Bringing your pet to Japan...relax...

This entry should only be used if you are 100% certain that you have an apartment ready to bring a pet to Japan! If you have no apartment lined up for you that allows cats/dog/birds/fish/big foots, than by all means...don't bring your pet to Japan! And if you're in the JET program, I have no idea how to also include your pet on the plane..

Now bringing one's pet to Japanland can be a double edged sword while you're looking for a job...
You see, you have atleast 6months to a year to get everything done in order to get your pet to Japan!
So lets say your job starts November 23rd 2013, you need to start preparing your pet for Japan...like NOW! I basically started working on my cat to come with me to Japan of October 2011 back in November of 2010 and he was ready to go to Japan basically by September 2011!
So when you do the math, you have 8 months to get ready!!

The steps to bring your pet to Japan aren't that difficult and just in case the information below in the links I provided seem to hard to understand here's a break down of what I did.

Step 1: Microchip your pet! The type of Microchip I used was the one's used from HomeAgain! They are in compliance to the standard Japanese ISO microchip guidelines.
Step 2: Get your pet a rabies Vaccine shot! Make sure its an inactivated one(most vets use this one anyways but just make sure to be safe and ask for it!) You can do the rabies shot right after your pet gets a microchip! Yeah, make your pet suffer!!
Step 3: 30-31 days after the first rabies shot, get another inactivated rabies shot!
Step 4: Get blood drawn 30-31 days after 2nd rabies shot and send it to an approved testing facility to see if your pets antibodies are high enough by Japan's quarantine standards! You also have to fill out a form provided by the Kansas testing center website! This needs to be filled out by you and your vet together!(It also helps if you can have a Vet who has done this type of work before and is willing to send the bloodwork for you!)Unless you want to try doing it yourself, and I have no idea how to send blood in the mail..
Step5: Get The Country of Export Certificate in regards to the state you live in! This doesn't take long but the sooner you do it, the better! You can get the forms to do this from the Japan Animal Quarantine website!
You need both forms A&C! Once again Form C needs to be filled out by your vet as well as the standard APHIS7001 form! Sometimes your vet has them,sometimes they don't! Send this all into the designated state   HQ for export! Sorry for the shaddy memory here folks but I believe you also have to send them your rabies test showing it was okay! Call just to make sure and make sure you get the original back because you need to show that when you go to Narita airport! I got lucky with just showing a copy but I was on a luck streak that day..
Step6: Alert Narita airport that you're coming with your pet with another form 40 days in advance of your arrival!
Step7: If you have a cat and its a nervous wreck, relax! The plane is too noisy for people to hear it if you fly with it in the cabin and it will pass out from exhaustion in 3hours=).
Step 8: Don't forget to bring all your paperwork with you to Japan! When you get to Narita airport you should have your:
Advance notification form!
Kansas state form stating your pet is rabies free!
Certificate of Export from America(FORM A&C Stamped from the official govt)
And just to be safe your APHIS7001 form!

Also a list of airlines that allow your pet to fly in cabin, if it can fit in a traveling carrier(so basically cats and toy poodles) *that I know of, is AirCanada + Air France! United Airlines used to allow pets in cabin until they merged with Continental...and when it was Continental they said no to pets in cabin on international flights so...inquire about that...
AirCanada will also sit your ass WAY in the back so...your options of where you can sit aren't open to first class...sorry?

In total, the cost of all of this can vary, but for me this was my accumulated bill:

Rabies shot cost $20.00 a piece(so x2 that was 40.00)
Rabies blood test done by your vet to ship to Kansas
(and depending if your vet needs to gas down your animal): $475
Cost for Laboratory testing: $83.00
Export Certificate + a certificate signed by your VET that they believe your pet is okay to fly!: $114
Plane ticket for in cabin: $100.00
you're looking at a total of
$812.00!!
I didn't factor in the countless calming aids I bought for my cat and tried using which failed in the end..take my advice, that shit don't work.



