List of Accredited Universities

List of Accredited Universities

http://www.unesco.org/iau/onlinedatabases/list_data/u-nw.html#United_Kingdom

Jobs in Japan

Here are a variety of sites with information relevant to teaching in Japan:

For information about job hunting in Japan:

1. EFL in Asia at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/7947/eflasia.htm
2. Teaching English in Japan: A Guide to Getting a Job at http://www.wizweb.com/~susan/japan
3. Information for those seeking university positions (not a job list) at www.debito.org/univquestions.html

For job postings:

1. CareerCross Bilingual Employment in Japan at www.careercross.com
2. EFL, ESL and Other Teaching Jobs in Japan at www.jobsinjapan.com
3. ELT News at www.eltnews.com/jobsinjapan.shtml
4. ESL Cafe Job Center at www.eslcafe.com/joblist
5. Gaijin Pot Japan Jobs at www.gaijinpot.com/job_search.php
6. Hokkaido Insider at www.ne.jp/asahi/hokkaido/kenhartmann/
7. JACET (The Japan Association of College English Teachers) Job Openings at www.jacet.org
8. JALT Jobs and Career Enhancement links at www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/jobs
9. Japan Research Career Information Network at http://jrecin.jst.go.jp
10. JETAA Job Guide at http://cheno.com/job/jobbank
11. Jobs in Japan at www.englishresource.com/index.html
12. Ohayo Sensei at www.ohayosensei.com/
13. TESOL career page at http://careers.tesol.org/search/browse
14. The Chronicle of Higher Education Career Page at http://chronicle.com/jobs
15. The Digital Education Information Network Job Centre at www.edufind.com/index.cfm
16. World English Jobs at www.englishjobmaze.com
17. Japan Research Career Information:
    http://jrecin.jst.go.jp/seek/SeekTop?ln=1

I got these links from <http://www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/jobs/>

Buying a House in Tokyo

I have recently bought a house in Japan and had to go through a ton of stuff to get it done.  Here’s the deal:

Real Estate Agent

We went through about 5 agents to find our house.  Each differed greatly.  Some were knowledable while others were just winging it.  Therefore, it is advised to see as many as possible to ensure you are getting a good agent.

Usefull Terms

Ability　りきん
Applicant　ごじしん
Appointment　やくそく
Asset　しさん
Average　へいきん
Borrow　かりる
Budget　よさん
Calculate　さんしゅつ　算出
Call Back　おりかえしでんわ
Construction　けんちく
Coverage　けんぺいりつ
Deposit　てつけ
Difficult to rent　かしにくい
Discount ねびき
Down Payment　あたまきん　頭金
Earnest　ほんき
Economy　けいざい
Envirnoment　かんきょう
Evidence　しょうこ
Garden　ていえん
Home　いっこだて
House Size　いえのめんせき
House Structure　いえのこうぞう
How long has it been for sale?　どのくらいのきかんうりだしていますか？
How many stories　なんかいだてですか？
Insurance　ほけん
Interest Rate　りし　利子
Investment　とうし　投資
Law　ほうりつ　法律
Loan　かす
Low　ひくい　低い
Lowest　さいてい
Maintenance　かんりひ
Minimum　さいてい
Mortgage ていとう　抵当
Near Road　せつどう
Negotiation　こうしょう
Owner　ぎょうしゃ
Parking　ちゅうしゃじょう
Person Living in the house or not　げんきょう
Powerlines　こうあつせん
Profit　りえき
Reform　リフォーム
Rent it after buying it　ちんたい
Rule　きそく
Sell　うる　売る
Tax　ぜいきん　税金
Too old　ふるすぎ
Violation　いはん
When you can move in　ひきわたしはいつですか
Yearly Income　ねんしゅう

