Potentially visiting Japan for 3 months in September

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Hey guys, 久しぶりですね！ It's been a while :')
I'm sorry for being very inactive for half the year, but hopefully I'll start to use this forum some more. I have some interesting questions to ask, but I'll start with the least interesting and ask more interesting questions at unfixed intervals.
For now, this is just a personal question applying mainly to me. I'm potentially going to visit Japan for 3 months starting right at the end of August. For reasons, it might be best for me to not disclose my exact purpose for going there and most of my plans, but my question is this:
Can anyone suggest some good places to check out which are heavily related to music? For example, where is a well known place for street performers? Where are some good places where it's known many musicians, singers, etc. might hang around? As well as some well known music events (such as M3, which I hope I can go to) around that time, with some basic explanations on how each event works? (And more)
I've done some research so far, and asked many Japanese people, but it's proving to provide minimal results... Especially asking Japanese people... They all just added reactions to my message such as ﾂﾖｲ、ｵﾂｶﾚｻﾏﾃﾞｽ、etc. after I asked. It's also really hard for me to navigate the Japanese web which is quite... disorganized, in some ways, so I really need help from you guys on this one! I'm hoping to find some good places to target hanging around and potentially meet the right people, and so on. Any decent companies/music industry places to show my face at would be highly appreciated as well! I patiently await any replies

 

[mdchachi]

Hey guys, 久しぶりですね！ It's been a while :')
I'm sorry for being very inactive for half the year, but hopefully I'll start to use this forum some more. I have some interesting questions to ask, but I'll start with the least interesting and ask more interesting questions at unfixed intervals.
For now, this is just a personal question applying mainly to me. I'm potentially going to visit Japan for 3 months starting right at the end of August. For reasons, it might be best for me to not disclose my exact purpose for going there and most of my plans, but my question is this:
Can anyone suggest some good places to check out which are heavily related to music? For example, where is a well known place for street performers? Where are some good places where it's known many musicians, singers, etc. might hang around? As well as some well known music events (such as M3, which I hope I can go to) around that time, with some basic explanations on how each event works? (And more)
I've done some research so far, and asked many Japanese people, but it's proving to provide minimal results... Especially asking Japanese people... They all just added reactions to my message such as ﾂﾖｲ、ｵﾂｶﾚｻﾏﾃﾞｽ、etc. after I asked. It's also really hard for me to navigate the Japanese web which is quite... disorganized, in some ways, so I really need help from you guys on this one! I'm hoping to find some good places to target hanging around and potentially meet the right people, and so on. Any decent companies/music industry places to show my face at would be highly appreciated as well! I patiently await any replies

There are tons of "live houses" and the like so I think it will end up being serendipity of you finding the right people at the right time. I mean you could hang out in Harajuku, Shibuya and the like but it's really going to come down to you finding a friend or two. As you hang out with them you'll meet more and more people. Eventually it will be 友達の友達はみんなの友達. I would start by finding non-Japanese music crowd and they will introduce you to the locals in their circle.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

There are tons of "live houses" and the like so I think it will end up being serendipity of you finding the right people at the right time. I mean you could hang out in Harajuku, Shibuya and the like but it's really going to come down to you finding a friend or two. As you hang out with them you'll meet more and more people. Eventually it will be 友達の友達はみんなの友達. I would start by finding non-Japanese music crowd and they will introduce you to the locals in their circle.

Thanks, that's good advice! I was planning to do that as well, just try and find friends in general to connect with everyone.
I'm not quite into listening to music loudly, but I think I'll hang around live houses and see if I can bear the volume
I'm guessing you can't suggest any specific live houses, but would it make sense when I go there to just enter 「ライブハウス」 in Google maps or something and find something nearby? I'm fine with getting lost, but I want to make sure I can find what I'm looking for in the midst of being lost that's what makes the adventure more fun

 

[mdchachi]

Thanks, that's good advice! I was planning to do that as well, just try and find friends in general to connect with everyone.
I'm not quite into listening to music loudly, but I think I'll hang around live houses and see if I can bear the volume
I'm guessing you can't suggest any specific live houses, but would it make sense when I go there to just enter 「ライブハウス」 in Google maps or something and find something nearby? I'm fine with getting lost, but I want to make sure I can find what I'm looking for in the midst of being lost that's what makes the adventure more fun

I'm afraid I wouldn't know any venues. Even when I lived in Tokyo I didn't go to those kinds of places much. I did see the Violent Femmes in a small venue though. That was really cool. But rather than Google, I'd probably use one of the various event schedule websites like:

LIVEHOUSe+（ライブハウスプラス）｜全国の1,000店舗のライブハウス情報掲載！

イープラスが運営するライブハウス情報サイト！全国1,000店舗のライブハウス情報を網羅！日時×エリアの簡単検索でライブハウスの公演情報はもちろん会場へのアクセス、キャパ、駐車場情報まで調べることができます。あなたにぴったりライブ情報がきっと見つかる！

livehouse.eplus.jp

東京都のライブ・イベント会場一覧 | イベここ - 全国のライブ・イベント会場検索サイト

東京都のライブ会場・イベント会場を一覧から検索！キャパ（収容人数）、レンタル使用料金、アクセス、駐車場、ロッカー情報等を、ライブハウス・クラブ・コンサートホール・レンタルスペースごとに比較できます。

evecoco.net

So you can pick the type of place and music and price point. But I definitely recommend finding some companions online first. Going to random places seems less efficient and difficult to meet people especially if you're not gregarious.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

I'm afraid I wouldn't know any venues. Even when I lived in Tokyo I didn't go to those kinds of places much. I did see the Violent Femmes in a small venue though. That was really cool. But rather than Google, I'd probably use one of the various event schedule websites like:

LIVEHOUSe+（ライブハウスプラス）｜全国の1,000店舗のライブハウス情報掲載！

イープラスが運営するライブハウス情報サイト！全国1,000店舗のライブハウス情報を網羅！日時×エリアの簡単検索でライブハウスの公演情報はもちろん会場へのアクセス、キャパ、駐車場情報まで調べることができます。あなたにぴったりライブ情報がきっと見つかる！

livehouse.eplus.jp

東京都のライブ・イベント会場一覧 | イベここ - 全国のライブ・イベント会場検索サイト

東京都のライブ会場・イベント会場を一覧から検索！キャパ（収容人数）、レンタル使用料金、アクセス、駐車場、ロッカー情報等を、ライブハウス・クラブ・コンサートホール・レンタルスペースごとに比較できます。

evecoco.net

So you can pick the type of place and music and price point. But I definitely recommend finding some companions online first. Going to random places seems less efficient and difficult to meet people especially if you're not gregarious.

Understood... Well, I do have quite a few music friends online, but they're scattered across all over Japan, and I don't know how I'd be able to go with them and... do stuff... Being like a 引きこもり has not paid off for this situation I don't know how to make plans or go out with friends and stuff, because I've literally never done any of that before in my life really... But I'll see if I can figure out how to meet up with some of them somehow.
In addition, the language barrier might be another hurdle at first (I would need more conversation practice in Japanese), but that goes for everything I guess, if I'm going to be going there. Maybe I can just get general practice with random people for the first month, and then try to meet friends and stuff later when I feel ready to hold an average conversation.
Also didn't occur to me that these live house events aren't free might be best for me to just hang around the outside as people go in or out or something. I can't quite afford to spend too much money on anything... But we'll see.

Spoiler: Probably shouldn't see this part

(I probably won't even have a place to live )

Well anyway, it seems like overall I'll have to wing it a bit as I go, otherwise I'm just going to get nowhere trying to perfectly plan everything out.
So far, one of my Japanese friends said that we should have dinner together, since he likes the way I think, so if it's at all possible, maybe I can take him up on that offer. When I don't have to use a translator to express my deeper, complex thoughts

 

[mdchachi]

Understood... Well, I do have quite a few music friends online, but they're scattered across all over Japan, and I don't know how I'd be able to go with them and... do stuff... Being like a 引きこもり has not paid off for this situation I don't know how to make plans or go out with friends and stuff, because I've literally never done any of that before in my life really... But I'll see if I can figure out how to meet up with some of them somehow.
In addition, the language barrier might be another hurdle at first (I would need more conversation practice in Japanese), but that goes for everything I guess, if I'm going to be going there. Maybe I can just get general practice with random people for the first month, and then try to meet friends and stuff later when I feel ready to hold an average conversation.
Also didn't occur to me that these live house events aren't free might be best for me to just hang around the outside as people go in or out or something. I can't quite afford to spend too much money on anything... But we'll see.

Spoiler: Probably shouldn't see this part

(I probably won't even have a place to live )

Well anyway, it seems like overall I'll have to wing it a bit as I go, otherwise I'm just going to get nowhere trying to perfectly plan everything out.
So far, one of my Japanese friends said that we should have dinner together, since he likes the way I think, so if it's at all possible, maybe I can take him up on that offer. When I don't have to use a translator to express my deeper, complex thoughts

Certainly there are free live events — you’d be expected to buy a beer or something — but of course they would be smaller events that may not get listed on the web sites. And there are free outdoor happenings. There used to be bands out every weekend near Harajuku. I assume they still do that.

As for the language barrier that’s why I recommended trying to link up with Japan residents who speak your language instead of focusing on Japanese people exclusively.

It sounds like you might not easily interact with people you happen to meet in person so I definitely recommend making connections online first and then meeting in person. That’s what I did even though it was 30 years ago and “online” didn’t mean the same thing it does now. Almost my entire friend network started from one online connection.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Certainly there are free live events — you’d be expected to buy a beer or something — but of course they would be smaller events that may not get listed on the web sites. And there are free outdoor happenings. There used to be bands out every weekend near Harajuku. I assume they still do that.

That's good news then, I'll definitely try to attend a few at least! Although I'm not old enough to drink (and wouldn't if I was) I can manage to buy some simple snacks or buy a drink for someone else in order to talk to them
Harajuku really seems like a cool place overall, the more I learn about it. Fashionable, eccentric, cool! I also like hearing about Roppongi; high class, fancy, ｴﾚｶﾞﾝﾄ!! 草
Of course, I don't expect to be able to reside in such a place until years later if my plans succeed

As for the language barrier that’s why I recommended trying to link up with Japan residents who speak your language instead of focusing on Japanese people exclusively.

In that case, the online method for this as well too right? That one person in the other thread has become my friend now, so I think I'm off to a good start... Although, I don't know how to repeat what just happened, since all the servers and communities I'm in for DTM are full of Japanese people... The places meant for non Japanese people have almost 100% people living outside of Japan, and the places meant for Japanese people have almost 100% people who don't speak English (and the ones that do speak English definitely don't live in Japan either) if you know what I mean. It's hard to filter out what I'm looking for

It sounds like you might not easily interact with people you happen to meet in person so I definitely recommend making connections online first and then meeting in person. That’s what I did even though it was 30 years ago and “online” didn’t mean the same thing it does now. Almost my entire friend network started from one online connection.

