Preparations for the Job

Let's talk about how much money you should take with you. You may not get paid right away so it would probably be a good idea to bring at least 200,000 yen or so (USD $2,000) with you to cover the costs of transportation and food. Japan, as I'm sure you're aware is not always a cheap place (you have to know where to look!) for lots of products/services you find back home for less. But, don't despair! You'll get paid -- it might just take a little time, that's all.

Other things you'll want to have taken care of are your passport and visa (for without these, obviously, you won't be able to get into the country), possible medical insurance, and supplies. So, let's take a look at things that you might want to bring with you:

1. Flouride toothpaste (Japanese toothpaste generally does not have flouride in it. Be safe -- BYOT!)
2. Shaving cream and razors
3. Sanitary pads and tampons
4. Pharmaceuticals like aspirin, cold medicines, etc. (If I remember correctly, Tylenol, cannot be brought into the country legally -- so you might have to opt for some other alternative medicine.)
5. Antiperspirant and/or Deodorant
6. Make-up
7. Prophylactics
8. Nylons
9. Clothes (especially if you're not too keen on certain Japanese fashion.)
10. Shoes (especially if you have really large feet. I'm not kidding.)
11. English books and magazines

Other things to bring: Pictures of your family, friends, house, and daily life in your hometown. These will certainly come in handy for presentations to friends and any speeches you might have to make. Things like interesting ink stamps, postage stamps, coins, and stickers will definitely come in handy when giving out prizes to students. Also, slides may be helpful, too.Be aware that all of the way to the very last day of your contract (even three years into the program!), you're probably going to still be making introductions! Bleah! I think that to this day, I can still recite my introduction in my sleep!

If you have a laptop, I would definitely recommend bringing it with you. It will definitely make things easier (and neater!) when you're preparing things for classes. Also, if you have some computer literacy, you might be able to whip up some nifty "PowerPoint" or"Flash" presentations! Wow the kids! Ooh, ah, oh!

In addition, your computer will be a great way to keep in touch with family and friends back home via email, etc (and cut down on long-distance calls!). Heck, you can even keep in touch with me, letting me know you're doing while you're in Japan. There are some pretty good ISPs in Japan. The one I used (although a little bit pricey) was Global Online. Other things I may have forgotten to include are mentioned in this FAQ.