I never really even realized how much of a problem being in a bubble of international students can cause, it is already sometimes hard to keep friends and talk to like minded people, but if you don't put in that effort it will stay that way. Thanks for the answer.
According to my own experience in Chuo University I was one of the few international students to be a member of a club of my university. At this moment I didn't know a single word of Japanese at all. And worst I was for z while the only foreigners members. But I am really proud to say that if I felt integrated into Japanese society this is because I didn't everything for it. While some of my friends hanged out in Tokyo I was 8 hour peer weeks in a dojo. Plus I had 8 extra Japanese classes which lead me to a more painful Agenda that the others visiting students. But the results is I am still in contact with my aikido friends who are like a band of brothers (and sisters too) for me. Basic but true : no pain, no gain. But more true, with time you harvest the fruits of your hardworking. Trust yourself :)
16:31 bruh my heart and ye, most of my bilingual friends grew up with a parent who didn't respond to them unless they used the language. (just their experiences^) nice video so far!
Every multilingual person I've met has said when they were kids/teens, they would answer back in their local language to their parents, because their parents didn't enforce it, and then they get to adulthood with a lot of regret. I think some had parents that just ignored them if they spoke the local language, and had more success.
I love that you really have your finger on the pulse-- you understand the political, economic, and social atmosphere of Japan, and you're looking towards the future. Your forward thinking is much appreciated, especially as someone who wants to work in video games (possibly in a Japanese company) in the future. May God continue to bless you, your family, and your career!
The question at 7:02 made me think of the videos by "Not just bikes" immediately. The channel covers city design and traffic infrastructure. Cities in the US and Canada are heavily built on car dependency due to their traffic infrastructure and zoning rules. That's very different in Japan and most of Europe. There are walkable neighborhoods that allow children to be more independent and that have places for kids to go to at all. I really recommend the channel!
Keeping kids’ L2 up to pace with their school language is a never-ending battle, and only gets harder as they get older and develop their own friendship groups at school etc, as you’re up against such a huge cultural and social counterforce. Corona made things harder too, as travel opportunities were shut down. One thing we do is to have all music and other extra-curricula lessons in the L2 (with native teachers), the idea being that we keep as much of a connection as possible between the language and activities that are genuinely meaningful to them as they get older. Seems to be helping. Good luck! 🙏🏻
You're extremely intelligent, articulate, insightful and skilled at what you do. You also project vibes of a kind-hearted person. I first found out about you in early 2017 during my master’s course at university. Since then I got married and had a kid as well, so I can relate to most of what you talked about. You're the type of person I would be grateful to have as a close friend. I am finally close to finishing the Genki series, so I'll definitely be joining your Patreon soon. Wish you and your family lots of health. Thank you very much for every video you put out!
For people wondering about the relationship question: His answer was the best I've seen on UA-cam. There's a lot of people talking bullsh*t about this everywhere, but that's exactly it. I haven't seen my gf (she's Japanese, I'm Spanish) for 2 years now but we're going to marry when we meet again. You just need to be as clear, open and honest and also make them be completely honest, as Japanese people tend to not share their true feelings. Once both of you are comfortable sharing everything, any hardship you find will be easily solved by working together.
Exactly, open up and create a safe space for them to open up and any problem can be resolved (most likely). Good luck to you in the future with your girlfriend.
My man, I wish you the best. I'm French, married to a Japanese for 1 year, she is coming to France and we are finally gonna settle down together! Everything is more complicated because of both cultures and family, but with communication, taking the time to understand why we think so differently sometimes, it can work. :)
Well said by all of you and Dogen. I've been with my japanese bf for 3 years now. Creating, having and maintaining a space where you both can be open, making an effort with the communication really matters. I think he said something about this before, where because of the language barrier you have to take the time to properly form your words and understand each other which would lead to less conflict. I still relate to that very deeply.
On the topic of Megathrust Quakes: Japan *also* has to worry about the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coast of Washington State because of the tsunamis they cause. In this case the Pacific plate is pushing the Juan de Fuca Plate into and under the North American plate. The last time it went off in 1700 it generated a tsunami that devastated northern Japan. In the 1980's researchers from University of Washington where able to link local indigenous accounts of a massive earthquake and tsunami in midwinter, tree rings from trees killed and submerged in the ocean, and written accounts of an "orphan tsunami" (tsunami but no associated earthquake) in Iwate Prefecture to determine that the quake occurred at about 21:00 pacific time on January 26, 1700 (the wave hit Japan just before midnight local time on the 27th). The Cascadia Subduction Zone has an average return time of somewhere between 250 and 500 years, and while things aren't looking too bad at the moment, it too will eventually go off. Seattle and Portland are not nearly as prepared as Japan is, until only about 100 years ago it was legitimately thought that Washington was pretty geologically inactive at least as far as earthquakes were concerned. But now we know that's not true.
