Japan Jan/Feb 2009...?

Hi everyone,

I'm heading over to Japan in late Jan early Feb 2009 and want to ask a few questions to those experienced travellers!

I'll be staying with my friend in Tokyo for two weeks, then heading to Ogaki to stay with my old host family.

I'm a singer/actress so I want to see if I can get some work when I travel to Japan. I've submitted my resume to an agent, and am waiting to hear back for them (and I'm applying for a working visa).

I was also thinking about joining a manga drawing class for a month or so, is that possible to do?

Or maybe bring my guitar and sing at a few open mic nights.

Have any of you got any other suggestiong as to what I can do? I'm not really interested in sight seeing, since I've already done that in 2005... I'm more interested in experiencing Japanese life and meeting new people. Foreigners and native Japanese of course!!

Do you think anyone would want an English tutor for a few weeks??

~MizLod

Well...I haven't really heard of "manga drawing classes" so far...
The few manga artists I have met here have all worked for a few years with a more experienced one and learned the basics as an assistant.

Also regarding the english tutoring thing...errr...there are tons of foreigners here in Tokyo so I wish you luck in finding someone who would like just a few weeks of tutoring.

If all you're interrested in meeting people, my foreign friends usually sit down at a starbucks coffee (in 渋谷 for example) with a 日本語能力試験 book and they managed to meet quite a few locals like that. Of course, that is...provided your japanese is good enough to have a basic conversation...

Otherwise, I don't think they issue working visas unless you have a company to back you up (though it might be different for famous artists).

Good luck though !

Yey! Thanks for a reply ^___^

Do you think any mangakas would want an apprentice for a month...? How would I contact them anyway...

Do you mean your friends still sit at Starbucks? That'd be fun! So just walking around you think I'd meet people if they'd strike up a conversation?

I'm wondering if it's worth booking into a tour... expensive and a lack of Japanese language... I'm just afraid of getting to Japan and not knowing what to do...

~MizLod

No, I don't think anyone would take a novice for only one month unless they are really desperate for help.

To meet manga artists you just need to go to shops where they sell special material and start a conversation with someone. If you're lucky and can spark some interest, a conversation might occur, who knows?
For my part, I was talking to myself when this guy started a conversation with me.

As for my friends, they were studying at a starbuck with a 窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾅ津ｪ窶堙娯?氾最ｽﾅｽﾅ陳ｱ窶怒 when some japanese people tried to initiate a conversation with them, however that might as well be in a mc donald.

Also...pardon me to ask but what's your japanese level?
So far, I have yet to meet a japanese person with a good english level (most of those who were able to have a conversation with me were at least 30-35 years old). Do you really hope that they'll come at you with english?

Beside once you get to japan there's tons of things to do: clubbing, sightseeing, shopping,etc.