When you turned the camera back to the road at 0:44, I was actually like "OMFG You're on the wrong side of the road and there's a car about to annihilate you!" Then by 0:46 I realized...
I can't speak for Taisha, but it goes right across the spectrum. ALTs range from perfectly fluent to almost none at all, depending on how much they knew before they arrived, and how much they studied after.
I started up an application for JET myself. I'm really tempted to go but I have some debt here to take care of first. I think I'll do that and then apply. Either way, did you find it hard to get in? I am a college graduate so I did pass that requirement and I actually already know some Japanese enough to have a basic conversation.
See my playlist on my main channel - Myargonauts - about applying for JET - lots of helpful vids. It is a difficult program to get into - about 1 in 6 make it, but worth the time to try.
Enjoyed that. That was good. I did Jet for 3 years and watching that kind of reminded me of my experiences. Your spot on there, there is a good support network, and often you will be placed near other Jets so there will be opportunities to meet people. I wasn't a particularly sociable person but certainly did meet Jets from time to time when I wanted to. Some people who love socialising think you will be placed where there will be no other foreigners. That could happen but low percentage chance.
yeah - the only truly isolated JETs in my ken were the ones placed on islands off the coast, and even they could socialize with each other, altho a much smaller pool. (5 JETs total on 4 islands)
My old spanish teacher who went aboard during her college years told me that once you start living in a foriegn place and start speaking their language. You will start to actually think in that language. Do you catch yourself thinking in japanese?
I find it funny that you're so skilled at filming yourself while driving. If a cop saw you doing that kind of stuff in Canada you'd get a pretty nasty ticket for distracted driving.
Every time you point the camera forward after looking to the side I'm like, "dear god theres a car coming straight at you!!!!!!!" then I remember you're driving on left side and that the car is driving in same direction as you. For example 0:44
Can't help having a vision of the island-bound JETs becoming very skilled in Japanese because of the full immersion but ending up with an accent like that of a hick.
It's really helpful to hear an insiders opinion about the JET program. I was trying to figure out if I needed the JET program to go to Japan or should I just apply as an ALT instead of using the program. Is it harder to apply as a JET or just as an ALT. Do you have any opinion on this?
Do you mean is it harder to get hired as an ALT by the JET Programme as opposed to being hired as an ALT by another ALT company? Hmmm... I would say yes, only because JET is the most well known and there is more competition for JET jobs. But there are plenty of ways to come to Japan - so you don't have to rely on JET.
When I was there for almost a year I had to call my local bank at home to straighten some things and the lady flatly only spoke the local (i.e. my) dialect. This would be called boorish or hillbilly-ish on any other occasion but I was so happy, almost overwhelmed, to talk to someone in the dialect of my home region that I was astonished about myself. I've never felt homesick, but that very moment was special on that behalf.
Perhaps things are easier now since I noticed so much more English posted on public use items from your videos. I was teaching at an international school for embassy kids and very rich Japanese in the early 80's and at that time nothing was in English. ( eki destinations only) And as a blond woman I was treated as if I had the plague. No smiles or eye contact from anyone on the street. And rarely did I see another westerner outside of school. Things seem to be quite different now.
May I address loneliness in living in Japan. The beginning can be painfully lonely. Brace yourself for it . Take steps in creating a completely new support system.. While in Japan my support system became natives who wanted to help this poor gaijin who could not use the pay phone, ATM, or alarm clock and was thrown into a second childhood of being so dependent on their kindness and knowledge. Those sad, lost feelings should evolve into gratitude for the wonderful new friends you will make.
good points. I agree that it's very important to find a Japanese person you can rely on for things you can't even imagine needing help with until you live here - like reading mail in your mailbox (if you can't read kanji) or going to the doctor, etc.
oh, the japanese countryside is so beautiful!! is it as peaceful as it seems? is countryside japanese people more closed about gaijins? have a nice day man!
I've always been unsure of this and haven't found an answer but what's the difference between an ALT, JET and CIR? I've never heard of a CIR until this video... In my consideration for going to Japan to teach it would be for me to purely further my Japanese language skills. I'm assuming language skill is a factor between those three. Thanks for your time, great video as always. I always seem to sit down and eat dinner while watching you rant away :]. Keep 'em coming!
We're all JETs - most are ALTs and some are CIRs. You can find out more about being a CIR on my main Myargonauts channel where I interview my friend Roger, a CIR from Australia, or at the JET website - jetprogramme(dot)org
Thanks a lot! Also, love the driving videos. You could just set the camera on the dash so we see in front of you and then just go on a rant. Have a good tuesday!