Real Estate Forms

A house　じゅうたく　住宅
A sum　きんがく　金額
Applicant　もうしこみ　申し込み
Borrowing　かりいれ　借り入れ
Capital Funds　しほん　資本金
Company
Company　かいしゃ　会社
Contents　ないよう　内容
Daytime　にっちゅう　日中
Debt　かり　借り
Division Department
Division　くかく　区画
Enter the company　にゅうしゃ　入社
Establishment　せつりつ　設立
Every Year　まいとし　毎年
Gender　せいべつ　性別
Guarantee ほしょう　保証
Hope/Desire　きぼう　希望
How long have you worked　きんぞくねんすうはどれくらいですか
勤続年数はどれくらいですか
Including Bonus　うちぶあい　内歩合
Income　しゅうにゅう　収入
Job Classification　しょくしゅ　職種
Mandatory Retirement　ていねん　定年
Object　ぶっけん
Occupation　しょくぎょう　職業
Official Possition　やくしょく　役職
Purchase こうにゅう　購入
Seal　いん　印
Type of Business　ぎょうしゅ　業種
Yearly Income　ねんしょう　年商
This information is more for my reference than anything else.  But if you want to buy a house in Tokyo this vocabulary will be useful.

Tokyo Train System

As a child living in a remote part of Vancouver Island called Bowser, i would wave at the VR Dayliner that ran from Victoria to Courtenay in the morning and, if i got the chance, i would wave at it again when it returned to Victoria in the evening. If i was a child living in Tokyo i would have a sore arm.

Taking the train in Japan can be a bit strange at first, especially when there are few signs in English. The train system also gives you a sense of the enormity of Tokyo. Here’s some information about the trains.

Train Categories

普通 Local (kakueki-teisha or futsuu-densha)
Local trains stop at every station.

快速 Rapid (kaisoku)
Rapid trains skip some stations. There is no difference in the ticket price between local and rapid trains.

急行　Express (kyuukou)
Express trains stop at even fewer stations than rapid trains. Japan Railways (JR) charges an express fee in addition to the base fare.

特急　Limited Express (tokkyu)
Limited express trains stop only at major stations. A limited express fee usually has to be paid in addition to the base fare. It is typically between 500 and 4000 yen. JR railway companies always charge this fee, but some other private railway companies do not.

新幹線　Super Express (shinkansen)
Shinkansen are only operated by JR. Shinkansen run along separate tracks and platforms. A limited express fee has to be paid in addition to the base fare. It is typically between 800 and 8000 yen.

Tokyo Trains

There is little difference between train and metro, as most metro lines are connected to private railways and use the same trains. There are numerous other private companies serving the suburbs.

Traveling by train can be very expensive because you get charge for each train company. For example, if you change train companies three times on route to your destination it could cost you 450 yen for the complete trip. Where as the same distance with one train company may cost you only 160 yen.

Why don’t you stay with one company you ask? Because if you have to transfer twice it could be three different train lines. Here’s the train line breakdown:

The Japan Railway (JR)

East Japan Railway Company

Shinkansen 新幹線

Akita Shinkansen (秋田新幹線)(Morioka – Akita)
Hokuriku Shinkansen (北陸新幹線)(Tokyo – Nagano)
Jōetsu Shinkansen (上越新幹線)(Tokyo – Niigata)
Tōhoku Shinkansen (東北新幹線)(Tokyo – Sendai – Hachinohe)
Yamagata Shinkansen (山形新幹線)(Fukushima – Shinjō)

Tokyo Suburban Area (東京近郊区間)

