Japan: The Grand Adventure - By: Tom Aaron

During the great boom in Japan of the 1980s and on through the 1990s, some English teachers were earning $50.00 to $100.00 an hour while the basic salary for English teachers was 250,000 yen per month. The government required schools to pay teachers this minimum before giving visas, thus establishing the basic salary. On 250,000 yen, teachers could pay the rent, eat out, enjoy themselves, and still save the equivalent of approximately $1000 each month. Most native English speakers could fly into Japan, pick up an English newspaper, find the help wanted pages, and have several job offers within a week. Some jobs paid the minimum, but most offered more; the minimum was not sufficient for schools to find teachers. Many schools, unable to find applicants in Japan, recruited teachers from the United States, Canada, and other English speaking countries.

As the 1990s progressed, the economy deteriorated, and fewer teaching jobs were available. Native English speakers arriving in Japan found that a college degree was no longer enough to guarantee finding employement in a few days. With fewer jobs available, schools became able to pick and choose based on ability, qualifications, age, appearance, gender, and race while only offering the basic minimum salary of 250,000 yen. Closer examination of teacher qualifications and ability was welcome, but the resulting discrimination based on age and appearance was not.

Now, the competition is tougher for jobs; salaries are closer to the 250,000 yen minimum established by the government. Still, a college degree, some dedication, shoe leather, and perseverance coupled with some relevant experience and skills may be enough to find a job. Type "teach English in Japan" in your web browser and search to find all the information you need to get started.

If you are only thinking about teaching English in Japan for the money, we suggest you look elsewhere. If you are thinking about Korea, China, or other countries that hire English teachers, go ahead. We are writing of Japan because we know Japan. We have ridden the bullet trains, eaten the sushi, and gotten lost in rural and urban regions. We found our grand adventure here and you may find yours. Here are a few of my memories from Japan:

Omikoshi carrying: Omikoshi are portable shrines resting on two logs or beams. The total weight of one shrine and the two beams or logs that support it can weigh several tons. The omikoshi are carried in parades by groups. The people carrying the omikoshi have an up and down rhythm as they carry the omikoshi for hours. The people in each group spell each other, so no one falls due to exhaustion. I still remember the warm summer night, the beat of the drums, and the weight on my shoulders. Unable to match the rhythm and taller than the other carriers, my shoulder was bruised and my back sore, but I still remember that special night.

Outdoor mountain hotsprings: Emerge yourself in the hot water of a mountain hotspring, surrounded by friends and hills. Soak in the hot water as the snowflakes fall toward you and the steam.

Speaking Japanese: While many Japanese speak English, many Japanese also speak little or no English. Outside of work, I struggled to learn Japanese, trying to put words together to make sentences and trying to use sentences to communicate. At last, I was able to communicate in Japanese. I met an elderly woman who had lived in Manchuria when it was part of the Japanese empire in the 1930s and 1940s. Asking what Manchuria was like in those historic times, I waited eagerly for an epic tale. She had only one sentence: It was dirty.

Sweet grasshoppers: Sitting at a kotatsu, a table with a heating element under it that warmed my legs, I was offered grasshoppers. Once a major source of calcium, grasshoppers are no longer important for the Japanese diet. Looking at the insects head, wings, and legs was not encouraging. Crunchy and a little too sweet.

Carved Buddhas in the rocks: The temples and shrines of Kyoto, Nara, and Nikko are world famous and not to be missed. Still, out for a walk in the country one day, I came upon a series of Buddhas carved in the rock. Standing in the shadows, I thought of who had carved the Buddhas in the stone and why they were there.

These are a few of my memories. Teaching English in Japan was my grand adventure. It could be yours too.

About the Author

Aaron Language Services (http://www.aaronlanguage.com/ ) provides translation, proofreading, and online English coaching to a primarily Japanese client base. We specialize in Japanese to English translation, but also handle other languages.

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