Awsome stuff Jason. It would be amazing to be placed on one of the isolated islands off the coast. I wonder how different the people are out there, if their very much different at all.
they probably are - there's a myth often touted by japanese themselves that japanese are alike but then you mention the difference between Kanto and Kansai people esp. Osaka and they change their tune
Have you noticed a general decline in your English/grammar or how you speak English now? I've been studying Japanese for almost a year and I've noticed my English has gotten worse over time. It's mostly when I talk although my grammar has taken a hit as well. I was just curious if you've run into the same thing since you've lived in Japan since 2004 and speak Japanese on a regular basis.
well I certainly find myself searching for the right English word more often - like my brain has to struggle to come up with the vocab I need sometimes, and I speak so simply to most of the Japanese people I know, so complex sentence structure and $5 words are a thing of the past. :)
But since I teach English, I still have to think about grammar fairly regularly.
I tried to video tape a bike ride around Matsue last week but I bumped the stop button so I ended up with only about 5 seconds of video 0_0! I haven't given up yet though!
It's good for anyone planning to move to a new culture to study "culture shock," just to become familiar with its stages. It's a pretty universal experience for anyone moving to a new culture. Even Japanese people can experience it moving from one region of Japan to another.
You said "Sorry for the windshield wiper blades." It was like you were saying "Sorry for messing up the view so that I can see while I drive." LOL! Another great video Jason. I like these response videos. I have to state again like I usually do, the streets around you are very clean. Practically spotless.
I once worked on JET. It was never, ever lonely for me. Especially living in rural Japan where there aren't that many English speakers, I found people wanting me to do things all the time. In fact, by my last year on JET, I had so many things going on I often had to turn people down who wanted me to come to whatever they had planned. I had people sometimes who knew me by name even in nearby cities that I hadn't met before, too.
I spoke Japanese before joining JET, so this made things easier.
I moved to Japan in 2004 to work as an assistant English teacher, and because I had studied Japanese culture and politics in college. I enjoy living here. :)
Wellthe situation of the economy is actualy your and everybody's who's voiting in the States every 4 years or so fault!!!!The thing with the U.S.A is that U.S.A rised so high so high to fall.PEACE!!
eh? what the hell are you babbling about? Every voter is to blame? Even those who voted against Bush like me twice? Your "logic" doesn't make much sense.
I think you missunderstood.I was talking about the people who ellecting the wrong persons.Not especialy you or your brother....i hope now you'll get it.; )
When you turned the camera back to the road at 0:44, I was actually like "OMFG You're on the wrong side of the road and there's a car about to annihilate you!" Then by 0:46 I realized...
Cyrus150 4 months ago 2
@Cyrus150 haha
TaishaJason 4 months ago
Concentrate on driving...esp in rainy weather! But thanks for the post.
dettloff7 1 year ago
have you had girlfriends since you moved to japan? .. or have you had girlfriends? :P
MrSmileyHasABigDong 1 year ago
@MrSmileyHasABigDong didn't have a steady GF while living in Japan - I talk about this in a "dating" vid I made on my main channel - Myargonauts
TaishaJason 1 year ago
:o JET JET JET JET XD what is that hahahha
poli21 1 year ago
@poli21 JET = Japan Exchange and Teaching Program
TaishaJason 1 year ago
@TaishaJason ooooooooooo :)
poli21 1 year ago
I'm very interested, but what's an ALT??
ceyda2882 2 years ago
ALT = Assistant Language Teacher - the job you get teaching English in Japan
TaishaJason 1 year ago
So do you speak fluent Japanese too?? and whats the best thing about living over there? I would love to experience another culture.
ceyda2882 1 year ago
I can't speak for Taisha, but it goes right across the spectrum. ALTs range from perfectly fluent to almost none at all, depending on how much they knew before they arrived, and how much they studied after.
ManicParroT 1 year ago
Nice job man.
TheJapanChannelDcom 2 years ago
thanks - both driving while we muse on this topic - great minds think alike... :)
TaishaJason 2 years ago
@TaishaJason
I guess driving is a time where we get a chance to muse :-)
TheJapanChannelDcom 2 years ago
I started up an application for JET myself. I'm really tempted to go but I have some debt here to take care of first. I think I'll do that and then apply. Either way, did you find it hard to get in? I am a college graduate so I did pass that requirement and I actually already know some Japanese enough to have a basic conversation.
dena81 2 years ago
See my playlist on my main channel - Myargonauts - about applying for JET - lots of helpful vids. It is a difficult program to get into - about 1 in 6 make it, but worth the time to try.