Mostly correct to a degree, but it's mainly a combination of two things that cause this: 1) I always feel I have to have a reason to speak to someone I don't know, otherwise it feels like I'm bothering them and 2) I haven't really met people in person since high school and the last two years of high school I only had like a couple friends that I rarely got to talk to, so I kinda just never really got to connect with people anymore after that. A part of me is also forcing myself to take the leap so I can "sink or swim" in a sense and give myself no choice but to meet people in a fresh environment where nobody knows me. Not that anyone would even remember me now, but
Anyway, as I said in the last post (I think), I do have a lot of online Japanese DTM/musician friends, and I also have a lot of producer friends all over the world outside of Japan who speak English, but it's just extremely hard to find a community that actually resides in Japan and speaks English... I really don't have a clue how to specifically find those kinds of people, I only met one single Japanese person who spoke English in a server with 400 people from around the world making music. And all the rest of them are definitely not living in Japan, if they even have interest in Japanese music (most don't, or only like it from a distance). Best I can find is people that just like anime and say stuff like お兄ちゃん I at least have one friend who also wants to go to Japan (for school), but he's not gonna be going at the same time I will (at least this time, if there's a second time) so I guess he doesn't count for this either... It's just really difficult, I mean I literally have hundreds of people added and I can talk to at least a quarter of them without there being a problem, but nobody is really doing what I'm doing
Sorry for making it long by the way

 

[mdchachi]

I’m glad your social inhibitions may not be as bad as I feared. If you focus exclusively on the music scene it might be tough but allow yourself to make genuine connections with others. You never know where they will lead. It may be a little tougher without some disposable income if you can’t afford to meet up with people and do stuff like go out to eat or go to shows.
Regardless once you’re there I trust the experience will be great and will lead you forward in life in one way or another.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

If you focus exclusively on the music scene it might be tough but allow yourself to make genuine connections with others.

Yeah, I still allow myself to be friends with anyone of course, but I do tend to look for people related to the path I'm headed towards (I think it still helps to prioritize relevant people, while at the same time not discarding irrelevant people)

Regardless once you’re there I trust the experience will be great and will lead you forward in life in one way or another.

I think so too Right now I'm pretty much experiencing not much more than mere existence, but I think this radical change of environment should lead to some desirable outcomes somehow Thanks for the discussion!

 

[nice gaijin]

Hi again @Haruto Uzumaki, glad to see you here again.

A few things to consider:

1. Do not go to Japan without a plan for where to stay. Your landing papers will need at least a booked hotel name and address or you will face some tough questioning. If you are going to move around that's fine, but it may end up being cheaper to get a month at Sakura house or something like that if you're staying in one place.
2. Figure out your budget: do not go to Japan without at least a few thousand yen per day saved up on top of the cost of getting there. Even if you are living on a shoestring budget of onigiri, tenkasu, and rainwater (which sounds miserable knowing the amazing and relatively affordable food available in Japan), you will still need at least a few thousand for transportation and a place to stay.
3. The cheapest hostels will start at $15 if that's even accurate anymore, capsule hotels will start closer to $30, and may be far away from the action you seek, meaning your savings in accommodations will be made up for with transportation costs. Manga cafe are probably the cheapest option and they're everywhere, but they aren't that comfortable and are hard to figure out if you aren't very comfortable in Japanese.
4. You can try sites like couchsurfing.com, but I don't know how reliable those are anymore.
5. If you're going to be there a while, consider getting out into the countryside and doing some volunteering or WWOOFing, which can provide some room and board and novel experiences.
6. In Japan, do not mention or joke about being hikikomori. I can't imagine that interaction going very well, either because it's a serious topic to be talking about lightly, or the person you're talking to may have some experience or friend or relative who is suffering from social withdrawal. It's just best to steer clear of that topic unless you're prepared to talk about it in Japanese. You might be socially awkward, but hikikomori is a word with heavy implications, I wouldn't toss it around lightly.
7. Do not expect a sudden change in venue to change your experience of things. It can help to get a novel experience but going to Japan is not by itself going to make you more outgoing or happy; this is work that you need to do on your own, and the sooner you start on it the better.
8. SO, go out and start talking to strangers TODAY. Make small talk with people. Ask them how their day is going, comment on the weather, make an observation, tell them you love their outfit/hair/shoes/taste in sunglasses. Literally anything. It'll be uncomfortable, you may flounder, you may get rejected. This is all good, it's practice that will make you more resilient in the future. Going to a foreign place you will ONLY be talking to strangers, get used to it. Hard mode is asking them for a favor: ask them for a dollar so you can buy a soda, ask them to take a photo of you, ask to take their photo. The more likely they are to reject you the more practice you'll get, and the less it will bother you moving forward.
9. Consider taking a real Japanese class, and not just winging it or self-studying. You've been doing that for a while now apparently, and if you aren't yet comfortable having a casual conversation, or getting into the music subjects that interest you, then your self-study is simply not going to be enough to get you to the conversational level before you go. You might have to pay for this, and it'll be worth it if you are serious.
10. There are frequently street performers in Ueno park, but musicians are probably just a small percentage of them. There's also the daidougei world cup in Shizuoka every fall, but i think it's in November, and again it's not common to just have music, but some other aspect of performance is needed in order to count yourself a daidougei artist. Street performers are licensed in Japan, so don't try to busk or you'll get hassled.

 

[Buntaro]

When I was teaching in China, one of the teachers from my school visited Japan without a hotel reservation, and immigration questioned him for 1 or 2 hours.

 

[mdchachi]

When I was teaching in China, one of the teachers from my school visited Japan without a hotel reservation, and immigration questioned him for 1 or 2 hours.

Definitely you should put a destination/address on your immigration form. Preferably something truthful and legitimate. You should have an actual reservation at a share house or youth hostel or something even if you plan to couch surf.

 

[nice gaijin]

When I was teaching in China, one of the teachers from my school visited Japan without a hotel reservation, and immigration questioned him for 1 or 2 hours.

I am notoriously bad at planning stuff like this and have generally "winged it" when I'm traveling, crashing wherever is convenient or cheap, usually walking in without reservations and asking for a room, or couchsurfing in one sense or another.... Japan has a low tolerance for that kind of traveler. Don't do weird or unexpected stuff; follow the rules or you'll be singled out.

Thankfully I have some friends' addresses on hand so I don't end up with nothing to put down on the landing card. The only time I got questioned seriously was after leaving on day 90 and coming back 2-3 weeks later... it wasn't on the return trip itself, but I had been flagged so the NEXT time I tried to enter Japan I got held up by immigration.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Good to see you again as well, nice gaijin

Do not go to Japan without a plan for where to stay. Your landing papers will need at least a booked hotel name and address or you will face some tough questioning. If you are going to move around that's fine, but it may end up being cheaper to get a month at Sakura house or something like that if you're staying in one place.

In that case, by any chance would you know anything about ドヤ hotels? I heard about them being the cheapest places to stay, but unfortunately, I can't seem to find any on my own from here, with multiple methods of search. I guess I could afford to check into a doya hotel every now and then, but I honestly don't think I'll actually need a hotel that bad, since I sleep mainly during the day, and as you suggested, I would probably move around a whole lot, so it wouldn't make the most sense to book a hotel for more than one or two days at a time... I also checked out Sakura House as you mentioned, but I find it weird that they don't allow you to sort the listings (in any way, including by price). Besides, as I said before, I would probably be moving around a lot and would hate to be tied to a contract of 1 month stay if I eventually find out that I'll be spending 80% of the time in other places. A hotel where I can pay by the day or by the hour would be the most desirable. I know there's love hotels but I also know they're usually not cheap in the flourishingly populous areas, even for an hourly or bi-hourly rate. Would you be able to tell me how I can search for the ドヤ hotels?

Figure out your budget:

Well, I'm going with all I have left which should be enough to get me through the 3 months with enough left over to even come back if necessary, though that would be the extent of my leftovers...

The cheapest hostels will start at $15 if that's even accurate anymore, capsule hotels will start closer to $30, and may be far away from the action you seek, meaning your savings in accommodations will be made up for with transportation costs. Manga cafe are probably the cheapest option and they're everywhere, but they aren't that comfortable and are hard to figure out if you aren't very comfortable in Japanese.

It would be nice if I could check into a manga cafe every couple days, that would probably be the most desirable since I don't require comfortability to be satisfied. But if it's like you say, then it might not be the best option at least for the first month until I get the hang of conversations and stuff in Japanese, if that's what it requires. Although maybe I could just type up some notes on my phone for each potential situation and response, if you think that might work.

You can try sites like couchsurfing.com, but I don't know how reliable those are anymore.

Hm, it feels like it wouldn't be worth the risk of paying for the subscription just to gain access to the site and see the available options... I also tried the next most popular free alternative site, and there were only two people in Japan (and not near any specific points of interest) that "may host" so it might not be the best option.

If you're going to be there a while, consider getting out into the countryside and doing some volunteering or WWOOFing, which can provide some room and board and novel experiences.

The WWOOF thing doesn't sound bad, so I could consider doing that for towards the middle of my stay, maybe. It might be worth the stay, but I'll have to know just how restrictive it is (if/when I get to leave, when I have to come back and stuff) since I live a little different than most people (usually sleeping in the day, wide awake at night, etc.) and I'm not sure if I'll have to change that in order to work with them.

In Japan, do not mention or joke about being hikikomori. I can't imagine that interaction going very well, either because it's a serious topic to be talking about lightly, or the person you're talking to may have some experience or friend or relative who is suffering from social withdrawal. It's just best to steer clear of that topic unless you're prepared to talk about it in Japanese. You might be socially awkward, but hikikomori is a word with heavy implications, I wouldn't toss it around lightly.

I am terribly sorry, I didn't intend on tossing the word around lightly, but I only meant to convey that it feels almost like I was becoming one... I have seen the real results of Japanese society which aggravates the issue more, and I definitely don't mean to make fun of or make light of their situation I guess I just didn't expect it to be a super serious word in and of itself, since it's a common anime character trait(?, or trope, I don't know how to correctly say it but I hope you understand why I used the word in that way)
I'll be careful not to use it in an incorrect situation from now on I hope it's not just as bad to ask, but would NEET be a better term to use in my case?

Do not expect a sudden change in venue to change your experience of things. It can help to get a novel experience but going to Japan is not by itself going to make you more outgoing or happy; this is work that you need to do on your own, and the sooner you start on it the better.

