Japanese culture has many ancient traditions. For example, when entering a Japanese home did you know that you are required to take off your shoes? In Japan culture plays an important part of everyday life, so it’s essential to show respect and always remove your footwear when entering houses in Japan. This means that slip-on or easy to remove shoes are a must.

Obviously, if you are wearing high lace up boots then it is going to get annoying real fast when you have to take them off every time you enter Japanese homes. It’s a good idea to purchase some new socks before your trip too and make sure to always wear clean, hole-free ones as you never know when you may need to take off your shoes. Some Japanese restaurants, temples and traditional hotels will also require that you remove your footwear too. The idea is to keep the dirt from the street outside and preserve the clean Japanese home decor. Most Japanese homes will also feature what is called ‘tatami’. This is the traditional straw matting that you may have visions of Japanese samurai sitting on. Walking on the Japanese tatami mats in anything more than socks is a definite no-no and you will quickly offend your host.

Japanese interiors may feature tatami prominently, however these days most houses in Japan only have one traditional style tatami room. It may be furnished with a sparse amount of Japanese furniture, while the rest of the house will often be of a Western feel. Even without the Japanese tatami room, most Japanese homes will feature a traditional part of Japanese decor called the ‘genkan’. Japanese interiors are usually raised higher, while the genkan will be lower so that you step up into the Japanese home.

Remove your shoes at the genkan and leave them there. There may be place to store them, or you may turn them around ready to step into when you leave and put them to the side out of the way. Or, you may even return to find that your host has neatly arranged them for you, a polite gesture in the culture of Japan. So remember to always where clean socks and remove your shoes when entering a Japanese home and pay respect to their Japanese traditions and culture.

If you are considering teaching English in Japan, I thoroughly recommend you to check out Craig Desorcy’s guide,
The Super Teaching in Japan Handbook

Craig’s handbook is full of valuable tips and information that will help you find and prepare for this life-changing experience as well as how to succeed as an English teacher and lots of insider info about the teaching business in Japan.

As you’re probably already aware, Japan is a very unique place. No where else in the world will you find the same outrageous opportunities to make money that are open to just about anyone.

English Teaching.

The most common job for new foreigners is teaching English. Despite the thousands of English schools and 12 years of study at school, the English level in Japan remains at lower intermediate, ensuring strong demand for teachers. Every type of class and situation exists from Elementary schools right through to Flight Attendant Colleges. It can also be a great way into a previously non-existent position. I know of one teacher at a top Advertising agency who later became an English copywriter. He had no experience whatsoever in copywriting, they just liked him and enjoyed his lessons.

Acting/modeling/voice overs.

Without a doubt, the epicenter for entertainment work is Tokyo. There are around 60 major freelance agencies that offer all kinds of work to foreigners living in the area. It is not uncommon for first timers to walk into $1000 plus jobs, while their friends back home fight over $120 extras work. Experience is not expected - simply being foreign and having the right look is enough. In fact, most highly skilled dancers and actors would be appalled at how easy it is to get work and how the jobs are selected. Actual talent is very rarely considered - it is all about the look.

In many ways, the entertainment scene in Tokyo is a big break and a way to escape the comfort zone and limitations of home. Many foreigners living in Japan, doing the work, return home to find their friends are just as broke as they were 5 years ago, fighting over the same tiny piece of the entertainment pie, hoping desperately for a break. They are not seeing that Tokyo is that break! Ewan McGregor, Edward Norton, Ashley Judd and Cameron Diaz are among some of the current stars to have worked in Japan.

Dancing/hostessing.

Japan was long considered one of the best places for working Dancer/hostess types in the world. Whilst it still can be very lucrative, the rules have changed regarding visas. Whereas once a 90 tourist visa was adequate, immigration crackdowns have led to the introduction of entertainment visas for all women employed in the industry. The Japanese culture remains one of meetings and drinking, and corporate types still prefer to do both in the company of attractive, polite, western women. In the past, women simply had to be attractive and turn up, now they need to be just as adept at being charming in order to make the big money.

Wedding minister.

The white wedding business is huge in Japan. It is the most popular type of ceremony from Sapporo to Okinawa and all those weddings create a demand for clean cut pastors to conduct the 20 minute ceremonies. In some cases, 20,000 yen for the 20 minute ceremony and performing 20-30 per month on the weekends is normal, making this one of the best ways to make yen. There are some properly ordained ministers out there, but for the most part, basic Japanese and rudimentary training is all it takes to move one man from the classroom to the pulpit.

Headhunting.

The Headhunting industry in Tokyo continues to flourish unabated. New companies emerge quarterly and are still able to bill fees of 30 - even 35% in some cases. Most of the “recruiters” start out teaching English and usually have very little in the way of professional experience. As English speakers though, they are considered to be experts in dealing with foreign companies, which is more than enough to qualify them for the job. Here you will find recruiters - both male and female making 6 figures when many would struggle to hold down simple jobs back home. This truly is an extraordinary opportunity open to anyone with some professionalism and knowledge of Japan.

Japanese language skills.

