Goodbye Japan, Hello...Italy?
It wasn't long before Andrew left that I was forced to get down to business planning out...well, planning out my life. As in, when would I leave Japan (and to where), would I be visiting my family in Ohio this summer, what would my next job be, and, more pressing, where would I sleep in Tokyo?
Thursday, the day after Andrew left, I spent the night at Japanese guys apartment, which I had arranged via Airbnb. This time, in the spirit of saving a bit of money, I wasn't looking for a private place. I slept on a futon in Jun's living room, which worked out fine. The only problem was he left early in the morning and didn't leave a key for me. That meant I had to be out of the apartment by 7:30, and couldn't get back in until he got home in the afternoon. Jun was extremely nice, and that night we went out for sushi and yakitori in his neighborhood (near Ikebukuro in northwest Tokyo).
His place was booked over the weekend, which meant I had to search for another crash pad yet again. This time around I got an Airbnb with my own bedroom in a share house owned by a Venezuelan expat who rented out several of his rooms to travelers. The price was cheap - only $25 a night - and I had more of my own space. The downside, however, was the location: 30 minutes outside the city. I should clarify though. It was technically outside the central Tokyo areas, but this was no country town. It was really still within the city, even within walking distance of a train stop, but it was a quieter residential area.
The apartment wasn't exactly an exciting area, but at the very least it afforded me the chance to get outside the touristy side of Tokyo and explore an average neighborhood. Aside from the Airbnb place I didn't see any other foreigners, and most of the residents I came across seemed to be middle class Japanese - families and the elderly by day (Japan has a high proportion of seniors), and the typical office worker by night. Most families can't afford the cost of living in central Tokyo, so the parents - mostly the father, but occasionally the mother as well - commute into the city daily.
While in Japan I had sent out a couple job inquiries, some for year long teaching gigs but also for summer camp positions. My plan had been to visit Ohio before I got to working full-time again, but I hadn't decided when or for how long. To make things even more confusing my parents were headed to Europe in mid June and had invited me (schedule permitting) to come along. Luckily I found a short summer camp advertising a counselor position in Italy; it started at the end of May and ran three weeks, ending just before my parents were due to arrive in Frankfurt.
I was skeptical that I could land the camp job in Italy - teaching in the EU, even if it's a short gig, is highly sought after - and I was applying within a couple weeks of the start date. As a backup I also found a summer camp in the Tokyo area which ran from late July through August. Teachers without a Japanese working visa (meaning those who weren't already working in Japan) were only given free room and board plus a flight reimbursement. I wouldn't make much money at either camp, but it certainly was better than hanging out in Tokyo and spending the rest of my diminishing travel funds.
As it turns out the camp in Tokyo already had met their hiring needs for the summer sessions, but I still did get something out of it. The camp director, an employee at an international school in Chofu, an hour east of central Tokyo, invited me to take a tour. The director was from England and had lived in Japan for over three decades, first teaching ESL back in the 1980s. Where she now works is a full blown American style high school; I thought I had been teleported back home! Most of the students are non-Japanese, children to American and European businessmen and women working in Tokyo. The visit was ostensibly an interview in case a replacement summer counselor was needed, but it was more of a friendly chat than anything else.
While prospects for the summer camp in Tokyo seemed bleak, my Italy option was promising. I exchanged emails with Gina, the camp director, who suggested we schedule a Skype interview. Problem was I was traveling with a Chromebook, which doesn't support Skype - only Google Hangouts. After two failed attempts to Skype at an Internet cafe (the first time around I learned foreigners needed a passport to use the cafe, and on the second go I got logged in only to find out there was no webcam) Gina said we could try and use Hangouts.
While at the apartment in northern Tokyo I had a short interview with Gina; well it was more of a chat just to see if I was personable and serious about working at the summer camp. Within 15 minutes the conversation was over and I was expected to be in Carpi the following weekend. Things were coming together quickly!
Gina runs a small school in the town of Carpi, a community of 70,000 in north central Italy (in the Emilia Romagna region). No it's not Capri, the luxury resort island near Naples. I had several people ask me about Capri, and I even thought I'd be teaching there because when I did a Google search for "Carpi" it automatically changed it to "Capri." Gina is married to an Italian man from Carpi, hence why she ended up in the town that nobody has heard of. The school year runs from late August through May, and a few years ago she started organizing a short summer camp in June. Gina prefers to use native speakers to run the camp. and since we aren't technically employees she doesn't have to worry about the complicated visa process.
I found a great deal on my flight - less than $400 for a one-way ticket from Tokyo to Rome - and booked it the day before! I'd leave Tokyo on May 27th, spend a few nights in Rome, and then take the train up to Carpi on Saturday the 30th. Most of the counselors were due to arrive that weekend, after which we'd have five days of training and then two weeks of actual camp. Once camp was finished I would be heading up to Germany to meet my parents, due to arrive in Frankfurt on June 23rd!
Thursday, the day after Andrew left, I spent the night at Japanese guys apartment, which I had arranged via Airbnb. This time, in the spirit of saving a bit of money, I wasn't looking for a private place. I slept on a futon in Jun's living room, which worked out fine. The only problem was he left early in the morning and didn't leave a key for me. That meant I had to be out of the apartment by 7:30, and couldn't get back in until he got home in the afternoon. Jun was extremely nice, and that night we went out for sushi and yakitori in his neighborhood (near Ikebukuro in northwest Tokyo).