It's not that I'm expecting the change in venue itself to change my experience of things, but more that it's a way to force myself to be thrown into the deep end. It's my way of "just do it" to an extreme, so I can be essentially forced into survival mode. I always think I'm gonna go out eventually and do stuff, but it turns out that unless I have a reason that forces me to do it or it's for survival, I probably won't end up doing it... I definitely would like to be able to be outgoing when necessary, so I think I have the potential, but I think that I need a reason to be, which I think is a bit different from simply expecting it to make me outgoing. I'm also already happy and completely content with life no matter what happens, so I'm not expecting it to generate happiness from thin air or anything. In fact, I probably wouldn't be able to do any of this if I wasn't completely satisfied. Up to this point in life, if anything goes wrong, at least I know that I tried to make an effort to get what I wanted instead of sit from a distance all my life to be "safe". Also,

SO, go out and start talking to strangers TODAY. Make small talk with people. Ask them how their day is going, comment on the weather, make an observation, tell them you love their outfit/hair/shoes/taste in sunglasses. Literally anything. It'll be uncomfortable, you may flounder, you may get rejected. This is all good, it's practice that will make you more resilient in the future. Going to a foreign place you will ONLY be talking to strangers, get used to it. Hard mode is asking them for a favor: ask them for a dollar so you can buy a soda, ask them to take a photo of you, ask to take their photo. The more likely they are to reject you the more practice you'll get, and the less it will bother you moving forward.

The preparations required to make this trip possible will indeed involve these interactions before entering Japan, so I'll have to get used to it anyway, not that I wasn't used to it before at one point. While I'm unfortunately pretty confident that I won't be going out today, I know that within the next month I will be practically forced by my decisions to finish what I started, if I want to make this possible. There's definitely some things I still have to do here outside of my house before I leave, so when it's a good day for me to take care of that, I'll be off (行ってきます？） And I can already hear someone saying that I can't just wait for a good day to come, but it's what I had to do last time and it worked, and also I am not quite in the condition/position to up and go outside at the moment various things need to align for that

Consider taking a real Japanese class, and not just winging it or self-studying. You've been doing that for a while now apparently, and if you aren't yet comfortable having a casual conversation, or getting into the music subjects that interest you, then your self-study is simply not going to be enough to get you to the conversational level before you go. You might have to pay for this, and it'll be worth it if you are serious.

It's something I do consider and I wish I could've been going to Japan on a student visa instead, to learn Japanese, but it's just a little too expensive to get the whole ordeal. The thing is, it's not that my studies aren't getting me anywhere, but it's just that I don't have much conversational practice and I have a problem with being on the phone with people, so I haven't really been able to talk to people in Japanese. Not that I didn't make the effort, since I actually did manage to turn my mic on in discord once for a couple of my Japanese friends, but I forgot everything once it was time for me to say anything, and by the time I remembered anything useful to say, I felt that it was out of place to even speak at all (and end up disrupting their conversation), so I kept silent... I can say with confidence though at the very least, that I will hit the 2000 word requirement for basic fluency quite soon, in time for the trip and in alignment with about the correct amount of input time, to start seriously outputting. I can see why it's a concern though, and I'm not trying to be that guy that just thinks he'll become some Japanese master just from using Anki and jisho... What I mean to say is I'm confident the issue isn't that my studies haven't paid off, but that I simply need to get used to applying it, so I feel that the classes (if I took them here) might not be worth it if I end up spending too much of my money on it, while still not having even touched the goal of living in Japan. At least if I directly go into Japan, I can try my hand at necessary interactions and slowly transition into purposeful interactions while gaining more experience with using the language. Also, if someone talks to me first, I'd be more than happy to talk to them too!

By the way, you don't have to read this part if you already understand by now, but I took a short test (which may or may not be accurate) that determined I know about 1200 words as of half a month ago, and I personally estimate more like 1300 as of today. I don't think it's the wildest assumption to say that I can accomplish the next 700 by September/October (plus the boost from being forced to use what I know when I'm there). That's not to say 2000 words automatically turns me into a fluent person, or that vocabulary words are everything, because they absolutely aren't, and I've been studying grammar points and various other things just as much (I may have studied nearly 1 grammar point for every 50 words )
(Edit: my math is bad so that's probably inaccurate, all I know is I seriously drill grammar points and watch videos about grammar periodically and repetitively until I understand to a high degree)
and I continue to do so almost every day... I immerse myself in Japanese and take the word immerse to a different level (mainly because doing an average amount would mean me getting nowhere, since I'm kinda slow) and I'm almost always either consuming Japanese content, learning more words and grammar points, or making music. From the time I wake up (as well as during sleep) there's usually Japanese content playing such as the Japanese news like right now, and sometimes podcasts, occasionally conversations. I admit that I can't understand 100% (obviously) but more like 20% on a bad day, 40% on an average day, and up to even 70% on a good day. I recently made a realization that I can now watch anime without subtitles (I could understand about 70% of the anime I watched yesterday, and could follow the story just fine), so that made me really happy to know my work is finally paying off in some way. Comprehension was honestly the main goal because I naturally want to be someone who can understand before I become someone who can be understood (as someone who has a hard time being understood in nearly all situations in life, it stopped being important to me as I've accepted it) and I feel that being able to comprehend means that eventually I'll be able to conversate, with enough practice, applying what I've comprehended! Thank you for coming to my ted talk, 以上です！

There are frequently street performers in Ueno park, but musicians are probably just a small percentage of them. There's also the daidougei world cup in Shizuoka every fall, but i think it's in November, and again it's not common to just have music, but some other aspect of performance is needed in order to count yourself a daidougei artist. Street performers are licensed in Japan, so don't try to busk or you'll get hassled.

Hmm, I see... I'll have to look into the daidougei world cup thing. And I don't particularly intend on participating myself but mainly making the connections, networking and talking to people who have better skills than me, maybe I can learn something from them as well so I can improve and have a higher chance of doing the things I wanna do (as it stands now, there's still some things I need to work in terms of DTM on as time goes on), but まだまだ頑張ります～
Also, thanks for the warning about the street performer license I'll avoid doing that, and stick to watching them!
I'm sorry that this got long, but I hope it can give you a better understanding of some of my decisions! And I appreciate your help and coaching as well best regards!

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

And once again, to all the Japanese as well as anyone else who has been affected directly or indirectly by the h situation; 申し訳ありません
I empathize in some ways with people who suffer from the aforementioned issue (and even though I don't have quite the same experience, I think I can say I have understanding for those), so it was never my intention to upset those who experience or deal with it. I hope it can be understood that I'm still learning, so I may make mistakes, but I will do my best to make up for it. I'll make sure to treat Japanese culture and social issues respectfully!

 

[mdchachi]

In that case, by any chance would you know anything about ドヤ hotels? I heard about them being the cheapest places to stay, but unfortunately, I can't seem to find any on my own from here, with multiple methods of search. I guess I could afford to check into a doya hotel every now and then, but I honestly don't think I'll actually need a hotel that bad, since I sleep mainly during the day, and as you suggested, I would probably move around a whole lot, so it wouldn't make the most sense to book a hotel for more than one or two days at a time... I also checked out Sakura House as you mentioned, but I find it weird that they don't allow you to sort the listings (in any way, including by price). Besides, as I said before, I would probably be moving around a lot and would hate to be tied to a contract of 1 month stay if I eventually find out that I'll be spending 80% of the time in other places. A hotel where I can pay by the day or by the hour would be the most desirable. I know there's love hotels but I also know they're usually not cheap in the flourishingly populous areas, even for an hourly or bi-hourly rate. Would you be able to tell me how I can search for the ドヤ hotels?

I've never heard of these. Maybe it's a Korean word?
Why do you feel you'll be moving around a lot? It's expensive to travel in Japan. Also if your focus is music Tokyo has the most action.
Why would you give up on sakura house just because you have to scroll through a bunch of listings? Minimally I'd book something for the first few weeks. You'll want some place you can hang out and figure out what's what. This place on their front page is probably as good as you can get in Tokyo. Shared room for less than $500/month. Plus the advantage to a place like this is that you'll naturally meet other people who will help you get your bearings. The location is excellent.

SAKURA HOUSE SHIBUYA SENDAGAYA (TOKYO SHARE HOUSE) - SAKURA HOUSE® for your trip for your trip, study, work & stay

POPULAR TOKYO SHARE HOUSE & GUEST HOUSE NEAR HARAJUKU & SHIBUYA! Located in Tokyo, Japan's Shibuya Ward, SAKURA HOUSE SHIBUYA SENDAGAYA is our flagship share house & guest house, second home to residents from around the world. Excellent location: near Harajuku, Shibuya, Yoyogi & Shinjuku. A...

www.sakura-house.com

If you can't afford $20/day for lodging you need to save more money.

Well, I'm going with all I have left which should be enough to get me through the 3 months with enough left over to even come back if necessary, though that would be the extent of my leftovers...

Why wouldn't it be necessary? Don't overstay your tourist visa. They might not let you back in the country again. I assume you'll have a round trip ticket.
If not immigration will definitely be concerned.

It would be nice if I could check into a manga cafe every couple days, that would probably be the most desirable since I don't require comfortability to be satisfied. But if it's like you say, then it might not be the best option at least for the first month until I get the hang of conversations and stuff in Japanese, if that's what it requires. Although maybe I could just type up some notes on my phone for each potential situation and response, if you think that might work.

What is your actual plan if you don't have a regular place to stay? You're going to carry all your possessions with you, have only a few articles of clothing and not bathe regularly?

Hm, it feels like it wouldn't be worth the risk of paying for the subscription just to gain access to the site and see the available options... I also tried the next most popular free alternative site, and there were only two people in Japan (and not near any specific points of interest) that "may host" so it might not be the best option.

Unless you can find somebody who will let you stay with them for free I don't think you'll find much better than the place I mentioned above.

The preparations required to make this trip possible will indeed involve these interactions before entering Japan, so I'll have to get used to it anyway, not that I wasn't used to it before at one point. While I'm unfortunately pretty confident that I won't be going out today, I know that within the next month I will be practically forced by my decisions to finish what I started, if I want to make this possible. There's definitely some things I still have to do here outside of my house before I leave, so when it's a good day for me to take care of that, I'll be off (行ってきます？） And I can already hear someone saying that I can't just wait for a good day to come, but it's what I had to do last time and it worked, and also I am not quite in the condition/position to up and go outside at the moment various things need to align for that

Realistically you will have a lot more reason to meet and talk to people in Japan than you do now. If nothing else, to ask for directions or help getting around.

I'm not trying to be that guy that just thinks he'll become some Japanese master just from using Anki and jisho... What I mean to say is I'm confident the issue isn't that my studies haven't paid off, but that I simply need to get used to applying it, so I feel that the classes (if I took them here) might not be worth it if I end up spending too much of my money on it, while still not having even touched the goal of living in Japan. At least if I directly go into Japan, I can try my hand at necessary interactions and slowly transition into purposeful interactions while gaining more experience with using the language. Also, if someone talks to me first, I'd be more than happy to talk to them too!

