2009 Fukui JETs
This may be a little early, but prefecture placements are being announced this week, at least where I am.
Who out there is new and headed to Fukui? Who out there is staying in Fukui for 09-10 and where are you?
My name is Dawn, I'm from Ottawa, Canada. Fukui was my first choice based on a former JET's story. I have been memorizing the FJET guide and can't wait to hear which town I'll be posted to! I really appreciate the hard work that is put into this site.
Hajime mashite. =)
Tags
Hey Dawn!
Wow, you did hear early -I remember waiting on tenterhooks for months before knowing where I was going! My name's Alice, I'm a Scottish ALT who lives a little north of the city in Maruoka - there's a spot opening near us in Harue, so maybe I'll see you around!
I chose Fukui based on a previous JET I met as well, and I haven't been disappointed, so good work with the area selection!
Good luck with all the rest of the preJET hooplah, and just post any questions you've got.
Cheers,
Alice
Heya Dawn,
Congrats on landing Fukui!
My name's Bronwen, and I live out in Awara with my husband (also a JET). We are from South Africa. We also have a one-year old daughter, Maria, who was born here.
I know that the Awara JHS has an opening this year, so maybe you'll end up next-door to us.
Let us know if you have any questions and we'll do our best to help you out.
Hi Dawn! Welcome!
My name is Melissa and I'm one of the Prefectural Advisors here in Fukui. You'll be hearing tons more from me in the coming weeks as I'm also the liaison for the Fukui Ken Board of Education (your new Contracting Organization). For now, though, welcome to one of the most awesome prefectures (JET-wise) in all of Japan!
I'm from Missouri in the U.S., by the way, and I lived in Fukui City the past 4 years with my husband, a fellow JET.
Melissa
Wow, I didn't know people chose Fukui.
In my case, Fukui chose me.
I've been very happy with the way things worked out.
My name is Zachary, by the way. We shall meet at orientation at some point no doubt.
Do you have any questions right now?
Hello! Good to hear from you Dawn! I'm excited that you're coming to Fukui. You're going to really like it and I'm glad you took the advice from a former JET to come here.
My name is Meredith and I live in Maruoka Town, it's just north of Fukui City proper. In addition to being normal everyday ALT, I'm also part of a 2 person team known as the FJET Community Liaisons. I'll be helping you break into the Japanese community full tilt, be it through barbecues, concerts, volunteering, festivals, whatever!
Speak to you soon! Oh! Feel free to email me at merenight@gmail.com if you have any questions! I'll do my best!
Yay! Nice to meet all of you. It will be mid-late June utill I hear where I'm placed BoE/city wise...
I do have a couple of silly questions, like if it's possible to buy rolled oats, red lentils and quinoa at grocery stores in Fukui city, but otherwise I think I will wait until I hear about my specific placement. lol
Does anyone know of any other open positions around the prefecture? I would like to pretend that I can guess at where I may end up. ;)
Hi again Dawn,
I coordinate the placements for the BoE and I'll be sending you an e-mail explaining all this shortly, but just to clear up for you and any other new JETs who find this site, placements MAY be announced in mid-late June, but it could be early July as well. Due to the size of the task last year (about half the prefecture was replaced with new folks), people withdrawing at the last minute and scheduling issues, the announcement wasn't made until about July 10th. That's on the extreme end of the scale and we are going to do everything we can to avoid that this year, but just a heads up that it is a possibility.
As for openings, there are over 30 openings throughout the prefecture at the moment. If you can guess where you end up, you will get the crystal ball award (that I just invented...).
As for food, rolled oats are hard to come by here, though you can order them from the Foreign Buyers Club (based in Kobe). I've seen yellow lentils and green ones, but not red (you may be able to order them as well, I've never tried). You can definitely get quinoa here.
Any other questions, fire away! You've got a big audience ready and willing to help!
Melissa
Heya, William here (aka Bronwen's husband).
Melissa mentioned Foreign Buyer's Club (FBC), who are really good, but FBC buy a lot of their stuff from Alishan (aka Tengu Natural Foods), and you can order direct from Tengu Natural Foods here:
http://www.alishan.jp/shop/nfoscomm/catalog/
I really like the crowd at Alishan, they normally include a little something 'extra' in my orders, like a free soy drink or a sampler of something new. They've also in the past been able to find items that I wanted that were not on their catalogue.