As an earth sci student who happens to like Japan, it's pretty awesome to hear you mention megathrust earthquakes. Living on the Cascadia zone myself, awareness is very important. In fact, the Cascadia zone and its occurrence interval is partially understood by an "orphan tsunaumi" from the US west coast felt in japan in the 1700s.
You've just aged yourself lol, I don't even remember the last time I saw a phone book. I bet some kids watching this don't even understand what you said 😂😂😂
I’m reflecting on the few people I know who grew up it raised kids Japanese English bilingual. My Japanese tutor at the community college moved from Japan to America with her 5 year old son. She spoke Japanese to him every day and he was in class with me to learn Japanese. No speaking skills at all. I assume he could understand it at least to some extent but I have no evidence of it. Then there’s Joey the anime man. His mom refused to acknowledge him unless he spoke Japanese. He speaks Japanese better than some native speakers. He said it was crushing to have his mom do that to him as a little kid though.
30:18 The stuff nobody wants to hear, but the reality. Took me three years of nights and weekends before my side business replaced my day job. The only way ahead is more work; there are no guarantees, and you need some luck too.
Thanks for the shoutout! Super interesting video, enjoyed the questions you picked (including mine, lol). Looking forwards to making real friends here and hopefully starting fresh!
0:33 pursuing desires fueled solely by hope and optimism is a journey destined for failure and heartache. that being said, all it takes is a dose of realism within your perspective, and using introspection as a way of opening up the possible perspectives of others for you to be most likely to thrive and succeed, と思ういます。 (idk if that makes sense, but it sounded nice in my head :3)
love all the earthquake talk!! Your theory about its influence on culture rings super true to me. Also as someone born & raised in the pacific northwest, I'm also just waiting for our next big one to hit out here....
A note on making japanese friends when studying abroad: join club circles. It’s a lot easier to make friends when you are all working towards a common goal.
A suggestion on making friends from the country you're in if you're particularly shy: Try to find a club for activities that interest you that isn't a language based thing and that meets on a regular basis. For example: a club for english football will probably have a lot of english people but an artists club will probably be more varied. On top of meeting the locals it also gives you a conversation topic that you know they're interested in. I like sports, the way I made most of my friends when I was abroad was by joining skiing and climbing clubs.
I was raised in a small city and 100% agreed with your 別府 experience. I was able to walk to school 1km away since the age of 8 years old, same for doing groceries, going to friend's houses, etc Way better experience than in big cities, wouldn't change my past for anything in the world.
Perhaps once they are old enough, you should establish some kind of written channel of communication with your kids for whatever topic fits. I know your specialty is phonetics, but you also really like picking your words precisely, and written language just lends itself far better for communicating satisfyingly with that preference.
I can fully attest to the question regarding problems for foreign students in Japan. I spent half of my full year of study abroad hanging out with the international students and internationally interested Japanese students (who spoke English well) and it was fun, but it also severely impacted my Japanese language learning. The last half of my study abroad, I decided to join the wind orchestra and try to make friends with Japanese students who didn't necessarily go out of their way to make foreign friends. My Japanese ability skyrocketed and I still have many friends I keep in touch with/hang out with from that club. I cannot agree more that you should work to get out of your bubble and try new things/the same things you enjoyed wherever you are from but in a non-native language environment. You will make great friends, great memories and your Japanese ability will increase a whole lot more. Edit: The first 2-3 months of joining the wind orchestra were absolutely frustrating and very difficult solely because of the language barrier, but I would not trade those 2-3 months of frustration for anything in the world if it meant I had to give back the improvement/friends I made because of that.
You hit the nail on the head with finding work when you're not in STEM. After I got my N2, I fully expected to end up at a traditional Japanese company. I had no skills or experience, no STEM degree. But because one of my requirements was not being the only foreigner around, I ended up at a startup. It was rough for a bit, but my coworkers and boss were all good people, and we eventually got acquired by a good, progressive Japanese company and things have become a lot more stable. Sometimes you have to take that risk.
Dogen san explains about earthquakes in detail, which makes for a very interesting listening experience. I was born in Sendai and have lived in that city ever since, and the huge earthquake on 11 March 2011 has increased volcanic activity in the Japanese archipelago. Immediately afterwards, foreigners who had been staying in Japan rushed back to their home countries, partly due to the nuclear accident at Fukushima. If Mt Fuji erupts, there will be a terrible situation because planes will not be able to fly. There are is the risk of a huge earthquake in Tokyo near the future.