Definitely you should be able to learn more in a couple months in Japan than a year here. I couldn't barely speak a full sentence before I went (and this was after six semesters in college). If you're immersed you'll pick things up quickly.

 

[nice gaijin]

Good to see you again as well, nice gaijin

In that case, by any chance would you know anything about ドヤ hotels? I heard about them being the cheapest places to stay, but unfortunately, I can't seem to find any on my own from here, with multiple methods of search. I guess I could afford to check into a doya hotel every now and then, but I honestly don't think I'll actually need a hotel that bad, since I sleep mainly during the day, and as you suggested, I would probably move around a whole lot, so it wouldn't make the most sense to book a hotel for more than one or two days at a time... I also checked out Sakura House as you mentioned, but I find it weird that they don't allow you to sort the listings (in any way, including by price). Besides, as I said before, I would probably be moving around a lot and would hate to be tied to a contract of 1 month stay if I eventually find out that I'll be spending 80% of the time in other places. A hotel where I can pay by the day or by the hour would be the most desirable. I know there's love hotels but I also know they're usually not cheap in the flourishingly populous areas, even for an hourly or bi-hourly rate. Would you be able to tell me how I can search for the ドヤ hotels?

You mean this? ドヤ街 - Wikipedia

$10 Hotels??? Oh my God!

www.japanimal.org

I had to look this up because I'm not familiar with that term. Apparently ドヤ is a flip of the word ヤド (宿), and refers to tiny cheap rooms for day laborers. Basically, a slum, or a very cramped version of old dorm-style accommodations with shared bathrooms (possibly no bathing facilities, traditionally you'd go to a sento to bathe); I've crashed with a friend who lived in one of these low-cost dorms back in my college days. My guess is you'd have to know where to look to find these, and you probably can't book them online or in English. I can't really give you any info because I didn't even know about this, maybe @Toritoribe could shed some light?

Well, I'm going with all I have left which should be enough to get me through the 3 months with enough left over to even come back if necessary, though that would be the extent of my leftovers...

If necessary? Japan isn't going to let you in if you don't have a departure ticket, either back home or to another country. This is probably going to be another non-starter if you touch down without an ongoing flight scheduled. Even if your hope is to find employment or get visa sponsorship, you'll be required to leave the country and re-enter (citation needed, I'm not 100% on this).

It would be nice if I could check into a manga cafe every couple days, that would probably be the most desirable since I don't require comfortability to be satisfied. But if it's like you say, then it might not be the best option at least for the first month until I get the hang of conversations and stuff in Japanese, if that's what it requires. Although maybe I could just type up some notes on my phone for each potential situation and response, if you think that might work.

Hm, it feels like it wouldn't be worth the risk of paying for the subscription just to gain access to the site and see the available options... I also tried the next most popular free alternative site, and there were only two people in Japan (and not near any specific points of interest) that "may host" so it might not be the best option.

The WWOOF thing doesn't sound bad, so I could consider doing that for towards the middle of my stay, maybe. It might be worth the stay, but I'll have to know just how restrictive it is (if/when I get to leave, when I have to come back and stuff) since I live a little different than most people (usually sleeping in the day, wide awake at night, etc.) and I'm not sure if I'll have to change that in order to work with them.

Look, I get it, you're young and don't need creature comforts. I've been there, I've got a whole story about staying in a mah jong hotel in China, I've slept in airports, hotel lobbies, manga cafe, karaoke rooms, etc. I stayed at a cat rescue in kyoto that ran an airbnb and did video translation in exchange for a couple night's accommodations, and I've done a fair amount of volunteering around (almost always with an introduction from a trusted friend). The biggest challenge as I see it is these unconventional places to stay will require some language skills and some experience/Japan-savviness--or friends on the ground--that you are lacking.

Just searching for "Tokyo cheap accommodations" or something similar should bring up many options to give you an idea of the cost of living. Check out tokyocheapo to get ideas.

WWOOFing is usually a short commitment, but it'll probably be out in the countryside and a totally different experience from being on your own in the city; volunteering on the farm is part of the deal, and you wouldn't be able to do the night-owl thing most likely.

WWOOF Japan - Home

Organic farm wwoof in Japan

www.wwoofjapan.com

google "WWOOF Japan" for tons more information, and you can also google "volunteer Japan" to find sites like this that gives you opportunities that have more structure and support to frame part of your trip. Just something to consider.

I am terribly sorry, I didn't intend on tossing the word around lightly, but I only meant to convey that it feels almost like I was becoming one... I have seen the real results of Japanese society which aggravates the issue more, and I definitely don't mean to make fun of or make light of their situation I guess I just didn't expect it to be a super serious word in and of itself, since it's a common anime character trait(?, or trope, I don't know how to correctly say it but I hope you understand why I used the word in that way)
I'll be careful not to use it in an incorrect situation from now on I hope it's not just as bad to ask, but would NEET be a better term to use in my case?

It's ok, I understand there's no offense intended, I'm just advising you to try to avoid any unforced errors. Let people set the tone, and listen to how they're talking about things. If they bring up hikikomori pay attention to the tone and language they use. NEET is probably(?) a better term if you have to describe yourself, but I would remind you that when you travel, you have a million opportunities to reinvent yourself; be honest in your dealings with people, but you don't have to wear your past, or flaws, or trauma, on your sleeve, unless you really feel a need to talk about them.

It's not that I'm expecting the change in venue itself to change my experience of things, but more that it's a way to force myself to be thrown into the deep end. It's my way of "just do it" to an extreme, so I can be essentially forced into survival mode. I always think I'm gonna go out eventually and do stuff, but it turns out that unless I have a reason that forces me to do it or it's for survival, I probably won't end up doing it... I definitely would like to be able to be outgoing when necessary, so I think I have the potential, but I think that I need a reason to be, which I think is a bit different from simply expecting it to make me outgoing. I'm also already happy and completely content with life no matter what happens, so I'm not expecting it to generate happiness from thin air or anything. In fact, I probably wouldn't be able to do any of this if I wasn't completely satisfied. Up to this point in life, if anything goes wrong, at least I know that I tried to make an effort to get what I wanted instead of sit from a distance all my life to be "safe". Also,

The preparations required to make this trip possible will indeed involve these interactions before entering Japan, so I'll have to get used to it anyway, not that I wasn't used to it before at one point. While I'm unfortunately pretty confident that I won't be going out today, I know that within the next month I will be practically forced by my decisions to finish what I started, if I want to make this possible. There's definitely some things I still have to do here outside of my house before I leave, so when it's a good day for me to take care of that, I'll be off (行ってきます？） And I can already hear someone saying that I can't just wait for a good day to come, but it's what I had to do last time and it worked, and also I am not quite in the condition/position to up and go outside at the moment various things need to align for that

It's something I do consider and I wish I could've been going to Japan on a student visa instead, to learn Japanese, but it's just a little too expensive to get the whole ordeal. The thing is, it's not that my studies aren't getting me anywhere, but it's just that I don't have much conversational practice and I have a problem with being on the phone with people, so I haven't really been able to talk to people in Japanese. Not that I didn't make the effort, since I actually did manage to turn my mic on in discord once for a couple of my Japanese friends, but I forgot everything once it was time for me to say anything, and by the time I remembered anything useful to say, I felt that it was out of place to even speak at all (and end up disrupting their conversation), so I kept silent... I can say with confidence though at the very least, that I will hit the 2000 word requirement for basic fluency quite soon, in time for the trip and in alignment with about the correct amount of input time, to start seriously outputting. I can see why it's a concern though, and I'm not trying to be that guy that just thinks he'll become some Japanese master just from using Anki and jisho... What I mean to say is I'm confident the issue isn't that my studies haven't paid off, but that I simply need to get used to applying it, so I feel that the classes (if I took them here) might not be worth it if I end up spending too much of my money on it, while still not having even touched the goal of living in Japan. At least if I directly go into Japan, I can try my hand at necessary interactions and slowly transition into purposeful interactions while gaining more experience with using the language. Also, if someone talks to me first, I'd be more than happy to talk to them too!

By the way, you don't have to read this part if you already understand by now, but I took a short test (which may or may not be accurate) that determined I know about 1200 words as of half a month ago, and I personally estimate more like 1300 as of today. I don't think it's the wildest assumption to say that I can accomplish the next 700 by September/October (plus the boost from being forced to use what I know when I'm there). That's not to say 2000 words automatically turns me into a fluent person, or that vocabulary words are everything, because they absolutely aren't, and I've been studying grammar points and various other things just as much (I may have studied nearly 1 grammar point for every 50 words )
(Edit: my math is bad so that's probably inaccurate, all I know is I seriously drill grammar points and watch videos about grammar periodically and repetitively until I understand to a high degree)
and I continue to do so almost every day... I immerse myself in Japanese and take the word immerse to a different level (mainly because doing an average amount would mean me getting nowhere, since I'm kinda slow) and I'm almost always either consuming Japanese content, learning more words and grammar points, or making music. From the time I wake up (as well as during sleep) there's usually Japanese content playing such as the Japanese news like right now, and sometimes podcasts, occasionally conversations. I admit that I can't understand 100% (obviously) but more like 20% on a bad day, 40% on an average day, and up to even 70% on a good day. I recently made a realization that I can now watch anime without subtitles (I could understand about 70% of the anime I watched yesterday, and could follow the story just fine), so that made me really happy to know my work is finally paying off in some way. Comprehension was honestly the main goal because I naturally want to be someone who can understand before I become someone who can be understood (as someone who has a hard time being understood in nearly all situations in life, it stopped being important to me as I've accepted it) and I feel that being able to comprehend means that eventually I'll be able to conversate, with enough practice, applying what I've comprehended! Thank you for coming to my ted talk, 以上です！

Hmm, I see... I'll have to look into the daidougei world cup thing. And I don't particularly intend on participating myself but mainly making the connections, networking and talking to people who have better skills than me, maybe I can learn something from them as well so I can improve and have a higher chance of doing the things I wanna do (as it stands now, there's still some things I need to work in terms of DTM on as time goes on), but まだまだ頑張ります～
Also, thanks for the warning about the street performer license I'll avoid doing that, and stick to watching them!
I'm sorry that this got long, but I hope it can give you a better understanding of some of my decisions! And I appreciate your help and coaching as well best regards!