So is all of this worth to bring one's pet to Japan?
I was really glad I brought my cat with me to Japan, but sadly he didn't come home with me...he lived a great 14years! I mean really, he was more spoiled than Oprah's dogs! He got to ride the shinkansen too!
No one noticed I had a cat due to my abundance of luggage and my cat too tired to make noises anymore
So in my opinion,

 having a pet was a great stress reliever while I was in Japan,and I would do it all again if I could.

But if you decide to leave your furbabies behind, you can befriend the strays on the street. I didn't discover there were some stray cats I could actually pet until it was 7 days till I was to go back to the states. Cruel Irony...I hate you.
So for the non-fearful who can pet stray cats,always go to the parks or conbini's! Lots of strays hanging around!!
Useful links

Japan Website for Animal Quarantine in English
USDA guide to exporting pets to Japan
(somewhat easier to understand than the one on the Japanese website)
Kansas State University Rabies blood test center
*List of airlines that allow pets in Cabin

Coming up next time..how to have a good day at work(lesson plan!)

This entry should only be used if you are 100% certain that you have an apartment ready to bring a pet to Japan! If you have no apartment lined up for you that allows cats/dog/birds/fish/big foots, than by all means...don't bring your pet to Japan! And if you're in the JET program, I have no idea how to also include your pet on the plane..

Now bringing one's pet to Japanland can be a double edged sword while you're looking for a job...
You see, you have atleast 6months to a year to get everything done in order to get your pet to Japan!
So lets say your job starts November 23rd 2013, you need to start preparing your pet for Japan...like NOW! I basically started working on my cat to come with me to Japan of October 2011 back in November of 2010 and he was ready to go to Japan basically by September 2011!
So when you do the math, you have 8 months to get ready!!

The steps to bring your pet to Japan aren't that difficult and just in case the information below in the links I provided seem to hard to understand here's a break down of what I did.

Step 1: Microchip your pet! The type of Microchip I used was the one's used from HomeAgain! They are in compliance to the standard Japanese ISO microchip guidelines.
Step 2: Get your pet a rabies Vaccine shot! Make sure its an inactivated one(most vets use this one anyways but just make sure to be safe and ask for it!) You can do the rabies shot right after your pet gets a microchip! Yeah, make your pet suffer!!
Step 3: 30-31 days after the first rabies shot, get another inactivated rabies shot!
Step 4: Get blood drawn 30-31 days after 2nd rabies shot and send it to an approved testing facility to see if your pets antibodies are high enough by Japan's quarantine standards! You also have to fill out a form provided by the Kansas testing center website! This needs to be filled out by you and your vet together!(It also helps if you can have a Vet who has done this type of work before and is willing to send the bloodwork for you!)Unless you want to try doing it yourself, and I have no idea how to send blood in the mail..
Step5: Get The Country of Export Certificate in regards to the state you live in! This doesn't take long but the sooner you do it, the better! You can get the forms to do this from the Japan Animal Quarantine website!
You need both forms A&C! Once again Form C needs to be filled out by your vet as well as the standard APHIS7001 form! Sometimes your vet has them,sometimes they don't! Send this all into the designated state   HQ for export! Sorry for the shaddy memory here folks but I believe you also have to send them your rabies test showing it was okay! Call just to make sure and make sure you get the original back because you need to show that when you go to Narita airport! I got lucky with just showing a copy but I was on a luck streak that day..
Step6: Alert Narita airport that you're coming with your pet with another form 40 days in advance of your arrival!
Step7: If you have a cat and its a nervous wreck, relax! The plane is too noisy for people to hear it if you fly with it in the cabin and it will pass out from exhaustion in 3hours=).
Step 8: Don't forget to bring all your paperwork with you to Japan! When you get to Narita airport you should have your:
Advance notification form!
Kansas state form stating your pet is rabies free!
Certificate of Export from America(FORM A&C Stamped from the official govt)
And just to be safe your APHIS7001 form!

Also a list of airlines that allow your pet to fly in cabin, if it can fit in a traveling carrier(so basically cats and toy poodles) *that I know of, is AirCanada + Air France! United Airlines used to allow pets in cabin until they merged with Continental...and when it was Continental they said no to pets in cabin on international flights so...inquire about that...
AirCanada will also sit your ass WAY in the back so...your options of where you can sit aren't open to first class...sorry?

