ouwakudani because of all the warnings and bad smell, but I was pleased I went. I then took the cable car (it was free of course because of my Hakone Free Pass) back to Togendai and waited for the next pirate ship cruise to the southern end of the lake.

I had my lunch in a cafe there, and then realised that it was recommended in the travel guide I took with me. I usually use the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide to Japan but there was a copy of the Rough Guide to Tokyo in my guesthouse, which was much more specific and described the route, where to eat and stay, and was much more detailed than the more general DK guide.

The restaurant was called 'Lake View' and there certainly was. I got a Y200 discount because of my Free Pass too.
Here's the pirate ship I travelled on (it's included in the Free Pass).









Here's the view of the surroundings from the ship.





There were announcements with things like "If you look to your left, you will see..." but there was Japanese and then English and by the time the English came on, the sight had already disappeared!





You can take a cable car from Hakone-en (halfway down the eastern shore of the lake) or a bus from Moto-Hakone (southern) to the summit of this mountain, which apparently has stunning views, but I didn't go up.


There's the small town of Moto-Hakone.
Hakone Shrine from a rather unflattering angle.
I got off the boat at Hakone-machi (the first stop, before Moto-Hakone and then Togendai again) and went to a reconstruction of the old Hakone Barrier on the Tokaido road. There was a discount with the Free Pass but I wouldn't bother, it looked too fake, and, well... reconstructed.









The views are quite nice if you walk up to the Look-out Tower.



After the Hakone Barrier, I walked to Emperor Meiji's Detached Garden Palace, which was pleasant, but nothing special. Kiyosumi Gardens over the river from my guesthouse were much more impressive.

A better shot of Hakone Shrine.




This route through the Gardens was closed due to heavy snowfall.
On the pathway from Hakone-machi to Moto-Hakone, you can walk through the Avenue of Cryptomeria which was very pretty, but very icy!


Hakone Shrine! I'm getting closer to that famous view!
A pirate ship leaving Moto-Hakone for Togendai.
Moto-Hakone with Hakone's Twin Mountains in the background.
And here's that famous view! And... just my luck, Mt Fuji is shrouded in cloud. I could see it but my camera couldn't fight through the whiteness. But I swear it's there! Somewhere...


The gateway to Moto-Hakone town.

I walked through Moto-Hakone (it's a tiny place) and round the shoreline to Hakone Shrine.




It was nice, but the view from over the lake probably shows it in its best light.

I walked back to Moto-Hakone and tried to find the Stone-paved section of the old Tokaido road, which ran from Kansai to Edo (Tokyo's old name). It's an 11km hike from Moto-Hakone back to Hakone-Yumoto station, but you can just do some of it to, either a famous teahouse called Amazakechaya, or further on to a small town called Hatajuku, then get a bus the rest of the way.

I wanted to hike as far as possible, maybe Hatajuku, but at least to the teahouse.

The road was so difficult to find! I followed the map (taking a photo of the kanji of 'Stone-paved section of the Old Tokaido Road' because I'm really not going to know how to ask where that is!) and couldn't find it! I was worried I'd have to give up and just get the bus all the way, but I asked at a petrol station, and they directed me to a bridge over the road. I walked round and found it.

The bridge was literally covered in ice and snow. I had to hold the bannister with both hands and haul myself up to stop myself slipping back down to the bottom. The path after the bridge wasn't much better either. I was met with an icy slope, which I clambered up using roots and tree branches. When I finally got to the top, I thought 'if it continues like this, I'm going to have to give up and turn back' but I stuck with it.
There were some pretty sights along the way.
The route was as treacherous as you could get, with slopes and hills, hidden dips and so much snow and ice! Although it was possible, I really wouldn't recommend attempting the route in winter, maybe any other season but winter! I couldn't even seen the stone-paved road!


At an intersection with a road, the snow cleared and I could see what I was walking on.

After about 45 minutes with seeing no other people, and not meeting a road or anything, I did start to get worried. After the busyness of Tokyo, it was so weird for it to just be me and the wind.
Thankfully, there were bilingual signs at regular intervals, but I was constantly worried the deceptive snow would lead me on a side-road and I'd be stranded.

This slope was so hard to get down! My bottom did a lot of the work. Wet, wet work...
Salvation came in the form of a pylon. Bless those pylons.
Did I just climb down that?

The guidebook said 1km! Not 1.5! It's not a lot of distance extra, but in the cold snow, it was hard-going.

Oooh, ground!
I found the Amazakechaya tea-house and ordered what the guidebook told me to. Amazake. It's like sweet rice pudding that slips down your throat and warms you so nicely. It was looovely after the chilliness outside. It cost Y400. This is where weary travellers would rest centuries ago on their trek across the Japanese mountains. It felt nice to be treading in the same footsteps as samurai and their families hundreds of years ago.