I really appreciate your mature perspective. Lately I've been feeling pretty down about the idea of even going to Japan because I've been inundated with sad gaijin stories of discrimination and terrible working conditions in Japanese companies. I've started to wonder what I even want out of studying Japanese beyond studying abroad, and if even that experience would even be good considering so many people say things like, "You'll just end up hanging out with foreigners anyways because Japanese people are too cold/different/discriminatory." But I'm now realizing that some of these sentiments come from people who, perhaps, didn't do enough research about where they were going and rushed into a brutal salaryman job in Tokyo or didn't really make the effort to go beyond their comfort zone, or whose language skills weren't quite there while in Japan. (Not trying to blame people for their poor experiences, I sympathize a lot, but just trying to make the point it's not a pre-determined conclusion that you'll have one set type of experience) Foreigners have this tendency to make extremely broad statements about Japanese people and it's culture, and your perspective is helping me realize that that's just as foolish as making broad statements about literally any other country, as they all have vast regional differences and complex histories. Yet Japan seems especially prone to receiving generalizations, and for people to grow spiteful that the country didn't do what they expected it to do for them. So, thank you.
My husband and I are planning a anniversary trip to Japan in the near future, have been planning it for the past year and a half. I literally paused the video and added Beppu as a city to research for visiting based solely on it's saturation of foreigners.
So much golden advice in this video!! I was in Sendai for a smaller earthquake back in 2021 (it was like a 6.3 if I remember right) and it was strange how much it changed my perspective. Suddenly I didn't even trust the earth below my feet to be safe, and it made me realize my own impermanence and fragility. Nothing like a natural disaster to make you a God-fearing man 😝
I appreciate your thoughts on the first question - it helped me piece together that in addition to getting to know the person you have to get to know the culture too, and that those are probably best treated as separate efforts? Analogous to the food triangle where "culture" is at the bottom and if you're willing to learn that then you're at least giving yourself an opportunity to learn the "person" on top?
On the low salaries for grads point, yes this is true but also keep in mind cost of living and prices in general have not really risen over those decades either (almost no inflation or deflation). So you can still live somewhat comfortably on these salaries compared to other countries where you need a higher and higher salary for the same standard of living. Also, Japanese salaries are a little better when you consider twice yearly bonuses, which can be a few extra months of salary.
I'm glad you did this Q&A. You kind of indirectly touched on some parts of this issue especially with the average $2000USD per month bit. I was wondering, in comparison to the United States, how is Japan in regards to income versus housing cost (rent or mortgage)? Things are so frustratingly hot in the housing market here in the states that I do not know in the future if possibly moving to a country like Japan would be better for me in that kind of income work-life/income-vs.-housing balance or not. Of course I realize as a foreigner I would need to partner with someone to help me find an-accepting-of-gaijin place of living. (Perspective: I'm in my 30s in Texas still working on my engineering bachelors.)
id suggest first looking at their taxes and then applying that to your current salary to see what your left with. ive looked before and since you said your in TX with very little tax, their property tax alone is very high
@@nefariouspersephone9447 Good points, although TX has no state income tax its property taxes are going up up up so even in a modest paid-off house there's still a monthly operating cost of between $1000 to $2000 near the lower end for a homeowner. I've also heard that rents everywhere in the states are skyrocketing and landlord companies are getting a big head about raising rates right now because apparently the covid pandemic/endemic is "over" to the business community. And yes, I know that my state is on the lower end of the spectrum of the tax burden spectrum in the U.S. I'd love a good breakdown as to what taxes are generally different between the U.S. and Japan as I'm sure there exist important differences.
@@ThatCrazyKid0007 You're not wrong, it's "supposed" to be that way. But I'm in a southern metropolis and not in the midwest (that region is to the north of me). Plus the mismatch of wages to housing cost burden is getting more and more ouch seemingly for everyone everywhere in the U.S. to some extent.
This is definitely a question I would like more expansion on as well. I make around $2000USD per month, however in the last 5 years housing for my state (Utah) has climbed so far up that even renting a very small studio apartment runs close to $1000USD per month or higher depending upon location. That's just for rent alone. If the housing was not so expensive though, $2000/mo would get you much further, and 5 years ago before the market inflated, $2000 was enough to get a mortgage on a small home and still live very comfortably as a single unmarried person. If Japan isn't suffering the same level of housing cost inflation, it may be more tenable for single unmarried people like myself, so some clarification on that point would be nice.
As a parent trying to do the bilingual thing, this makes me feel better. My kids have amazing english but only the most basic Japanese. The fight to not use english is HARD. Especially when they just need to put on their damn shoes and get out the door!
