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How did you end up in Japan?

chunin

後輩
13 Feb 2010
4
0
11
I am eager to live in Japan for some time (have just been to Tokyo for a 7-8 days trip so far).

I wonder how members of Jref ended up there and would like to learn from people who actually spent the effort to be there (like, navy people cannot really choose where to be sent or if you need to go there for like 2 years which is forced by your company, you can't do much about it).
 
If I were one of those people, I would relish the fact that I am there. Unfortunately, it is people who do not appreciate who get the opportunity.
 
My old company sent me to Tokyo for a 3-month stint to help set up a branch office. I volunteered to stay longer (over the Xmas holiday and into February).

Upon returning to my home country, I studied the language and culture. Ten years later I made a 3-week solo trip of my own to many places in Japan that I was unable to experience while working.

Three years later, the company where I worked (different from the first) relocated, so I took a chance and moved here, ostensibly to look for similar work but used English teaching as a fall-back plan to support myself. Have been doing that ever since. That was 12 years ago.
 
I came by choice, by taking a job working for the US military in Japan. You will find that most civilians working for the military come here because they want to.

Even those military personnel who get assigned here not by choice are glad that they did and try to stay here as long as they can.
 
I came here when I was in the US Navy and it was by my own choice. When we finished our training each class received a list of open positions for our job classification and rank on ships and shore positions. We got to select among them based on our position in the class, so it was competitive. We had a couple of ships in Hawaii, two in Japan, and several others for ships at various ships at US bases. The person with the highest class performance chooses first, #2 next, and so on. The last guy had to take whatever was left. We were informed of this system at the beginning of our training course and this was an incentive to do our best. I don't know if the same system is still in use. Those who chose overseas postings had to go through a screening process to be approved for their choices.

If I were one of those people, I would relish the fact that I am there. Unfortunately, it is people who do not appreciate who get the opportunity.

Living as you do in a free country, you can make your own opportunities, you know.

Those who truly want to come do what it takes to make it happen. The rest just think wistful thoughts while life passes them by.
 
I ended up in Japan, because my wife is Japanese and I thought that living in Japan would be easier for my family. I can't really say it's easy for me, especially work-wise.
 
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