Wazap all two weeks away from SBO. I wanna hear where people wanna go for Yakiniku on sat. First, we gatta decide where Ikebukuro,Shibuya or Shinjuku. Those who are coming for sure, reply or PM me where by Jul 29 then we’ll decide the yakiniku place to go.
I found out there will be an event called Tokyo Game Nights ?GODSGARDEN?
From what I hear, it’s SF4 tournament w cash (1st gets Y10,000 I heard) organized by KSK. Daigo the beast is the special guest.
Where:Asagaya/Loft A Time:Aug7 16:00 til Aug8 5:00 Fee:1500(admission)+500(1drink)
been researching getting an English teaching job in Japan. To get out there for the first time, JET looks the best option. Thing is I really would only do it if I could live in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, and it seems that with JET they’ll put you where they want, basically.
I want to do it for a few reasons- money, the chance to live abroad while earning, and I’m interested in the culture, food and stuff. My hobby in fighting games is an added bonus, and as such it would be a shame to be in Japan but living in an area where I can’t really get any games.
Are there any similar programs where I can guarantee myself a spot in a city? Any advice for a UK graduate who wants to go from London to teaching in Tokyo?
When I applied for JET, I put as my preference Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara, in that order. They sent me to a place that calls itself “Keihanna” - written in Kanji in means “Kyoto Osaka Nara”. So sometimes, you do get exactly what you ask for. While there are positions in the city, keep in mind that there aren’t that many, and probably everyone like yourself is vying for them.
You can roll the dice and try to get the city position, but I would recommend busting out a map and finding a rural area that’s close enough to the city where you want to be. Your chances are much better of getting that rural assignment than the city one. Plus, housing tends to be MUCH cheaper and its easier to save money out in the countryside. The only thing is you’ll want to get an area that has a good transportation system. Even though my placement was Kyoto Prefecture, it took 50 minutes and 2 trains to get to Kyoto City. Which isn’t really all that bad. If you’re going for Kyoto, South >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> North. My friends who lived up north had to take like a train, a bus, a donkey, and the Oregon Trail just to get to the city.
Yep, nobody would ever request my placement, but I’m close enough to Kobe and Osaka to head out there every weekend. There ARE rural places that suck, like northern Hyogo, or most places on shikoku, but there’s plenty of semi-rural places close enough to a big city that you can easily head out there. Rural Japan, while not my cup of tea, isn’t too bad on the weekdays…
Thanks bro, kind of thought you’d be the best bet for some advice. Some things on SRK don’t change huh.
You know, that’s the plan I’d formed in my head, and you’ve validated it. I figure I need to pick the next best place and come up with a convincing reason for living there.
Something romanticized or emotionally charged seems to be the shit they lap up (my grandfather fought in WWII there, or I saw a painting of this town as a child and vowed to one day visit).
All I need is to pick the spot, and that’s what I’m hoping you guys can help with. I just want somewhere that I can get to Tokyo or Osaka in a reasonable amount of time, and where I can get some comp at fighting games fairly easily. A second tier city that is a viable JET choice seems ideal, or anywhere that’s nice and well located.
I’m pretty flexible, as long as I can get games and visit the city for holidays and weekends it’s all cool.
Thanks for the help, this is a pretty important step for me as I have made up my mind to do JET, and I’d HATE to spend a year somewhere shit.
Keep in mind that even if you request a place, it doesn’t mean you’ll get it, or get anything near it. Ultimately, the city decides if they want you or not, so you could get thrown wherever. It’s a total gamble.
Yeah I know that, but I figure if I choose carefully and come up with a very compelling reason, I’m in a much better position than if I truly leave t to chance.
All I’m asking from you guys is a platform for researching what will work for me, then I can look into it more. At this point all I know is Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka. I’m looking for some second tier cities/towns that have good transport links, and some indication of how urban a plcae needs to be to have an arcade scene.