Dogen-san! Loved the cameo we got from your daughter! I wanted to ask about how to improve continuity/fluidity in Japanese- I have a particularly difficult time connecting sentences (afterall, I can't say "and" after a sentence as easily as in English) and I don't want to end every sentence in "kedo..." or "soshITE" either 😅
Re: the question about errands, there is a really cute show on Netflix called 'Old Enough' (はじめてのおつかい) which is about really young kids doing their first errands. So cute ❤️❤️
An extremely helpful video regarding my desires and expectations of living in Japan. I only wish you'd touched more on the subject of jobs one can take for 2-3 years that isn't teaching English. I strongly feel that teaching isn't a good fit for me after researching different aspects about expectations from the various programs. I'm a respected mounting/furniture assembly/home repair contractor in my city and I feel there has to be some opportunities for me to work in a field like that, especially since I have a basic understanding of the language. I've considered doing some kind of contract work for the military but I'd love to know other possibilities to be pointed in the right direction (Being a UA-camr is an option I've considered as well 😬)
The dream is definitely working for a foreign company in Japan. That, or freelancing, but freelancing seems really hard to do unless you either establish your own company which requires some massive cash, or I believe if you're married your spousal visa let's you earn income any which way you choose.
You can freelance on a normal work visa if you can get your clients to sign some visa papers and a contract to show immigration. Look up "sole proprietor" and you should get some helpful resources.
As a student who just got here to Japan, this video was very informative and I appreciate how personal your answers feel. I think breaking my bubble is my first hurdle - but I managed to quickly move out of the dorm.
It seems as if most opportunities to get into Japan are for native speakers of English, maybe it's because I watch those videos in English though. What would be some options for finding a job and getting a work VISA for a European with a STEM master's degree?
Beppu's tourism department should really pay you lol. Never heard of it or APU before watching your channel and since then I've gone from What's that? to Sounds nice, I kinda wanna look into moving there 🤔 Also regarding the big earthquake that's coming, is there a particular area of Japan it's most likely to hit (or conversely, will definitely not hit?)? I've heard Tokyo is the most likely spot but it's surprisingly difficult to find info on it in English
I feel the opposite way about old japanese buildings in an earthquake. In a new-build, it *should* be fine in an earthquake. It was designed to be. Should be safe. But in an old building you *know* it has already survived multiple large earthquakes. So long as you ensure it's inspected and maybe reinforced, you have a design you know for sure is good, instead of one that hasn't been "tested" by reality.
Very informative video! Loved how you also discussed about these various topics here, especially relationship… I always think that being honest and communicative along with finding common ground is one that makes a lasting impression!
When the English is just not Englishing because the brain is used to the other language(s). 😂 I legit had this problem with my language partner today. Great tips and info! I'm taking notes!
These whole Earthquake after x years thing sound exactly like here in Chile. Every 10 years though we say we have a strong one. (Like, over 8 on Ritchter). The last one was 7 years ago (Coquimbo, 8.4) so, we're safe for now, but the strongest one I have lived (Concepción, 8.8) was after 15 years of waiting, so, I guess that checks out
Is there a children’s hospital in or near Beppu? Our youngest daughter has a medical condition that requires a pediatric neurosurgeon forever, and we’re going to have to move back to Japan for the healthcare system, but we don’t exactly want to live in Tokyo. However Tokyo is of course the home to the best choices for children’s hospitals that we can find. Beppu seems like a good option if they have the medical care we require.
@Dogen I just moved to Tokyo, Japan. I have been struggling these first few days as I do not know very many people in Japan. I was wondering if you maybe knew anyone/a community for foreigners in Japan? Honestly anyone who can speak English as I am still a beginner at Japanese. Thank you if you read this. Appreciate any help.
A good way to find foreigners is to find out which American military base is closest to you, and start eating at restaurants near there. A lot of the military people will leave the base for their lunch breaks or they'll go out for drinks after work.
Goshhh out of all the interesting answers you gave, the earthquakes one has - shook - me; pun definitely intended. Because in comparison, California has and will always talk about 'the big one' that may never happen, but it must be so unsettling for the Japanese that it is guaranteed. But unfortunately this information does not deter me from wanting to be in Japan - my favourite country - in the future :3 & thank you Dogen always for your engaging videos!
Always appreciate these breakdowns. Sort of off-topic, but I've been really curious: how many hours a day, on average, do you spend on practicing/improving your accent? And how many were you spending in the past couple years? I'm trying to get a realistic picture to plan accordingly.
Fully agree with you on the Japanese economy and working for the local companies. What are your thoughts on raising your children in such a graduate environment (though far awayand probably the bigger reason to learn English fluently?)