I can tell that you've got a lot going on upstairs, but honestly, I'm very concerned that your plans are not fully baked, as you seem to be unaware of some basic requirements for you to get in the door, and you are talking about going on an extremely limited budget that is going to prevent you from getting the most out of your time in Japan. If you're talking about that tight of a budget then you have at least 6 months to get a job and save; I don't want to see you fall flat on your face, or literally get turned away as soon as you arrive. Japan doesn't like it when people come intending to work without the proper paperwork, so if your intention is to eventually get sponsored to live and work in Japan, either try to secure that prior to going, or use this trip to network and lay groundwork, then come back later with the proper visa. Or, get yourself some kind of remote work that pays for your travel and living expenses, and bounce around Asia on tourist visas, coming back to Japan as often as you can. Your American passport is a great tool for a nomadic lifestyle (you're a double-threat with a 4-year degree, for an actual expat lifestyle).

You need to fully research what you intend to do or you're going to get blindsided by reality when it hits. I don't know what your life is like, but if you're dead set on making this happen, I would be throwing myself into whatever it takes to save up enough for a comfortable travel budget and safety net, and also looking into whatever courses I can take, to get that practice necessary to hit the ground running. I'd also budget for some kind of phone service, either a sim card or wifi router so I can check train routes and schedules (maps.me is good and uses pre-downloaded maps but doesn't do public transporation), and more importantly it gives you the ability to connect and message with people you meet. Your ability to network will be stunted if you have to go duck into a conbini or starbucks to check your messages (and I'm not sure about the state of free wifi anymore).

Duolingo, Anki, etc are fine, but unstructured and meandering; just like knowing vocabulary is great but it doesn't mean you can string a thought together. Immersing yourself in Japanese material (news, movies, tv shows, reading Japanese news sites, etc) is also good, but don't forget to practice speaking; repeat what you hear on the videos (and visualize how the sentences are written so you understand it fully), or try responding to it. Pretend you're in a conversation with the video; an imaginary conversation partner is better than none at all.

You might want to consider an online course. There are many of these availableFull transparency: I've started consulting for a language school in Tokyo that is offering 8-10week online courses for a few hundred bucks; they're intense and immersive and force you to participate, which sounds like something you'd benefit from. I'm meeting with them tomorrow, next course starts sometime in May. Honestly, if you had the resources, I would recommend going to attend in-person classes somewhere and getting a strong foundation in the language (it's also an easy way to get an extended visa and go to Japan with some kind of support structure around you). I've been relatively comfortable in Japanese for years and I still feel like I might benefit from taking a course; learning a language is a lifelong affair.

Wishing you luck, I'm not trying to discourage you, but to temper your expectations and remind you that there's much you still need to research to make this a reality.

 

[nice gaijin]

I've never heard of these. Maybe it's a Korean word?
Why do you feel you'll be moving around a lot? It's expensive to travel in Japan. Also if your focus is music Tokyo has the most action.
Why would you give up on sakura house just because you have to scroll through a bunch of listings? Minimally I'd book something for the first few weeks. You'll want some place you can hang out and figure out what's what. This place on their front page is probably as good as you can get in Tokyo. Shared room for less than $500/month. Plus the advantage to a place like this is that you'll naturally meet other people who will help you get your bearings. The location is excellent.

SAKURA HOUSE SHIBUYA SENDAGAYA (TOKYO SHARE HOUSE) - SAKURA HOUSE® for your trip for your trip, study, work & stay

POPULAR TOKYO SHARE HOUSE & GUEST HOUSE NEAR HARAJUKU & SHIBUYA! Located in Tokyo, Japan's Shibuya Ward, SAKURA HOUSE SHIBUYA SENDAGAYA is our flagship share house & guest house, second home to residents from around the world. Excellent location: near Harajuku, Shibuya, Yoyogi & Shinjuku. A...

www.sakura-house.com

If you can't afford $20/day for lodging you need to save more money.

Yes, exactly. You need lodging booked to fill out your landing documentation, and you'll want a stable location for at LEAST a week or two to get your bearings. You'll be halfway around the world from home, and I'm assuming you haven't traveled abroad before. It's a bad idea to think you can just bum around and wing it; that's a recipe for hardship.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

I've never heard of these. Maybe it's a Korean word?

I'm not sure, but I think one of the websites I found this term was here:

$10 Hotels??? Oh my God!

www.japanimal.org

1泊500円！大阪・西成の激安宿体験記、炊事場とトイレが一体だった（上）

1泊500円。耳を疑うような激安宿が大阪・西成地区には存在する。一体どんな宿なのか、そして泊まっている人たちは――。2月の寒いある日、その中の1軒に実際に宿泊してみた。

diamond.jp

「日本のドヤ」

Why do you feel you'll be moving around a lot? It's expensive to travel in Japan. Also if your focus is music Tokyo has the most action.

Well, mainly by foot that is, although most likely by train too. The reason is because there's a lot of things that I want to do, and potentially meet some friends, for example I have a friend in yokohama, a friend in... can't remember right now, but i have some friends scattered around and if possible, i'd like to at least visit them, and i want to give my guitars to someone as well, if that's not against any rules or something? (I hope) and of course, I will be mainly in tokyo but as you know, tokyo is still quite a dense place. If you think I'll be able to reach most of the places I wanna check out on foot though (for example, M3) I would be potentially okay with a more permanent location. ↓

Why would you give up on sakura house just because you have to scroll through a bunch of listings? Minimally I'd book something for the first few weeks. You'll want some place you can hang out and figure out what's what. This place on their front page is probably as good as you can get in Tokyo. Shared room for less than $500/month. Plus the advantage to a place like this is that you'll naturally meet other people who will help you get your bearings. The location is excellent.

It's not because I have to scroll, but because of the monthly payment requirement, instead of daily/hourly. My thinking is if I choose a certain place, and then realize I need to spend more of my time elsewhere (not necessarily outside of Tokyo, but somewhere that would make it inconvenient for the place to stay to be there), then the value is most likely going to be lost at that point. Your point about the advantage is very valid for me, and to be honest I didn't think about that part properly, so I'll definitely reconsider. It'll be beneficial to have other people that can help me get situated and do what I need to do. Still, I hope you can understand why I originally decided against it... I am not someone who's into permanency all that much. If I wasn't a tourist then I'd of course assess the situation completely differently, but since I'll be going as a tourist, I have to avoid anything that might be unnecessary, in order to live frugally.

If you can't afford $20/day for lodging you need to save more money.

Also, it's not that I can't afford it, but rather that I don't want to spend more money than necessary on a place to stay when i only need the bare minimum. I definitely don't need a super nice place, and not even a standard place, just basic will do, and if I can get a place for $10 a night, then you can bet that's where I'll go. I also don't want to have to forfeit a larger chunk of money than necessary if I won't be getting the value I paid for, which I can't verify I will in certain cases. At least I know if I go for a cheap place that goes by the day, I can check in if/when necessary, and if I find a better option, I'll gravitate towards it. For example, I've found that there are some places that have shower rooms which allow you to pay for a shower, and I could use that to save an extra few dollars if all I need is a shower and not somewhere to sleep for that day.

Why wouldn't it be necessary? Don't overstay your tourist visa.

I meant to say, to come back to Japan again, sorry for the confusion. I would never overstay, trust me as for the round trip thing, I've heard about that, but I'm wondering: how bad would it be if I had a one-way, then later got a one-way to another country? I don't know how bad the questioning would be, but if possible, I'd like to go to a different country after, although I'm admittely not sure which, and it would only be if more of my money comes back. I'm currently loaning some money to someone as well, so if that comes back or I somehow else receive more money, I'd definitely want to visit another country instead of going to America. I would hate to buy a more expensive round trip just to find out that I would be able to go to another country, and end up wasting the trip back to America... hope you understand what I mean, and sorry in advance if I'm saying something silly or outrageous... Admittedly, it's something I wanted to leave open until I get to that point.

What is your actual plan if you don't have a regular place to stay? You're going to carry all your possessions with you, have only a few articles of clothing and not bathe regularly?

The aforementioned shower rooms, or potentially bath houses (and yes, I know you don't go in the bath dirty, but they also have showers for before you go in the bath, so I thought I could potentially make use of that as well). Plus if there's a coin laundry somewhere around me, that would be nice too, although I'm guessing I'm just gonna have to handwash my clothes or something, I wouldn't be surprised. I also understand that finding all of this requires someone who knows the area much better than I do, so if you have any suggestions in addition to the share house, I'd appreciate it. But if I can't find any of those places, then of course I just default to the normal methods of living. It's not like my plan is set in stone and unchangeable, the point is for it to be fluid so I can adapt to any situation that arises as it happens. If it turns out I can't do something the way I wanted or expected, I'll of course do it a different way to achieve the same goal. Just like I can spend more money if necessary, that'll only happen if it comes to it, but if it doesn't come to it, I'll avoid it. I hope it makes sense.
Also, I plan to let some people hold onto my stuff until I come back (if I come back). For example, I'm loaning away my bass and electric guitar, and in return they can use it all they want in exchange for holding onto it for me. I'm not going to be leaving the country with most of the stuff I bring, though admittely, for the first few days, I might be holding onto a lot of stuff. It's okay, I've been trained for this. I'm someone that rode 23 miles into a completely different city on a bike across a highway, then days later 12 miles both ways round trip, then days later 17 miles round trip again. Walked for nearly 6 hours straight around a massive college campus that has its own city block and avenue intersection streets. As long as I eat something, I believe I'll be able to persevere ) Did I mention I did the 23 mile trip, 17 mile round trip and 6 hour walk without sleeping for 2 days? My body has stamina which cannot be stopped by the likes of a heavy weight on my back and shoulders. I even used to go to school with weights on my legs, just like rock lee (and I can admit it was silly, but I hope it just drills the point that I'm not a weakling). When it comes to endurance, perseverance, the will to not give up, that's me!

Definitely you should be able to learn more in a couple months in Japan than a year here. I couldn't barely speak a full sentence before I went (and this was after six semesters in college). If you're immersed you'll pick things up quickly.

I'm glad you agree ) Even besides doing online interactions like calling and video chatting, the conversation can be carried in a much more fluid and natural manner when it's between two people physically together. Even we can't communicate exactly what we want to at first, we can continue the conversation in real life body language to help deter awkwardness. In a phone call, if I don't know what to say, and the other person doesn't, then it's just weird silence.

Sorry for the length again, I wish I could compress what I say into a much thinner text, but I guess I have an issue with being concise...

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

I'm sorry in advance, it turned out way longer than I expected

You mean this? ドヤ街 - Wikipedia

$10 Hotels??? Oh my God!

www.japanimal.org

I had to look this up because I'm not familiar with that term. Apparently ドヤ is a flip of the word ヤド (宿), and refers to tiny cheap rooms for day laborers. Basically, a slum, or a very cramped version of old dorm-style accommodations with shared bathrooms (possibly no bathing facilities, traditionally you'd go to a sento to bathe); I've crashed with a friend who lived in one of these low-cost dorms back in my college days. My guess is you'd have to know where to look to find these, and you probably can't book them online or in English. I can't really give you any info because I didn't even know about this, maybe @Toritoribe could shed some light?

