HOW and WHY I moved BACK to Japan

[TheTraveler12]

how did you get the job at the university? from outside the country.. i would think they would want to already be in teh country before offering you the job.

[myargonauts]

@TheTraveler12 I knew someone from my JETs days that worked at the uni and recommended me for the job

[myargonauts]

@MrGuinnessPint I'm sorry you've had a bad experience in Japan, but I'm glad you're in a place now where you feel more at ease. My experience so far has been nothing like yours, and everyday I interact with young people here who are eager to visit foreign countries and meet foreign people and learn about cultures other than Japan. I feel none of the animosity you speak of, but I don't live in a big city. Not every Japanese person has the same attitude toward gaijin, just as we are not alike.

[myargonauts]

@MrGuinnessPint well, I guess I'm not looking to be "accepted" by anyone necessarily - I just want to be a better all-around teacher with my Japanese students, and part of that entails being able to speak well with them in Japanese when needed.

[shackleberry]

Completely conversant in Sumo English? Fucking imposter! Go back to America and flip burgers!@

[myargonauts]

@shackleberry this is a really amusing comment - and I'm not sure where the hostility stems from. I do have a separate Sumo channel here on YT - link on my main page. I'm getting ready to watch and post about the Nagoya basho in July.

[AndrewDominoes]

Hey Jason,

How did you get a job at a Uni without a Masters? Just contacts (friends of friends)?

[myargonauts]

@AndrewDominoes yeah - I'm not a full professor yet, and I did know the person who recommended me for the job.

[GLeeBumaye]

Jason, I went to japan with Rotary this summer, and well I want to go back during college and after, I hope you could give me advice for living there. thanks

[shabutie1337]

angry japanese people?

[myargonauts]

@shabutie1337 some Japanese trolls got angry that I was shooting videos at school while working - so they sent emails to my employer

[harokeiti]

Jason, watching this makes me very happy for you! This sounds like a perfect job, and I am so relieved to see that JET serves as good experience for university-level teaching! Have a great time!

[myargonauts]

@harokeiti Thanks. I'm really enjoying it so far.

[ZoahPorre]

Hey Jason! Long time no see!

[lateblossom]

Peace pocky and preets- that was the BEST part of the video. Thanks Jason.

[myargonauts]

@lateblossom you're welcome - thanks for watching! :)

[Seanuk]

i want that t-shirt!!

[erad67]

Hello J, good to see things are working out for you. Good luck.

[chrismecking]

think things will work out for you!!! It seems you did a pretty good deal!

Hopefully you can move in your new appartement / house as soon as possible!!

Wish you all the best in your new job!!! Thanks for keeping us up to date!!

And your reason for going back, are the best a person could have!!!!

[goshuki]

Congrats on the new job! Hope you get settled in soon!

Love the videos they've always been inspiring me to get my ass back to Japan and teach!

[WhiteMatrix2006]

Well, it is great to see that you got a job that you will love and you were able to go back to Japan. I will be applying for JET in about 2 years (If they are still around). I graduated this past August 7th, but my wife would like to have a child first so that her grandparents can see the child. Families are allowed in JET right? Is it harder to get into if you have a family? I'm sure you have answered that before. Anyways, great to see you are doing good.

-Billy-

[myargonauts]

@WhiteMatrix2006 billy - yeah - families are fine on JET. I don't think it affects your chances - they just have different questions - like "what will your spouse do everyday while you're out teaching" etc.

[WhiteMatrix2006]

@myargonauts Oh okay. Well that's good to hear. I can't wait until I get to apply. You know we went to Tokyo for our honeymoon and I cannot wait to go back to Japan. We both absolutely loved it. I know life there is different than a honeymoon there, but I simply enjoyed everything from stores, to restaurants, and the train/subway. It was just all amazing. Again, it's great to see you back in Japan. Look forward to your videos of course. =)

-Billy-

[RavensDryad]

@WhiteMatrix2006 If you guys dont speak japanese I think it will be extremely hard for you to live in japan with a new baby! Your wife will be home alone all day with no help and no friends to rely on, she will be bored and lonely why do you think this would be a good idea???

