IS IT JUST ME OR ARE 90% OF "GAIJIN" IN TOKYO WACK!!

[BKNY]

So I have been in Tokyo for 2 months now. Before coming I thought I would try to only hang with Japanese cats. Now that I have been here for a bit I am realizing that I need a fellow New yorker or people who have simular interests as I do. Any "gaijin" I have met are... lets say...Not from the same breed as I. I will be doing a few art shows (Curating) in the future here in Tokyo. Not going to mention names but they are heavy hitters in the graff world. This is the main reason I came but I have been doing the english teaching thing to get that yen. If you feel the way I do then reply and maybey we can connect in Tokyo sometime.

a few things I like.

D.I.T.C.

"urban art"

Beer

Sexy Japanese girls

ONE,

BKNY

[Guest]

hey i JUST got back from tokyo yesterday - too bad we didn't meet up - i'm also a curator and was looking into moving to tokyo for 6 months to a year maybe curating or doing SOME sort of job. i'm stuck in a cubicle here and i've been wanting to move to tokyo for a few years now..i'm just not sure how it'd all work out. damn.

[sugarboots]

hey just got back from tokyo myself and i'm a curator as well. too bad we didn't meet up! which gallery are you curating for? how did you get the job and i'm guessing you've got all american artists? i'm interested in doing the same thing over there - i want to move to tokyo for 6 - 12 months but the logistics are up in the air as far as making money (teaching english . . .?) etc...

[Jean Snow]

We should meet up sometime. I'll be busy for the next two weeks (friend in town visitning, and Designer's Week/Block), but we should go out for drinks after that.

Jean Snow

http://jeansnow.net

[chook]

i'm new here so could do with a couple of lads to hook up with for booze etc. spent a short time in ny myself a few years back, lived in 125th st. interesting. studied the graff when i was there. not really my scene though. email if you fancy hooking up.

stewart

defender

[BKNY]

Sugarboots.....I had a gallery in Williamsburg Brooklyn called KOI. We showed mainly graff artists...So I dont work for any gallery in particular.....I am planning a show with Prosper gallery and Prohibit tokyo. Yes...the artists I show are american....Cope 2...EWOK...KEL 5MH....NYC LASE...ect..As far as teaching english goes I have found it is easy and you can make alot of money....I encourage you to go for it....J

[kiteless]

the topic made me laugh for a good five minutes. before i composed myself and write this post i realised the only breed that's more "wack" than the gaikokujin are the japanese "fag hags" that hang around every foreigner in an attempt to come though as more cosmopolitan to their japanese friends. anyone recognise the phenomena?

[RedFoxxworth]

So if you are a US citizen is it easy to work in Japan? Are there alot of resident applications and work permits and bullshit? I was looking for jobs in Europe, but it seems really troublesome to work there. I'm just trying to dip out of the US for a bit and enrich my brain... does anyone know any notoriously good countries for an easy transfer? I guess this would be better as it's own post...

I ain't terrified from nothing, I'm young wild crazy and disgusting.

Edited by RedFoxxworth on Oct 7, 2005 at 05:37 PM

[sugarboots]

^Red - i'm trying to do the same thing! i keep thinking about the financial remifications and it sort of scares me...but i guess you just gotta get off your ass and do it!

i think it's easy to get a 2 year visa if you find a company to teach english with. for tokyo, i have it pretty easy since my dad is a citizen of japan and not america, i can easily get a visa or become a dual citizen . . .

[RedFoxxworth]

Lucky man. You need to do ESL courses to get an English teaching job right? Or can u just be a slick motherfucker with a college degree? I wouldn't want to end up teaching in like a village in some snowy mountains or something...

I ain't terrified from nothing, I'm young wild crazy and disgusting.

[sugarboots]

^i guess it depends on which program you want to go with. i know most just require a bachelors...no teaching experience necessary and if you're going to tokyo, most places also prefer a native english speaker who doesn't speak japanese . . .

[RedFoxxworth]

Hmm... dope. Any good links to finding out about these programs? I can do the research myself, but I might as well ask out of lazyness/other's experiences...

I ain't terrified from nothing, I'm young wild crazy and disgusting.

[sugarboots]

well one of the best progs (i've heard) is Jet

http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/jet/outline.html

and here's another helpful link

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2220.html

i've heard many of these programs can be shady..and i heard nova is notorious for its teachers sleeping with the students hahah

here's teaching stuff:

http://www.esljapan.com/search/nfsr_jobs.htm

when do you plan to go?