赤羽線 Akabane Line (Ikebukuro – Akabane)
中央本線 Chūō Main Line (Tokyo – Shiojiri – Nagoya)
中央快速線 Chūō Rapid Line (Tokyo – Takao – Ōtsuki)
中央・総武緩行線 Chūō-Sōbu Line (Mitaka – Shinjuku – Chiba)
八高線 Hachikō Line (Hachiōji – Takasaki)
五日市線 Itsukaichi Line (Haijima – Musashi Itsukaichi)
常磐線 Jōban Line (Ueno – Hitachi)
川越線 Kawagoe Line (Ōmiya – Kawagoe – Komagawa)
京浜東北線 Keihin-Tōhoku Line () (Ōmiya – Tokyo – Yokohama)
京葉線 Keiyō Line (Tokyo – Soga)
水戸線 Mito Line (Oyama – Tomobe)
武蔵野線 Musashino Line (Fuchū Hommachi – Nishi Funabashi) (Tokyo outer loop)
南武線 Nambu Line (Kawasaki – Tachikawa; Shitte – Hamakawasaki)
成田線 Narita Line (Sakura – Chōshi; Abiko – Narita; Narita – Narita Airport)
根岸線 Negishi Line (Yokohama – Ōfuna)
青梅線 Ōme Line (Tachikawa – Ōme – Okutama)
両毛線 Ryōmō Line (Oyama – Shin Maebashi)
相模線 Sagami Line (Hashimoto – Chigasaki)
埼京線 Saikyō Line (Ōsaki – Ōmiya)
湘南新宿ライン Shōnan-Shinjuku Line (Ōmiya – Shinjuku – Ōfuna)
総武本線 Sōbu Main Line (Tokyo – Chōshi)
外房線 Sotobō Line (Chiba – Mobara – Awa Kamogawa)
高崎線 Takasaki Line (Ōmiya – Takasaki)
東金線 Tōgane Line (Narutō – Ōami)
東北本線 Tōhoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line) ((宇都宮線)) (Ueno – Kuroiso)
東海道本線 Tōkaidō Main Line (Tōkyō – Yokohama – Atami)
鶴見線 Tsurumi Line (Tsurumi – Ōgimachi; Anzen – Ōkawa; Asano – Umishibaura)
内房線 Uchibō Line (Soga – Kisarazu – Awa Kamogawa)
宇都宮線 Utsunomiya Line () (Ueno – Utsunomiya)
山手線 Yamanote Line (Ōsaki – Shinjuku – Tabata – Tōkyō – Osaki. Tokyo inner loop)
横浜線 Yokohama Line (Higashi Kanagawa – Hachiōji)
横須賀線 Yokosuka Line (Tokyo – Kurihama)

Tokyo Metro Subway 東京メトロ (Eidan Chikatetsu) 9 Lines

銀座線　Ginza Line
丸ノ内線　 Marunouchi Line
日比谷線　 Hibiya Line
千代田線 Chiyoda Line
半蔵門線 Hanzomon Line
東西線 Tozai Line
南北線 Namboku Line
有楽町線 Yurakucho Line
新有楽町線New Yurakucho Line
副都心　Fukutoshin Line

Toei Subway (Tokyo Metropolitan Goverment) 4 lines

新宿線　Shinjuku Line
三田線　Mita Line
浅草線　Asakusa Line
大江戸線　Oedo Line

Smaller Private Train Companies

京急 Keikyu: Short for Keihin-Kyuko (京浜急行) Tokyo (東京) – Yokohama (横浜) Express
京王 Keio: Tokyo (東京) – Hachioji (八王子)
京成 Keisei: Tokyo (東京) – Narita (成田)
小田急 Odakyu: Odawara (小田原) Express (急行)
西武 Seibu: West (西) Musashi (武). Musashi is old name of the region North and West of Tokyo.
東武 Tobu: East (東) Musashi (武).
東急 Tokyu: Tokyo (東京) Express (急行), which has 9 lines connecting various places in the Kanagawa prefecture and Southern Tokyo (Shibuya, Meguro, Gotanda, Oimachi).

Ballroom Dance Shoes

My sensei at the ballroom dojo has requested (mandatory request) that i buy some proper dance shoes. So i’ve been on the hunt. Like everything in life, dance shoes are not cheap and I just found out i need two pairs to really call myself a ballroom samurai.

Modern Ballroom Dance Shoes

These modern dance shoes have a small heal and look like work shoes or golf shoes. The one to the right is on sale for only $200.00 to $80.00. A bargain! The only disadvantage to these shoes, the clerk told me, was that they stand out. No kidding!

Latin Ballroom Dance Shoes

Check out the heal on those puppies! There is just something wrong about this type of shoe. It looks like something Liberachi would wear. I think i’ll just be avoiding the Latin style dance for a while until i get good enough to be able to pull off a style of shoe like this. The lady at the store also told me that Japanese men prefer these types of shoes with high heals because the women wear super high heals when they dance which make the men feel short. Luckily i don’t have this problem. These ones are also on sale from $200.00 to $80.00.