[WhiteMatrix2006]

@RavensDryad People can learn Japanese. I took it for two years in college where I can read and write pretty well and while living over there I can work on my ability to speak it and the same goes for my wife. Based off of your comment you are saying families should not move there at all? I guess I am confused on what you are implying. Many families move over to Japan and do just fine.

[jman19mwi]

@RavensDryad then she has to go make new friends >.> that how life is your never going to stay with same friend all your life

[markshmily]

Congrats on the new job.

Hope you get settled in soon. =D

Good luck.

[mostawesomestjes]

That's exciting stuff! I would love to teach University kids! I think that might be what I do back in America. Hearing you talk makes me sad about leaving. Breaks my heart!

Your videos helped in a pretty large way! ^_^ Glad your back! Hope I have enough time to keep up with your videos! Sad they are coming often, but good for me because I wont have to miss any of them!

[kmah88]

looooooove your shirt! www

[ElevenColors]

WiMAX, y'all.

[gammaray0wn]

Hey Jason, do you have any comment on the talk lately of the current government cutting back or getting rid of JET altogether?

[myargonauts]

@gammaray0wn we did start a thread about it over on JapanJuku(dot)com - so head over to the forums for some of my thoughts

[cornelioushuxtable]

nice to see you again look forward professor Jason's posts

[Kortik]

I wanted to findout about that Phd in music cuase I am a musician myself thats all LOL

[foreverLiteNite]

Omedetou Jason on the uni job! Glad to see you back in Japan again. Thanks for your vids always.^^

[elsamuraiguapo]

Yeah, I'm with everyone else who wants to know about the "angry Japanese people" thing.

[angrywinds]

LMAO @ Angry Japanese people. Can you please tell me what happend?, I'm dying to know!!!

[anonymityismyname]

Jason why would some japanese people be so angry?

[dogpup23]

What happened with the angry japanese people thing? :o

[KingSaint]

I am glad you got a job doing something you like, I left Japan in August because JET wouldn't give me a contract teaching senior high school, now just looking forward to going back to school to study Japanese and get various degrees to make me more marketable to get back to Japan, just not as an English teacher. Best of luck to you. BTW, what do you think of all the talk about the continuing cutbacks in JET?

[ephemeross]

Glad to hear everything is getting back on track (: Goodluck with the new job/career!

- tora

[EzKitty]

Can I send my Letter of Interest to Jet for you to read over now? I would very much appreciate some feedback and critics.

[myargonauts]

@EzKitty best if you wait until mid-October when I'm moved into my new place and a bit more settled, so I can focus on it a bit more

[MageThief]

Thanks for the video.

Yeah I watch the sumo tournament also, it is so cool to see Hakuho sweep full house.

Good luck on your new Japan adventure and have fun.

[beikokujin]

Thanks for the update Jason, dont worry about vids while settling, the apartment/visa stuff sucks.. Anyway welcome back to Japan, the weather is finally getting cooler, at least at night (^_^)

[softypapa]

Welcome back! I hope that everything gets settled quickly and easily. Your new job sounds wonderful. Have a great holiday weekend! ~Kurt :-)

[myargonauts]

@softypapa a weekend of sumo for me. :) Thanks for the welcome back.

[Ishidasouken]

what kind of problem did you have, just by mentioning in which city you live, the last time around ?

[jmidesigns]

Im happy for you getting the job and that you have reached the goals you set like working by teaching and getting better pay, etc.

Your videos are so awsome and try and stay cool as much as you can. look forward to seeing more videos. peace out

ur friend Juan from LA

[myargonauts]

@jmidesigns Thanks Juan - appreciate the support.

[nokomarie1963]

I thought you had been pretty clear about that. Nice Popeye view of you, by the way. Good for you, go for it and good luck.

[42317]

You're aiming at a master's degree? Way to go, man!

But I heard it's harder the older you get and, of course, the longer you've been out of academic work. And doing it in Japan means there's no way around preparation and examination material that's in Japanese, or how will it be done?

[myargonauts]

@42317 I'm going to look into distance learning - I think a lot is done thru the mail - another professor at my uni just submitted his dissertation, so I'm going to be asking him about it soon.

[cutiegurljeni]

I can't wait until you get settle, so I can watch more videos. I haven't been to Japan in years, but I dream of living there one day. In a way, I'm living my dream through your videos! Congrats on your new job!