[BKNY]

Kiteless....I fully agree with you....BKNY

[marine_corpse]

teaching in Japan is a relatively easy job to come by if you look. If you're looking to get your foot in the door then you might wanna try the corporate route--ie. Nova, Geos, Aeon, etc. but be warned, they have a bad reputation for treating their employees like shit. the upside is that most of them will have accomodations ready for you upon arrival. you could also try finding employment through privately owned conversation schools, the pay in some cases is better and some do have accomodations. as for credentials, don't be misled by what some people tell you. some schools require a bachelors degree, others do not. the corporate schools probably require it but there are plenty that don't...you just have to look. remember, if you're a native English speaker it's probably a lot easier to find teaching employment....the schools want to put asses in seats if you know what I mean. more students equals more money. and to be clear about finding other types of employment, unless you're Japanese language skills are top notch don't expect people to hand you that dream job you've always wanted. if you're in Japan you're expected to speak Japanese, period.

sugarboots--no disrespect intended but unless you've already claimed dual citizenship by the age of 18 there's no chance in hell you'll get preferential treatment because your dad is Japanese. Dual citizenship is usually only given at birth to those that are children of Japanese nationals or Japanese nationals born abroad and already have citizenship in another country like the US. Japan is pretty strict when it comes to their citizenship/visa requirements. 1)if you're the son/daughter of a Japanese national then your Japanese parent is required to register you in their family registery after you're born. 2)you could apply for the "child of a Japanese national" visa but this doesn't offer much in the way of freedom. it's similar to a student visa (good for 1 year but renewable) but allows you to work up to 40 hrs per week as opposed to the 20 hrs allowed under a student visa. 3)the "child of a Japanese national" visa might only be an option if your parent resides in Japan---but you might want to contact your local consulate and get the full details.

if they move, kill 'em.

[sugarboots]

^no disrespect taken - i figure there might be some sort of age limit but i'm certainly not 100% positive about that for the dual citizenship. There's got to be some reason my dad said I'd be able to get a dual citizenship as I'm sure he wouldn't say it "just because," then again, maybe he's just wrong.

what my sister probably has is the "child of a Japanese national" visa - her visa is actually good for three years and it was easy to get with my dad's marriage cert which is on file in japan...

[marine_corpse]

Quote:

^no disrespect taken - i figure there might be some sort of age limit but i'm certainly not 100% positive about that for the dual citizenship. There's got to be some reason my dad said I'd be able to get a dual citizenship as I'm sure he wouldn't say it "just because," then again, maybe he's just wrong.

what my sister probably has is the "child of a Japanese national" visa - her visa is actually good for three years and it was easy to get with my dad's marriage cert which is on file in japan...

--- Original message by sugarboots on Oct 11, 2004 05:04 PM

If I were you I'd contact your nearest Japanese Embassy and ask them. I know the one stipulation for acquiring dual citizenship is 1)you must do it by the age of 18 and 2)you definitely have to be registered in the Japanese family registery to even be considered eligible (all Japanese families are required to do this...even if only one of your parents is Japanese). also, being a dual citizen doesn't necessarily entitle you to special treatment. If you have little or no Japanese language skills companies wouldn't give you a second look, unless of course you're teaching English then it doesn't matter...the only thing your passport(s) would be good for is not having to wait in line at the airport with all the other gaijin.

i'm sure your sister has the "child of a Japanese national" visa and your parent basically has to vouch for her from what I understand. I think the way it works is that she applies for the visa and it's approved for one year, then if she decides to renew it after 1 year they give it to her for another 3 years and so on. I'm assuming her Japanese is up to par because the their local offices aren't really set up with translators, not all of them anyway. needless to say it's a lot of work and a pain in the ass.

if they move, kill 'em.

[sugarboots]

hmm not sure what she has but i know she had a student visa before she got this visa. i remember her saying something about living there for two years prior but i'm not sure what that had to do with anything. she is fluent in japanese, i am not, however, i'd just want to go for a year to teach english, and my sister being the manager at her english school may help me get in a lot faster than other places.

have you tried attaining dual citizenship and have you taught english in japan? just curious as to how you know so much...

[marine_corpse]

which English school does your sister work for? if you can get your foot in the door then more power to you, that's how it's generally done with a lot of companies in Japan....even non-teaching positions.

I attempted getting dual citizenship and failed miserably. I'm only telling you what the Japanese consulate told me, i'm sure they'll pass along the same information....but it's best you talk to them about it to be 100% sure. who knows? there may be some loophole you can take advantage of.

I haven't taught in Japan but have considered it. a couple of my friends are in the JET program right now working as CIR's but i'm not sure I'd want to go that route. first, they'll probably stick me somewhere in the inaka where i'll be bored off my ass and second, I don't know if I could hack working with nothing but high school kids. I think i'd be better suited to teach children. I'm also considering going back to school to get TESL certification. it's not a necessity in finding a teaching job but it helps if you have that on your resume. it would only cost me $2600 to either take a 1 month accelerrated course or the 3 month course. I dunno though, the uncertainty of it all leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I've heard so many bad things about teaching in Japan that it makes me not want to do it. sure, the money is good but what will I gain from it all?

if they move, kill 'em.

