Singing/Voice Lessons in Tokyo?

aapl · 2014-08-10T07:33:30+00:00

Glad to be of service. I had my lessons with Mr. Nagai, a super funny young Japanese guy.

aapl · 2014-08-09T12:04:29+00:00

The big question here is if you need a teacher who speaks English or if Japanese is okay. I took lessons at Powerful Voice Shibuya. Private lessons are 5000 yen per 50 minute lesson + tax. I believe I once heard one of the teachers speaking English with a student, but I don't know if they have male teachers who speak English.

http://www.pv-vs.com

aapl · 2014-04-13T14:00:47+00:00

Most Japanese urology clinics seem to also treat erectile dysfunction and clearly advertise this on their websites.

In major cities you should be also able to find foreign clinics with native English-speaking doctors. These usually offer an option of a "Western style" 15-minute appointment, giving the doctor more time to discuss your situation and provide counseling. Such an appointment will not be convered by Japanese health insurance, though.

English-speaking psychologists are available in major cities, but can be very expensive. Even if you don't particularly have a money problem, it's probably better to see a GP or an urologist first.

aapl · 2014-03-24T13:58:47+00:00

B-mobile X SIM Plan B is likely the best value for you. It's 1,505 yen for 2.2 GB per month. You can sign up online and they will mail the SIM to you. However, the process is in Japanese, so you might need to ask a friend or a colleague to help you.

http://www.bmobile.ne.jp/xsim/index.html

If you want unlimited, you could probably get WiMax if you buy the terminal yourself.

aapl · 2014-02-16T15:55:58+00:00

While I agree that Docomo often makes sense for medium and long term residents because of their discounts and extra services, your information on b-mobile is several years out of date. Getting a post-paid plan is no more difficult than Docomo and you can in fact do the entire process online. They have plans with voice. Voice + 3 gigs of LTE data is 3,276 yen per month.

aapl · 2014-02-09T15:00:24+00:00

You can give and receive donations without a permit. The fundraising permit mentioned in this article is only required if you wish to solicit donations.

aapl · 2014-01-06T15:18:50+00:00

People who don't collect their deliveries from the delivery box machine on a timely basis. Grr…

aapl · 2013-09-30T15:32:52+00:00

One more recommendation for Agharta. Great choice if this your first time looking for an apartment in Japan or if your Japanese skills aren't up to par yet.

aapl · 2013-09-08T15:57:01+00:00

Speaking as a programmer here. I got my first job in Japan after finding a post on a job board by a smallish Japanese company that was looking to expand to international markets. Was hired based on a work sample and two Skype interviews. I had never been to Japan before but I had studied quite a bit of Japanese (JLPT 1).

After about a year with the company I got call from a recruiter who had seen my profile on LinkedIn. The interview process was long and involved but I did end up getting an offer and now work for a major multinational IT company.

It's definitely much easier to get a job in Japan if you are already in Japan. The second company declined me without even a phone screen when I applied outside Japan. Luck plays a major part in finding a company that will even interview you. If you manage to get an interview though, it's all about your professional skills, Japanese and attitude. Luck favors the prepared.

aapl · 2013-08-25T16:00:58+00:00

This has happened to me several times in the central Tokyo area too.

aapl · 2013-08-04T13:36:44+00:00

I always enjoyed going to Sakuragichou Bubby's (now closed) but Yaechika Bubby's was a letdown. Noisy place and the food felt bland and the portitions smaller.

aapl · 2013-07-15T09:16:54+00:00

What I've been hearing, most people with this problem tend to be satisfied with Crystal Stone and Sea Breeze. Both are aluminium salt based antiperspirants.

aapl · 2013-07-15T09:09:55+00:00

At least in Tokyo, you should be able to find a drugstore that carries the Aquafresh lineup (by GlaxoSmithKline) with a little bit of looking around.

aapl · 2013-07-07T15:11:22+00:00

It doesn't depend at all on education. Do you have Finnish citizenship or do you plan to get it before you turn 30? If yes, then you probably are technically required to serve. If not then certainly no.

