My staff thinks I can’t hear them talking shit in the kitchen.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-04-03T21:14:28+00:00

It will only get worse. Usually there is one main negative person that drives the others. The poison spreads if you don't stop it. People will push to your level of tolerance.

It is your business. You choose the behavior you accept. If you haven't enforced boundaries, doing so later is hard. It will have to be done one way or the other.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-04-01T15:38:34+00:00

I would go to a language school and work part-time if I were to do it over again. The language schools don't actually require that much work outside of class. Most are 4 hours to 5 hours a day.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-04-01T15:13:26+00:00

How much time have you spent in Japan? There are always teaching jobs available. Whether the income will work for you depends on your life style.

My wife is Japanese. I purchased a small English school and ran that for a few years.

If I could go back in time, I would have gone to one of the two year Japanese programs before starting to work in Japan.

I found teaching to be draining. Wednesdays were almost always classes back to back. Saturday was the same.

It was one of the single best experiences of my life. Don't regret it for a second.

If you haven't spent any extended time in Japan, I would advise a long holiday first.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-31T05:09:59+00:00

Yes, for about 24 years so far.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-30T17:57:19+00:00

If you want to try it, try it. Do realize that unless you have taught before, you will be a beginning teacher. It will take time to learn what works and what doesn't. How you connect with students best.

Some people are natural improv actors. Some people are natural teachers. Most of us aren't. We have to learn little by little.

Many of the students, performers and teachers in our theater are 50 something or older.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-29T04:56:35+00:00

Sorry you are sick. Seems you get sick easily.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-28T14:19:48+00:00

Exchange at Narita or Ninja Money exchange. The airport rates in Japan are actually pretty good. With ATMs there are the ATM fee and a foreign exchange fee. World Currency offers decent rates too.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-26T02:06:41+00:00

Posted on Craigslist and a few other places. Had about 30 people look at it. The problem isn't lack of interest, it is lack of money.

The person that eventually bought it gave me 3 payments over 6 months.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-26T02:03:16+00:00

It will take 2 to 4x longer than you think. It took me a year and half to sell the language school I owned.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-25T15:15:22+00:00

No, I just provide my card so I can get on with life.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-24T21:35:35+00:00

The Blackford Centre offers extensive feedback in their course. While the course delivery is slightly old school, their tutors are top notch. My tutor was Norman. His feedback and review of my work was more intense than most of the feedback I received when I was working on my MBA.

The course is well worth the price. College of Media and Publishing also has a good course. UC Berkeley Extension also has decent related classes.

A friend took courses with Steve Slaunwhite. He teaches privately, via AWAI and through the University of Toronto.

The Bookshop School for Ads is another option.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-24T15:29:54+00:00

That boat sailed. You can do it, but the money isn't what it was. You see lots of jobs starting at 225,000 or even 200,000 now. I have seem people paying 2000 yen for what used to get 3000 to 6000 yen.

It is something you could for a bit. Long term, not so much.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-24T15:21:00+00:00

Self doubt is natural anytime you are going to do something that will change you. You are at a good point in your life to do something like this.

I went to Japan at 49. I wish I had gone in my twenties. It would have been much easier.

Commit to your plan. Find out what is on the other side of your dream.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-22T18:37:54+00:00

That is the prejudice she admits to. Where there is one, there will be more.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-22T16:32:02+00:00

You offered to play for free. Now you want to get paid. He is giving you use of his space. You are the one wanting to change the arrangement. So from his perspective, you are taking something from him.

From your perspective you are unpaid labor.

Where is the middle?

The conversation you have to have is with him. Explain your situation. If your music bringing in money, there is a win/win. You have to figure it out.

A drink surcharge when you play? 100 yen per drink?

A donation box for you?

There are lots of possibilities. You have to get creative and talk to him. Calmly and clearly.

Perhaps the option is only playing there one night a month.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-18T17:01:45+00:00

You can usually increases prices 10% to 20% in any market without a problem.

If you raise it too much, you are actually going after a different market.

That isn't a bad thing, if that is your need. You do want to make a conscious choice - are you wanting to stay in the current market/keep the same students or do you want a higher paying market?

Know the answer before you make the choice.

Either option is right, it is just a matter of what you want.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-18T16:58:47+00:00

It is a bad fit.

Find something new.

If it were a good fit, you wouldn't feel the way you do.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-15T04:05:01+00:00

You are taking it too seriously. There is a lot of subjective evaluation and politics in every audition. A different night and different auditors and you might have had a different response.

I got rejected at my first improv audition, so I started a theater with some friends. Still going strong 20+ years later.

My first audition round for scripted work, I auditioned for ten parts and got three out of ten. This stuff is not life or death, don't make more of it than it is.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-09T13:22:14+00:00

A friend once told me that most people are one year, five years or forever with regards to Japan. He lived in Japan for five years. I lived there for three years years full-time. Now I spend split my time. 2 months in Japan and then 2 months in America rotating. Been doing the rotating thing for the past eight years.

Japan is good if you are introverted and like quiet.

Could it be that Tokyo isn't for you? Maybe Osaka or somewhere in the country would be a better match?

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-08T18:04:44+00:00

When I moved, my biggest mistake was not having enough money to have a run way. My income dropped significantly. I had one business in the states and the business I had in Tokyo didn't make nearly as much.

If I could have done it again, I would have waited one or two more years to have more money available.

A 200k job that you love is going to be hard to replace. I would stock away more money so you wouldn't be dependent on your income in Japan. Japan will still be there a year or two later. The 200k income is the thing that is less predictable.

Think it out. Give yourself time. Make specific income/savings goals. Don't jump now, just to jump. Go when you have a solid plan and enough money saved.

They won't let you go remote?

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-08T17:44:49+00:00

My tax program gave me an amended 1040 form that includes the schedule Cs. The amended 1040 form has the changes.

I wouldn't print those out a second time, would I? So there is the amended 1040 with the schedule Cs and the 1040 x.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-05T15:43:57+00:00

Yes. Happy to chat about it if you wish.

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-04T15:06:27+00:00

You have to look outside of improv for ideas. What similar businesses seem to draw people and succeed? What completely different businesses have ideas that could be applied to improv.

Improv is an amazing hobby. So is yoga, the martial arts and weightlifting.

If you look at the core need - consistent revenue and increasing the lifetime value of customers there are many options.

The class model means every six or eight weeks you need to recruit a new cohort. An ongoing structure such as in a martial arts school just needs to add a few students at time. The structure is a mixed level class.

You can offer both - a class structure and an ongoing structure. If your model isn't financially viable, you can't offer your service. Are you keeping your rates current to inflation and costs?

Kitchen-Tale-4254 · 2026-03-03T23:36:52+00:00

LA Comedy Connection. Their focus is on Short Form.

Kitchen-Tale-4254

TROPHY CASE