Things I wish I'd known before coming to Japan....

I've been terrible about  keeping up with this blog - I'm sorry. I had so many grand plans of blogging, doing my design work, homeschooling my son, and traveling (on top of teaching) - I just haven't had time to all of it. However, I can at least share some insight I've learned in my first year here. 

Things to know in the first few months: (aka things I wish I’d known)
-- and of course ESID, so these things apply to my situation, but may not apply to yours --

If you are a single parent from the USA - you must 'prove' your single status by submitting a notarized document from the US embassy saying you are single and the sole supporter of your child. Typically a Japanese person would use their family registry, however since we don't have a family registry (to the astonishment of my city hall) you must get this form to prove your single status. I tried to use a tax return, but they wouldn't accept it. It cost $50 (in 2013) *check the embassy website for costs now...plus my train to get there and back. So I recommend that you go during Tokyo orientation if you can and save yourself the day of Nenkyuu and the costs of getting to either Osaka or Tokyo. You must make an appointment with the embassy, bring your passport and confirmation of the appointment. I know you'll be jetlagged and exhausted, but getting that paper in Tokyo will save you money and nenkyuu time because the embassy is closed on Japanese and American holidays. You can get the child payment without the document, but if you are a single parent, you are eligible for a much larger payment. It varies from city to city I believe, however just to give you an idea…in my town, every family receives 10,000 yen per child, but as a single parent I receive 41,100 yen additional. I don’t know how much it would increase if you had more than one child. It is paid every 4 months directly into your bank account. I lost about 4 months of the increased payment, because I didn’t have the document, so if you get the notarized letter in Tokyo, it will be paid to you much faster. You can download the form from the embassy website and you’ll have to include your name, address in Japan, you’re a US citizen, and a message that you are the sole supporter of your child, nobody else is living with you or supporting you financially, etc. If you are divorced you must include that date. You will have to raise your right hand and swear that all the information is true in front of the notary. They’ll stamp it and you’ll be golden. You also will have to get it translated into Japanese, by someone. Depending on your city it may need or may not need to be an official translation.

ESID (I know, I know)…however, in my case initial startup expenses were a lot. The first few months were really tough, however after I got through them, now I’m able to save almost $1000 a month (again…ESID, you may be able to save more or less), so if you can just make it through the first few months you’ll be alright. I also had to pay an astronomical amount of key money and a pet deposit – so the first few months for me were incredibly tight, you may be lucky and not have to pay key money (most JETs don’t). Also just getting used to only getting paid once a month was an adjustment as well.

I don’t think anyone can truly prepare you for how exhausted you’ll be for the first few months – every person, every child will react differently to the new situation. My advice is to just relax and try not to do too much in the first few months. It took us a good 6-7 months to really be comfortable and settle in completely. I highly recommend you plan to spend at least 2 years in Japan. As the end of my first year draws close, I really feel like we can finally start exploring Japan a lot more and language-wise, my son has really just started speaking Japanese fluently. Another year and he will be completely fluent. – I need to study!! -- ;)

I had grand plans of studying Japanese, doing my graphic design work, sketching, working on my portfolio, etc…after work --- one year later and it still hasn’t happened. Partially because my computer needs updating and I need to buy new programs, –but that doesn’t have anything to do with sketching or studying Japanese -- but mostly because I’ve just been too tired to work or study after C is in bed. Although I’m finally at a point where I can start working on my stuff again, and I’ve started taking classes on Coursera.

Housework in Japan is a never ending battle and there is a learning curve. I will add some helpful recipes for combating mold in the shower, getting stains out of the electric kettle and so on….things I’ve learned over the course of my year here (or you can just do an online search). You’ll need a good vacuum cleaner because the amount of dust bunnies that collect is amazing – they really do multiply like bunnies. I have to vacuum at least every other day. Oh, I’ve also included a recipe for an amazing cake baked in the rice cooker…A bit embarrassing, but I’ve eaten a lot of cake in my year here… warm chocolate cake and coffee are my motivation and reward for staying up and getting stuff done after C has gone to sleep! ;)

Rice freezes really well! Don’t waste rice, like I did at first because I didn’t know any better. It’s hard to make just one serving of rice, so if you make a lot and freeze some in individual portions while it’s still slightly warm (you need the moisture), you can pop it in the microwave in the mornings and it is just like it was fresh from the cooker. Good way to save time for bentos in the morning (plus you don’t have to clean the rice cooker as often either!) Or for breakfast you can eat rice with some milk and cinnamon sugar on top and it’s kind of like a hot cereal. Also, when you make dinner, set aside some for bentos, it's pretty easy to make miniature versions of dinner foods that you can freeze later for quick bentos.

If I think of more, I will add to this post, but the notarized letter was the biggest thing I wanted to share for you guys who are incoming this year. Best of luck to you! I've really enjoyed my first year here, and I'm looking forward to my second! Let's rock this year! ;)

Planning the future - always trying to stay one step ahead....