Like, in England now, if you aren’t in London or Manchester you can’t play fighting games. I
Know its very different over there, obviously, but I still have no idea if a small to medium sized town would have, say, an SFIV scene or whether I?d need to be in a city. Not asking anyone to hold my hand, but if any of you guys could give me an indication of the kind of places other than the big three cities that have decent arcades that would really help me.
Kawaguchiko seems like a nice place if you wanna live near Tokyo. You’'ll see Mt.Fuji everyday, the town isn’t exactly what i would consider “sticks” Great scenery… Only think thing is, i didn’t see too many young people when i was there. But there is an amusement park in the area. But ya, when you wanna go to Tokyo, you can take a 1.5 hour bus ride to and from Shinjuku station for around 20$
He died while Azrael’s caravan was crossing the Kamo River
When I was asked where I wanted to be in Japan, I told them “As long as I’m not in the middle of nowhere with a scant population, I’m fine.” This place (Fukui-ken) is pretty much perfect… and it’s fairly close to Osaka and Kyoto.
Thanks, tha’s the kind of advice I would like! I’ve had a google and looked at the place you’re suggesting. Somehwere like that would really be ideal for me. The only concern I have is that I really don’t know what it’s like in japan for arcades and fighting game comp outside of Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto.
Would one of you gents over in Japan please give me some idea of how easy/likely it is to find a the likes of SFIV/3S/Tekken/BB and so on outside the big three cities? Is it like 90s America where every town has arcades, or is it a case of the big cities having athriving scene, but outside of that things being very sparse?
My area is okay with fighters, but they are not great. A fellow SRK member (fireballtrap) pretty much dominated our area with another gaijin for SBO quals, but couldn’t go to the regional quals (?) because of transportation problems. BB is not very popular in our area compared to other places. Tekken is okay and 3S is not played at all here.
But yeah, pretty sure that the best come from the big cities because the comp is so much better. No Cinderella stories AFAIK.
It’s not so much that I want/need to be in the same borough as a Mago or Kindevu. It’s not that I even need to be near ‘top players’. It’s more that I want to be secure that the area I’m going HAS arcades and access to machines, and that when I put my money in after a hard day at work I will not be playing the CPU! Do most towns, even small ones, have at least a few cabinets that get played by the locals?
The electrifying one: I am also applying for JET this year. good luck bro! hopefully we can both end up over there!
Yeah this is my last year of school so my advisor said now is the time to be working on my JET app. Ive been working towards this day for 3 years. I will graduate with a 3.0 gpa, a bachelors in biology, a minor in chemistry AND a minor in ENglish. THe thing that I think (hope) will set me apart is my experience as an ENglish tutor for the past 2 years. Am i crazy in thinking I have a shot? My genuine interest in the culture has taken me through two courses in Japanese (b’s in both) as well. I know applications for JET is pretty crazy right now, but am I crazy for thinking I have a shot? in my mind, very few applicants will have a degree, two minors and teaching experience in less than 4 years and some beginners japanese to boot…so I think I have a shot. What are some things you guys did on your apps that you think were effective? POinters/criticism would be much obliged.
another q: i was told that the trains to get to the city are pretty expensive. my friend said that it would have cost him like 200-300 dollars to get on a bullet to tokyo from where he was. I thought they were cheaper? depends on what region?
i’ve been trying to find more hard information on applications. I really want to know the places/applicants ratio.
I also want to know what they value most highly (not the official company line, but what qualities they have been shown to favour in applicants historically- do they go for top academic credentials more than people they see as affable and friendly? How much weight do transcrips and references hold? Do they prefer recent applicants or those who have experienced full time employment??)
I’d love to know that kind of information. I have been researching a lot, but fiding wider trends than individual experiences and JET official party-line is tricky.
So sometimes, you do get exactly what you ask for. While there are positions in the city, keep in mind that there aren’t that many, and probably everyone like yourself is vying for them.