Wow, thanks, that's exactly what I was talking about! I'm glad you were able to uncover what that strange term is about. And yeah, I'd really have to know where to look, and it won't be easy (my friends in Japan know nothing of them either). If I can't book them online or in English, then it's alright, I'll settle for something a little more expensive until I can meet the requirements for booking one.

If necessary? Japan isn't going to let you in if you don't have a departure ticket, either back home or to another country. This is probably going to be another non-starter if you touch down without an ongoing flight scheduled. Even if your hope is to find employment or get visa sponsorship, you'll be required to leave the country and re-enter (citation needed, I'm not 100% on this).

I should've worded it differently. I meant if necessary to come back to Japan. With that said, I was indeed also wondering how it will go if I wait until a later date to get a departure ticket, since I haven't 100% determined the best option for me when it's time to leave (back to the US, or a different country, and which country if a different country). It's something I would have decided closer to the end of my trip, so is there any way I can avoid paying for a return that I may or may not use? I can say with confidence that I most likely will go to another country if I get some of my money back during my time in Japan. There's no way to be 100% sure now, as it depends on circumstances that will occur in the future.

Look, I get it, you're young and don't need creature comforts. I've been there, I've got a whole story about staying in a mah jong hotel in China, I've slept in airports, hotel lobbies, manga cafe, karaoke rooms, etc. I stayed at a cat rescue in kyoto that ran an airbnb and did video translation in exchange for a couple night's accommodations, and I've done a fair amount of volunteering around (almost always with an introduction from a trusted friend). The biggest challenge as I see it is these unconventional places to stay will require some language skills and some experience/Japan-savviness--or friends on the ground--that you are lacking.

Just searching for "Tokyo cheap accommodations" or something similar should bring up many options to give you an idea of the cost of living. Check out tokyocheapo to get ideas.

WWOOFing is usually a short commitment, but it'll probably be out in the countryside and a totally different experience from being on your own in the city; volunteering on the farm is part of the deal, and you wouldn't be able to do the night-owl thing most likely.

I'm glad you understand how I feel then. Well, there's still time from now till then, so I'll be gaining more friends for sure, and I feel that Japan savviness is just something I'll have to pick up by being there. Language skills, I can totally understand your concern, and I've already done my best to address those concerns below (I wrote this backwards, sorry)

google "WWOOF Japan" for tons more information, and you can also google "volunteer Japan" to find sites like this that gives you opportunities that have more structure and support to frame part of your trip. Just something to consider.

I did do a quick look on the japan site for it, but I'll have to look into it a lot more to see if it's for me. From what was easily accessible on the page, I couldn't quite tell for sure how it would be, but I might have to dig a lot deeper to find out. I'll also check the other sites (including the one you added) that you say I can find from searching "volunteer Japan", and see if I like anything thanks

NEET is probably(?) a better term if you have to describe yourself, but I would remind you that when you travel, you have a million opportunities to reinvent yourself; be honest in your dealings with people, but you don't have to wear your past, or flaws, or trauma, on your sleeve, unless you really feel a need to talk about them.

Thanks. I wasn't intending to carry it around and call myself that all the time, but if the time comes, I still think it's important to share experiences with someone who needs to hear it. I wouldn't wanna use the wrong word, and conversely, I wouldn't want to use no word at all and end up avoiding sharing my experiences with others. But yeah, I definitely do intend to reinvent myself.

I can tell that you've got a lot going on upstairs, but honestly, I'm very concerned that your plans are not fully baked, as you seem to be unaware of some basic requirements for you to get in the door, and you are talking about going on an extremely limited budget that is going to prevent you from getting the most out of your time in Japan. If you're talking about that tight of a budget then you have at least 6 months to get a job and save; I don't want to see you fall flat on your face, or literally get turned away as soon as you arrive. Japan doesn't like it when people come intending to work without the proper paperwork, so if your intention is to eventually get sponsored to live and work in Japan, either try to secure that prior to going, or use this trip to network and lay groundwork, then come back later with the proper visa. Or, get yourself some kind of remote work that pays for your travel and living expenses, and bounce around Asia on tourist visas, coming back to Japan as often as you can. Your American passport is a great tool for a nomadic lifestyle (you're a double-threat with a 4-year degree, for an actual expat lifestyle).

You'd be right about that but still, as I mention in the section below (kinda writing this backwards, sorry), I don't truly understand when the plan will be fully baked. I've been mixing and matching different ingredients and the plan has never 100% turned out right, but at least I can say I tried even if there's holes in the plan which turn out to be a disaster. If I fall flat on my face, I want that to teach me real life and show me that I can't simply get what I want through determination and hard work. I can understand everyone's concerns, which makes it difficult to have these conversations, because if I explain more, it will just cause more concern for many people. I'll explain anyway, as this is a forum about Japan, so maybe some people will get it. I am okay with going and failing. What I'm not okay with, is staying here continuously, because "my plan has an error", "I don't have enough money to do this with ease", and the like. How I look at it, running to patch one hole just leaves room for another to open up. For example, I can stay here for longer, hold off on leaving in the month I intend to in order to fill in my plan. Suppose I actually can fill in my plan, well, all the time I spent doing that, my money only drained, and now there's another problem to deal with. "Simple, I'll just go get some money real quick", and although I have to postpone the trip even longer, at least my plan will finally be complete ー but then, something changes, and the plan that previously worked will no longer 100% work due to future circumstances. The loop could seriously continue like this for a very long time.
It sounds crazy, but there's real life references I can point to where this kind of thing has happened, both to the world, and to my very own family that had been trying to plan a trip for 3+ years, with something happening every time that postponed the trip. Just when they thought, "for sure, we won't let anything stop us this time", something did. That repeated over and over until we finally were able to go, but at what cost? Maybe not much since it was just a family trip, but if it were a trip in an attempt to plant life's seeds in a new location... That kind of delay could mean life or death. And I'm not even saying that lightly, cause it can happen... as for the whole world, we all know about the pandemic that halted so many things that were not supposed to ever be halted. Imagine if something just half as big occurs and burns a hole in the plans of the likes of me, and proceeds to defecate in that hole? Well, at some point it'll end up worse than being rejected at the airport, I'm sure...
Anyway, I feel that staying here longer and longer is even more of a failure than going there and being sent back. I can go back in honor knowing that I gave it what I had at the time to get there, and if I can try again, then I will, and if I can't then I will have to accept that and live a completely different life, both from the one I live now and the one I would live in Japan. That's more okay to me than continuing to stay here, postponing, and postponing to seemingly no end to fix the plan that keeps getting broken, the plan that I can never even see the full picture of... I think that's the real defeat. And this may or may not sound very silly, but I feel that this "experience" is trying to keep me in the same place, and I won't allow it to do that any longer. I'm going. (I firmly say that, to the boundaries of this realm, not to you)

You need to fully research what you intend to do or you're going to get blindsided by reality when it hits. I don't know what your life is like, but if you're dead set on making this happen, I would be throwing myself into whatever it takes to save up enough for a comfortable travel budget and safety net, and also looking into whatever courses I can take, to get that practice necessary to hit the ground running. I'd also budget for some kind of phone service, either a sim card or wifi router so I can check train routes and schedules (maps.me is good and uses pre-downloaded maps but doesn't do public transporation), and more importantly it gives you the ability to connect and message with people you meet. Your ability to network will be stunted if you have to go duck into a conbini or starbucks to check your messages (and I'm not sure about the state of free wifi anymore).

I agree, but how much research does it take before my research becomes complete... I don't know the answer to that question, as I've been learning about and researching Japan for over a year intensively, but still, it's apparently insufficient :/ I feel that no matter how much one researches, one can never be fully prepared anyway, no matter how much they think they will be. With that in mind, it could be a large part of the reason my plans are the way they are. Either way, I am definitely dead set on making this happen (more literally than you think), so I'll do my best to make up for my shortcomings within the next few months. I also strongly feel that, backed by @mdchachi 's words, I should be able to strengthen my command of the language while on the trip as well.

Also, I haven't been working because I mainly want an online job if it's not in Japan. I technically have one but since it's freelance, I don't get to receive a sufficient amount of money most of the time (I think I made $100 so far this year, and overall about $300). I have a small business agreement as well with someone, so I receive a small percentage of their sales because they all have to go through me. I've also been looking for ways to fix the fact that I make insufficient income from these tasks, but it's quite difficult and competitive, as you may know. I think I found some ways to cut through the competition, so if I'm successful with that, I'll finally start making a steady income again, and if not... that's just too bad for me, I guess. I am only going to sacrifice my body physically for work from now on if I do it in Japan. This may be very hard for others to understand but one compromise I won't make is that I won't do anything that inhibits my ability to move normally, unless that happens in Japan. If I had stayed at my last job any longer, I'm almost certain that I would be incapacitated right now and have limited mobility (I still suffer from some issues because of it) due to the intense physical labor I had to do in order to make a mere $15/hr (which was $14 for half the time I was there). Take it from me, as someone who did the things I mentioned in my last post about biking many many miles and walking for many hours. This job made that type of stuff feel like a piece of cake honestly, and what made it worse was because I was the fastest at doing my job, I naturally ended up accumulating the majority of the work often times. I couldn't slow down for my own sake because it meant I wasn't doing my best, and I only wanted to operate at my best for the sake of others. And to make all this make sense, this was one of the only jobs that would hire me... I say one of the only as if there were even others :/ If I have to sacrifice my body again, I want to do it in the land I love, which is not here. Getting a regular job again will once again mean that I get paid probably less than the work is worth, just so I can make pocket change, after all I was lucky to even get $14/hr, most jobs would be like $12/hr here even though the cost of living requires like $18/hr... anyway, if I work physically that harshly again, I can guarantee that some parts of me aren't going to be working correctly anymore. It was hard to explain, but I hope you get the idea of why I've avoided a physical job. I've tried to get an online job as well, but it's also difficult, and easier to just try and build up my own services which might allow me to get paid more in the future. Well anyway, I forgot to even mention that I think my travel budget is comfortable enough for me at least.

I am also planning to have a portable wifi router, so for that at least, we're good. I'll keep the maps.me website in mind, thanks for that! And you're right, that it would be difficult for me to network without a connection other than in public shops and such. I have first hand experience so I know what it's like, in fact I had to experience that every time I left the house for the past year. I don't even have cell service now because my phone is locked to t-mobile, and i have a TextNow sim card in my phone, so you know how that goes. I'm holding off on getting a new one since I've still been able to get by fine without service, even when away from home for an extended time, but I know that I'll most likely need wifi in Japan.

repeat what you hear on the videos (and visualize how the sentences are written so you understand it fully), or try responding to it. Pretend you're in a conversation with the video; an imaginary conversation partner is better than none at all.