[tengyang2001]

It's good to know that you're alright and safe. And also in the future, I hope you'll share with us your experience of teaching English at a university level.

Later man, and thanks like always.

-Strength and Honor-

[Willagersan]

cercl

[agentm83]

That's cool about the new job, hopefully you get set up soon! Good luck.

[Ido013]

wtf a remote that turns your TV in English??

[myargonauts]

@Ido013 well, there is a button on many remotes that will turn on a sub-audio-channel that allows a 2nd track - in my case English when I watch Sumo.

[Ido013]

@myargonauts 便利な～ And we only got text captions here, Japan sure as a lot of wonders~ XD

[drhikarisan]

i didnt know you could teach at a college level without an MA. are the laws in Japan simply different or was there some sort of exception made due to the fact that you're a native english speaker? I realize of course you dont want to give out certain details but I'd appreciate it if you could perhaps let me know about this, message it to me if you want. I'm interested as thats a possibility i'm considering as well.

hope it works out, jason-hakase is it now? i think that's professor

[myargonauts]

@drhikarisan right - to become a full, tenured professor, you have to have at least an MA - I will be a "part-time" teacher at first.

[TiramisuHappy]

@drhikarisan

教授 (kyouju) = Professor

博士 (hakushi, or very colloquially "hakase") = Doctor

Hakushi degree can only be conferred on someone who successfully completes a doctorate thesis or dissertation (or in some rare cases as an honorary degree.)

[worldtravel101]

very cool thanks for the update

[KansaiJesse]

If you make it over to Osaka, we should go get some okonomiyaki. welcome back to Japan.

[BrianM1]

i feel so happy for u to be back in nihon! enjoy ur time!

[TkyoSam]

Ｓｈｉｚｚｌｅ　ｙｏ！

Fuck those asshole haterz -.-

[eyesonvoi]

wow I really admire you. I am still a University student, but I plan to move to Japan after graduating. I've been to Japan several time to experience as much as I can before I move there. I am really hoping to teach there and your videos really help a lot. Thanks!

[myargonauts]

@eyesonvoi cool - glad the vids help

[blueinuyasha12]

i cant wait to see more videos thanks for taking the time to make them its because of your videos that i decided on TEFL as a career

[TiramisuHappy]

How did クロネコヤマトの宅急便 work out for ya? Hahaha!!

Looking forward to some fantastic nightmare stories during the transition!

Good to know you've made it there in one piece, though! : )

P.S.

Yes, you should DEFINITELY work on your Japanese skills more this time around. I'd be glad to help in any way I can as well...

[myargonauts]

@TiramisuHappy the "dark cat" hahaha - was great - delivered my bags no problem - will for sure use them again next time I fly internationally

[Usagi1pyon]

Sweet Glad you made back to Japan safely, hope all goes well and i am really looking forward to your future videos. (^o^)/

[reynoldsair]

congrats on the new gig. it must be exciting!

[myargonauts]

@reynoldsair hasn't really started yet - classes start in October - but yeah, I'm excited to meet the new students, etc.

[afronathan]

I hope all goes well for you whilst you're in Japan!

[RelVleDy]

I hope those angry Japanese people weren't racist guys sending you death threats. If so, I was under the impression Japanese were friendlier than that, let alone be angry at others in general.

[myargonauts]

@RelVleDy no - nothing like that. Some Japanese are not happy about JET and how it's paid for and some of them took it out on me as a visible face of the program

[jacobNM1993]

yeah your back can't wait to see more videos from you should be cool to see your impression of teaching in a university can't wait to see the area if you show any since you dont want us to know where you are but cant wait for anything lol

[psmtheman]

Nice shirt, Yokozuna... lol

[Callum027]

yeah, the okonomiyaki in Hiroshima is amazing

[nomec182]

4 more years? You dont see yourself living there permanently?

[myargonauts]

@nomec182 well - maybe - but I can't really say until I see how the job works out, etc...

[kua514]

awesome news!! good to see the trip went fairly well. been watching your videos for some time now and hope to see more!

P.S. Love the T-Shirt. I want it!! (:P)

Peace

[myargonauts]

@kua514 got the t-shirt at j-list(dot)com

[jusblaze99]

wait, "angry japanese people????" awwww man wat happened- u must elaborate lol....

[jusblaze99]

argonauts u rule.....