I’m going ballroom dancing tomorrow night and then out for a nomihodai (all you can drink party) afterwards. So far i’ve met a bunch of interesting people. For example, a pilot for JFORCE, an immigration lawyer and foreign start up company lawyer, a veterinarian, and a graphic designer. No one speaks English so it’s a good chance for me to brush up on my Japanese. So far I’ve been studying the Tango, Waltz, Blues, Jitterbug, Samba, Salsa, and the Mambo. It’s great fun and awesome exercise.

Dance Shoes Stores in Tokyo

http://www.dansusyu-zu.com/
http://www.shoetree.jp/

Renting in Japan

One of the most common questions i get asked is whether or not rent is expensive in Tokyo. The answer is yes. But it’s more complicated than just paying exhorbitant rent. Here’s the break down:

Key Money

This is basically a gift to the owner of the property and can be one or two months rent equivalent. You never get this money back when you move out of the apartment. This is needed because, unlike Canada, property prices in Japan go down over time. This is also in addition to the houses losing value, not to be confused with the land, due to the wear and tear of this extreme climate. For example, when a person sells their old property, he can sometimes get more for the property if he knocks the house down and sells just the land because the property can be worth less with the house on it.

Deposit

Like back in Canada, you have to pay one or two months full monthly deposit. Of course, don’t expect to get this back either as no doubt the owners will spend the deposit cleaning and renovating the place when you move out.

Rent

Some places require that you pay first and last months rent.

Agency Fee

You usually have to pay one months rent as a fee the rental agency.

Basic Necessities

When you move in to your new pad it will have nothing. Sometimes it won’t even have light fixtures so you have to buy everything for it.

Stove: 25,000 yen
Fridge: 60,000 yen
Washing Machine: 50,000 yen
Lights:5,000 yen

Total: 140,000 yen

Total

Let’s do an example on a 100,000 yen monthly rental. (In downtown Tokyo this would be a 15 – 20 square meter 1 Br apartment / studio flat.)

Key Money: 200,000 yen
Deposit: 200,000 yen
Rent: 200,000 yen
Agency: 100,000
Extras: 140,000 yen

Total: 840,000 yen

At today’s exchange rate you need about $10,500.00 just to get the key and be able to live in your apartment.

This example is a bit misleading because this would be a very nice apartment for Tokyo standards. You can move out of town a bit and find places that only ask for one months deposit with no key money and just the first months rent. But these places are generally in bad areas of town and are a bit run down.

Tour De Tokyo: Tokyo in 10 Hrs

Armed with only a backpack filled with a 2 ltr bottle of water and a map of Tokyo, Zak and Jean, the two Frenchmen i met the other night, and i, set off from Nakano-sakaue on our Tour De Tokyo. Zak was riding the mama cherry (traditional obasan bicycle), Jean was riding the one pedal wonder (one of his pedals broke half way through the trip), and i was riding a white pony.

We smashed up Nishi Shinjuku, made lunch at the First Kitchen in Shinjuku, and whisked off in a plume of gaijin sweat mist to Yoyogi. We busted through the Meiji gates and prayed for a victory Tour de Tokyo at the Meiji Shrine. We then rode a premature victory lap in Yoyogi Park.

We designed some outlandish clothes in Harajuku, taught baseball at Jingu Baseball Stadium, got thrown out of the Gaihin-kan state house in Yotsuya, and met Princes Masako Owada and her charming daughter Princes Aiko Toshi on Hanazo-bori Moat just outside her plush estate in Chiyoda.

We recreated the internet while eating maru sushi in Akihabara, constructed a skyscraper near Tokyo Station, charmed the local talent at Yukakucho, and collected pimp money from our Meikos and Geishas in Ginza. We climbed Tokyo Tower, had vodka, gin and coke at a massage parlor in Roppongi, and bought a Lamborgin in Nishi-azabu.

We loitered in Shibuya and coasted back to Nakano-sakaue for beers, pineapple juice and oj at the bar of all bars.