I've been repeating some things I hear on the video, but it never occurred to me that I could have a pretend conversation with it (other than the grammar videos which have those conversation sections to make you put the grammar to use). I will definitely try that from now on as well, and I think it might help. I always have random japanese words bouncing around in my head, so when something useful for the situation pops up, I'll use it on the imaginary conversation partner

You might want to consider an online course. There are many of these availableFull transparency: I've started consulting for a language school in Tokyo that is offering 8-10week online courses for a few hundred bucks; they're intense and immersive and force you to participate, which sounds like something you'd benefit from. I'm meeting with them tomorrow, next course starts sometime in May. Honestly, if you had the resources, I would recommend going to attend in-person classes somewhere and getting a strong foundation in the language (it's also an easy way to get an extended visa and go to Japan with some kind of support structure around you). I've been relatively comfortable in Japanese for years and I still feel like I might benefit from taking a course; learning a language is a lifelong affair.

You know, sure, online courses aren't out of the question, now that I think about it. I was worried about not being able to get anything from it, since when I was forced to do online school during the pandemic, I had a very bad experience, but I'll chalk it up to traditional high school being a not so good way to learn in the first place, especially when courses are just birthed from nowhere online. I'll trust that these Japanese online courses might be worth it, so I'll look into it after all, although I'll have to make sure I have a decent place to attend the classes, since my dad usually works right outside my room, and I can hear everything he's saying (and his coughs) loud and clear... I don't want to find out if it's vice versa, and also I'm almost guaranteed to need a do not disturb sign on my room door... but I'll make it work. Thanks for the suggestion! Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to go to an in person Japanese class, and I don't even know if there are any worth going to around here. Anyway, I do still want to consider the idea that I can essentially activate my dormant Japanese as well, if I just immerse myself in the real Japanese world. After all, as I said before it's not like i've spun my wheels and learned nothing, but I've actually gained almost all the pre-requisites to holding an average conversation, I just need the practice itself, and though it may be beneficial to have that in a classroom setting, it might also be equally beneficial in other ways to have it in a survival setting. Don't worry, I didn't forget that the classes you mentioned may reproduce the feeling of survival, but I hope you can understand why I feel that it might still be different, at least as an online class. I'll weigh my options! And I agree, learning a language never ends, after all, English is my first language and I still learn more English every other day.

Wishing you luck, I'm not trying to discourage you, but to temper your expectations and remind you that there's much you still need to research to make this a reality.

You have no idea how much I appreciate that honestly there are many people out there that just want to crush your dreams or make you believe you can never do anything outside the average expectations from someone like one's self, but I've come back time and time again because this community actually cares and just wants to make sure I'm on the right track. Thanks everyone, for caring

I wrote a lot, so I'm sorry if something was incohesively written. And once again, sorry for the length...

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Yes, exactly. You need lodging booked to fill out your landing documentation, and you'll want a stable location for at LEAST a week or two to get your bearings. You'll be halfway around the world from home, and I'm assuming you haven't traveled abroad before. It's a bad idea to think you can just bum around and wing it; that's a recipe for hardship.

Apart from the above post I made, I also want to mention that I won't be returning home once I leave, at least this house. Once I leave, that's it, the cord will be cut and I'll be on my own from then on, no matter what happens. I won't come running back even if my life depends on it
Also, somewhat right, I've never traveled abroad by myself before, but I have been to Jamaica twice, last time being in December. It was a little rough, but we made it through. It's time to put myself to the test, and do this myself to prove that I am worthy of even living this life. Also, I think that almost all hardship has an equal amount of "contrast" to make it survivable, if you know what I mean. There are some people whose worst hardship will be dropping their phone down a sewer or something. There are some people whose worst hardship will be surviving physical/mental abuse, but to each of these people, their idea of hardships reaches about the same extent in terms of "how hard it was" for them. They will both say "that was the hardest thing I ever experienced in my life" even if there are hardships that could knock their socks off and break them permanently. I personally feel like I have the will to accept any hardships that come with the lifestyle of living frugally in order to make what I have go a long way. After all, I've survived until now from doing just that; eating the bare minimum to survive, moving the bare minimum to burn the least amount of unnecessarily spent energy, scraping savings off anything I buy, becoming a complete cheapo in order to keep a few more dollars for this moment I'm preparing for. I'm okay with experiencing hardship, in fact, I can almost say I encourage it, because hardships encourage growth and growth feeds the future wisdom which will be born from my experiences. So, a recipe for hardship isn't something that will deter me from my goal.
With that being said, I still do understand that I can't just simply wing everything and expect it to be okay. I'm still doing my best in the background to make some of those wings into solid sturdy beams, but unfortunately, just like in 90% of american houses, some corners must be cut, and even though it would be nice if the entire house was made of concrete, we have to accept that the second floor is going to be made entirely of wood in order to make do with what we have.
Edit: I just want to add;
I know that I probably sound like a reckless kiddo that doesn't have a clue about life. It's not entirely wrong, I am extremely reckless. But I can let it be my weakness and downfall, or my greatest strength. One thing I know for sure is that we all have to grow up somehow... in various ways, shapes and forms. If this is what I have going for me, why continue to fight against it when I can let it work for me? If it turns out that I would be wrong in making that choice, then it only becomes survival of the fittest at that point. The world could be made a better place without my foolishness, or, I could use the thing that tries to set me up to fail, and strike it back with all I've got and turn it into a great success. Either way... I'll only be satisfied if I try.

 

[mdchachi]

Well, mainly by foot that is, although most likely by train too. The reason is because there's a lot of things that I want to do, and potentially meet some friends, for example I have a friend in yokohama, a friend in... can't remember right now, but i have some friends scattered around and if possible, i'd like to at least visit them, and i want to give my guitars to someone as well, if that's not against any rules or something? (I hope) and of course, I will be mainly in tokyo but as you know, tokyo is still quite a dense place. If you think I'll be able to reach most of the places I wanna check out on foot though (for example, M3) I would be potentially okay with a more permanent location. ↓

Travel in Japan -- especially longer distances -- is not that cheap so you should plan out your movement as much as possible. Shorter distances is not so bad. "Mainly by foot" is not a feasible plan in my opinion. Even in downtown Tokyo. Let's say you want to go from Shibuya to Akihabara. Yes you could walk it in two hours or less but the train ride is only $2. From Shibuya to Chinatown (Yokohama) would be over 6 hour walk but about $5 by train.

It's not because I have to scroll, but because of the monthly payment requirement, instead of daily/hourly. My thinking is if I choose a certain place, and then realize I need to spend more of my time elsewhere (not necessarily outside of Tokyo, but somewhere that would make it inconvenient for the place to stay to be there), then the value is most likely going to be lost at that point. Your point about the advantage is very valid for me, and to be honest I didn't think about that part properly, so I'll definitely reconsider. It'll be beneficial to have other people that can help me get situated and do what I need to do. Still, I hope you can understand why I originally decided against it... I am not someone who's into permanency all that much. If I wasn't a tourist then I'd of course assess the situation completely differently, but since I'll be going as a tourist, I have to avoid anything that might be unnecessary, in order to live frugally.

Also, it's not that I can't afford it, but rather that I don't want to spend more money than necessary on a place to stay when i only need the bare minimum. I definitely don't need a super nice place, and not even a standard place, just basic will do, and if I can get a place for $10 a night, then you can bet that's where I'll go. I also don't want to have to forfeit a larger chunk of money than necessary if I won't be getting the value I paid for, which I can't verify I will in certain cases. At least I know if I go for a cheap place that goes by the day, I can check in if/when necessary, and if I find a better option, I'll gravitate towards it. For example, I've found that there are some places that have shower rooms which allow you to pay for a shower, and I could use that to save an extra few dollars if all I need is a shower and not somewhere to sleep for that day.

Think about it. For less than $20 a day you have:

• a place to put your stuff
• a bed waiting for you any time
• kitchen facilities where you could prepare cheap meals
• storage facilities for you to store some grocery items
• laundry facilities
• bath/shower facilities
• wifi

Not to mention the potentially bigger value of meeting people that can provide a network for you. Teach you the ropes like I said. Help you figure out the logistics of what you want to do. Even if you spend only half your time there it's still a big value in my opinion. Those Yado places cost at least $10 and they don't have showers. To go to a sento/bathing place is about $5. Then there's all the time spent trying to find those places not to mention the language barrier.
If you plan to be there 90 days anyway, spending at least a month at a place like Sakura House is a no brainer. You could map out your next steps in relative comfort. And I'm not convinced your other plan is really a more frugal option. Unless you truly plan to live like a vagrant on park benches without bathing, you're not going to get by on much less.
Going to a manga cafe for 3 hours would cost you more then the 24 hour room cost at Sakura House.

20 Must-Visit Manga Cafés in Tokyo - THIS IS JAPAN

Do you know Manga cafés? Manga cafés are 24-hour Internet cafés where people can read manga in a rel

thisis-japan.com

The aforementioned shower rooms, or potentially bath houses (and yes, I know you don't go in the bath dirty, but they also have showers for before you go in the bath, so I thought I could potentially make use of that as well). Plus if there's a coin laundry somewhere around me, that would be nice too, although I'm guessing I'm just gonna have to handwash my clothes or something, I wouldn't be surprised. I also understand that finding all of this requires someone who knows the area much better than I do, so if you have any suggestions in addition to the share house, I'd appreciate it. But if I can't find any of those places, then of course I just default to the normal methods of living. It's not like my plan is set in stone and unchangeable, the point is for it to be fluid so I can adapt to any situation that arises as it happens. If it turns out I can't do something the way I wanted or expected, I'll of course do it a different way to achieve the same goal. Just like I can spend more money if necessary, that'll only happen if it comes to it, but if it doesn't come to it, I'll avoid it. I hope it makes sense.

It makes sense except in my mind a dirt cheap share house is not the "normal method" of living. If I were going for a month I'd probably be spending at least $100/night on lodging. That's what normal is to me. The only time I did anything remotely like what you're planning is when I motorcycled around Japan for almost a month by myself. I stayed in youth hostels, capsule hotels, camp sites and friend's houses. And bathed in bath houses or onsen along the way.

Also, I plan to let some people hold onto my stuff until I come back (if I come back). For example, I'm loaning away my bass and electric guitar, and in return they can use it all they want in exchange for holding onto it for me. I'm not going to be leaving the country with most of the stuff I bring, though admittely, for the first few days, I might be holding onto a lot of stuff. It's okay, I've been trained for this. I'm someone that rode 23 miles into a completely different city on a bike across a highway, then days later 12 miles both ways round trip, then days later 17 miles round trip again. Walked for nearly 6 hours straight around a massive college campus that has its own city block and avenue intersection streets. As long as I eat something, I believe I'll be able to persevere ) Did I mention I did the 23 mile trip, 17 mile round trip and 6 hour walk without sleeping for 2 days? My body has stamina which cannot be stopped by the likes of a heavy weight on my back and shoulders. I even used to go to school with weights on my legs, just like rock lee (and I can admit it was silly, but I hope it just drills the point that I'm not a weakling). When it comes to endurance, perseverance, the will to not give up, that's me!

