How to Find a Job Teaching English in Japan

Teaching English and living in Japan is a great experience, the adventure of my life. I've been doing it for over 10 years. I would encourage anyone to come here to start a new career or just for a couple of years for the experience.

If you are still in the US or your home country, you have two options:

1. Find a job before you go over

2. Just buy a ticket and find something after you arrive.

I know many people do the latter. If you are really adventurous then go for it. But I recommend the former. There are many Eikaiwa, or English Conversation schools in Japan. They're private companies where Japanese come to study English. The average starting salary is between 250,000 to 270,000 yen, about 2700 to 2900 dollars per month. I applied to AEON Corporation while still in the states. I interviewed in Chicago and later came here. I no longer work for Aeon, but I recommend them. I was with them for almost 9 years. That's probably some kind of record. Most teachers are there for 1 or 2 years. They are probably the best of the big conversation schools left. A few years ago, the number 1 school, NOVA went bankrupt after a huge lawsuit. They had a bad reputation for years with teachers but also students. It was finally a class action suit from former students that broke them. That event really hurt the industry, but Aeon is still a safe bet. But be warned, they expect a lot. They have high standards of professionalism and they really drill that into you during training. You have to wear a suit and tie. They have branches nation wide, some schools have only adult students, many have adults and children. There are other schools as well, GEOS and Berlitz to name a few. Be wary of one called G.Communications. They are the ones that took over Nova. I wouldn't trust them.

You can also become an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher). ALTs work in junior or senior high schools. The JET program run by the Japanese government is probably the biggest source of ALTs. Interac. Co.is one of many private companies that provide ALTs. I think Japan is ready for a mini-boom for teaching English to children. Starting in 2010, English will become a mandatory subject in elementary schools nationwide, so I think there's a lot of opportunity there.

The best place to start is at Dave's ESL Café. It has an abundance of information, not only on jobs, but teaching resources and ideas. It's huge. Be sure to check out the teacher's forum. Read the comments to see what teachers say about different companies, avoid the bad ones. For jobs, Gaijinpot and Ohayo sensei are good. All about teaching English in Japan is good too.

How about education? Most big schools require a college degree. It's not necessary to have a teacher's degree. It's probably possible to get a job with only a High school diploma, but you will be rather limited. Another thing to consider is getting a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate. These are relatively easy to get, only taking a few months. They are available online and most offer an additional practical teaching workshop at a specified location. I recommend that if you can. Most English schools don't require such a TESL certificate, but it can give you a big advantage. It looks great on a resume.

If you are living in Japan now, then there are lots of options. It just depends on where you're willing to go. Actually, in my case, the most important thing in finding a new job was word of mouth. I have a family here and I didn't want to move to a new city. Jobs were limited and I never would have found my current job if it wasn't for my friends. I'm really lucky. Never underestimate the power of networking and friends.

If you've been in Japan a while and have some experience, then a final option is starting your own business. That's not my path, but many of my friends have done it.

Anyway, good luck in finding a job and start your adventure today. GANBATE!

Two Festivals in One Weekend

Last Friday was Shubun no hi or the Autumnal equinox, which is a national holiday in Japan. It's a day to honor the ancestors. It was also a three day weekend. There were two local festivals within walking distance of our house. Nothing too fancy, mind you but fun.

The first one we went to was The Tottori Hamburger Festival. They feature stalls selling local restaurant's hamburgers. It's at least the second year for it. Last year the main event was at Daisen. They advertised lots of free hamburgers, but too many people showed up, there was a traffic jam, and the hamburgers an out. This year it was much smaller, outside the bookstore near our house. They had some live music, too. We tried some of the hamburgers, there were only about four different ones. They were ok, but as usual, too small and too expensive. One small burger was about $5-6. I left a little hungry, but the kids played a kind of fishing game and got some toys.

The second one was the "Yonago Keyaki dori matsuri", which means the "Yonago Keyaki street festival". Keyaki is a kind of tree that lines the main street, rout 431 near our house. There was some food and games. I got a free "Dorayaki", a kind of sandwich cake with a sweet red bean filling. But the main event was a candle lighting. They had thousands of candles in glass jars set up in the parking lot and people were invited to light them. We went with some our neighbors. It was fun. Busy weekend.

2700 Kirin Smash Comedy TV キリンスマッシュ

I saw this on TV the other night. There was a comedy competition with a lot of different Japanese comics doing funny skits. One duo or "Kombi" is called "2700". They did this skit that I thought was funny. Believe it or not, almost everything the guy is saying is in English. The song starts and a guy dressed up as a giraffe comes out with a tennis racket. The song keeps saying, "Kirin smash" or "Kirin receive". Kirin is the Japanese word for giraffe. One time he does a smash position, the next time, receive. Then, a guy dressed up as an elephant comes out and starts betting on which position the giraffe will take. The whole situation is so ridiculous and silly, it's hilarious. The group 2700 ended up taking second place. Watch the video. Decide for yourself.