[ryokosdesire]

A university job huh, sounds pretty sweet. So you're going to get your Master's in History I would guess. Do you plan on taking online courses or getting the degree at a Japanese college? One more little extra thing. You probably already know about this, but some colleges like Shimane University offer Japanese lessons for free for foreigners. I took a JLPT class and a couple others while I was studying and they were really helpful. Kim took a class there for free too. Good luck.

[myargonauts]

@ryokosdesire to become a tenured professor, my MA might have to focus on something like EFL or teaching, but I'll look into it

[michal1337]

What does "Yokozuna" mean ?:D

[myargonauts]

@michal1337 Yokozuna is the highest ranked wrestler in Sumo - currently a guy named Hakuho. The joke of the shirt is that the character font and colors look just like the sign for a famous restaurant chain here with a similar name - Yoshinoya

[liljezta1]

Lol angry japanese people

[BaiLazo]

Good job and good luck :)

I know it's off topic but what happened before with revealing your location? I'm not asking you to tell where you are, just the case that made you hide it. Keep up with the videos :)

[PiratePotatoe]

good luck with the jobs

[liljezta1]

Love your info videos :D

[matman125]

Wow, congrats on the new venture!

[ozzy78]

glad u r back in Japan and will be starting a really good job. goodluck and I look forward to more videos. And of course....awesome t-shirt!

[TokyoZeplin]

Good luck with the new thing :)

[tobco79]

Cheers Mate, Nice to see you are good :)

[TokyoNerd]

It's nice to see you back in Japan.

[DanielGuerrera]

Good to hear from you Jason!

JapanJuku has been a little quiet lately. Look forward to your return there as well.

[myargonauts]

@DanielGuerrera for sure this weekend

[Oaklio]

You're a good guy - I'm glad everything's working out for you in Japan.

[olmyjulia]

Man, I'm so jealous! Sounds like things are really going in your favor. I hope you get to stay there as long as you want!!

[angel21d]

Im glad you are where you want to be Jason! :) You really have helped a lot of new jets get into the program, including me! :) Ive been here for a total of 49 days so I kinda beat you in getting here the fastest! :D Lol jk.

[myargonauts]

@angel21d hope you're surviving the heat and are enjoying the start of your teaching

[7elmig]

Would that everything turns out windward with you. I'll never go to Japan -- so's life --, so knowing your location is of the utmost indifference to me. What bothers me, though, is your having to fear some unpleasantness because of your great videos. Hope that fear doesn't stop you from doing my favourites: the ones in which you show us around Japan.

[myargonauts]

@7elmig nah - plenty of those on the way - I hope to go to Kyushu in November and really do some traveling in Japan during this stint

[jismoelti08]

@myargonauts

We're living in Kumamoto! Lets meet somewhere!

[graphicartman]

Wow thats great news I hope you have lots of success and find this new job fulfilling.

[BusanKevin]

Im happy you are back in Japan and things are going as planned! Hope to hook up with you again soon :)

[goodboy20022002]

goodluck!

[crazyzee81]

Great video on this second term of teaching. I didnt know you were gonna be at University this time, thats awesome. I'm sure the benefits will be better then other schools. Your videos and a few other YT's are a main influence for my upcoming trip to Japan. I cant wait to get there, its gonna be a month+ vacation. Right now I'm trying to find out more about the rail pass and how much ferry rides are to other areas.

[myargonauts]

@crazyzee81 cool - have fun!

[myargonauts]

@crazyzee81 cool - have fun!

[gortex1us]

Grats on the new job.

[yokohamaguy75]

Thank you for the update, Jason. Congratulations on your new teaching position. Looking forward to more of your videos. I hope you get settled in to your new apartment soon, so you can really stretch out and enjoy Sumo.

[maple4maple]

cool that you made a new video!

thumbs up!

[Japantics]

sounds like a sweet gig. welcome back.

[myargonauts]

@Japantics stop writing comments and post another podcast - I'm waiting! :)

[lord123j]

Well done Mr! Doing us proud! All the best from Ireland! Slan

[Jinxie228]

GREAT to see ya back in Japan --looking forward to seeing more videos from you! I like visiting Japan, through your videos!

[myargonauts]

@Jinxie228 cool - thanks for watching!