TaishaJason 2 years ago
Enjoyed that. That was good. I did Jet for 3 years and watching that kind of reminded me of my experiences. Your spot on there, there is a good support network, and often you will be placed near other Jets so there will be opportunities to meet people. I wasn't a particularly sociable person but certainly did meet Jets from time to time when I wanted to. Some people who love socialising think you will be placed where there will be no other foreigners. That could happen but low percentage chance.
rokkowoods 2 years ago
yeah - the only truly isolated JETs in my ken were the ones placed on islands off the coast, and even they could socialize with each other, altho a much smaller pool. (5 JETs total on 4 islands)
TaishaJason 2 years ago
My old spanish teacher who went aboard during her college years told me that once you start living in a foriegn place and start speaking their language. You will start to actually think in that language. Do you catch yourself thinking in japanese?
missvinca 2 years ago
are you fluent in japanese or do you have just enough skills to get around and have small conversations?
peaceandloveinaction 2 years ago
I find it funny that you're so skilled at filming yourself while driving. If a cop saw you doing that kind of stuff in Canada you'd get a pretty nasty ticket for distracted driving.
hanqho 2 years ago
Every time you point the camera forward after looking to the side I'm like, "dear god theres a car coming straight at you!!!!!!!" then I remember you're driving on left side and that the car is driving in same direction as you. For example 0:44
blahk04 2 years ago
Can't help having a vision of the island-bound JETs becoming very skilled in Japanese because of the full immersion but ending up with an accent like that of a hick.
nokomarie1963 2 years ago
haha - yeah, I'm sure I talk like a girl, since I talk to my female students and co-workers and my tutor is a woman... :P
TaishaJason 2 years ago
It's really helpful to hear an insiders opinion about the JET program. I was trying to figure out if I needed the JET program to go to Japan or should I just apply as an ALT instead of using the program. Is it harder to apply as a JET or just as an ALT. Do you have any opinion on this?
ooshiikurai 2 years ago
Do you mean is it harder to get hired as an ALT by the JET Programme as opposed to being hired as an ALT by another ALT company? Hmmm... I would say yes, only because JET is the most well known and there is more competition for JET jobs. But there are plenty of ways to come to Japan - so you don't have to rely on JET.
TaishaJason 2 years ago
I'm going to miss your JET vlogs in Japan.
TheWhitey 2 years ago
When I was there for almost a year I had to call my local bank at home to straighten some things and the lady flatly only spoke the local (i.e. my) dialect. This would be called boorish or hillbilly-ish on any other occasion but I was so happy, almost overwhelmed, to talk to someone in the dialect of my home region that I was astonished about myself. I've never felt homesick, but that very moment was special on that behalf.
42317 3 years ago
Perhaps things are easier now since I noticed so much more English posted on public use items from your videos. I was teaching at an international school for embassy kids and very rich Japanese in the early 80's and at that time nothing was in English. ( eki destinations only) And as a blond woman I was treated as if I had the plague. No smiles or eye contact from anyone on the street. And rarely did I see another westerner outside of school. Things seem to be quite different now.
Limastudent 3 years ago
May I address loneliness in living in Japan. The beginning can be painfully lonely. Brace yourself for it . Take steps in creating a completely new support system.. While in Japan my support system became natives who wanted to help this poor gaijin who could not use the pay phone, ATM, or alarm clock and was thrown into a second childhood of being so dependent on their kindness and knowledge. Those sad, lost feelings should evolve into gratitude for the wonderful new friends you will make.
Limastudent 3 years ago
good points. I agree that it's very important to find a Japanese person you can rely on for things you can't even imagine needing help with until you live here - like reading mail in your mailbox (if you can't read kanji) or going to the doctor, etc.
TaishaJason 3 years ago
oh, the japanese countryside is so beautiful!! is it as peaceful as it seems? is countryside japanese people more closed about gaijins? have a nice day man!
danierusama 3 years ago
I've always been unsure of this and haven't found an answer but what's the difference between an ALT, JET and CIR? I've never heard of a CIR until this video... In my consideration for going to Japan to teach it would be for me to purely further my Japanese language skills. I'm assuming language skill is a factor between those three. Thanks for your time, great video as always. I always seem to sit down and eat dinner while watching you rant away :]. Keep 'em coming!