In total, the cost of all of this can vary, but for me this was my accumulated bill:

Rabies shot cost $20.00 a piece(so x2 that was 40.00)
Rabies blood test done by your vet to ship to Kansas
(and depending if your vet needs to gas down your animal): $475
Cost for Laboratory testing: $83.00
Export Certificate + a certificate signed by your VET that they believe your pet is okay to fly!: $114
Plane ticket for in cabin: $100.00
you're looking at a total of
$812.00!!
I didn't factor in the countless calming aids I bought for my cat and tried using which failed in the end..take my advice, that shit don't work.



So is all of this worth to bring one's pet to Japan?
I was really glad I brought my cat with me to Japan, but sadly he didn't come home with me...he lived a great 14years! I mean really, he was more spoiled than Oprah's dogs! He got to ride the shinkansen too!
No one noticed I had a cat due to my abundance of luggage and my cat too tired to make noises anymore
So in my opinion,

 having a pet was a great stress reliever while I was in Japan,and I would do it all again if I could.

But if you decide to leave your furbabies behind, you can befriend the strays on the street. I didn't discover there were some stray cats I could actually pet until it was 7 days till I was to go back to the states. Cruel Irony...I hate you.
So for the non-fearful who can pet stray cats,always go to the parks or conbini's! Lots of strays hanging around!!
Useful links

Japan Website for Animal Quarantine in English
USDA guide to exporting pets to Japan
(somewhat easier to understand than the one on the Japanese website)
Kansas State University Rabies blood test center
*List of airlines that allow pets in Cabin

Coming up next time..how to have a good day at work(lesson plan!)

Home is where the heart is..in your wallet...

So to choose company housing yay or nay?

First off, did you guys make sure that you could opt to not have company housing with your company? My company had a choice, but till this day I swear that the location branch I interviewed with would never have hired me if I fought to not have an apartment tied to the company! However once I got to Japan I found out I was free to cancel my company housing if I wanted to which I did 4months later! It could also cost you to cancel an apartment so keep that in mind as well.

I lived in both company housing and on my own in the year I spent in Japan and experience wise I can tell you how it went...

Company Housing: I was placed in a Leo Palace apartment which was a 20-25min walk away from the train station I used for work. The ward I was placed in used to be a place where a lot Japanese Untouchables lived back in the old days(Im only mentioning this because my real estate agent told me this..I don't know why he mentioned this..oh wait, light bulb went off!), but  was now full of foreigners(mainly Brazilians, Chinese, East Indians, S.koreans, Pnoys,Yakuza, etc.) Don't get me wrong, it was safe since I came from the Boogie down Bronx, but according to people who knew where I lived, my location was apparently in a dangerous neighborhood Because foreigners are soo dangerous....pshh whatever. I was just pissed that my apt was too far from the train station! I had a 100yen vending machine right down stairs! I was a 10min walk away from a Karaoke place,a  supermarket,drug store,and an electronics shop! I was also right across the street from a Pachinko joint, a chinese resturant, and if I walked for 6mins I had a Family Mart(conbini) and some other resturants!(like a chain resturant similar to Yoshinoya and a chain belt Sushi place!)  Leo Palace apartments can vary between having a bed that can be used by either going up a ladder or a bed on the ground floor like mine wise. Some also come with wonderful super toilets or not(like mine...). Leo Palace also has some furniture ready/internet ready to go,an electric stove, a microwave,fridge,washing machine, as well as a tv and an air con!!

Sadly the company I was with required me to pay back a training loan for 6months, and I had bills to pay back in the states...so as wonderful as Leo Palace was, I really needed that extra 45,000yen($450.00) to go to me and not Leo Palace!(not to mention I had a kitty cat which will be covered in another entry, but the cat never stayed with me while I was at Leo Palace!). So I moved into another apartment that was smaller and older than a Leo Palace. Ofcourse this apt came with no furniture, but oddly enough, it had a super toilet!! It was also way smaller than the Leo Palace! I had my suitcase in my sleeping quaters for the whole time I was there...what a great reminder I'am leaving in a year huh? ,but.....it had a wonderful view of the river and mountains in my area, and it allowed pets!!(it was also a quick 13min walk to the train station yeah!!)Sadly I lived on the 3rd floor, and I think constantly walking up the steps every got damn day seriously fucked up my right knee... I was a 10min walk from another Conbini(circle-k!) and a 15min walk from a bigger supermarket(Aeon, the Japanese walmart!)