Of course if you want a mixed order of regular stuff and organic/vegetarian stuff then FBC is probably best, but if you want to just order organic/veg stuff then it might be best to cut out the middle man and go directly to the source.
There are some more links to vegetarian resources here:
http://ajet.net/psg/index.php?title=Vegetarian%2C_Vegan%2C_Natural_and_O...
Hokkaido AJET produces a cookbook/guide for being (and staying) vegetarian in Japan. I'd recommend that you pick it up at Tokyo orientation at the NAJET room, it should be around 1000 to 1300 yen. If you wait to buy it later than you're looking at postage and packaging on top of that, which might double the cost, so it makes sense to buy it at Tokyo.
I hope this helps.
William
*looks into crystal ball* It's a little blurry, but I see... Eiheiji? lol (I've studied with the Zen monestary in Ottawa, so I just picked the town with the monestary in it.)
Good luck figuring everything out!
I hope you didn't pay anyone for that crystal ball mate. There's only one ALT in Eheiji and as far as I know they are staying next year. Its pretty close to Fukui city though, which is where a lot of the free places will be so if your interested in visiting the temple to practice za-zen there shouldn't be much of a problem.
Anyways if anyone has any questions that our lovely available ladies can't answer, such as about the avilablility of particular types of beer, local sports teams to join/watch or what guys should bother/not bother packing then let me know.
Btw I'm Tom your new FJET sports rep.
=) Neat! Fukui city would also be great so that I can continue studying Aikido; I see that there's a dojo listed in the area guide. I've practiced Aikido for 8 years and hope to continue in Japan.
Is there much European beer imported to Japan? I enjoy Leffe and Staropramen. And while I am going to miss good Canadian beer, I do not believe that there's anything worthwhile that's exported. =\
I guess I should hold off thinking about most of this until I actually receive a placement.
There's a dojo in Maruoka that many ALTs frequent. I think the instructor speaks decent English. He lived in Scotland(?) for a few months or something 10+ years ago and still remembers his English! Classes are also held in Sabae, so even if you're not in the city, you will still be able to work something out.
Welcome to the Fu! Well... soonish, anyway. :] I'm Anna. Can't wait to meet you and all the incoming JETs!
I've found Leffe in Fukui-shi as well as Chimay and maybe a couple other Belgian beers.
Also, there are a couple bars that serve Belgian beer.
The only catch is the price. It can sting a bit (but then the thick, savory alcohol dulls the pain)
Hi Dawn,
I'm Corey. A few of my neighboring JETs mentioned you were interested in practicing Aikido in Fukui. I've been practicing for a while, too (since I was a kid) so it was one of the first things I started up again after getting to Fukui.
I'll be leaving in August, but if you'd like, you can e-mail me at coreymasaojohnson [at] gmail [dot] com and I can give you more information on practice in Fukui, or we can just continue over the forum (I never do use the forum, though, hence me taking a month to get to this). Are you affiliated with any specific style of Aikido (e.g. Aikikai) that you'd like to continue? That might be a good starting point.
There are a few places to buy import beer, one of which is near my house. It gets a little pricey, though, especially for European brews.
anyway, more later.
VERY THRILLING OATS UPDATE
You can buy Quaker brand, plain oatmeal at Marushin in Fukui City. I suspect it's instant, but it is (they are?) oats.
There is only instant at Marushin! They used to have regular oats at Plant 3, but they got rid of their international section. Anyone know about Yamaya???
I don't remember Yamaya having oatmeal. If they did, it'd probably be of the instant variety.
Last time I was at Yamaya, the only oats I saw there was in Granola, so no luck.
You can definitely get pretty big (like cereal box-size) boxes of Quaker oats at Marushin in Fukui, but also every Genky store, even here in tiny Ono, carries smaller boxes of it for about 300Y. I can't last a day without my oatmeal :)
Hey all, i'm also an incoming Fukui Jet and i'm really looking forward to living in this area, it looks lovely from what i've found out.
Hi Lydia,
Welcome! Fukui IS really lovely, so congratulations on landing in a great spot! As you can see, we are all chomping at the bit to help the new ALTs out, so if you have any questions / concerns, let us know!
Melissa
Hey all,
i'm so chuffed to have been placed somewhere with such good communciation between everyone...it's helping take off the edge from the overwhelming 'i'm really leaving' realisation that has been kicking in :)
i'm a brit and will be leaving from London in Group B so after orientation and all I should be with you all by about August 5th I think.
