Rumination - Leaving Japan with no regrets

[bluepome]

You're really cool, hope everything went alright. Ganbatte ;)))

[fredxfredxariana]

hey um im a 10th grader and ive always wanted to knoe how to become a JET. ive been interested in japan for a really long time and ive decided that i wanted to teach in japan when i grow up.

[TaishaJason]

@fredxfredxariana cool! Check out my main channel - Myargonauts - for lots of videos about becoming a JET - check out the playlists

[LookinSpify]

Jet allows 5 maximum years for foreigner to stay in Japan? someone reply 2 my question

[TaishaJason]

@LookinSpify yes - the rule changed somewhat in 2007 and now the maximum for most JETs is 5 years.

[animeguy587]

hey im going to be a canadian exchange student to japan um did you run into any exchange students

[TaishaJason]

yep - most of the local high schools have one exch student each year. Nice kids usually.

[animeguy587]

YAY cuz i cant wait to be in hapan its gonna be awsome lol

[BlanFan2O]

I always keep forgetting to ask this. let's say I'm on my first year and before I go to reapply for my second year I have to leave. could I still come back and reapply? hope the movie was good and good luck!

[TaishaJason]

I''m not sure I understand your question...

Once you're here in Japan, you can choose to stay a 2nd year, a 3rd year etc. up to 5 years.

If you leave after the end of your first year, you can reapply to JET after a wait of 5 years, but you wouldn't necessarily get the same school/town.

[BlanFan2O]

you answered it alright thanks!

[drhikarisan]

That would be hard to stand there and look out at that horizon and think about leaving.........

[StatuesBleedingGreen]

Why dont you apply to teach english in Japan aside from JET?

[TaishaJason]

working on it...

[abigor315]

wish you all the best jason no matter what happens :)

[featheril]

wow! that's great! you do seem to have a knack to teach english. Wish you the best of luck! Ganbatte ne =)

[Ghostkri]

Have you thought about working with another ALT school or staying with JET in some capacity?

[TaishaJason]

i'm exploring all options :)

[danialglover]

You could look into doing private teaching, if you haven't looked into that yet, hope for the best for ya.

[MTassarion]

one of those vlogs you've regretted to make probably has something to do with garbage, hehehehe :P

Anyway.. i'm wondering if you're going to regret returning home to america :P you've probably gotten pretty used to the way things go down in shops and stuff and how you always have to take off your shoes and how you usually meet new people and such. I wonder how soon you'll be back in Japan :P

[sharminh]

Good luck Jason! I wish you all the best as you prepare for your next adventure in life. Thanks for showing Japan through your eyes. Teaching seems to be your passion and I hope you stick with it somehow.

[PannaIka]

You're very inspiring, enjoy your time left in Japan Jason!

p.s. Tell me what you thought of Watchmen. :)

[TaishaJason]

thanks! I loved Watchmen - thought it was very well done, and I look forward to the extended cut on DVD.

[karekora]

isnt it wierd why jets start and end their contract midway through the school year... is there any reason for this? Id thought it was disruptive for the students?

[TaishaJason]

I think it has to do with American and Western college schedules - which usually end in May and June. And there is more time in summer for JETs to adjust to living in Japan before school starts then if they tried to fly them here in mid March and then had them start school two weeks later. But yeah - it's a bit weird to have teachers leave and new teachers arrive and not be part of it in a way. And you have to stay 2 years on the program to get a full academic year at school.

[mountaincritter]

Even after you leave Japan, you should keep blogging.

[TaishaJason]

Thanks - but as you can see from the comment above - I think people will be less interested in my vlogs once I'm not living in Japan anymore - but I will give it a shot and see if people watch.

[DarkNekoStudio]

I think that you'll definitly come back to japan in the near futur,because your attahced to shimane and i can't see you teaching in america,seriously it's your daily life,and it's difficult to change that.Yeah you'll be happy to come back to america but someday you'll feel a hole,an emptyness and that's where you'll want to go back.(and the fact that it will be less interesting to see Vlog from jasoninamerica,or AmericaJason than asoninJapan and Taisha Jason...)