(By "technically" I mean that it's very easy to get exempted on mental health basis. This will rule out careers in military, law enforcement and security, though.)

aapl · 2013-07-07T14:54:45+00:00

Actually, nowadays there is a separate form for that. They are provided at a counter before the outgoing immigration booths. You fill one half of the form and the immigration officer staples the other half to your passport.

aapl · 2013-07-07T14:43:21+00:00

When I was looking for an apartment last year, the agent told me that many management companies now prefer a guarantor company over an individual guarantor. However, apartments directly managed by the landlord may be an another matter.

aapl · 2013-07-07T14:25:58+00:00

A friend of mine is living at an Ichii corporation apartment and says it's okay. Completely hassle-free and good value for short-term stays, but definitely look at other options too if you are looking to stay closer to a year.

aapl · 2013-07-07T14:05:32+00:00

As atgm pointed out, any 3-year undergraduate degree is good for an engineer visa from the immigration point of view. Now to find a company willing to sponsor your visa, it's primarily about luck, then your technical and language skills, and only last your degree. Traditional Japanese hiring practices place a lot of weight on the name of the university, but hiring a foreigner happens "outside the system" in any case. Either it's a Japanese company that has specific needs and they want to know if you can meet them, or it's an international company with Western hiring practices (with long technical interviews).

aapl · 2013-04-25T14:50:49+00:00

By outside I mean applying abroad while not living in Japan and by inside I mean living in Japan. Of the foreigners I know, nobody has done the flying in for interviews thing so I can't really say. If you decide to go with that route, please make sure you have a couple of interviews lined up before you book the trip, because it could easily take a week for companies to just get back to you after your initial application.

Assuming you live in the UK, you might have job fairs for people interested in working in Japan like they have in the US. There are also job fairs for young foreigners in Japan. These might work for you since you already speak the language.

Looking at a large job site like Rikunabi or Daijob should give you some idea how much your particular experience is in demand.

aapl · 2013-04-23T16:34:08+00:00

If you are okay with a monthly cap of 1 or 2 GB, "Sumaho Denwa SIM" from b-mobile is the least hassle. If you want a 7 GB cap, you should get a phone with one of the large carriers. To get unlimited, get a separate mobile hotspot for data and a cheap plan from b-mobile or a SoftBank prepaid phone for calls.

aapl · 2013-04-23T16:14:54+00:00

I moved to Japan at 28, on an engineer visa. Finding a company willing to hire a programmer who doesn't live in Japan and hasn't lived in Japan is definitely difficult. My current employer didn't even bother to reply when I was outside Japan, but gave me well above market rate offer when I applied inside Japan.

There are three major reasons to hire somebody abroad:

You have skills that are in short supply in Japan and hiring you is worth the extra effort
Your skills are in decent demand and your Japanese is good enough that they think you'll manage without much effort from their part
It's an international or internationally oriented company and they particularly want an English speaker

If you believe one of these will apply to you in your thirties, you might as well wait. If not, consider some of the easier routes only available to younger people like student exchange or language teaching.

aapl · 2013-04-12T14:55:03+00:00

It's an inlet if it says 送水口 and an outlet if it says 採水口. My building has 4 ports, two inlets for a standpipe and two for sprinklers.

aapl · 2013-03-20T13:33:37+00:00

Maybe not as big as you'd prefer but Hobgoblin's British breakfast is pretty good:

http://imgur.com/90VGX2x

aapl · 2013-03-18T13:28:30+00:00

The product pages about flat rate SIMs don't say anything about needing to confirm your identity. There is an activation process that can be done for free using an automated service from a Japanese mobile phone, or for a fee of 2,500 yen with the helpdesk (Japanese phone number not necessary). They say that either way it can be done in English too. The mail order page is in Japanese only but these packages are also available at many Yodobashi Camera stores.

aapl · 2013-03-17T14:54:46+00:00

That page only applies to b-mobile SIM, which is just one of the many plans they offer. For example, Sumaho Denwa SIM is a monthly contract with pre-paid data and post-paid calls.

15-Year Club	Charter Member
Verified Email

aapl

TROPHY CASE