In my case, not living in company housing rocked!! If I ever got fired I didn't have to worry about loosing my place to live!! I also was able to save more money going dutch with the rent, and was able to have my cat which was a big plus for me!!

Now sadly I have no advice for you guys on how to get your own apartment...and I admit upfront that I had it easy due to my bf at the time(now fiance) happened to be Japanese so he was able to deal with all of that stuff! 

 But, THIS BLOG,Surviving in Japan, has all the tools you need to live on your own!! If you have no bills or debt to take care of back in the states, just go with company housing cause 9/10 its already furnished and the company you work for will supply you with the basic necessities! I never would of left my Leo Palace if I didn't need the extra money.

Coming up next, Bringing your fur-babies to Japan!

So to choose company housing yay or nay?

First off, did you guys make sure that you could opt to not have company housing with your company? My company had a choice, but till this day I swear that the location branch I interviewed with would never have hired me if I fought to not have an apartment tied to the company! However once I got to Japan I found out I was free to cancel my company housing if I wanted to which I did 4months later! It could also cost you to cancel an apartment so keep that in mind as well.

I lived in both company housing and on my own in the year I spent in Japan and experience wise I can tell you how it went...

Company Housing: I was placed in a Leo Palace apartment which was a 20-25min walk away from the train station I used for work. The ward I was placed in used to be a place where a lot Japanese Untouchables lived back in the old days(Im only mentioning this because my real estate agent told me this..I don't know why he mentioned this..oh wait, light bulb went off!), but  was now full of foreigners(mainly Brazilians, Chinese, East Indians, S.koreans, Pnoys,Yakuza, etc.) Don't get me wrong, it was safe since I came from the Boogie down Bronx, but according to people who knew where I lived, my location was apparently in a dangerous neighborhood Because foreigners are soo dangerous....pshh whatever. I was just pissed that my apt was too far from the train station! I had a 100yen vending machine right down stairs! I was a 10min walk away from a Karaoke place,a  supermarket,drug store,and an electronics shop! I was also right across the street from a Pachinko joint, a chinese resturant, and if I walked for 6mins I had a Family Mart(conbini) and some other resturants!(like a chain resturant similar to Yoshinoya and a chain belt Sushi place!)  Leo Palace apartments can vary between having a bed that can be used by either going up a ladder or a bed on the ground floor like mine wise. Some also come with wonderful super toilets or not(like mine...). Leo Palace also has some furniture ready/internet ready to go,an electric stove, a microwave,fridge,washing machine, as well as a tv and an air con!!

Sadly the company I was with required me to pay back a training loan for 6months, and I had bills to pay back in the states...so as wonderful as Leo Palace was, I really needed that extra 45,000yen($450.00) to go to me and not Leo Palace!(not to mention I had a kitty cat which will be covered in another entry, but the cat never stayed with me while I was at Leo Palace!). So I moved into another apartment that was smaller and older than a Leo Palace. Ofcourse this apt came with no furniture, but oddly enough, it had a super toilet!! It was also way smaller than the Leo Palace! I had my suitcase in my sleeping quaters for the whole time I was there...what a great reminder I'am leaving in a year huh? ,but.....it had a wonderful view of the river and mountains in my area, and it allowed pets!!(it was also a quick 13min walk to the train station yeah!!)Sadly I lived on the 3rd floor, and I think constantly walking up the steps every got damn day seriously fucked up my right knee... I was a 10min walk from another Conbini(circle-k!) and a 15min walk from a bigger supermarket(Aeon, the Japanese walmart!)

