Moving to Kyoto

[Musashi898]

Next year im planning to stay in Japan for about a month, to look for houses, jobs and a good Iaido Dojo, does anyoe know any in Kyoto, oh and does anyone know Sensei Oyster? (i apoligise if thats the wrong spelling). As i heard my Sensei has to write to him and ask him to grant a letter of recommendation to train?

Thanks

Damian Chan

[Pan-Chan]

Whoa, you're lucky, I'd L-O-V-E to go to Kyoto; and you're only sixteen?

Insane, lol. Are you visiting family or something there?

Anyways, I don't know about the things you are asking, unfortunately; this is more or a 'man-I'm-envious-why-don't-I-make-a-comment' post, heh. But I do know of a really good article, in our forum site's VERY OWN magazine, on the subject of going to Japan to live and work for an extended amout of time; it might be in the 'Feature Stories' section.

Good luck and have fun on your trip.

[Musashi898]

Yeh im really looking forward to it i'll be 17 when i vist Kyoto, im visting a friend, im lucky enough to stay at their apartment for the month, but i think i will get some more money just encase things don't go as planned, it's going to be gr8 i need to catch up on speaking abit more Japanese, and then look for somewhere to live in Kyoto and hopefully get a job, Alot of money but i think it's very much worth, thanks for your comment :-)

[mkomoto]

Good luck with your trip.

I highly recommend you look into this site and search for others about visiting and the types of visas required for working in Japan:

http://www.learn4good.com/travel/japan_visa.htm

Even though Japan needs immigration, particularly workers at every level and type of job, due to a little hysteria with the spin of xenophobia, authorities are very strict about visa status, term of stay and so forth.

Japan, unlike other modern countries, does not have appeal processes, amnesty for visa violators, etc.. You get detained, expelled (and fined sometimes) and are barred from re-entering Japan again.

Please take the proper steps necessary to attain your goals, and have a rewarding visit to Japan.

MK

[Musashi898]

Thanks for the Info :-)

[Aaramis]

I'm currently in Osaka (about a 40min trainride from Kyoto), and intend to be here for at least a year or 3 :p

So if you need a hand with anything when ya get here, I can help out.
Kyoto's a very nice city, you'll like it.

If I didn't work in downtown Osaka, Kyoto is where I'd be in a heartbeat.

[Musashi898]

Yeh i will take u up on that if thats ok, because i will need all the help i can get :-), at the min im learning japanese but need to search for proper classes in a college or something, whats wiv that u need a visa etc?

[ShinKenshi]

Yeh i will take u up on that if thats ok, because i will need all the help i can get :-), at the min im learning japanese but need to search for proper classes in a college or something, whats wiv that u need a visa etc? You mean why you need a visa when travelling to Japan? Any time you plan on staying in Japan for a long period of time you need a visa. It's just something that says you're allowed to stay in the country for a certain period of time. Be careful and don't stay in Japan longer than the visa is valid for because you will get deported. If you think you might be staying longer than you initially planned, then contact the British Embassy in Tokyo and they'll help you out. Whatever you do, don't loose track of how long you've been in the country. Better to leave early than have to scramble to get out of the country on your own than by the Japanese government.

[chidokan]

why not investigate the JET programme? This allows you to stay for a year, everything is organised for you, however you dont get to pick the city you go to, you get what you get... One of my friends is off there on saturday to Kagoshima on the programme. However, a holiday there first is a good idea, not all westerners can take the severe change in culture. There are several well recommended dojo in Kyoto, however it is a BIG place, and they are well spread around. Oshita sensei is in Kobe if you wish to study seitei iaido, that is the nearest name I can think of you may have heard of, he visits England, so maybe your teacher knows him. Get a map of Kyoto and have a look where that is, it may be a LONG way from where you choose to stay. kyoto university also has iaido (Nishimoto sensei), as does Osaka, etc etc...(for Osaka I would recommend Isshikki sensei, he is simply outstanding) Try Himeji for another good dojo. (Yabe sensei amongst others) They run seminars as do most associations, I attended one with 30 odd nanadan and 4 hachidan... plus others. This is just ZNKR, and does not include ZNIR or the various other independent dojo....problem is they are hard to find, you have either to be lucky or know someone who either lives there, been there etc...
I have just come back from a trip to Kyoto so take a quick look at my website as to the possibilities...

[Aaramis]

Yes, the JET program / Nova Group / E.C.C. are the most common options - you teach English for a year, and they handle all VISA concerns for you.


However, given your age, and some of these companies have certain restrictions (i.e. I'm with Nova - and required a university degree to be considered for a full-time instructor position), I'm not sure if that would work, or even if you'd want to work if you could.

But yes, as mentioned before, be sure to check out your VISA / Passport info ahead of time. *Very* important.

[Musashi898]

yeh i will check the JET Program out, yeh my sensei knows Oshita Sensei.

[Kingofmyrrh]

JET requires a degree. So does pretty much every other job for foreigners in Japan, unless you're willing to be an 'entertainer' or work illegally.