Question Moving to Aichi and going to Yamasa Institute - adivce?

[sophieeinJP]

Hi Everyone, I'm fairly new to this subreddit but I'm planning to live in Okazaki for about 4 months (hopefully in a homestay) this upcoming September/October - December. I plan to go to the Yamasa Language school to learn Japanese and also get involved with some volunteering in the local area. If anyone has either lived in the area near Okazaki, or attended the Yamasa Institute, please share your experiences with me!

I want to advance my Japanese, which is currently at a very basic N5 level, and would like to get involved in local sports clubs if they have any, and make some friends there. I was thinking rock climbing, frisbee, volleyball (which im very beginner at), and also saw futsal (never done it but looks very interesting and would love to try). I've also recently gotten into OP TCG so if anyone knows about any card game community there please let me know!

I'm not familiar with Aichi at all. I've only been to Japan once in my life, which was last year, and stayed less than a month and visited Tokyo, Kyoto , and Osaka with friends, and Maizuru by myself. I loved the vibe of the city life in Tokyo and Osaka, and though Kyoto was quiet compared to the others, it was very beautiful. I went to Maizuru for two nights and it was a completely different experience from the rest. First off I was completely by myself this time, and secondly, Maizuru was a very small town with not many English speakers. I knew almost no Japanese at the time so I found it to be quite lonely. However I did end up having a great time by myself exploring the nearby parks and then going to Amanohashidate. I had a few worries/questions regarding life in Okazaki and attending the Yamasa Institute: - What kind of community service opportunities are available, specifically for someone who is at a beginner Japanese level?

• Can I get involved in sports in the area and what did you get involved with to make friends?
• What are ways to find homestays or a sharehouse in the area?
• What are some fun things to do on weekends (I will be having most weekends free)
• What kind of people live in Okazaki

Thanks in advance everyone

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

As a displaced resident of Aichi, and the Mikawa region (of which Okazaki is a part), welcome to Aichi! It's very different from Osaka, Tokyo, and Kyoto. It's certainly not a big tourist trap, and it's off the beaten path for many people. It's location is great, as it's located in the middle of everything, so once you get on the shinkansen, the world is your oyster. As for local travel, well, there are a bunch of trains, and they're pretty good. There are JR, as I'm sure you're familiar with, and there is Meitetsu, which I never really liked for some reason. Probably because I always compared it to the local trains around Osaka, which are top notch. (At least they were back in the stone age when I was there.)

Member @J44xm went to Yamasa back in the day, and I think he's since moved back into the area. He loved his experience at Yamasa, and I can attest that his Japanese really improved during his tenure. Sadly, he has not logged in for about 10 years. I know he lived in the Yamasa facility, which I don't recall whether it was all Yamasa students there, or if it was an apartment that he got through the school. It's too bad that he's not active around here any more, as he would be a great resource for you.

I personally used to live in Kariya, which is to the west of Okazaki. So I don't know Okazaki itself too well. But I think it's much like the rest of Mikawa. Pretty laid back, and pretty nice. Anyway, when @J44xm went to Yamasa, we used to hang out a lot.

What kind of sports do you like? Here is a link to the Okazaki Sports Association. It's all in Japanese, but if you have anything specific you're looking for, feel free to ask! I'd love to help a fellow Mikawan! I agree that making local friends will help immensely, and sports are a good way to meet people, especially if you're good at it.

Yamasa might have information about homestay, but I couldn't find any on their website, which is pretty informative, by the way. I found this site, but I can't vouch for their services one way or another.

As far as the weekend is concerned, that really depends on you. I used to love to travel. Seeing as Yamasa is not far from the JR Okazaki station, the whole of Japan (well, much of it, anyway) is open to you!

Also, while you're in Okazaki, feel free to reach out at any time through this forum or via PM, if you don't want it public. I really loved my time in Mikawa, and I'd like for you to have the best, most productive time there as well.

 

[mdchachi]

I've actually been to Kariya a few times (I used to work for DENSO). How did you end up there?

 

[thomas]

On a side note, JREF is not a "subreddit." We were already here long before social media, not to mention Reddit, existed.

Good luck with your stay in Japan!