In my case, not living in company housing rocked!! If I ever got fired I didn't have to worry about loosing my place to live!! I also was able to save more money going dutch with the rent, and was able to have my cat which was a big plus for me!!

Now sadly I have no advice for you guys on how to get your own apartment...and I admit upfront that I had it easy due to my bf at the time(now fiance) happened to be Japanese so he was able to deal with all of that stuff! 

 But, THIS BLOG,Surviving in Japan, has all the tools you need to live on your own!! If you have no bills or debt to take care of back in the states, just go with company housing cause 9/10 its already furnished and the company you work for will supply you with the basic necessities! I never would of left my Leo Palace if I didn't need the extra money.

Coming up next, Bringing your fur-babies to Japan!

You know what you guys are getting into right?

Okay, so you guys got the Okay* That you're going to be teaching in Japan, but just how ready are you?
Now some of you studied abroad in Japan during high school as a homestay, during your college years as a study abroad, or you went to visit as a tourist for a couple of weeks, or months.

Yup, doing any of the 3 prepared you all so well!
You you guys are soooo ready...
I thought the same thing, but trust me, these were the golden years of your time in Japan, and they're about to change...very very much. Visiting another country is always fun when you don't have major responsibilities! I love being in Japan as a tourist, and questioned humanity as well as my sanity when I was working in this country.
So I have 3 questions for all you readers...

1)Did you really research the company you will be working for?
2)Do you know what area in Japan you will be placed in?
3)Do you have a good command of Japanese?

If you didn't answer yes too all these questions,
you're not ready!
If you answered yes to all the questions, you're still not ready!!
Ohh...I thought I was so ready! Thats a lie...I was so anxious getting to Japan....I thought since I traveled to Japan before I knew everything I needed to know. I even researched my company thoroughly. I even had testimonies from other people that this was going to be a walk in the park. But I made so many mistakes when I first started working, it was ridiculous...(and I lay that blame on both I and the company!! miscommunication and assumptions, how does that work?)
And a term that you all probably heard before, Every Situation Is Different...and man was it like that for me!

I also didn't find out till literally, 1 week 1/2 my placement, which was another annoyance in itself when you're moving across the world with a pet and needed to find an apartment that allowed them!
As for command of the Japanese language? You can get by without knowing Japanese once again depending on your placement. For example if I was persay, placed in a very urban city like Kyoto,Nara,Osaka....me no speaky Japanese would've been fine! But being placed in bum fuck Inaka(country) or a prefecture that is more suburban than urban...and Japanese is a must. My placement city was pretty much like that! I had some people speak to me in English,but I can count those experiences on one hand. But even if you're fluent in Japanese, remember...Japan has different dialects! I want to say hyujungo speakers can do fine all throughout Japan unless they go up north to Hokkaido or way down south to Kyushu, thats where your ass can get ripped a new one, ESPECIALLY if you're placed in Miyazaki or Kagoshima! But don't feel bad, even native Japanese speakers can't understand the dialects of Miyazaki or Kagoshima,and possibly them peeps up in Hokkaido! And Okinawa?...HAH!!

So my advice for all of you guys getting ready to teach in Japan. Try and find FB groups where you can find some people, possibly in your area and ask for their advice up front on what you're up for. If you have your placement,locate as soon as possible where your local conbini store is and load up on booze... its going to be an interesting change of pace! And here's some beginner's Japanese to get you by fairly easily when you land in Narita Airport just know how to say yes(hai),no(iie),where's the toilet(toire wa doko desu ka?), how much is this(kore wa ikura desu ka?), can I have this please (kore o kudasai) and thank you(sankyu)...Okay there's more, but you guys must have been practicing your Japanese by now...right? Also for us U.S. folk, don't get confused about how to understand Japanese money. 100yen is basically 1.00$. Japan just doesn't like using decimals..among other things.
  ganbarimasu children!! Coming up next, living in a Japanese apartment Company housing Vs Non company housing

Okay, so you guys got the Okay* That you're going to be teaching in Japan, but just how ready are you?
Now some of you studied abroad in Japan during high school as a homestay, during your college years as a study abroad, or you went to visit as a tourist for a couple of weeks, or months.