Its funny that you're raising your twins bi lingual to learn Japanese and English, while I was on Spanish and English here at home. I took to English more readily, but the community I live in made being bi lingual necessary, and it is a massive benefit to me outside of my hometown. Now that I'm interested in learning new languages, and right now being Japanese, as far as pronunciations go, there are a lot of similarities to Spanish, with the difference being the pitch. Now learning written Japanese is another story
But I have no degree and I want more than anything to live in Japan! I’m trying to find the most efficient way to get a degree but I feel like I should just look for another route than start from no college credits and spend the time getting a BA. 3 years if I’m lucky? Idk but I really wish I had went to college when I was in my 20s
I know that all to well. I thought I would look into working in Japan for a couple of years - kind of like the adventure of a life time - but looking through the Japanese Embassies web page for information about working visa's etc, it was nope. Other than the usual things of No criminal record etc, it was step 1) Be qualified in either a degree or trade. step 2) Have a job already lined up (a sponser). So yeah, rules me right out.
dogen has a really good english accent for native japanese speaker
is this a meme-
Yes, he also looks like a foreigner while he is actually a Nihonjin.
a perfect uno reverse meme.
Eigo Jouzu
@@ree_iiinn yes it's a joke
Didn't think I'd learn so much about Japan's tectonic activity in this video, but here we are.
Come for the lessons on working for a Japanese company, stay to learn about the tectonic plate movements.
I was so in tune to the topic and I completely just melted when I heard your child. That was an adorable little exchange.
I never really even realized how much of a problem being in a bubble of international students can cause, it is already sometimes hard to keep friends and talk to like minded people, but if you don't put in that effort it will stay that way. Thanks for the answer.
I am going on an exchange program and that's one of my fears. I dont want to be stuck with a group of friends that are international like me.
According to my own experience in Chuo University I was one of the few international students to be a member of a club of my university. At this moment I didn't know a single word of Japanese at all. And worst I was for z while the only foreigners members. But I am really proud to say that if I felt integrated into Japanese society this is because I didn't everything for it. While some of my friends hanged out in Tokyo I was 8 hour peer weeks in a dojo. Plus I had 8 extra Japanese classes which lead me to a more painful Agenda that the others visiting students. But the results is I am still in contact with my aikido friends who are like a band of brothers (and sisters too) for me. Basic but true : no pain, no gain. But more true, with time you harvest the fruits of your hardworking. Trust yourself :)
16:31 bruh my heart
and ye, most of my bilingual friends grew up with a parent who didn't respond to them unless they used the language. (just their experiences^) nice video so far!
Every multilingual person I've met has said when they were kids/teens, they would answer back in their local language to their parents, because their parents didn't enforce it, and then they get to adulthood with a lot of regret. I think some had parents that just ignored them if they spoke the local language, and had more success.
2:44 love how he still uses the correct intonation of Beppu even when speaking English
I love that you really have your finger on the pulse-- you understand the political, economic, and social atmosphere of Japan, and you're looking towards the future.
Your forward thinking is much appreciated, especially as someone who wants to work in video games (possibly in a Japanese company) in the future.
May God continue to bless you, your family, and your career!
20:07 -Hey that’s me. Thank you so much for answering my question thoroughly.
The question at 7:02 made me think of the videos by "Not just bikes" immediately. The channel covers city design and traffic infrastructure. Cities in the US and Canada are heavily built on car dependency due to their traffic infrastructure and zoning rules. That's very different in Japan and most of Europe. There are walkable neighborhoods that allow children to be more independent and that have places for kids to go to at all. I really recommend the channel!
heeeeey i found my folks here!
16:37 Heart - melted.
she sounds so cyuuuuuute!
Keeping kids’ L2 up to pace with their school language is a never-ending battle, and only gets harder as they get older and develop their own friendship groups at school etc, as you’re up against such a huge cultural and social counterforce. Corona made things harder too, as travel opportunities were shut down. One thing we do is to have all music and other extra-curricula lessons in the L2 (with native teachers), the idea being that we keep as much of a connection as possible between the language and activities that are genuinely meaningful to them as they get older. Seems to be helping. Good luck! 🙏🏻
You're extremely intelligent, articulate, insightful and skilled at what you do. You also project vibes of a kind-hearted person. I first found out about you in early 2017 during my master’s course at university. Since then I got married and had a kid as well, so I can relate to most of what you talked about. You're the type of person I would be grateful to have as a close friend. I am finally close to finishing the Genki series, so I'll definitely be joining your Patreon soon. Wish you and your family lots of health. Thank you very much for every video you put out!
