What’s up! I’m Steve and this site is mostly about my experiences while I’m in Japan.
Let’s rewind a little bit shall we?
During the spring of 2007 my Fiancee, Mai, said to me “I’m graduating college soon. Do you want to check out Japan and see what it’s like?” to which I responded with out hesitation “Oh hellz yeah!” The decision was made. Tickets were purchased. I finished up my bowling league. To start our adventure we decided to sell everything we owned with the exception of each of our 2 checked bags, 2 carry ons, and snowboard. This would be my first time visiting Japan.
Fast forward to now:
Japan is 100% awesome and I can’t even speak Japanese. I don’t know where I placed my return ticket which has already expired and that’s okay with me. I have a feeling that this short stay will turn into forever.
A little about me:
I’m an American from the Midwest. My consulting business allows me to be 100% mobile so BAM here I am! I knew around 10 Japanese words when I moved to Japan and it’s growing about 1 per week. Nice! I have lived in the countryside near a small town in south Kyushu island and I’m currently in Fukuoka.
Why did I start this site?
First of all WTF is a Gaijin? I suppose the best way to define it is ‘foreigner. ‘ As an English speaking gaijin in Japan it has been hard for me to find certain information on the internet before my move and while I’m here. Sure anybody can easily vacation in Japan for a few weeks, but how could I live here if I wanted to? How do I get a drivers license after I already moved? How can I get medical care? What are some laws I need to watch out for? How do I rent an apartment or where can I live? What about a Visa? Coffee? Transportation? Cell phone? Food? Cost of living? Snowboarding? Shoes? Beer?
On this site I’ll share my experiences, weird and crazy things in Japan, and answers I find to my own questions. Maybe it’ll help somebody out or at least give them a good laugh or ‘WTF’ look on their face. Life is what you make of it so you might as well Japan it UP!
Update: Jan 10 2007 - I’ve been picking up some Japanese. I can now order karaage from Hokka Ben using full Japanese… unless they ask me a question.
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