[Tnakamura11]

If you try to come back to Japan, why don't you do something to get a job and stay here. Even when it turns out that you need to leave once, it's worth starting job hunt from now.

[myargonauts]

oh, I've been hunting - trust me. :)

If I find something that is the right fit, I'll let you all know.

[BusanKevin]

I've said it before and I'll say it again....you've got passion for teaching. Not many teachers have the "passion." Doesn't matter where you are, teaching is always amazing :)

[lleverfreell]

Why not stay a month or so after your contract expires to travel around Japan? That way you'll get to see the places you'll otherwise regret not seeing. :)

[TaishaJason]

ok! I'll send an address where you can send monetary donations to the "Jason's travel fund" account. :)

[TaishaJason]

at this point I would marry anyone that would have me... :)

Seriously, it would have been nice if I had met a special someone during my time here, but it didn't happen, so we roll merrily along...

[ZoahPorre]

LOL.

Yea, you never know though, life is completely random, you may end up going back somehow for work. I wouldn't get married just to stay really :P..well maybe if America was a run down third world country perhaps, but its obviously not :)

[andyhoov]

I don't understand why so many people were disappointed with Watchmen. Not a single minute of the movie was wasted on anything trivial and its ending was, dare I say it, better than the books; or at least more relevant for the times.

[TaishaJason]

I guess I forgot to add this in the sidebar - I thought Watchmen ROCKED! I really, really liked it and will definitely be buying the extended DVD!

[Cronaldo02]

ouch watchmen? that must have destroyed your day huh? Watchmen, in my opinion was horrible.

[Regalia31]

Sounds like you got allot out of your JET experience. I am hoping to get in myself to have a similar experience.  Kind of like a soul searching quest that it sounds like it has been for you.

[afronathan]

Good luck in the future.

Great videos, most of my good information was from your channel. Thanks

[TaishaJason]

cool - glad the vids have been helpful.

[Smashingblue]

While it's a shame to see you leaving in four months, I'm sure if it's something you want, you'll be back teaching somewhere in Japan in the near future after your JET contract is up. I've pretty much watched your vlogs since you started them and it will be strange having no new JET/Japan related vlogs from you.

[winDragon79]

Hey, is that PadawanKim?

I knew it was only a matter of time until you guys met.

Its good to know that at least Japan won't be left in your past and you continue to visit. People regret the things they don't do instead of the things they do. :/

[TaishaJason]

yep - I'll have a proper little vlog up on my MyArgonauts channel soon with Kim and Mike.

[GorillaKickManga]

Sad to hear that you have to leave so soon.

I'll wish you the best from Korea.

[watsursnbaby]

I have a feeling that as much as you will miss Japan, it will definitely miss you ten times more Jason.You've touched countless lives over there.

[joebevis92]

good luck Jason

[Heyya1012]

Good luck in life champ. Ive learned a lot from your vidz, cheers

[TaishaJason]

thanks for the nice comment and thanks for watching

[TheWhitey]

Do you have any plans to visit Japan after you leave?

[TaishaJason]

oh for sure! I will definitely come back in 2010 in March to see some of all time favorite students graduate - and I hope to make it back as often as I can.

[rtfmtech]

There is a lot to see and do in Japan... I'm sure you could live a life time there and not see and do everything. I and I'm sure many others appreciate you taking your time to talk to us. You chose to share your life in Japan with us making videos with the time you could be spending doing other things.

Thanks for all the great vlogs Jason!

[SaundersKira]

Oh no I only just discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago I look forward to your upcoming videos

[myargonauts]

Thanks - I have plenty more coming up in the next four months. :)

[riedel69]

well you still be vlogging once you return to America?

[myargonauts]

yes - I plan on vlogging about the transition back to the 'real world" :)

and making vlogs for my students in Japanese about California