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| Ikebukuro, close to Jun's apartment; yet another busy area of Tokyo! |
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| I forgot to mention yakitori in my food post! It's basically grilled meat and veggies on a stick, like chicken skewers - and very tasty. |
His place was booked over the weekend, which meant I had to search for another crash pad yet again. This time around I got an Airbnb with my own bedroom in a share house owned by a Venezuelan expat who rented out several of his rooms to travelers. The price was cheap - only $25 a night - and I had more of my own space. The downside, however, was the location: 30 minutes outside the city. I should clarify though. It was technically outside the central Tokyo areas, but this was no country town. It was really still within the city, even within walking distance of a train stop, but it was a quieter residential area.
The apartment wasn't exactly an exciting area, but at the very least it afforded me the chance to get outside the touristy side of Tokyo and explore an average neighborhood. Aside from the Airbnb place I didn't see any other foreigners, and most of the residents I came across seemed to be middle class Japanese - families and the elderly by day (Japan has a high proportion of seniors), and the typical office worker by night. Most families can't afford the cost of living in central Tokyo, so the parents - mostly the father, but occasionally the mother as well - commute into the city daily.
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| Suburbs of Tokyo wouldn't be considered as such at all in the US. Actually they are much denser than most American cities, just not as packed or busy as the inner parts of Tokyo! |
While in Japan I had sent out a couple job inquiries, some for year long teaching gigs but also for summer camp positions. My plan had been to visit Ohio before I got to working full-time again, but I hadn't decided when or for how long. To make things even more confusing my parents were headed to Europe in mid June and had invited me (schedule permitting) to come along. Luckily I found a short summer camp advertising a counselor position in Italy; it started at the end of May and ran three weeks, ending just before my parents were due to arrive in Frankfurt.
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| If things worked out I could meet up with my mom and dad (pictured with my sister Anna) in Europe! |
I was skeptical that I could land the camp job in Italy - teaching in the EU, even if it's a short gig, is highly sought after - and I was applying within a couple weeks of the start date. As a backup I also found a summer camp in the Tokyo area which ran from late July through August. Teachers without a Japanese working visa (meaning those who weren't already working in Japan) were only given free room and board plus a flight reimbursement. I wouldn't make much money at either camp, but it certainly was better than hanging out in Tokyo and spending the rest of my diminishing travel funds.
As it turns out the camp in Tokyo already had met their hiring needs for the summer sessions, but I still did get something out of it. The camp director, an employee at an international school in Chofu, an hour east of central Tokyo, invited me to take a tour. The director was from England and had lived in Japan for over three decades, first teaching ESL back in the 1980s. Where she now works is a full blown American style high school; I thought I had been teleported back home! Most of the students are non-Japanese, children to American and European businessmen and women working in Tokyo. The visit was ostensibly an interview in case a replacement summer counselor was needed, but it was more of a friendly chat than anything else.
 |
| I got to take a tour of the American School in Japan, located east of central Tokyo in Chofu, which runs annual summer camps in July and August. |
While prospects for the summer camp in Tokyo seemed bleak, my Italy option was promising. I exchanged emails with Gina, the camp director, who suggested we schedule a Skype interview. Problem was I was traveling with a Chromebook, which doesn't support Skype - only Google Hangouts. After two failed attempts to Skype at an Internet cafe (the first time around I learned foreigners needed a passport to use the cafe, and on the second go I got logged in only to find out there was no webcam) Gina said we could try and use Hangouts.
While at the apartment in northern Tokyo I had a short interview with Gina; well it was more of a chat just to see if I was personable and serious about working at the summer camp. Within 15 minutes the conversation was over and I was expected to be in Carpi the following weekend. Things were coming together quickly!
 |
| Gina, who runs the Language for Life School and summer camp. Here's their website (all in Italian). |
Gina runs a small school in the town of Carpi, a community of 70,000 in north central Italy (in the Emilia Romagna region). No it's not Capri, the luxury resort island near Naples. I had several people ask me about Capri, and I even thought I'd be teaching there because when I did a Google search for "Carpi" it automatically changed it to "Capri." Gina is married to an Italian man from Carpi, hence why she ended up in the town that nobody has heard of. The school year runs from late August through May, and a few years ago she started organizing a short summer camp in June. Gina prefers to use native speakers to run the camp. and since we aren't technically employees she doesn't have to worry about the complicated visa process.
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| Try not to confuse Carpi with Capri! That's what happened to two Swedish tourists who wanted to visit the beaches on the resort island of Capri, but due to a typo their GPS took them 400 miles in the wrong direction. Sounds like the 21st century version of Dumb and Dumber. |
I found a great deal on my flight - less than $400 for a one-way ticket from Tokyo to Rome - and booked it the day before! I'd leave Tokyo on May 27th, spend a few nights in Rome, and then take the train up to Carpi on Saturday the 30th. Most of the counselors were due to arrive that weekend, after which we'd have five days of training and then two weeks of actual camp. Once camp was finished I would be heading up to Germany to meet my parents, due to arrive in Frankfurt on June 23rd!
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