Japanese Snacks: Bokun Habanero 暴君ハバネロ

 This is one of my favorite Japanese snacks. If you like it hot, this is for you. It's called "Bokun Habanero" which means "Tyrant Habanero". It's probably the hottest snacks sold leagally in Japan. It'll really put hair on your chest, not for the faint of heart. Japanese generally don't like really spicy food, but curry is popular and really hot level 5 curry mix is available in stores. Bokun Habanero ranks as one of the spiciest things I've had. It's instantly recognizable by its skull faced red chili pepper character. Apparently, it's too good. I used to be able to find it everywhere in Japan, there was even a canned soup version. But these days it's harder to find and they keep coming out with less spicy versions more for the masses. If you like hot food, then I recommend you give it a try.
Here's the website in Japanese
Bokun Habanero

Gosekku Festival Days

Gosekku Festival Days These are a group of five festivals from China that were originally observed on the lunar calendar, but in Japan, have been converted to the Gregorian calendar:


1. Seven Grasses Day, Nanakusa no sekku,; Held on the seventh day of the first month (January 7th). It's a day when people eat rice porridge made with seven traditional spring herbs to promote health. Also known as "Human Day" Jinjitsu.

2. Girls' Day, Hinamatsuri; The third day of the third month (March 3rd). It's a day when girls display beautiful traditional dolls in the hopes of good luck and good marriage.

3. Children's Day or Boys' Day, Kodomo no hi. The fifth day of the fifth month (May 5th) Also a national holiday. Boys hang up carp streamers and display miniature armor to be strong.

4. The Star Festival, Tanabata. The seventh day of the seventh month (July 7th). There is a folktale of two lovers on either side of the milky way who can only meet but once a year on this day. The main activity for children is writing wishes and hanging them on a small bamboo branch.

5. The Double Ninth or Chrysanthemum Festival, Choyo,The ninth day of the month (September 9th) Nine is a lucky number in China and this was also a day to observe chrysanthemums or other flowers. This festival is not much observed in Japan and is very minor compared to the others.

Official National Holidays in Japan

Official National Holidays: These are the 15 official national holidays in Japan when schools and businesses are closed. The Japanese government purposefully places many of these holidays on Mondays as to give workers a three day weekend.


1. New Year's Day, Ganjitsu (January 1st) One of the most significant days of the year in Japan.

2. Coming-of-Age Day, Seijin no Hi (Second Monday in January) A celebratory day for all those who turned 20 years old, the age of legal adulthood in Japan. Cities hold large ceremonies. Young men wear suits and women wear colorful kimonos with very long sleeve pockets to indicate youth. These same kimonos will be altered and the sleeves shortened after they grow older.

3. National Foundation Day or Founder's Day, Kenkoku Kinen no Hi (February 11th) Celebrates the founding of the nation, similar to America's Independence Day. Actually, it marks the ascension to the throne of the first emperor in 660 B.C.

4. Vernal Equinox Day, Shunbun no Hi (about March 20th) This is a Buddhist day to visit one's family graves and also celebrate the renewal of spring.

5. Showa Day, Showa no Hi (April 29th) A day to reflect on the Showa era of rebuilding after WWII, celebrated on the birthday of the Showa Emperor.

6. Constitution Memorial Day, Kenpo Kinenbi (May 4th) A day for commemorating the Japanese constitution and reaffirming a commitment to peace. The constitution went into effect on May 3rd, 1947 after the end of the war.

7. Greenery Day, Midori no Hi (May 4th) A day to commune with nature. This holiday was previously celebrated on April 29, that day is now Showa no hi.

8. Children's Day or Boy's Day, Kodomo no Hi (May 5th) A day for children. The main activity is the flying of large carp streamers in a hope that children will be strong like carp.

9. Marine Day, Umi no Hi (Third Monday in July) A day to give thanks to the ocean for many gifts. Many people visit the beach on this day.

10. Respect-for-the-Aged Day, Keiro no Hi (Third Monday in September) People remember and show appreciation to grandparents and senior citizens. Cities hold various events for the elderly.

11. Autumnal Equinox Day, Shubun no Hi (about September 23rd) Another Buddhist day when ancestors are remembered.

12. Sports Day, Taiiku no Hi ( Second Monday of October) Commemorates the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. It's a day for sports and health and many school sports events are held on this day

13. Culture Day, Bunka no Hi (November 3) A day for celebrating freedom, equality, and culture. Many events with traditional arts or music are held.

14. Thanksgiving (Labor) Day, Kinro Kansha no Hi ( November 23rd) A day for workers.

15. Emperor's Birthday,Tenno Tanjobi (December 23rd) A day to give congratulations to the current Heisei Emperor.

Japanese Traffic Lights; Red, Yellow, and ...Blue?

In Japan, people say traffic light colors are red(aka) for stop, yellow(kiro) for caution, and blue(aoi) for go. This was one of the more surprising things when I first came to Japan. The color is the same as in America, so why don't they call it green?

In ancient Japan, they did not distinguish blue and green. And even after the development of the Japanese word for green, midori, in the Heian Period, it was still considered to be "within" blue. Educational materials distinguishing blue and green didn't come into vogue until after WWII during the occupation. Today, most things we think of as "green" are called midori, but still some vegetables and traffic lights are referred to as blue(aoi).

We may think of colors as something absolute; red is red and blue is blue and that's that. But actually, names for colors are completely arbitrary to language and cultural convention. Japan is not unique in this, as there are many Asian and African languages that traditionally do not distinguish green from blue. And on the other hand, colors that in English we call "light blue" and "dark blue" have completely separate names in other languages.

It makes me think of how the Taoist philosophers of ancient China cautioned against words. It's a dilemma; we need words to convey meaning, but words can create reality of their own. Many things we think of at facts, truth, or reality are actually illusions of language. And how we view the world is in part dependent on the language we use. This is apparent in the legal world were words make something real or unreal, fact or false, innocent or guilty. It's well known trivia that the Inuit language of the Eskimos has over 200 words for "snow".  So, it's all good, in America, it's green, in Japan, blue, but we all know when to go.