One of the main things I was interested in was finding out is if you can show a preference to where you'd like to be placed? Obviously I'm thrilled to have been selected but I was intrigued if people's interests are taken into account (ie snowboarders being placed closer to that area or people like me who are more culturally and historically minded being placed more southern?)
thanks :)
Lydia
Next week, the Fukui BoE will be allowed to "officially" contact you. At that time, they will send you a survey in which you will be able to discuss some of your preferences. There is no guarantee on placement, but it's worth it to be honest and thorough on the form as that is the only opportunity you'll have to state your needs/interests.
Thanks for that Melissa it's nice to know that preferences can be stated, no matter where in the ken i end up i can feel that it'll be an amazing experience though :)
and congratulations Laura, it looks like we've all landed on our feet with our placement :)
How cool! I didn't expect that.
Hey Lydia!
My name's Alice and I'm one of the Co-Presidents this year, so if you have any questions, feel free to shout them out to me or Zach! Where are you coming from?
Cheers,
Alice
Hello everyone,
My name is Laura and I was just notified that I'm going to Fukui and my contracting organization is Ooi-cho! Does anyone know anything about Ooi? I'm so excited to be in central Japan, and my husband is glad we are near the Sea of Japan! Also, last year we studied abroad at Chubu University in Kasugai, which is a suburb of Nagoya. Does anyone know how long it would take to get from western Fukui to Nagoya? It looks like it is only an hour or two away, but I don't know how close the nearest train or bus station would be to my placement.
Oh, and I'm originally from Indianapolis, Indiana USA, but I'm currently finishing up my degree in Athens, Ohio.
Thanks,
Laura
Hi Laura,
Congratulations on your placement in Fukui! Oi is a little town in the south of the Prefecture. You have some beautiful ocean views nearby, lots of traditional Japanese scenery and an excellent opportunity to improve your language skills. While your placement is pretty rural, Obama is super close and the major Japanese cities of the Kansai region are only about an hour away by train. Getting to Nagoya, Osaka or Kyoto will be quicker for you than any of us living up north. There is a small local train station in Oi -- you'd probably need to take that line to Tsuruga, than change trains there to get on an express for Nagoya.
Welcome!
Melissa
Hello Laura!
My name is Tracy and I am one of the current ALTs here in Oi town. If you have any questions about anything, please feel free to contact me at tracylee11 @ gmail.com (take out the spaces.
Oi is a very good town and excellent for speaking a lot of Japanese. You can catch a bus from our small station to Itami airport, Umeda, and Namba in Osaka, but anywhere else you will have to catch the very slow local train (no express) on the obama line to either Tsuruga or Maizuru and then on to Nagoya from there. Although you will need a car to get around down here. Oi is neither pedestrian or bus friendly as you will be visiting many schools and a car is the most convenient way to get around.
I think you will be arriving in Oi on July 31st which is my last day of contract so I will most likely be here to welcome you to the town :)
Hi, Laura, what part of Indy are you from?
Is your husband from there too?
I grew up in New Castle out East on I-70.
I also have lived in Kasugai while on an exchange program at Nanzan University.
It takes about 2 hours to get to Nagoya from Fukui City, but it should be faster from where you'll be living.
By the way, there's another ALT here, named Leslie, who also grew up in Indiana.
-Zachary
Hello Zachary!
I actually grew up in Greenwood on the south side of Indianapolis! I went to school on the north side on 86th street. That's where I met my husband, who is from Indy. We went to college together and studied abroad fall of '07 at Chubu University. Leslie already sent me an email. I didn't think that there would be so many Hoosiers in my prefecture! We should all get together and reminisce about how little there was to do back home. :) Are you in Fukui City?
Laura
Hey, Laura!
My name is Kelly, and I am going to be going into my second year in Fukui. I am really excited that you and your husband are coming to Fukui. My family is from Ft. Wayne, Indiana. I graduated from DePauw University. Since living in Japan, I have come to appreciate the comfort of other midwesterners. Let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to meeting you.
Kelly
Hello Melissa,
Thanks for the information! I'm can't wait until July 25th, when the Chicago JETs head to Japan!
Laura
Hi Laura,
If you head over to ithinkimlost.com, in the 'applying to jet' category they're making a list of everyone who's been placed. Come join us. =)
I'll see you at orientation!
