Foreigners In Japan | The Japan Guy

Foreigners In Japan

Welcome to Tokyo, Donnie

January 18, 2013
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Struggling to figure out Japan life? Click Here!

I’ve fallen into that same old habit again, not writing when I don’t have any good news to report, but lately I realize that’s contrary to why I started this blog in the first place. This blog was intended to be a resource, a journal and an insight into Japan life from this foreigner’s perspective. I have been a genuine funk for several weeks. I can’t say whether it’s because I left Tsukuba, if it’s the bustle of lugging all of my things to Tokyo, having to move into shared housing, the up and downs of modeling work, having to restart the job hunt, the recent convenience store diet, or a combination of all...

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Tasty Cuisine in Japan: Ali’s Chicken Kebab

December 15, 2012
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Doner Chicken Kebab

Man, I don’t know if it’s the same for you guys, but for me food can be like heaven sometimes. I was walking around Tsukuba, just trying to wrap my head around the apartments I’d seen and how on earth I was going to be able to move. In the midst of my worries, I got this delightful aromatic whiff of something. I couldn’t tell what it was, but it smelled incredible and it reminded me of something…but what? I pulled my Toucan Sam move and followed my nose to the smell and I stumbled upon this kabob truck. Across the front of it I saw the name: “Ali’s Kebab.” In an instant, I...

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Foreigners in Japan Profile – featuring Nikolas Faraguna

December 5, 2012
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Foreigners in Japan

ROCKIN’ IN JAPAN with Nikolas Faraguna 1.Tell us a yourself, Nik. Where are you from? Nelson, BC, Canada 2.Where did you go to school? Music college in Nelson 3.What brought you to Japan? Tokyo has always fascinated me… my Japanese friends in Canada said there would probably be a lot of opportunity in Tokyo for music and modelling work. 4.How long have you been here? About 2 years 5. What do you do for a living? Modeling and music. Right now, the modelling is paying my bills and buying me the time to keep working on my music…which is my real dream. 6. I’ve heard that you’ve got some pretty serious musical skills ....

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How to Get Your Japan Residence Card

October 18, 2012
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How to Get Your Japan Residence Card

In a previous post I mentioned to you that there have been some pretty significant changes to Japan’s Immigration System, many of which are changes for the better. For example, those with a valid Japan work visa, unless you’re staying out of the country for longer than a year, you reentry will be as simple as showing your new card to Japanese officials at the airport. The maximum visa length has also been extended to five years instead of three. Rumor has it that it’s a little more difficult to obtain permanent residency, but I’m not sure how true that is because I’ve haven’t applied to be a permanent resident. Now that you know...

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Tales From Japan 1

October 14, 2012
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Tales From Japan 1

If you live in Japan long enough, you are undoubtedly going to experience a funny, weird, or strange incident at some point or another. So here is one of my recent stories. I got on the train with badly sprained foot*, I was in a splint and all bandaged up. There was a kind, Japanese gentleman who offered me his priority section seat. I was incredibly grateful because nobody wants to stand for an hour on a banged up foot. I sit down, relieved that I don’t have to stand. The relief becomes minor discomfort when I realize that the man next to me is taking up 1.125 of his seat, which means he’s...

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Foreigners in Japan Profile – featuring Chris McCombs

September 13, 2012
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Foreigners in Japan Profile – featuring Chris McCombs

A Supermodel in the Making 1.Tell us a little bit about yourself, Where are you from originally? Where did you go to school, etc. You got it mister! My name is Christopher McCombs and I am originally from Andover, Ohio. When I was young I moved to Cleveland, and began working in entertainment as an actor when I was 15 years old. From there I went to a small college in Florida. After graduating, I worked for 2 years on cruise ships. When I quit that job I moved to Las Vegas where I began working as a model. Having saved up a bit of money from modeling, I decided to go back to...

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Japan’s New Residency Management System

September 12, 2012
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Japan’s New Residency Management System

This may be a little late, but I still think it will be very useful info for some of you. I have gotten quite a few emails asking about the new Japanese residency management system for foreigners along with the Alien Registration Cards (ARCs). A fellow teacher of mine recently did a visa renewal and in the process got a new visa sticker in his passport along with a brand, spanking new card. As of July 9th, 2012, Japan has new residence cards and a new residency management system. I am not up for a visa renewal until April of 2014, but I still was incredibly curious about Japan’s new system. I was supposed...

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Japanese Animation, A True Art Form

April 30, 2012
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Japanese Animation, A True Art Form

I went to see a full-length feature anime yesterday. The name of this movie was ももへの手紙 (Momo heno Tegami or A Letter to Momo). For those of you who don’t know the story (I’ll try not to spoil everything) Momo heno Tegami is the story of a young girl who loses her father and finds this incomplete letter he had written to her. Momo and her mother move to a new town, where Momo also make three, very strange, unlikely, new “friends.” Initially, the commercials were what got me interested in going to see the film. The film just looked intriguing, funny, and semi-strange…what more could you want out of a movie . Honestly...

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Homesickness Movie Clip Post

April 11, 2012
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Homesickness Movie Clip Post

Okay, I admit it…I’ve been using again :_( . Last night…(Donald bites his lower lip in shame)…I was on YouTube again and I browsed…a lot. LOL! My YouTube binges are usually triggered by something. Today’s post isn’t really related to anything Japanese. Well, maybe a little bit if you’re a homesick foreigner living abroad, needing a homesickness solution. YouTube is pretty awesome because it has such a large collection of different clips and moves. When I need something to inspire me, I usually head to YouTube and it’s so easy to find something inspirational. If I can’t find something that suits me, I usually just check out something Bruce Lee-related (he’s always been pretty...

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A Japan Guy Review: My First Year Teaching As An ALT In Japan (Part 1)

March 29, 2012
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A Japan Guy Review: My First Year Teaching As An ALT In Japan (Part 1)

It’s official, I have signed on for an additional year as an ALT. I will have a chance to teach many of the same great students that I had last year, and work with many of the same teachers, too. In many respects, it’s wonderful news. The first year I think was a chance to get my bearing and see what teaching/working for another company was like. So I want to give you my honest to goodness review of what it was like to work with Interac as an ALT for the very first time. I am currently working for the company, but I’m still going to give as honest a review as I...

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