Yup, doing any of the 3 prepared you all so well!
You you guys are soooo ready...
I thought the same thing, but trust me, these were the golden years of your time in Japan, and they're about to change...very very much. Visiting another country is always fun when you don't have major responsibilities! I love being in Japan as a tourist, and questioned humanity as well as my sanity when I was working in this country.
So I have 3 questions for all you readers...

1)Did you really research the company you will be working for?
2)Do you know what area in Japan you will be placed in?
3)Do you have a good command of Japanese?

If you didn't answer yes too all these questions,
you're not ready!
If you answered yes to all the questions, you're still not ready!!
Ohh...I thought I was so ready! Thats a lie...I was so anxious getting to Japan....I thought since I traveled to Japan before I knew everything I needed to know. I even researched my company thoroughly. I even had testimonies from other people that this was going to be a walk in the park. But I made so many mistakes when I first started working, it was ridiculous...(and I lay that blame on both I and the company!! miscommunication and assumptions, how does that work?)
And a term that you all probably heard before, Every Situation Is Different...and man was it like that for me!

I also didn't find out till literally, 1 week 1/2 my placement, which was another annoyance in itself when you're moving across the world with a pet and needed to find an apartment that allowed them!
As for command of the Japanese language? You can get by without knowing Japanese once again depending on your placement. For example if I was persay, placed in a very urban city like Kyoto,Nara,Osaka....me no speaky Japanese would've been fine! But being placed in bum fuck Inaka(country) or a prefecture that is more suburban than urban...and Japanese is a must. My placement city was pretty much like that! I had some people speak to me in English,but I can count those experiences on one hand. But even if you're fluent in Japanese, remember...Japan has different dialects! I want to say hyujungo speakers can do fine all throughout Japan unless they go up north to Hokkaido or way down south to Kyushu, thats where your ass can get ripped a new one, ESPECIALLY if you're placed in Miyazaki or Kagoshima! But don't feel bad, even native Japanese speakers can't understand the dialects of Miyazaki or Kagoshima,and possibly them peeps up in Hokkaido! And Okinawa?...HAH!!

So my advice for all of you guys getting ready to teach in Japan. Try and find FB groups where you can find some people, possibly in your area and ask for their advice up front on what you're up for. If you have your placement,locate as soon as possible where your local conbini store is and load up on booze... its going to be an interesting change of pace! And here's some beginner's Japanese to get you by fairly easily when you land in Narita Airport just know how to say yes(hai),no(iie),where's the toilet(toire wa doko desu ka?), how much is this(kore wa ikura desu ka?), can I have this please (kore o kudasai) and thank you(sankyu)...Okay there's more, but you guys must have been practicing your Japanese by now...right? Also for us U.S. folk, don't get confused about how to understand Japanese money. 100yen is basically 1.00$. Japan just doesn't like using decimals..among other things.
  ganbarimasu children!! Coming up next, living in a Japanese apartment Company housing Vs Non company housing

So you got a job as an Eikaiwa teacher

You did it! Congratulations!! After searching for ages on gaijinpot,dave esl cafe, interviewing endlessly,you finally got a job as an English teacher at an English conversation school in Japan!!So if you're a Japanophile(closeted or out in the open about it),a recovering Japanophile who believes they won't be like other people believing Japanland is the answers to all their problems, or you just randomly chose Japan cause its different..than you came to the right blog!
Using my experiences, I hope to make your time in Japan 100% memorable than mine!
Don't get me wrong, I had fun, but I wish I had a blog like mine to give me more tips on what to do...

You did it! Congratulations!! After searching for ages on gaijinpot,dave esl cafe, interviewing endlessly,you finally got a job as an English teacher at an English conversation school in Japan!!So if you're a Japanophile(closeted or out in the open about it),a recovering Japanophile who believes they won't be like other people believing Japanland is the answers to all their problems, or you just randomly chose Japan cause its different..than you came to the right blog!
Using my experiences, I hope to make your time in Japan 100% memorable than mine!
Don't get me wrong, I had fun, but I wish I had a blog like mine to give me more tips on what to do...