Introduction and whereabouts of this blog

Hi guys,

My name is JJ and I am living in Japan since 2006, when I first came to work at Osaka University as researcher. It has been so far a very pleasant and challenging experience. I am originally from Spain, actually from Barcelona. However, prior to come to Japan I spent four years in the Netherlands, in the southern city of Eindhoven (you either know it because you like soccer –PSV Eindhoven- or you know it is the city-of-origin of Philips (PSV actually means Philips Sport Vereniging - Philips Sports Union)....

The point being…

Well, yes, the point is that before coming to Japan I did know little about this country. After googling, and browsing some websites and blogs, I did find in fact a lot of info about Japan, but mostly related to personal experiences (I climbed Fuji) or cultural shocks (I ate raw fish). Very little about practical facts, such how difficult is to rent an apartment, living cost, taxes, transportation, etc…. To make it short: all you want to know of a country besides what is written in a Lonely Planet guide (which I actually suggest to get before going to any country).

OK OK, I may have exaggerated a bit… I did find in fact some people that wrote down their experiences, but… mostly of the foreigners living here and with English skills are either American/Australian/NewZealanders/Canadians. What does it mean? Well, if you ask to the average American foreigner what he/she thinks about the size of a standard Japanese apartment he/she will say ‘They are VERY small’ (in comparison to a standard American house).

So, what happened here? I, a guy used to take the bus and the metro to go to the school and commuting for hour and a half in Barcelona, the guy used to ride his bike around the Netherlands to get to the job on time, the guy used to small shared apartments, found none but little comfort in the internet about how his life would be in Japan.

The truth?...

The truth is: I experienced of course a certain degree of cultural shock… and many things that happen around me on everyday basis are still exotic and fascinating (at least one per day..). However, I had to go through some bad experiences, which happened mainly because lack of information (from my side), and unawareness of customs, traditions, etc…

This blog

And that’s why I would like to start this blog. I simply feel like writing down all these little things that if I would have known before would have saved me some headaches, sleepless-nights, hours wasted in public offices, misunderstandings…. My intention is hence to write about daily life, working/employment aspects, cultural differences, practical facts, etc… and also about tourism and sightseeing tips for the people that is planning to have a nice time here.

Finally

Don’t get the wrong idea – I am no God: I may be wrong on many things that I will write down, sometimes because my cultural background is different to yours, sometimes because I am a moron… My only truly good advice is: if you are coming over Japan, gather as many information as you can, and if you are already here, share it with the rest of the world.

This is a very nice country, and I hope this little effort from my part will help you out to enjoy it a little bit more if possible.

Cheers,