For teaching English and Headhunting, Japanese is almost not required at all. Speaking with the students in Japanese is strongly discouraged - they are there to learn English after all, and in Headhunting, 95% of the candidates need to be effective communicators in English. That leaves Wedding Ministers - the ceremony is read in Japanese, dancing/hostessing - where some basic Japanese will be looked upon favorably and Acting/modeling/voice overs, where in most cases there will already be a translator and the pronunciation of 10 words in Japanese is more important that speaking ability.

An active interest in Japanese culture and the language will assist in daily life, but for the people simply interested in Japan as a way to make as much money as possible, it is simply not required.

Copyright 2006 Matt Canham

About the author:
Matt Canham has lived on and off in Tokyo for the last 7 years.
He has a resource site at: http://jobs-in-japan.marinerblue.com

And don’t forget to take grab a copy of Craig Desorcy’s excellent guide, The Super Teaching in Japan Handbook before you go!

You might think that booking a hotel in Japan is a daunting task. The ideal place to start your hotel search would be the Internet. You could directly visit the websites of hotels located in Japan and make your reservations. Most of the sites offer an option to surf in English. Sites like the www.JapaneseHotelDirectory.com enlist information on different types of hotels and accommodations.

The Japanese hotel association website also offers information on accommodations. Staying in a western-style hotel in Japan is equivalent to the experience in the US. The staffs at the hotel speak English and provide excellent customer service. The western-style hotel options in Japan include deluxe, business or capsule.

Foreign visitors are better accommodated in deluxe hotels in terms of language and food. Of course, you will not miss the Japanese influence because you will find Japanese restaurants in these hotels too. Business hotels offer reasonable prices. While the rooms are smaller than in a regular hotel and have an attached bathroom they are preferred mostly by traveling businessmen. These hotels do not have a restaurant or any other services, aside from vending machines. Visitors can expect convenience as these business hotels usually are located close to local train stations.

Capsule hotels are representative of the premium on space in Japan. These hotels offer a bed in a small capsule with a television and a shared bathroom. Located near railway stations the checkout is usually around 9 a.m. the next morning. Washing facilities are located within the hotel and some hotels even have luxury bathrooms and massage parlors.

Apart from the regular hotels, visitors to Japan can also look forward to accommodations like the Ryokan, Minshuku and Pension. Ryokan is essentially a traveler’s inn. Visitors who stay in a Ryokan experience traditional Japan as most of the rooms are in Japanese Style and you sleep on a futon on the tatami mat floor. While the rates are the same as a business hotel in the cities, Ryokan’s in resort areas are reasonably priced apart from giving you a unique Japanese experience.

Minshuku referred to as people’s accommodation are somewhat similar to the Ryokan but are generally family-run businesses. They are cheaper than the Ryokan’s. From the outside many look like a large house and sometimes you get to eat with the family. The downside is that English is not spoken and many of the houses appear old and run-down.

Pensions are the westernized version of the Ryokan and Minshuku. They are located in the resort areas and offer the same services albeit with a European flavor. Rates are generally per person and that includes Western or French style dinner and breakfast.

There are a few travel tips you need to know before you travel to Japan.

* Eating is Japan is quite a challenge especially if you do not know where to look for the right food. For instance, Tokyo itself has more than 60,000 restaurants. So the key is to eat just like the Japanese - look for local restaurants on the streets instead of high-rise hotels. You will usually find the best deals and the easiest way to choose your food will be to point to it on the display window (usually menus are in Japanese).

* Visit the Japanese National Tourist Organization website for a wealth of information on travel and hotels.

* Carry an easy to read conversion dictionary from your native language or English to Japanese.

* The Japanese generally have a quiet and peaceful culture. They are very particular about etiquette. So it’s very important to know their table manners, socially acceptable forms of greetings, tipping policies, hygiene, etc.

About the author:
Henry Huxton is site moderator of JapaneseHotelDirectory.com

The Japanese adopted these Chinese-style characters into their language around the fifth century A.D. Each kanji character conveys a particular meaning and, depending upon the context, can have various pronunciations. While the characters at first appear similar to Chinese, many have evolved in sound and style, and the meaning can actually be quite different in Japanese.

Japanese is usually written using a combination of hiragana, katakana and kanji scripts. We will discuss hiragana and katakana some more in another article, but kanji are those really complicated looking characters. Originally the kanji symbols developed from simple pictograms, but over time have become more refined and combined with others can express many different meanings.

After learning the basic greetings and phrases in Japanese, you will probably soon realize that in order to get deeper into the language you are going to need to ramp things up a bit and take the plunge into the dreaded kanji. For kanji study a great deal of patience is required, and there are some excellent books available on the topic.

Japanese usually learn kanji when young, spending many hours writing them over and over until memorized. However for a foreigner who wishes to study the Japanese language, exploring the meaning behind each character along with a good set of kanji flashcards can really help to reinforce the memory. These kind of kanji study aids along with a good kanji dictionary are a great help and make learning the kanji an enjoyable and rewarding experience!

Kanji characters have experienced a rise in popularity in the West in recent years, and many people can now be seen sporting a kanji symbol tattoo. It is very important to consult a native Japanese speaker for a correct translation when designing your tattoo, as there have been instances of them being down back to front or upside down! Combining multiple characters together, if not done carefully can have unintended and very embarrassing consequences!