JapanPlz 3 years ago
We're all JETs - most are ALTs and some are CIRs. You can find out more about being a CIR on my main Myargonauts channel where I interview my friend Roger, a CIR from Australia, or at the JET website - jetprogramme(dot)org
TaishaJason 3 years ago
Thanks a lot! Also, love the driving videos. You could just set the camera on the dash so we see in front of you and then just go on a rant. Have a good tuesday!
JapanPlz 3 years ago
Thanks Jason, I really enjoyed this one, I often feel lonely here in my placement in Ehime, but your vlog gave something to think about...
samnodirection 3 years ago
cool - thanks for watching
TaishaJason 3 years ago
Awsome stuff Jason. It would be amazing to be placed on one of the isolated islands off the coast. I wonder how different the people are out there, if their very much different at all.
stringtofate 3 years ago
they probably are - there's a myth often touted by japanese themselves that japanese are alike but then you mention the difference between Kanto and Kansai people esp. Osaka and they change their tune
RoninDave 3 years ago
Have you noticed a general decline in your English/grammar or how you speak English now? I've been studying Japanese for almost a year and I've noticed my English has gotten worse over time. It's mostly when I talk although my grammar has taken a hit as well. I was just curious if you've run into the same thing since you've lived in Japan since 2004 and speak Japanese on a regular basis.
DeathfireD 3 years ago
well I certainly find myself searching for the right English word more often - like my brain has to struggle to come up with the vocab I need sometimes, and I speak so simply to most of the Japanese people I know, so complex sentence structure and $5 words are a thing of the past. :)
But since I teach English, I still have to think about grammar fairly regularly.
myargonauts 3 years ago
One of the most interesting vlogs in this series. Thanks for posting!
CharacterForming 3 years ago
haha....the camera is perfectly stable on your car.
Streets must be almost perect.
If you were in Italy shooting this video..you would see the camera jumping here and there...^^
Anyway very iteresting video as always!
ありがとう
TokyoGaijinITA 3 years ago
I tried to video tape a bike ride around Matsue last week but I bumped the stop button so I ended up with only about 5 seconds of video 0_0! I haven't given up yet though!
ryokosdesire 3 years ago
give it another try - maybe wait for the weather to improve - been so grey lately.
TaishaJason 3 years ago
JET teachers have a reputation for becoming lonely sometimes embittered alcoholics stuck in nowhere towns in the middle of nowhere interesting.
Depends on your situation and personality I guess. Folks go thru the same in Tokyo and Osaka.
RoninDave 3 years ago
It's good for anyone planning to move to a new culture to study "culture shock," just to become familiar with its stages. It's a pretty universal experience for anyone moving to a new culture. Even Japanese people can experience it moving from one region of Japan to another.
kanzanagain 3 years ago
You said "Sorry for the windshield wiper blades." It was like you were saying "Sorry for messing up the view so that I can see while I drive." LOL! Another great video Jason. I like these response videos. I have to state again like I usually do, the streets around you are very clean. Practically spotless.
-Billy-
WhiteMatrix2006 3 years ago
Interesting as always, thx jason!
Tobbytheking 3 years ago
I once worked on JET. It was never, ever lonely for me. Especially living in rural Japan where there aren't that many English speakers, I found people wanting me to do things all the time. In fact, by my last year on JET, I had so many things going on I often had to turn people down who wanted me to come to whatever they had planned. I had people sometimes who knew me by name even in nearby cities that I hadn't met before, too.
I spoke Japanese before joining JET, so this made things easier.
kanzanagain 3 years ago
sir.Why did you move to japan???I just want to know if it's ok by you!!
SilenceCallsTheMovie 3 years ago
I moved to Japan in 2004 to work as an assistant English teacher, and because I had studied Japanese culture and politics in college. I enjoy living here. :)
TaishaJason 3 years ago
So are you going to return to the States or not???
SilenceCallsTheMovie 3 years ago
with the economy the way it is right now? He's got a job - he's doing better than many back home right now.
RoninDave 3 years ago
Wellthe situation of the economy is actualy your and everybody's who's voiting in the States every 4 years or so fault!!!!The thing with the U.S.A is that U.S.A rised so high so high to fall.PEACE!!
SilenceCallsTheMovie 3 years ago
eh? what the hell are you babbling about? Every voter is to blame? Even those who voted against Bush like me twice? Your "logic" doesn't make much sense.
RoninDave 3 years ago
I think you missunderstood.I was talking about the people who ellecting the wrong persons.Not especialy you or your brother....i hope now you'll get it.; )
SilenceCallsTheMovie 3 years ago