For people wondering about the relationship question:
His answer was the best I've seen on UA-cam. There's a lot of people talking bullsh*t about this everywhere, but that's exactly it. I haven't seen my gf (she's Japanese, I'm Spanish) for 2 years now but we're going to marry when we meet again. You just need to be as clear, open and honest and also make them be completely honest, as Japanese people tend to not share their true feelings. Once both of you are comfortable sharing everything, any hardship you find will be easily solved by working together.
Exactly, open up and create a safe space for them to open up and any problem can be resolved (most likely).
Good luck to you in the future with your girlfriend.
My man, I wish you the best.
I'm French, married to a Japanese for 1 year, she is coming to France and we are finally gonna settle down together!
Everything is more complicated because of both cultures and family, but with communication, taking the time to understand why we think so differently sometimes, it can work. :)
Well said by all of you and Dogen. I've been with my japanese bf for 3 years now. Creating, having and maintaining a space where you both can be open, making an effort with the communication really matters. I think he said something about this before, where because of the language barrier you have to take the time to properly form your words and understand each other which would lead to less conflict. I still relate to that very deeply.
私はもうすぐ日本に住む外国人です。しんせい銀行と地震と日本経済の話はとても参考になってます！もしよければもっとこういう情報の動画を作ってください！本当にありがとうございます！！
On the topic of Megathrust Quakes: Japan *also* has to worry about the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the coast of Washington State because of the tsunamis they cause.
In this case the Pacific plate is pushing the Juan de Fuca Plate into and under the North American plate. The last time it went off in 1700 it generated a tsunami that devastated northern Japan. In the 1980's researchers from University of Washington where able to link local indigenous accounts of a massive earthquake and tsunami in midwinter, tree rings from trees killed and submerged in the ocean, and written accounts of an "orphan tsunami" (tsunami but no associated earthquake) in Iwate Prefecture to determine that the quake occurred at about 21:00 pacific time on January 26, 1700 (the wave hit Japan just before midnight local time on the 27th).
The Cascadia Subduction Zone has an average return time of somewhere between 250 and 500 years, and while things aren't looking too bad at the moment, it too will eventually go off.
Seattle and Portland are not nearly as prepared as Japan is, until only about 100 years ago it was legitimately thought that Washington was pretty geologically inactive at least as far as earthquakes were concerned. But now we know that's not true.
Thanks for the thorough comment. I believe I'll read more about this, and about 南海地震 (🤔?) as well
質問答えてくださって本当にありがとうございます！たくさん勉強になったし、答えてくれて嬉しいです！
As an earth sci student who happens to like Japan, it's pretty awesome to hear you mention megathrust earthquakes. Living on the Cascadia zone myself, awareness is very important. In fact, the Cascadia zone and its occurrence interval is partially understood by an "orphan tsunaumi" from the US west coast felt in japan in the 1700s.
Wow, a no-cracks-down-to-earth vid finally! Thank you
I feel like dogen could read a phone book and it would be enjoyable to listen to
You've just aged yourself lol, I don't even remember the last time I saw a phone book. I bet some kids watching this don't even understand what you said 😂😂😂
@@JS-oi5jt The way you type is old. Plus you know what a phone book is.
@@water1374 I think those boomers just misstyped "facebook" honestly.
I’m reflecting on the few people I know who grew up it raised kids Japanese English bilingual. My Japanese tutor at the community college moved from Japan to America with her 5 year old son. She spoke Japanese to him every day and he was in class with me to learn Japanese. No speaking skills at all. I assume he could understand it at least to some extent but I have no evidence of it. Then there’s Joey the anime man. His mom refused to acknowledge him unless he spoke Japanese. He speaks Japanese better than some native speakers. He said it was crushing to have his mom do that to him as a little kid though.
30:18 The stuff nobody wants to hear, but the reality. Took me three years of nights and weekends before my side business replaced my day job. The only way ahead is more work; there are no guarantees, and you need some luck too.
Thanks for the shoutout! Super interesting video, enjoyed the questions you picked (including mine, lol). Looking forwards to making real friends here and hopefully starting fresh!
Dogen spoke so nicely and respectfully of Beppu, that I ended up liking it though I've never been there 🌸
I could listen to Dogen speak about anything from japan for hours
0:33 pursuing desires fueled solely by hope and optimism is a journey destined for failure and heartache. that being said, all it takes is a dose of realism within your perspective, and using introspection as a way of opening up the possible perspectives of others for you to be most likely to thrive and succeed, と思ういます。
(idk if that makes sense, but it sounded nice in my head :3)
16:45 don't mind me. just a reminder for the timepoint.
love all the earthquake talk!! Your theory about its influence on culture rings super true to me.
Also as someone born & raised in the pacific northwest, I'm also just waiting for our next big one to hit out here....
A note on making japanese friends when studying abroad: join club circles. It’s a lot easier to make friends when you are all working towards a common goal.