There's a bus-stop just outside the tea-house, and I decided not to walk to Hatajuku, but to get the highway bus to Hakone-Yumoto station.

It arrived after about ten minutes waiting, which was lucky as the timetable said they only run every hour on weekdays and twice an hour on weekends and holidays, when Hakone is more crowded.

The buses were pretty cool. You take a ticket from the machine by the driver and he welcomes you with 'Hai douzooooooooo'. You can keep an eye on the cost of your journey by looking at the colourful screen at the front of the bus, where each ticket number has a screen next to it proclaiming Y200, or whatever. The price increases with each stop. You can even use your Pasmo card (used for the Tokyo subway and bus system) on these buses!
The view from the winding roads through the mountainside were very nice, showing all of the National Park at times.

I got back to Hakone-Yumoto station and went under the under-pass from the bus terminal to the train station. I walked past a couple of women who stopped me and said a cheerful 'Konnichiwa!' I was confused for a second, then recognised them as the women who took my photo on the cable car to Togendai yesterday!

We chatted for about ten minutes. I say 'chatted', as much as I could in Japanese! It was one of the things that make trips interesting and worth doing. The women were both really nice.

At Hakone-Yumoto station, I saw an Odakyu Romance Car waiting at the station. I knew that it wasn't included in the Free Pass, but was an extra Y850 or so. I thought it would be fine to make the fare adjustment at the other end, and the only train-worker nearby was talking into a microphone, so I got on and sat down. It was very nice, and comfortable. It was nice to rest my aching feet.


The door could be opened by touching this little sticker - how hi-tech!
The train was due to make two stops, first at Odawara, then Machida near Yokohama, before reaching Shinjuku. It's like a mini-shinkansen (bullet-train) so it was sleek and smooth, and does the entire journey in about 90 minutes.

It was at Odawara, when I was moved from two seats by passengers with reserved seats, that I began to sense something was wrong. The train pulled out of Odawara and an announcement in English came on saying that the Romance Car was reservation-only.

Oh dear!

I pretended to be asleep in case anyone asked to see my ticket, and then slipped off at Machida. I was worried that I'd have to go through a ticket barrier and I'd be caught out, but I just had to walk across the station and board a Local train.

This train didn't leave for about 20 minutes, and I was imagining the lovely warm, comfortable Romance Car pulling into Shinjuku, while I was still stuck near Yokohama on a cold, crummy local train.

In about forty minutes, we'd been to about five stations (local trains stop at every station on the line) and it was ridiculous. At one station, I saw an express train bound for Shinjuku on the other side and I ran for it, with half the local train's passengers!

I got a seat and it was much faster. I got off at Yoyogi-Uehara and transferred (not through a ticket-barrier) to the Chiyoda subway line, then again at Otemachi to the Hanzomon line.

When I got back to Suitengu-mae station, neither my Pasmo card or Hakone Free Pass would get me through the ticket barrier! The Free Pass only works on Odakyu line stations, and because I'd got off before Shinjuku and not gone through any ticket barriers, I'd slipped through the system.

I tried my best to explain to the ticket barrier guard and he charged me the cost of a ticket from the Chiyoda line to Suitengu-mae, which is fair enough.

I got back at around 7pm and was exhausted! But it was amazing to get out of Tokyo for a couple of days. They weren't relaxing days, but I'm so glad I did it. Hakone is definitely worth a visit!

Here are the kuro tamago I brought back.

Beautifully modelled by my housemate.

If you're interested in doing a similar trip to mine, here is the route. (It is the general tourist trail.)

Shinjuku station - Hakone Yumoto station (Odakyu line)

Hakone Yumoto station - Chokoku no Mori station (Hakone-Tozan switchback railway bound for Gora)

Hakone Open Air Museum

Chokoku no Mori station - Gora station (Hakone-Tozan switchback railway)

Gora station - Sounzan (funicular tram)

Sounzan - Ouwakudani (Ropeway cable car)

Ouwakudani volcanic springs

Ouwakudani - Togendai (Ropeway cable car)

Togendai - Hakone-Machi (pirate ship cruise)

Hakone Barrier

Emperor Meiji's Detached Garden Palace

Hakone-Machi to Moto-Hakone (walk through Avenue of Cryptomeria)

Hakone Shrine

Moto-Hakone - Amazakechaya tea house (walk along stone-paved Tokaido road)

Amazakechaya tea house - Hakone Yumoto station (highway bus)

IMPORTANT - the last train to Shinjuku from Hakone Yumoto leaves at about 8-9pm

All the transport described above is included in the Hakone Free Pass. A Two Day Pass from Shinjuku station costs Y5,000.