New JETs- got questions?

questions don't bother anyone, ask away!

couple notes on traveler's checks

They are completely refundable if lost or stolen - this is good
but Japan is pretty safe - also good
Traveler's checks typically give better exchange rates than cash - also good
The exchange rate right now it crappy for you coming - not so good
You may have problems using the checks when you first arrive - not good
you only need a little cash until you get to fukui - good

I brought about half and half when I came and I got a pretty decent exchange on the checks when I went to the Fukui bank - much better than in Tokyo.

I'd bring some cash for sure (you will probably want something like $1-200 in Tokyo when you arrive
-food is pretty much handled until the bus trip (yeah you bus to Fukui - it's fun)
-there are books and such available in Tokyo - teaching aids and the like
-you are taken care of in the hotel in Fukui for food but there are things happening (more if you want to try and sneak out and buy stuff)
-you will have the opportunity for going out on the town with one of the Fukui people in Tokyo
-it is a cash based society - cash is always preferred

So keep those things in mind for the cash aspect.
You can exchange money in the hotel so you don't have to worry too much about that (you will not have time at the airport)
if you want to keep most of it as checks that is fine too. You will have to go to the bank to open your account with your supervisor anyhow.

As a side note - bringing a couple extra passport photos with you is helpful and can save time when getting your gaijin card (I did not and ended up in a photo booth in 1000 degree weather in downtown Fukui)

-Mark

P.S. I was recently told my posts are too long. skimming can help shorten them.

I was incredibly broke when I came here. So I brought maybe $200-$300 in yen, a credit card, and a debit card.

I think travelers checks are more hastle than they are worth. You'd have to take 'em to the post office to cash them. Good luck if you wanna do that.

You can use a debit card from anywhere in the post office ATM. I think most people do that. Post offices are all over and there is one right across the street from your hotel in Tokyo. Their hours are like 8am to 8pm but just work around it. Some places take credit card- especially chains and big stores.

So just bring a little cash to start, a debit card, and a credit card and you'll be fine. I literally lived off my credit card to start so it's doable. Mitsuwa (a Wallmart-esque chain) has furniture, household items, and food- and they take credit. Woohoo!

Your supervisor will take you to open a bank account on your first day in Fukui and you will get a small bit of money deposited in it later to last you til payday if you are group A.

For example- I opened my account July 31st, and on August 14th I got about $300 and then on August 21st I got my normal paycheck of $2,500. So expect something like that.

You may also have to participate in an English camp shortly after arriving and they often give "Thank You" *wink wink* money. So that's nice.

What Mark said about brining passport pics is true. I broght some but forgot where they were in my luggage so we had to take new ones and I look like a Mormon homeschool teacher on my gaijin card(no offense to any one- but you know the look I mean).

Also, no need to be self concious about asking a million questions. We were all there once and we are happy to tell you about our lives here :) Plus, people posting answers for you are the ones who choose too. It's not like we are telling all the FJETs to get on and answer at least one question ;) It's good fun XD

I second traveler's checks because that's what I did and it worked great for me. I think I brought around $1000 USD in traveler's checks and had a couple of hundred or so on me in yen. you can most likely exchange some money at the hotel in Tokyo if you find yourself in a bind, so don't worry.

I exchanged and deposited my traveler's checks when I opened my bank account with my supervisor. you will do this the first day you leave Fukui orientation, if not within a few days. super easy! :]

Anna

You have to watch out for fees on these cards though. Almost every debit/credit card has some sort of international fee which can make your 1,000 yen purchase a 2,000. Do you know if your cards have them, Lydia?

Go all cash if you can. If you know money's going to be tight find a card that has low or no fees. I think Charles Schwab has a credit card with no fees. Definitely worth it to get this card before you come over in July/August.

1500 Lbs. worth of cash... how did you carry it all? Did you bring a forklift? :P

you won't have to worry about this until about spring, if you are staying a second year. other than that, your IDP should get you through a year just fine.

you'll end up going once to the driving center before you can even take any test. this appointment will be for turning in paperwork. note: bring a Japanese speaker with you unless your Japanese is good enough. the written test is a piece of cake. ten true or false questions, you need seven to pass. the test is in English.

the driving test itself is a bit more of a pain in the butt. you literally have to check under the car for babies and pets and check your mirrors in a specific sequence. it isn't about testing your driving ability at all. it is testing how well you can memorize the course. no one really drives like that on the road (obviously, you'll learn Fukui is #2 in the highest accident rate in Japan). I passed on the second try. it is a bit of a crap shoot sometimes. rarely, people can pass on the first shot and people who think they did it perfectly end up taking three or four times.

what I recommend is for you to get the test done a bit earlier, say around March or April. those who have waited until now are a bit backed up since there is this mad rush of foreigners doing their tests. (they only allow you to take the test on Wednesday or Friday, so if you went earlier, you could conceivably try on Wednesday and then again on Friday if it's not busy.) I found that the things I read online were pretty helpful.

really though, I wouldn't think about this until later. once you're here, you can get the course map from an older JET and course-specific tips. I'm sure you've got tons of other stuff to worry about for now.

Anna

Stuff like flashcards and word games are good, but I wouldn't bring much in the way of textbooks - they use government approved ones here, and I've found that my ESL teaching from before is not related in the slightest to what I teach here.