A suggestion on making friends from the country you're in if you're particularly shy: Try to find a club for activities that interest you that isn't a language based thing and that meets on a regular basis. For example: a club for english football will probably have a lot of english people but an artists club will probably be more varied. On top of meeting the locals it also gives you a conversation topic that you know they're interested in. I like sports, the way I made most of my friends when I was abroad was by joining skiing and climbing clubs.
I was raised in a small city and 100% agreed with your 別府 experience. I was able to walk to school 1km away since the age of 8 years old, same for doing groceries, going to friend's houses, etc Way better experience than in big cities, wouldn't change my past for anything in the world.
Perhaps once they are old enough, you should establish some kind of written channel of communication with your kids for whatever topic fits.
I know your specialty is phonetics, but you also really like picking your words precisely, and written language just lends itself far better for communicating satisfyingly with that preference.
I can fully attest to the question regarding problems for foreign students in Japan.
I spent half of my full year of study abroad hanging out with the international students and internationally interested Japanese students (who spoke English well) and it was fun, but it also severely impacted my Japanese language learning.
The last half of my study abroad, I decided to join the wind orchestra and try to make friends with Japanese students who didn't necessarily go out of their way to make foreign friends. My Japanese ability skyrocketed and I still have many friends I keep in touch with/hang out with from that club.
I cannot agree more that you should work to get out of your bubble and try new things/the same things you enjoyed wherever you are from but in a non-native language environment. You will make great friends, great memories and your Japanese ability will increase a whole lot more.
Edit: The first 2-3 months of joining the wind orchestra were absolutely frustrating and very difficult solely because of the language barrier, but I would not trade those 2-3 months of frustration for anything in the world if it meant I had to give back the improvement/friends I made because of that.
You hit the nail on the head with finding work when you're not in STEM. After I got my N2, I fully expected to end up at a traditional Japanese company. I had no skills or experience, no STEM degree. But because one of my requirements was not being the only foreigner around, I ended up at a startup. It was rough for a bit, but my coworkers and boss were all good people, and we eventually got acquired by a good, progressive Japanese company and things have become a lot more stable. Sometimes you have to take that risk.
It’s vids like these that make my commute so enjoyable. Thank you for the vid! 👍😂
16:33 that does put a smile on my face :D
Dogen san explains about earthquakes in detail, which makes for a very interesting listening experience.
I was born in Sendai and have lived in that city ever since, and the huge earthquake on 11 March 2011 has increased volcanic activity in the Japanese archipelago. Immediately afterwards, foreigners who had been staying in Japan rushed back to their home countries, partly due to the nuclear accident at Fukushima.
If Mt Fuji erupts, there will be a terrible situation because planes will not be able to fly. There are is the risk of a huge earthquake in Tokyo near the future.
I really appreciate your mature perspective. Lately I've been feeling pretty down about the idea of even going to Japan because I've been inundated with sad gaijin stories of discrimination and terrible working conditions in Japanese companies.
I've started to wonder what I even want out of studying Japanese beyond studying abroad, and if even that experience would even be good considering so many people say things like, "You'll just end up hanging out with foreigners anyways because Japanese people are too cold/different/discriminatory."
But I'm now realizing that some of these sentiments come from people who, perhaps, didn't do enough research about where they were going and rushed into a brutal salaryman job in Tokyo or didn't really make the effort to go beyond their comfort zone, or whose language skills weren't quite there while in Japan. (Not trying to blame people for their poor experiences, I sympathize a lot, but just trying to make the point it's not a pre-determined conclusion that you'll have one set type of experience)
Foreigners have this tendency to make extremely broad statements about Japanese people and it's culture, and your perspective is helping me realize that that's just as foolish as making broad statements about literally any other country, as they all have vast regional differences and complex histories. Yet Japan seems especially prone to receiving generalizations, and for people to grow spiteful that the country didn't do what they expected it to do for them. So, thank you.
I just watched a 30mins Q&A without any plans of going to Japan lmao
Great video, very informative!
Greetings from Germany :)
Glad to hear iku tree finally got to Japan. I've seen them wait for so long
My 5yr old (with a bit of help) read Green Eggs and Ham to my son last week. It was magical
My husband and I are planning a anniversary trip to Japan in the near future, have been planning it for the past year and a half. I literally paused the video and added Beppu as a city to research for visiting based solely on it's saturation of foreigners.
Beppu has amazing hot springs - it is definitely worth putting on the list.
dogenさんの発音聞き取りやすくて表現が豊かだから日本人の英語の勉強になる
Hehehe, it's so smooth how you pronounce Japanese city names in the middle of English sentences.