I can't tell if you're focusing on the frugality aspect out of necessity or based on some principle. If your body really had the kind of stamina you say you wouldn't be complaining about destroying your body in a typical hospital job though.

By the way for some easy money for your Japan fund, take a look at Prolific
They pay you to answer surveys. Usually they come from academic institutions -- researchers doing some study or other.
I do them sometimes just for fun while I'm watching tv or something. Without even trying that hard I've earned almost $100 in the last month or so.
Payment is via Paypal. There might be a waitlist to join though, especially for somebody in your demographic.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Travel in Japan -- especially longer distances -- is not that cheap so you should plan out your movement as much as possible. Shorter distances is not so bad. "Mainly by foot" is not a feasible plan in my opinion. Even in downtown Tokyo. Let's say you want to go from Shibuya to Akihabara. Yes you could walk it in two hours or less but the train ride is only $2. From Shibuya to Chinatown (Yokohama) would be over 6 hour walk but about $5 by train.

I can agree with that. My idea is that sometimes it will be more effective to move by train, but other times by foot may be a better option. Of course, I'll have to know the area at least a little so I can do that, so I can understand that the train ride might be a more appealing method in most cases. If it comes to it that walking to most places doesn't prove to be cheaper/efficient, then I'll take more train rides, when necessary.

Not to mention the potentially bigger value of meeting people that can provide a network for you. Teach you the ropes like I said. Help you figure out the logistics of what you want to do. Even if you spend only half your time there it's still a big value in my opinion. Those Yado places cost at least $10 and they don't have showers. To go to a sento/bathing place is about $5. Then there's all the time spent trying to find those places not to mention the language barrier.
If you plan to be there 90 days anyway, spending at least a month at a place like Sakura House is a no brainer. You could map out your next steps in relative comfort. And I'm not convinced your other plan is really a more frugal option. Unless you truly plan to live like a vagrant on park benches without bathing, you're not going to get by on much less.
Going to a manga cafe for 3 hours would cost you more then the 24 hour room cost at Sakura House.

You're right, at least if I were to check into a place often enough, it might come out to more than the cost of one month in a Sakura House. With the benefits you listed, it does put up a good bargain, and I might not get as far without an easier starting point when I get in Japan. I'll look into at least going with them for the first month, and at that point I can determine if it's better for me to live in a different way afterwards.

It makes sense except in my mind a dirt cheap share house is not the "normal method" of living. If I were going for a month I'd probably be spending at least $100/night on lodging. That's what normal is to me. The only time I did anything remotely like what you're planning is when I motorcycled around Japan for almost a month by myself. I stayed in youth hostels, capsule hotels, camp sites and friend's houses. And bathed in bath houses or onsen along the way.

We might just have different views on that one... I think a dirt cheap share house is a normal method of living for a lot of people, including Japanese people. Maybe not finding the absolute cheapest possible, but definitely there's Japanese people, especially creatives like mangaka who live in share houses to cut the costs as well as to work together on a common goal. I also want to remind you that while I'm going as a tourist, I would like to treat this as more of a business trip than tourism. I'm not going in order to enjoy myself and live in luxury and eat super delicious food, I'm going to lay the groundwork so I can possibly do that whenever I like 5 years from now. Thinking of it like that, I can't imagine spending $100/night living in Japan with that goal in mind. Even if I was going in order to enjoy myself, I still wouldn't pay that much honestly, just for a place to stay, unless that was as low as it goes...

I can't tell if you're focusing on the frugality aspect out of necessity or based on some principle. If your body really had the kind of stamina you say you wouldn't be complaining about destroying your body in a typical hospital job though.

1. It's a little bit of both, assuming your idea of principle is similar to mine. I'm just not someone who likes to spend more than necessary, even if I have the means to do so. If I was as rich as Warren Buffett, I would do the same thing he does, nothing overly expensive "just because I can afford it", and continue picking up the coins off the floor, even if it only makes me "one penny richer". I'm also able to stretch my money with this method to make it work where others might not be able to make it work. I can sacrifice most things to make other things possible, where others won't give up those things.
2. Well, I get that you can't understand as you weren't there, but as someone who's experienced both the job and the intensely long bike trips, and other things, I can tell you that walking 12 miles is still literally a walk in the park compared to pushing 1,000 pound stretchers with patients on them almost nonstop for 12 hours, and many times on consecutive days. Imagine waking up, getting ready and heading to work in about 1.5 hours, then pushing those stretchers for 12 hours with one 30 minute break, then going home by the time you've been awake for 16 hours. Then, you go to sleep, wake up and it's already time to go back, with the 6-7 hours feeling like 2 minutes. That's okay, just one more day... Or not, because say you're scheduled to work 3 days in a row, or 4 days in a row, or even 5 days (all have happened to me multiple times). After the second day, most times I can't even sleep because the sheer exhaustion keeps me up and puts me in a completely different mode.
All this, and I wouldn't complain about it, but the one thing that caused me to eventually leave after one year of doing this was the fact that I tore my PCL less than a year before getting this job, and had to get surgery for it. I think I told you guys about this before. I was still on the treadmill in physical therapy when I got called for an interview. The job only continued to aggravate my knee, and it became to the point that I couldn't walk on it many days without a grinding sensation, sometimes painful. I still did my best to be on top and even managed to get employee of the month despite that time. If I spent more time at that job, I don't even know if I'd be able to walk now. I have to do my own physical self therapy to at least attempt to remediate the issues that have been aggravated from the job, but at least it's a bearable thing to deal with. If I have to do something like that again, then I'm sure I'll eventually be destroyed, and unable to properly use my knee. Yet, even with this "handicap" I can still manage to walk or bike a long distance and even run if I get used to it. Even now, those things still pale in comparison to the physical intensity of the job I worked at. A typical hospital job makes it sound as if I should be able to conquer it if I can do all those other things, but in actuality, the job I had was at the top intensity. The fact that we still got paid the least in the hospital also said a lot (after over one year, only made about $22K, even with overtime). It means that finding a job that will pay any more than that for someone without a degree may require just as much physically intense work, if not more, which is a bad idea for me. With that in mind, online jobs easily become a more viable option since I don't have to physically destroy myself, and I can take the job anywhere.
Even after explaining all that, I can't expect you to understand how much worse that job was than any of the most intense physical activities. After all, even my parents including my own mom who works there didn't understand until my orthepedic doctor said something after hearing about me working there, saying "it's the hardest job in the hospital".

By the way for some easy money for your Japan fund, take a look at Prolific
They pay you to answer surveys. Usually they come from academic institutions -- researchers doing some study or other.
I do them sometimes just for fun while I'm watching tv or something. Without even trying that hard I've earned almost $100 in the last month or so.
Payment is via Paypal. There might be a waitlist to join though, especially for somebody in your demographic.

Thanks, I checked it out and joined the waiting list. I appreciate your help in finding extra income on top of helping me plan better.
Unfortunately, PayPal doesn't work for me anymore, so I can't accept or receive payments on it (for all my accounts). I think if I end up being accepted one day, I'll have to let someone on here accept the money, and as a token of my appreciation, they can keep some or all of it whenever I take surveys =^ω^=

 

[mdchachi]

Even after explaining all that, I can't expect you to understand how much worse that job was than any of the most intense physical activities. After all, even my parents including my own mom who works there didn't understand until my orthepedic doctor said something after hearing about me working there, saying "it's the hardest job in the hospital".

Well Jaybot says it's difficult so I guess I can believe you. But seriously I apologize. You don't need to hear crap from me, somebody whose work life mainly consists of sitting in front of a computer and occasionally getting up for a coffee refill. Anyway a great thing about Japan is that the public transportation system will give you great freedom of movement. Unlike in the U.S. in many places where if you don't drive or have access to a car, you really can't do much of anything. Once you're there you'll figure out when it makes sense to walk and when to take transportation. And if you get your hands on a bicycle you'll have a lot more range.

Thanks, I checked it out and joined the waiting list. I appreciate your help in finding extra income on top of helping me plan better.
Unfortunately, PayPal doesn't work for me anymore, so I can't accept or receive payments on it (for all my accounts). I think if I end up being accepted one day, I'll have to let someone on here accept the money, and as a token of my appreciation, they can keep some or all of it whenever I take surveys =^ω^=

If it comes to that let me know and I'll try to help you.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Well Jaybot says it's difficult so I guess I can believe you. But seriously I apologize. You don't need to hear crap from me, somebody whose work life mainly consists of sitting in front of a computer and occasionally getting up for a coffee refill. Anyway a great thing about Japan is that the public transportation system will give you great freedom of movement. Unlike in the U.S. in many places where if you don't drive or have access to a car, you really can't do much of anything. Once you're there you'll figure out when it makes sense to walk and when to take transportation. And if you get your hands on a bicycle you'll have a lot more range.

Careful not to trust AI too much yet and it's alright, really only people who have worked the job will ever know what I've been through, I mean even apart from the physical damage, it was still not such a good environment for those at the bottom of the pyramid. The only people that remained with me by the time I quit were my supervisor (who had already quit and come back twice since working there and once more during my time there), and the one who trained me, who only stayed because he wanted to get moved up to a managerial position (and did), and also one other worker, who was in his 60s and had been working that job for about 7 years I think. I met a whole lot of people in the beginning, and a lot of new people came onto the job along the way, but about 90% of them quit within 3 weeks. Only me and that older worker, ironically, had the stamina to continue for a year straight (also he took vacations, I never took one ever until I left). Enough about that though

I am looking forward to the area being more accessible with transportation! In the area I'm from, except for downtown areas, a car is almost always required. Although it didn't quite stop me from traveling to other cities by bike And yes, I would hope I can get a bike which would make things a lot easier as well. I don't know how expensive they are in Japan typically, for a decent one with a few different speed setting gears. Would it make more sense to find a way to bring my bike instead? I could also leave it in the care of someone when it's time for me to leave so it could be another token of gratitude in return for someone's help! I'm just not sure if it would be more expensive to have it brought with me, or even if I should consider shipping it or something like that. At the very least I think I should at least bring it to the airport though

If it comes to that let me know and I'll try to help you.

Thank you much appreciated! Also, I do have a few of those apps which provide a small but passive income, such as Reklaim (control the way your data is sold and get compensated automatically) and MobileXpression (share your device usage automatically in return for money). I can't say that it's enough to make the trip more or less possible but it does keep me from spending my trip money which I have sworn to absolutely not touch