Dawn
No problem!
I just rode that little train line down south though, and my hour quote to the cities is probably off. From Fukui City to Tsuruga, it took me an hour, and from Tsuruga to Obama it took me another hour. Oi is a little further down the line than Obama. I was taking the local train though -- the very slowest train that stops at every single concrete platform poking up from the rice fields. If you are willing to pay a bit more for an express, you could probably find something faster.
Melissa
Hello Ladies!!!!!!!
I am Lucia and one of the Southern Reps out of 2, the other guy is Kyle, who is also awesome. We are located in the southern of Fukui so if you are placed here there is a strong possibility that you will see us a lot (It's not a bad thing). I hope you will enjoy your last couple of months where you are and enjoy your favorite foods! I know that is one of the things I would have eaten more of when I came to Japan.
Dawn - In regards to the red lentils... I have some and I am pretty sure they are available however, pretty pricey. I was lucky because it was passed down from another ALT. There are some farmers markets here in the south that you can sometimes find those cute little things. I have green, red and yellow lentils. I also happen to have rolled oats! I found it in Tsuruga (a city close to my town here in the south) and you can get them in some of the large cities like Gifu, but are a bit harder to find.
Laura- My 2nd or 3rd home here in Japan is in Oi. I am very good friends which the ALTs you will be replacing. It is a great town and in regards to transportation even though the Obama line is not the fastest, you can take buses from the station to your destination particularly Osaka. It is very country but an overall great location. I will mention the fact that you are about an hour by car away from Kyoto and a couple of stops off.
Anyway, ask as many questions as you wish! There is a big group of people who can help you out and answer the questions necessary.
Hello Lucia,
I've been trying to eat as much kalamata olives, fresh mozzarella cheese, falafels, and Reese's cups as possible before leaving. I missed Mediterranean food so much when I was in Nagoya, so I'm trying to make myself sick of it before leaving. Thanks for the advice about Oi (do you only write one o? I'm not very good at romanized nihongo), and I'm very excited to meet you!
Laura
Hi Laura,
Yamaya does stock kalamata olives and mozzarella cheese. Not sure about falafels (I think I saw pita bread there last time, is that close enough for you?), and probably not Reese's cups. The Yamaya is up towards the north of Fukui, but I'm pretty sure that if you ask nicely one of the ALTs up here will buy some, stick it in a box and mail it down to you in Oi. It won't be as fast as popping out to the local grocery store, but you can get your olives and mozzarella 'fix' in Fukui.
Seibu in Fukui City also stocks mozzarella (including buffalo mozzarella, mmmmmm). In fact, regular cow's milk mozzarella can be bought in many large grocery stores. Seibu is the only place I know of with the buffalo variety though.
I've also seen dry falafel mixes randomly at places like Marushin -- you can get garbanzo beans / chick peas at several stores, though, and make your own falafels if the spirit moves you.
This conversation should move to the organic toothpaste thread...
Hey Laura,
Like Melissa said you can get mozzarella here, and also the olives, however, if you enjoy feta thats good to eat... You can order feta cheese through the foreign buyers store but its very expensive. Luckily you will live in Oi and could get some foreign goods in Takahama at this supermarket named Sunny Mart, which is fairly close but it is a bit expensive.
Hey gang!
It's so good to hear that everyone is excited about joining us in our fabulous prefecture! I am very jealous that you found out so soon, we were waiting on tenderhooks for ages, right Alice?
My name is Avalyn and I am a Brit based in Katsuyama, about 50 mins by car/train from the city. It's beautiful but I don't think we have any spots opening up here...saying that, Ono, a city nearby should be getting a few of you so I'm excited to meet you all!
I hope you are all very excited to get to know some local Japanese people - don't forget to fill in the Host Family sheet when you receive your placements, it's such a great way to learn more about our amazing country! (shameless plug)
Looking forward to meeting you all.
Avalyn x
P.S. To any snowboarders/skiers - we have SkiJam here in Katsuyama - google it! It's the best place for skiing/snowboarding in the prefecture and local areas so Ono (only 20 mins away) would be an ideal city if that's what you are interested in!
Hello Hello!
