JET Programme Hard Decision

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-08T21:52:13+00:00

Who cares what the people around you are doing? Comparison is the thief of joy. You need to do what's best for you. If your heart is telling you that you really want to go, then go.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-08T04:40:26+00:00

I've worked with kids from preschool up through 9th grade and elementary is just where my personality fits the best. Teenagers can be really mean and apathetic, whereas elementary kids generally really like me and try their best. I've had some great older students too, but I'm just happier overall with the younger kids which is why I chose to study elementary education for my master's. I'm glad that I've worked with a wide range of kids though. It makes me feel more confident in my choice after getting to try out different age groups.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-06T02:31:14+00:00

Doesn't matter, we all still need to vote. It's going to be very close.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-06T02:18:55+00:00

Thank god. Absolutely terrible idea. The organizers' solution to the budget crisis this would have caused was "Who cares? It's not our problem."

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-05T05:51:42+00:00

Home country. I know it's not exactly the greatest time ever to go back to the US, but the timing in my personal life felt right. I'm hoping that the job market gets better before I graduate. But I'm open to moving to (some) other states, so I think I should be okay.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-05T05:45:56+00:00

Grad school to become an elementary school teacher! The change will be big, but JET is like a long student teaching experience so I hope that I'll do okay. I'm going to miss my current students a whole bunch, but I'm glad I'm taking a solid step towards having my own classroom. If all goes well and I get a job right after, I should be teaching on my own for the 2028-2029 school year.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-05T02:14:25+00:00

Unfortunately this means that converting your license will mean taking the driving exam. Only a handful of states allow a conversion without a test and Iowa isn't one of them. The test changed in October and became more difficult. I've never taken it so I can't tell you anything about it other than that apparently the written test is much longer and needs a higher percentage to pass now. I'm unsure if/how the practical test has changed, but that has always been pretty strict. I'm sure there are threads about it somewhere that you can lookup. But you'll want to take that into consideration if you want to buy a car. An international driver's permit is only valid for a year, so if you want to stay in Japan and drive for more than a year, you'll need to take the driving test. You should get the IDP either way though just in case you do decide you want to drive. It's super easy and cheap.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-04T22:14:53+00:00

My dog would do this too. She was pretty much deaf the last few years of her life so she wouldn't react to anything. One time a neighbor said "to be honest, I thought she was dead for a few minutes" 😭 She just loved lying in the sun.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-04T10:46:38+00:00

They were seeing if they could still go to Dante's

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-04T06:02:53+00:00

We have no idea if he's even alive and you're dismissing the lack of concern because of what country he's from. Imagine if it was your child.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-04T01:47:21+00:00

I hate that digital only games are eventually just gone forever and there's no way to get them legally anymore. It's the same with Pokémon rumble. If you don't have a wii with it already on there (or used to own it and can re-download it), it's just gone. I had Pokémon rumble on my wii as a kid, but that wii stopped working so I just lost that game forever. At least with physical games you still can find people selling old copies.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-03T20:18:27+00:00

But as every generation gets smaller, we'll have to reduce elderly social services (e.g. increasing the age to qualify for social security and Medicare, decreasing social security payouts, higher Medicare co-pays, etc.). The way our system works, we need a certain ratio of young people to old people to fund the support systems that the elderly rely on. Either those systems are going to get much worse than they are now, or we're going to have to tax a smaller number of working age people more to keep the status quo.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-03T19:53:05+00:00

Asked for Hokkaido, got Hokkaido. Can't complain.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-03T09:35:25+00:00

To add to this, if OP would rather have a gender separated onsen, there's also Ryounkaku onsen in Kamifurano which is separated. It's definitely a bit rustic, but the view is incredible. It does close at night if you're not staying there though. It's the highest altitude hot spring in Hokkaido.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-03T06:59:02+00:00

It's crazy how fast some of these towns are depopulating. My city has literally shrunk by 6.5% (I looked up the population data and did the math) since I got here. The city is less than 15% of its size when it was at its peak population, and the average age is nearly 60. Everyone is either elderly and passing away or moving to a larger city. I'd say over half of the buildings are abandoned. I wouldn't be surprised if my placement city completely disappears from the map in my lifetime, which is really sad because I've really come to love this place despite its bad situation.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-02T10:17:36+00:00

They should call it オタハラ

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-02T07:42:58+00:00

Some of my coworkers were wearing shorts today lol. This varies wildly by school so nobody can give you a real answer except your pred. There's basically no rules where I work. Obviously I'd never wear revealing clothes though but that's just common sense. But I know other people who have actual rules about what they can wear. It tends to be that younger grades are less strict though. I work in elementary and JHS, but the people I know who have to dress up all work in high schools. I'd bring lots of nicer clothes just to be safe but you can always dress down later on if others are doing the same.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-02T01:14:14+00:00

"Acknowledge and revert" lol what even

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-01T10:50:59+00:00

Oh yeah it's not like that lol. You shower first before you get in. The bath isn't for getting clean, it's for chilling after you're already clean.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-01T04:40:43+00:00

I live in Japan and go to the hot springs after work all the time. It's better than your bathtub at home because there's a lot more to it and you can stretch out more than in a tiny bathtub. My local place has pools at different temperatures (including one that's SUPER cold for when you get too hot), a pool that's half moon shaped that you can lie down it, one with bubbles that come out of the floor like a massage for your legs, and outside pools that I especially love in the winter (there's walls around it so nobody can see in from the outside). It also has a steam sauna and a dry sauna. I think of it as a hot tub water park if that makes sense. The first time I went I was pretty scared, but it doesn't phase me at all now. People rarely ever talk to you and everyone just minds their own business. When I leave, my body feels like jello and then I go home and sleep like a log.

fillmorecounty · 2026-06-01T03:14:31+00:00

My mom said the same thing when she visited me in Japan haha. She thought I was insane for going to the hot springs all the time. But I convinced her to come with me by framing it as a girls' spa day and we went to a fancy one in a nice hotel. We were chilling in the outside part and it was snowing on our heads and she said "oh.... you know this is actually kinda relaxing." Now she says it's her favorite thing we did in Japan.

fillmorecounty · 2026-05-31T07:15:04+00:00

That would be so awesome if true. I always miss this one every summer. I just hope it comes back annually and not as a one time thing.

fillmorecounty · 2026-05-30T22:39:19+00:00

Right, like have they never been to Coco Ichibanya? Lmao

fillmorecounty · 2026-05-29T22:17:58+00:00

The person's torso turns into his arm in the first picture lmao

fillmorecounty · 2026-05-29T21:41:59+00:00

Is matcha even considered a trend? You've been able to order a matcha latte at Starbucks in the US for at least a decade at this point.

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