A lot of it will also depend on what kind of school you're at. If you're at a high level school, then it might be more useful, but low level/junior high school, you might have less freedom to use those kind of materials.

Alice x

Seriously, I brought so much stuff in the ways of teaching supplies and I wish I hadn't. I really don't think you need to bring anything like that. I even have a million flash cards that I never use.

Bring school related stuff that you can give away like sparkley pencils, erasers, and stickers.

And holiday stuff is great too. I w\think we often end up giving presentations about how our home country celebrates things like Xmas, Valentines Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving (US), etc. So anything you can bring like holiday cards or a halloween costume would be interesting.

I have Wells Fargo and my ATM withdrawal limit is under ￥30,000 per day here. So anyone planning on taking out a bunch of money might want to check on that.

Submitted by spencerth on Thu, 06/10/2010 - 23:42.

  All your responses are scaring the new people...

  I'm not suggesting one over the other, but you will NOT get a better exchange rate than using your debit   
  card after you get here at the post office and withdrawing a BUNCH of money. Max is a LOT but don't lose   
  it. Even after fees, it's a better deal. You choose.

I'm sure they are all more excited than scared, we're not going to be able to change that with a few posts.

Anyhow, not sure about the exchange rate - but I would guess you would have to get a bunch to make it worthwhile over the fees versus cash or TC. It is also important to consider that different banks/cards have different limits. Anyone thinking about following Spencer's advice should make sure to check their fees (including international) and limits from their bank/card. Also note, those limits will be in dollars/pounds or whatever your native currency is and because the exchange is not in your favor taking ￥30,000 would be more than a $300 limit would allow and this results in you effectively having a lower limit here. There is also the case of not all cards working - (pre-paid debit cards have had issues)

In the end, if you want the money - bring cash - you will always know it is good. If you are trying to get the best exchange rate for your money - other things will help but being tricky involves more risk of hidden fees and inconveniences. I am fairly confident no matter how you bring your money you will be able to find a way to access/convert it as needed once you get here. The differences are small.

No worries though, everyone will be able to make it over here safely and no one is going to starve from lack of money.

-Mark

I'm going to quote Austin who posted earlier and has a blog about personal financing,

"You have to watch out for fees on these cards though. Almost every debit/credit card has some sort of international fee which can make your 1,000 yen purchase a 2,000...Go all cash if you can. If you know money's going to be tight find a card that has low or no fees. I think Charles Schwab has a credit card with no fees. Definitely worth it to get this card before you come over in July/August."

You can get a good rate with a debit card. I've used that method a lot while traveling to get quick cash, but always be aware that there are fees and limits to how much you can withdraw. With the strong yen, that withdraw limit goes even lower.

When I came I had to pay 20 man (200,000 yen) to move into my flat, but I could only withdraw 2 man (20,000 yen) per day because of my limit at my bank in the US. I had to borrow the money from my supervisor, and it took me a couple weeks to pay her back.

If you can, I suggest bringing enough cash to get by for a few weeks until the first paycheck and leaving a fair amount in your bank at home for emergencies.

Also, relax.
Breathe in, breathe out. Sleep well. Spend time with friends and family and don't worry at all about Japan. Everything will work out just fine. You won't be alone when you come here.
-Z

If you see something that really takes your fancy by all means I say go for it BUT also you will be getting an information pack when your city placement is confirmed and you may be offered a whole apartment load of stuff and a car for a relatively cheap price (as I'm doing). More stuff will be advertised as ALTs find out if their successors want anything.

I can totally understand that it must be frustrating to be advised to wait a little longer! you must feel like you've been waiting an age already, and there is the gamble that your predecessor may offer you nothing (like what happened with me when I arrived) but i was directed to a different ALT who sorted me out with some stuff and then I ended up kitting out most of my apartment from Mitsuwa.

With regards to a car, there are always cars to be sold and there are japanese people who help with that too (in the Tannan area Tano-san is well known for helping ALTs with their cars).

Hope that helps a little.
Lydia

Yeah you can call dibs on stuff now and ALTs can get it to you via friends if they are leaving before you get here or give t to you themselves :)

Definitely true that we will be selling more stuff after we find out who our successors are and if they want or don't want what we are selling.

Don't be apologising, we're feeling just as impatient as you to know who's coming in after us ;)

We're keeping everything crossed it's in the next week or so that we hear (but it could be as late as 2 weeks before you arrive!!) and when we do i'm guessing so will you. then it's up to each party to communicate as you see fit. most current ALTs will have put an email address for contact on their home and school info form which you'll get :)

and i have 2 schools - a base for 3 days a week then a visit for 2 days a week and i get 3 elementary schools to visit once a term on average though a couple have been twice. hope that helps a little.

I have a junior high base school and seven visiting elementary schools. I had ten last year, but Tom graciously took some off of my hands! thanks, chief.

I visit each of the elementary schools once a term, so it ends up being three times a year for each school. it's not as bad as it sounds. the visits usually happen in a span of about two months, with one or two days of the week involving the actual visit. basically, they're spread out so no need to fret.

You will find out all of this in one swoop! You will probably get an email from Galina about your placements, and attached might be a document that we all had to fill out for you in which we (hopefully) included where you are, what schools you are going to, our contact info, and tons of other details, including key money info and what we are selling.

I have 2 schools, both Middle School. I go to one 3 days a week and the other 2 days a week.