STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Alikat · Kate Spade

Might move to Japan, should I visit before?

Maddie · Coach

I wouldn't go. I think it's kind of part of the experience and the program would be more meaningful and exciting if it was your first time in the country. Having never been to Japan, I don't know what I'm talking about, but I don't think the culture shock would be too hard. It's obviously very different, but it's still a first world country. And you're not moving permanently.

tri_sarah_tops · Marc Jacobs

I don't think you need to visit first. I lived in Japan for two years and I loved it. My situation was different though; I'm in the military so I was living and working on base and obviously I had a lot of contact with Americans. It will be different for you since you'll be living within their economy and culture. But really, I think you'll be fine. A year isn't that long and I am sure that you will adjust well and love it. And having someone along who is fluent in the language will definitely help. There is a bit of a culture shock at first, but it's actually very easy to adapt. Let me know if I can help with anything else :)

cc · Marc Jacobs

Did you mean that your bf would go with you on the trip or when you move there or both?

I can see the argument for both choices. It might be nice to go so you can get a really general sense of the country and see how you feel there. But you won't know where you are being placed will you? I thought you could list a preference or choose an area. If that is the case then visiting beforehand won't help all that much.

I've only spent 10 days in Japan and obviously that's very different from living there for a year but I didn't really feel much culture shock at all. Sure sometimes it felt a bit odd to be the only blond/blue eyed person in the vicinity and to not be able to read any of the signs but I expected to feel totally out of place and I didn't at all. I'm sure it helped that I was in Tokyo and Kyoto and I'm from NYC so I can adapt to other big cities easily and I didn't have much need to interact with other people very much but that also just proves that spending a short vacation there isn't really representitive of what living there would be like.

If you weren't going to have to accrue some debt because of the trip I would tell you to do it because I loved my trip to Japan and it would be a lot of fun and might make you feel more comfortable if and when you moved there but you seem hestitant about it so I'm inclined to say don't go and take a leap of faith. I hope you get accepted!

Alikat · Kate Spade

Thanks for the replies. The program could place me anywhere in Japan and Okinawa, so while the trip would be fun it wouldn't reflect what my life would be like there.

My bf would move to Japan with me if I get in the program - he'd work for a private company teaching english.

My first the first hurdle will be whether I get an interview in February. I guess I can decide whether I should visit after that, but I've done the leap of faith before so I'm pretty ok with it... however my mom was getting me worried (as mom's do).

relrel · Marc Jacobs

originally i was going to say that you don't need to visit because it won't really be culture shock too bad because all of those things that we love is there (coffee, internet, cars, etc...) and it's not really worth going into such debt just to make sure you love the country. you've been out of the country before so i think you'll be okay. and plus, you can prolly get anything somewhere in japan, or shipped to you, that you end up missing badly. so, originnaly, i was on a yes, you don't need to visit, and now that you posted that you could be anywhere, i think really really strongly now that you don't need to visit because how could you possibly visit without knowing where you are going. i just think that if you end up taking a week and visiting tokyo and then get placed in a rural area with rice peasants you could then end up with culture shock because you are expecting something else. so i would say, don't visit because you could end up with expectations which could be worse than culture shock.

by they way...the jet program is really good. i looked into doing it a couple of years ago when i was graduating school but went in a different direction. i hope you get in, it will be fantastic. sorta same deal...im going to be doing peace corps when im done with my graduate work so ive been thinking about the two year minimum contract. just the chance to live somewhere else is awesome, plus it's good work you are doing, with the jet program too. i hope you get in!!!

do you have any hopeful spots you want to go if you do get accepted? ive often though that rural japan would be fantastic, especially in the south where pottery is really big. and the train system is wonderful there, if you do visit...go to the baths!!!

Alikat · Kate Spade

relrel - what kind of graduate program are you in?

Peace Corps - thats very cool. I've considered it, but I've always been attached to someone who isn't interested in the program.

You get three choices for a placement, though I've heard that often these aren't really considered. I put down Kyoto as my first choice, just in case they take me seriously, then Hiroshima City which my bf loves, and finally Fukuoka on Kyushu which is supposed to be very nice.

relrel · Marc Jacobs

alikat: i did my undergrad in medical anthro with a asian studies minor/certificate program and im doing my master now in public health. with the peace corps thing, ive always been with someone too that had no interest in going abroad, as i am now, but ive decided that that's just too dang bad. ive wanted to do the peace corps since i was in high school and im not going to not do it because i won't see my boyfriend for long periods of time. if he isn't my boyfriend when i get back then that won't matter because than it wasn't "true love" anyway. ya know? not that i actually believe in "true love" anyway, im much more concerned with myself than a relationship.

Alikat · Kate Spade

relrel wrote:

if he isn't my boyfriend when i get back then that won't matter because than it wasn't "true love" anyway. ya know? not that i actually believe in "true love" anyway, im much more concerned with myself than a relationship.

I totally agree!

I think also Peace Corps just seems to hard core, so I've always been intimidated by it. I've always thought about going though - but since there are no age restrictions maybe one day I can do Peace Corps, which is very cool.

When will you be going? Is it part of your grad studies as well?

relrel · Marc Jacobs

i hopefully will be going right after i graduate, which will be june 2007. it is hard core, but ive talked to tons of people who have done it and i think im pretty prepared to do it. ive done study abroad and had no issues with "other" people...which is what i think gets to a lot of people. ya know? i actually like living in other countries (or at least one other country, ive only been abroad to one other country, not even canada!!) and can envision living somewhere else for the rest of my life. but i do want to do international health work so that's sorta par for the course.

no, it's not part of my studies even though i looked at programs where it was. it's just something i will do when i graduate. since i will be graduating in public health and want to do international health, i figure the peace corps is not only a good stepping stone to other ngo type organizations in health but i could see myself staying with the peace corps for more than the two years, possibly in different places around the world.