First thing to understand about me is I am a planner. I have plans for vacations I want to take with C in high school already. I started considering moving back to Japan when C was born. I really started planning the details six months before I applied to the JET Program, and more than a year and a half before we moved here. Now with a year and a half left, it’s time for me to start planning our return to America. Two years in Japan is what I always planned. It’s the perfect amount of time for us I think. Career, money, travel and learning Japanese-wise, both positive and negative, it all boils down to 2 years. I also don’t plan on returning to Texas when I move back, so I have to set up a whole new life in a completely different city.

So here is what I’ve started looking into for our return. I don’t have an answer for most of these – honestly I have more questions than answers at this point – but just food for thought (and my own organizational sanity)…

Timing – if we leave Japan at the end of July/early August and school starts in the states in early September, how to get him registered for school from half a world away, find a place to live, get a car, a job and insurance, and get all of our stuff from storage in Texas to Seattle. How to travel and enjoy the last few weeks in Japan and still make it back in time to set up a life, adjust to reverse culture shock, Jet-lag and settling in, before the start of the school year.

School registration starts in February in Seattle…

How to logistically get myself to Seattle for a visit to see if it’s really where I want to live permanently before we leave Japan. Pretty sure it is, but I’ve never actually been there, so I want to visit first. My idea is this Christmas holiday, fly from Japan to Texas, drop off C in Texas with my parents, fly to Seattle, spend a few days there and then fly back home to Texas. Spend Christmas with family and then C and I will fly back to Japan. Not exactly a relaxing vacation for me, but I’m not seeing a whole lot of other options. I could break it up into 2 separate trips but that would be so expensive it’s not worth it.

Oh – and what to do with the cat for 2 weeks while we’re visiting home.

How do I fit in everything I want to see and need to do in a few days in Seattle?

How do I register C for school from Japan? There is a school in Seattle that offers a half day Japanese Immersion program that I would love for C to be able to get into, however I won’t be a resident until a few weeks before school starts. Will this program be full by then? And it says that 2nd graders will need to test into the program so they can keep up with the work that is taught in Japanese. When is that test given? Plus it’s in one of the most expensive parts of the city, so basically I’m looking at studio apartments to get us residency status before I can think about looking for a more spacious place.

There is talk about the school potentially becoming an open enrollment school (anyone living anywhere in Seattle can attend, not just the local neighborhood kids) however that opens up a whole other set of issues I don’t want to worry about until I have to. If it does become open enrollment, there is the potential for a lottery system if too may people apply to get in. On the other hand, we could live in a cheaper area of seattle….

How quickly can I find a job so I can fill out a rental agreement and afford said studio apartment? Or better yet, is it possible to have a job set up when we arrive in Seattle?

How am I going to make a studio apartment work with a three bedroom house’s worth of stuff, a kid and a cat??!! Even if it’s just short term….

How to I physically move stuff from Texas to Seattle? How much will it cost to hire someone to help me get all my stuff to Seattle and move it into my apartment?

Is it possible to not need a car (at least for the short term) in Seattle? Depending on where my job is in relation to where we live, maybe bike and bus are options.

After school care – where/what is available and can I reserve a spot for C before establishing residency? How much is it and can I afford it?

Insurance!!! Good gracious! Insurance is a huge question – even if it is temporary or private insurance and with the new rules for Obama-care how does all that stuff work? (please keep political comments to yourself)

Culture shock – how do I do all of this and help C through reverse culture shock while probably dealing with it myself. At least when we moved to Japan I had a week before C arrived to set up everything, get utilities, a phone, etc established….In Seattle, I won’t have that time to get things established before C arrives.

And…how will he react? He reverted to a screaming 2 year old for a little while when we moved to Japan because of the stress of the move and new school. Now he’s back to his usual sweet self, but how will his behavior be affected upon our return? I think we’re both going to be exhausted the first few months back.

Money – how much is this all going to cost and can we travel and enjoy Japan while still saving enough to make it through (with some emergency savings) another international move?

Seattle is much more expensive than Texas. What is the cost of living and how do I know my potential salary is fair and how much do I need to be asking for based on my experience and work history?

How will my 2 years in Japan negatively affect my chances of getting a good job in my field quickly? Also, with few contacts in Seattle, I don’t have a network of co-workers to ask around for job openings like I do in Texas…


Positive things about moving to Seattle are:    
I have a friend in Seattle who can show me around and works in the same field, so they may be able to help me find a job
I am quite certain it’s ‘where I belong’
I love the rain!
It’s a big city for design and advertising, so I’m hoping finding a job won’t take too long. Even if it’s just freelance for a little while, I can deal with that.
Farmer’s Market!!!!
Coffee!!!
Larger Japanese community and immersion school for C


It’s quite daunting when I try to think about it. Even more so than moving to Japan where housing was already set up for me, someone was here making sure the utilities were scheduled to be turned on the day I moved in, I had a job and insurance lined up, and C was already enrolled in daycare.  Though there were a lot of stressful unknowns moving to Japan, there are just as many if not more unknowns about moving back. At least I will know how to go about getting things done, and I can speak the language. Plus my friends and family will still be far away, but much closer than now if I need to ask for help or advice.
...and this is why I plan things so far in advance!