I am thrilled to see new arrivals already posting on the boards! On behalf of the JET FUEL team, I want to extend a very warm welcome to all of you who are preparing for their move to Fukui! My name is Elissa, and I am one of the co-editors of the community magazine otherwise known as JET FUEL. Jet fuel is a great way for you to express yourself in a public and creative way while you are here in Japan. We are always looking for articles about experiences and events, creative works like short stories and poems, photographs, or even extensions of blogs or monthly columns! So, if anyone of you up and coming Fukui ALT stars are interested in writing for us, please contact Kim and I at ilovefukui@gmail.com!
Fukui is truly a fantastic place to live. I think, with any Japanese placement, your happiness and ability to settle in is all about attitude! Come in with an open mind and find yourself amongst some of the most energetic, interesting, and gracious people in Japan!
If anyone ever has any questions, feel free to email me on my personal account at eayoung1985@yahoo.com. I cant wait to finally meet and greet all of you! Let me know if anyone gets placed in either Takefu/Echizen or the Sabae area! If you are, you will be my neighbors!
Good luck in your preparations!
Elissa
Hello!! My name is Steve and I'm coming to Fukui from Brooklyn. Things are starting to (finally) get surreal.
brooklyn. sweet. what type of music are you into?
Hey....I really do like everything. I'm a bit bummed I'm going to miss the All Points West Fesitval in New York at the end of July. The YYY's are performing. :( Last year was lots of fun. Have you been to festivals/shows in Japan?
Hey Steve!
I was also from NY, not Brooklyn though, more like Yonkers and the Bronx. Enjoy the pizza out there! Seriously, Japanese pizza doesn't have anything on it.
Any Questions?
Hey Lucia,
That's good to hear. I'll be sure to gorge on some pepperoni/mushroom pizzas. While I probably can't fit an entire pizza in my suitcase, (well, maybe...) if there is anything specific here in New York you would like me to bring for you, let me know. I work in Inwood/Washington Heights, so the Bronx is quite close.
One thing I love about New York is the food. I think it might be my favorite thing. What does your diet consist of there? Also, how long did it take you to adjust to Fukui/Japan? Have you been back to visit?
Hey!
Pepperoni and Mushroom.. Yum! Just you mentioning it makes me think of pizza back in NY.
Inwood and Washington Heights were my second home for a while, I went to CUNY for college so I was all over the city.
I love the food in New York also, I think something that is very unique to NY and I have yet to visit a place like that here in Japan. However, I did go to Hong Kong and it is a lot like NY over there. The diet here in Fukui is very Japanese even though sometimes you can find some restaurants that aren't supposed to be Japanese but with a Japanese twist to it. Still many are great.
I live in Mihama which is a drastic change from New York. The town I live in at the moment actually has only 1 super market for the entire town, however, they have a great selection of farmers markets because of the farming community. I live in inaka also known as country. The only things open 24 hours here are the combinis which are nothing like the bodegas in NY. It was something to get used to, certain things but this place is nothing compared to NY unless you are from the boonies.
I went back to NY during Spring Break as a surprise and hell, I stuffed myself with the things I couldn't find here. I think I gained 10 pounds the 10 somewhat days I was home.
Where in Brooklyn are you coming from?
In reagards to the music scene, Japan is pretty awesome for it. However, it is 3 times as expensive as NY, but don't be discouraged, it is a nice treat when possible. I was looking into the line up of the All Points West Music Fest. the other day, most of my friends are attending >,<. But I was the same way last year, I missed Bamboozle because I had to come to Japan >,<
Well, Laura,
Technically, I spent the first 6 years of my life in Wisconsin, so I've never been allowed to be called a "Hoosier".
Then again, I went to Indiana University, home of the "Hoosiers".
But, then again, I spent half my study time overseas and didn't follow basketball at all.
Anyway, looking forward to meeting you and all the other new kids.
If you have any questions just send an email.
fjetpresidents@gmail.com
-Z
Hi newbies :-)
I'm Mike, a 4th year British ALT.
Good luck with all your preparation, I remember how quickly it all went by so make sure you leave time to say all your goodbyes etc!
Looking forward to seeing you all - I should see you in Tokyo hopefully at the orientations :-)
Any questions about the Fu, particularly those about Football, Volunteering, Cosplay Karaoke, or the inadequacies of Japanese beer can be directed my way :-)
Good luck with everything
Mike
FJET Volunteer Coordinator fjetvolunteer@gmail.com
Smile Kids Japan Chair & Founder www.smilekidsjapan.org (AJET Special Interest Group)