 

[sophieeinJP]

As a displaced resident of Aichi, and the Mikawa region (of which Okazaki is a part), welcome to Aichi! It's very different from Osaka, Tokyo, and Kyoto. It's certainly not a big tourist trap, and it's off the beaten path for many people. It's location is great, as it's located in the middle of everything, so once you get on the shinkansen, the world is your oyster. As for local travel, well, there are a bunch of trains, and they're pretty good. There are JR, as I'm sure you're familiar with, and there is Meitetsu, which I never really liked for some reason. Probably because I always compared it to the local trains around Osaka, which are top notch. (At least they were back in the stone age when I was there.)

Member @J44xm went to Yamasa back in the day, and I think he's since moved back into the area. He loved his experience at Yamasa, and I can attest that his Japanese really improved during his tenure. Sadly, he has not logged in for about 10 years. I know he lived in the Yamasa facility, which I don't recall whether it was all Yamasa students there, or if it was an apartment that he got through the school. It's too bad that he's not active around here any more, as he would be a great resource for you.

I personally used to live in Kariya, which is to the west of Okazaki. So I don't know Okazaki itself too well. But I think it's much like the rest of Mikawa. Pretty laid back, and pretty nice. Anyway, when @J44xm went to Yamasa, we used to hang out a lot.

What kind of sports do you like? Here is a link to the Okazaki Sports Association. It's all in Japanese, but if you have anything specific you're looking for, feel free to ask! I'd love to help a fellow Mikawan! I agree that making local friends will help immensely, and sports are a good way to meet people, especially if you're good at it.

Yamasa might have information about homestay, but I couldn't find any on their website, which is pretty informative, by the way. I found this site, but I can't vouch for their services one way or another.

As far as the weekend is concerned, that really depends on you. I used to love to travel. Seeing as Yamasa is not far from the JR Okazaki station, the whole of Japan (well, much of it, anyway) is open to you!

Also, while you're in Okazaki, feel free to reach out at any time through this forum or via PM, if you don't want it public. I really loved my time in Mikawa, and I'd like for you to have the best, most productive time there as well.

This was a lot of very helpful information, thanks!!
I'm very much down to try any sports there, but I'm mostly into rock climbing (if they have a community there), volleyball, pickleball, tennis, badminton, and table tennis. Other than that, I'm into board games and some video games as well.
I'm extremely excited and nervous about my time in Aichi!

I've actually been to Kariya a few times (I used to work for DENSO). How did you end up there?

I'm actually going to Japan for 1 whole year through a fellowship program partnered with my university, and the first term requires me to do a language school and learn the language for 4 months. In the second term I would most likely be moving out of Aichi to (maybe) Osaka or Tokyo or Fukuoka. This all depends on which University I choose to do my 4-month academic term in. Then in the last term I will be working a full time job, which I would have to find myself, but the location I do it in does not matter

I'm a bit worried about visa issues and finding a job. I read that to get a work visa, I would need a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) from my employer, which means I would need to find a job first, and almost all work visas require the applicant to have a Bachelors degree, which I do not have yet

So I'm wondering how difficult it would be to find a full-time job for 4 months or an internship with or without honorarium?

 

[sophieeinJP]

On a side note, JREF is not a "subreddit." We were already here long before social media, not to mention Reddit, existed.

Good luck with your stay in Japan!

Haha that's my bad, I wanted to post this on reddit as well and forgot to change the wording

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Rock climbing in Okazaki

ロッククライミングを楽しむなら愛知県岡崎市のプレイマウンテン！へ。初心者でも安心です！

ロッククライミングを楽しむなら愛知県岡崎市のプレイマウンテン！。初心者でも安心です！

www.playmountain.jp

暮らしの杜 登山 Gym - クライミングジム -（岡崎市）山岳壁・リード壁・ボルダ―壁があります

岡崎市の暮らしの杜に、ロープを使えるクライミングジムがオープン！国内で数少ないの山岳壁、高さ7ｍのルート壁、ボルダー壁の3種類の壁を備えています。お子さんから中高年の方、そして登山者まで、皆さんに楽しんでいただけます。

climb.kurashinomori.org

Futsal in Okazaki

フットサルアリーナ岡崎【愛知県岡崎市のフットサルコート】

フットサルアリーナ岡崎は愛知県岡崎市の屋内フットサルコートです。エンジョイ/ミックス大会や個人参加フットサル、ジュニアフットサルスクールなどのイベントを開催してます。

futsal.info