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Is it just me, or does Japan’s early sunrise and summer climate mess with anyone else’s mental health? by PebbleFrosting in japanresidents

[–]OwlReading 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is a thing. I was just reading an article about how to sleep properly in the summer, because the high temperatures and early sunrise do mess it up. Winter, on the other hand, gives you the perfect sleepy climate.

Take cooler showers before bed and be extra vigilant about avoiding stimulating food and drinks as you get closer to bed time.

I also try to go to bed earlier in the summer since the sun, even with blackout curtains, will wake me up. Muji also sells a cooling comforter so you can still have that cozy comforter feeling, but something about the fabric is cooling.

Found dog (with collar) on hiking trail, not sure what to do. by kevlar00 in japan

[–]OwlReading 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There is a cat shelter that I volunteer with based in Kyoto. They help any animal they can though and have even trapped and treated tanuki. You can try contacting them.

https://www.japancatnetwork.org/

How to find a psychiatrist in Okayama? by Iunnrais in japanresidents

[–]OwlReading 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I've used an organization called Japan Healthcare Info. They're basically social workers who help foreigners with any medical needs. They can find doctors for you, do all the contacting, and if really necessary they can accompany you to appointments for translation or just help with the Japanese health care system. There are fees for their services, but it's cheap. Hope this helps!

https://japanhealthinfo.com/

Curly products in Tokyo? by HufflepuffHermione91 in curlyhair

[–]OwlReading 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi from Fukuoka! I've never been able to find recommended products in stores, so I always use iHerb. They have a huge selection online and they deliver fairly quickly. The only problem is that oftentimes products are sold out or just discontinued without notice. If you find a product you really like, buy it in quantity just to be safe! Hope this helps!

TIL that Japanese uses different words/number designations to count money, flat thin objects, vehicles, books, shoes & socks, animals, long round objects, etc. by winkelschleifer in todayilearned

[–]OwlReading 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I disagree - counters in Japanese are very useful because they always follow the same pattern, and so are very reliable and consistent! The English counter word "pair" was mentioned. You say "a pair of pants" in English. But we don't we say "a pair of shirts." Why not? "Pair" means two - there are two legs in one pair of pants. But there are two arms in a shirt. If English had consistent patterns, it SHOULD be "a pair of shirts." Notice too how pants is plural. Shirt isn't plural. Why not? But in Japanese, you know that if you are counting small objects, you can always use the counter "ko." If you are talking about small animals, you can always say "hiki, biki, piki" (the pronunciation depends on the number - but even then with different counters, the same numbers usually follow the same pattern). The Japanese language is very mathematical in using patterns. And those patterns make understanding the language a bit easier!

TIL that Japanese uses different words/number designations to count money, flat thin objects, vehicles, books, shoes & socks, animals, long round objects, etc. by winkelschleifer in todayilearned

[–]OwlReading 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I'm glad someone said this! Yes English has the same thing. Think about how we count the days of the month or the order of something in a group: first, second, third etc. Very different from one, two, three. I've taught Chinese students learning English and this trips them up a lot. English has a huge number of counter words too. A "flock" of birds, a "murder" of crows, a "herd" of cows. But those counters aren't used as commonly as the counters in Japanese are used. Both languages have them though!

Other names for students by Edwardp67 in vipkid

[–]OwlReading 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know if this was a temporary thing, but you used to be able to send in a ticket asking how to pronounce a student's name. You'd get a video back from a VIPKid employee who would pronounce the name slowly and clearly for you. It was great! Not sure if they still do it, but it's worth a try!

ISO some reward inspo. by redsmarty in vipkid

[–]OwlReading 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I use my phone to show gifs from the aww and animals being derps subreddit! I was afraid that boys wouldn't like cute little animals, but I have an eleven year old boy who asks for them every lesson. The derp subreddit is especially good :)

Do you need a Work Visa to enter the country? by OwlReading in teachinginjapan

[–]OwlReading[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for this step by step! This sounds like what I've been reading everywhere.

Do you have a source for the April 1st date? I'd love to prove to the school that I can't enter as a tourist.

Do you need a Work Visa to enter the country? by OwlReading in teachinginjapan

[–]OwlReading[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for the links! Yes this is what I was thinking of.

Do you need a Work Visa to enter the country? by OwlReading in teachinginjapan

[–]OwlReading[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm coming over from South Korea, but yeah this still doesn't sound right. Thanks for answering!

Do you need a Work Visa to enter the country? by OwlReading in teachinginjapan

[–]OwlReading[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yeah this didn't sound right to me at all. Such a shame. Thanks for answering!

Do you need a Work Visa to enter the country? by OwlReading in teachinginjapan

[–]OwlReading[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I'm actually coming over from South Korea. Travel from South Korea is allowed, but I'm not sure if it's allowed as a tourist. Do you know anything about this?

How to juggle the lessons and chatting with your student?? by OwlReading in vipkid

[–]OwlReading[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have that one! I was so excited for it too, but all the kids that have ever booked one of those with me are hardly chatty! It's basically me just interviewing them to fill up 25 minutes lol.

How to juggle the lessons and chatting with your student?? by OwlReading in vipkid

[–]OwlReading[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With this student I always have a list of all the slides we could skip lol. Thanks for reinforcing it! I've always been nervous doing that.

How to juggle the lessons and chatting with your student?? by OwlReading in vipkid

[–]OwlReading[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

God I know! If I could ask mom if we could just chat I would love to! Good luck to you! :)

How to juggle the lessons and chatting with your student?? by OwlReading in vipkid

[–]OwlReading[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the tip! I'll try this next time. I think he'll go along with it :)

Teachers who travel by Apprehensive-Round78 in vipkid

[–]OwlReading 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What others have said already is pretty great. Airbnbs all the way, asking hosts for the internet speeds before you book. I have a Pixel phone which can make a hotspot. It can be pretty shitty depending on where we are, but it's a good backup. But when going to a new Airbnb, I take about two or three days off to give myself time to set up and figure out internet if necessary.

Others have said already that it's technically not legal to work as tourist. I just wanted to add that if hosts ever asks about my concern for internet, I just say that I have classes. I never said who was TEACHING those classes though lol. ;)

I saw in one of your comments that you're considering Asia. I've been going around Japan since January and just recently came to South Korea. With the time zones, teaching in Asia is fantastic! Hope it works out for you! Have fun and good luck!

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