[sugarboots]

i take it you're an american citizen? are you full japanese? half? i'm half japanese.

as for the citizenship thing - i jsut talked to my sister and she said it's not too late - you're supposed to decide which citizenship you want by age 23 (not 18) - at which point you're supposed to decide which citizenship you want (us or japanese - but most people jsut keep both until caught) without this age limit, my sister wouldn't have the visa she has now (which is the "child of a . . " and the first one she's had, which has nothing to do with her living there for two years prior). she said since our father hasn't registered us yet, we still have the choice of which citizenship to have. ..anyways this is pretty moot since i don't really want a dual citizenship - i just wanted to know if it was a possibility.

i'm not sure which school my sister teaches for - not one of the main companies - it's pretty small. i totally hear what you are saying - but i'm trying not to think that way about it too much because it's stopped me from going there in the past... finances, future job, etc - it'd all be up in the air after a year in japan. besides, i might make some good connections, do some art stuff up there, and i didn't get to study abroad in college like some of my friends - i think that's what i'm missing right now. i've lived in san diego for about six years now, i'm 25 and i want to go before i feel and get too old to be that mobile...

Edited by sugarboots on Oct 11, 2004 at 07:57 PM

Edited by sugarboots on Oct 11, 2004 at 07:59 PM

[sugarboots]

marine corpse - you may wanna call back your consulate - i just called to get visa info and i can still get dual citizenship if i wanted (and i'm 25) - also the child of a national visa is for 3 years . . .

Edited by sugarboots on Oct 15, 2004 at 10:57 AM

[marine_corpse]

could be I'm the victim of an extremely stupid employee working for the Japanese consulate, all I know is they gave me hell for asking. may I ask what the prerequisite was for acquiring dual citizenship? is there an age limit? do you have to be registered in the family registry in Japan? what did they tell you exactly? If they told you it was still possible then I'll have to call the Japanese consulate and give them shit.

if they move, kill 'em.

[sugarboots]

they told me that you have to be registered in the japanese registry...my dad hasn't done that yet - but he still can. there is no age limit, however, there are restrictions if you were born after 1985 (by age 22 - 23 you must choose which citizenship you can get)...i would call the consulate again and try talk to someone else - are you registered in japan?

[kiteless]

i thought i'd avoid this topic as I have first-hand experience of quasi-dual citizenship and hardship thereof -- anyhow, i believe you are both half-right/wrong.

dual citizenship for adults is illegal in most countries (this as a result of international accords mainly to avoid stateless individuals) but japanese law are one of the most narrowly defined and less generous.

what you're referring to is the right AND obligation to chose between two different citizenship following the new immigration law of 1985 - if you're of japanese decent by paternal or maternal line (the latter as long as your father is not korean). the state deparment of US has a comprehensive introduction to the subject at :

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7118b.html

japan (although not the US or most EU countries) also require proof that you are giving up the citizenship of your former country in conjunction with you swearing in to the japanese one. so although dual citizenship is illegal, in reality it's possible to keep two passports if you keep quiet about it, if you acquired the japanese citizenship first. but the japanese embassies around the world are quite vigilant - too many questions in this issue directed to the japanese embassy have resulted in "request for a briefing" from the embassy.

however, if you are of japanese descent, you could (probably) apply for a japanese citizenship given that you follow the procedures - ie give up your other passport. this is a whole different matter from what you are talking about. for instance, i gave up my japanese citizenship for an EU-member state knowing i could (probably) change back to japanese if it was required. actually it's quite a laugh every time i pass through the immigrations at narita answering all the quesetions in fluent japanese wearing a midnight blue passport....

[sugarboots]

^ thank you for clearing up some of the confusion. i do know that many of my sister's friends keep dual citizenship, but that is illegal. the man on the phone said it in a funny way- he said that if they find out you have dual citizenship they'd ask you to "please choose which country you want to be a citizen of . . ."

[kiteless]

actually, that's exactly what they'll do. ask politely. as it is illegal but not an offense (with an article in the penal code), so there's no sanction thereof.

though i can tell you horrid stories of people in the japanese ex-pat community tipping off as informers anonymously, or the ministry of foreign affairs using "soft pressure" to stop people from giving up their japanese citizenships.

[sugarboots]

does not sound pleasant. i'm only going for the "child of a .. " visa anyways - a 3-year renewable one...do you live in japan now and what do you do?

[marine_corpse]

Quote:

^ thank you for clearing up some of the confusion. i do know that many of my sister's friends keep dual citizenship, but that is illegal. the man on the phone said it in a funny way- he said that if they find out you have dual citizenship they'd ask you to "please choose which country you want to be a citizen of . . ."

--- Original message by sugarboots on Oct 15, 2004 03:03 PM

regarding the choosing of a country, I always assumed this wasn't an issue unless you were getting married. also, aren't there other prerequisites for dual citizenship--ie.Japanese fluency? so what you're saying is that I can call my mom, tell her she can still register me with the family registry and that i'm still eligible for dual citizenship? I have a feeling someone from the Japanese consulate will still give me shit about this no matter what I say.

if they move, kill 'em.

[kiteless]

Quote: also, aren't there other prerequisites for dual citizenship

did you really read my post, or are you having difficulties understanding my english? dual citizenship is illegal unless you're a kid. and read the state department web site for further details for non-adults.

[marine_corpse]

me no understand engrish.

if they move, kill 'em.