The end gongs still get me smiling even on grounded videos like this haha.
So much golden advice in this video!!
I was in Sendai for a smaller earthquake back in 2021 (it was like a 6.3 if I remember right) and it was strange how much it changed my perspective. Suddenly I didn't even trust the earth below my feet to be safe, and it made me realize my own impermanence and fragility. Nothing like a natural disaster to make you a God-fearing man 😝
I appreciate your thoughts on the first question - it helped me piece together that in addition to getting to know the person you have to get to know the culture too, and that those are probably best treated as separate efforts? Analogous to the food triangle where "culture" is at the bottom and if you're willing to learn that then you're at least giving yourself an opportunity to learn the "person" on top?
On the low salaries for grads point, yes this is true but also keep in mind cost of living and prices in general have not really risen over those decades either (almost no inflation or deflation). So you can still live somewhat comfortably on these salaries compared to other countries where you need a higher and higher salary for the same standard of living. Also, Japanese salaries are a little better when you consider twice yearly bonuses, which can be a few extra months of salary.
I'm glad you did this Q&A. You kind of indirectly touched on some parts of this issue especially with the average $2000USD per month bit. I was wondering, in comparison to the United States, how is Japan in regards to income versus housing cost (rent or mortgage)? Things are so frustratingly hot in the housing market here in the states that I do not know in the future if possibly moving to a country like Japan would be better for me in that kind of income work-life/income-vs.-housing balance or not. Of course I realize as a foreigner I would need to partner with someone to help me find an-accepting-of-gaijin place of living. (Perspective: I'm in my 30s in Texas still working on my engineering bachelors.)
id suggest first looking at their taxes and then applying that to your current salary to see what your left with. ive looked before and since you said your in TX with very little tax, their property tax alone is very high
Isn't the midwest really affordable in the US? Especially with housing in smaller cities.
@@nefariouspersephone9447 Good points, although TX has no state income tax its property taxes are going up up up so even in a modest paid-off house there's still a monthly operating cost of between $1000 to $2000 near the lower end for a homeowner. I've also heard that rents everywhere in the states are skyrocketing and landlord companies are getting a big head about raising rates right now because apparently the covid pandemic/endemic is "over" to the business community. And yes, I know that my state is on the lower end of the spectrum of the tax burden spectrum in the U.S.
I'd love a good breakdown as to what taxes are generally different between the U.S. and Japan as I'm sure there exist important differences.
@@ThatCrazyKid0007 You're not wrong, it's "supposed" to be that way. But I'm in a southern metropolis and not in the midwest (that region is to the north of me). Plus the mismatch of wages to housing cost burden is getting more and more ouch seemingly for everyone everywhere in the U.S. to some extent.
This is definitely a question I would like more expansion on as well. I make around $2000USD per month, however in the last 5 years housing for my state (Utah) has climbed so far up that even renting a very small studio apartment runs close to $1000USD per month or higher depending upon location. That's just for rent alone. If the housing was not so expensive though, $2000/mo would get you much further, and 5 years ago before the market inflated, $2000 was enough to get a mortgage on a small home and still live very comfortably as a single unmarried person. If Japan isn't suffering the same level of housing cost inflation, it may be more tenable for single unmarried people like myself, so some clarification on that point would be nice.
10:52 学校での子どものいじめについては、校則という日本ならではの問題が、海外にルーツのある子どもたちにとって一層抑圧的にはたらく可能性はあります。校則はその地域の保守的な特性によって左右されるので、学校選び、地域選びは気をつけた方がいいかも。
Just moved to Tokyo with my family - always found the Mega Earthquake really interesting. Now that I'm here? Not so much.
As a parent trying to do the bilingual thing, this makes me feel better. My kids have amazing english but only the most basic Japanese. The fight to not use english is HARD. Especially when they just need to put on their damn shoes and get out the door!
Dogen-san! Loved the cameo we got from your daughter! I wanted to ask about how to improve continuity/fluidity in Japanese- I have a particularly difficult time connecting sentences (afterall, I can't say "and" after a sentence as easily as in English) and I don't want to end every sentence in "kedo..." or "soshITE" either 😅
YAY IM EARLY FOR ONCE!!!! Excited to see your answers!
dogen has a really good english accent for being a native japanese speaker
Re: the question about errands, there is a really cute show on Netflix called 'Old Enough' (はじめてのおつかい) which is about really young kids doing their first errands. So cute ❤️❤️
I just finished watching that! I was so cute, it also felt like a nice tour around different towns and regions
An extremely helpful video regarding my desires and expectations of living in Japan. I only wish you'd touched more on the subject of jobs one can take for 2-3 years that isn't teaching English. I strongly feel that teaching isn't a good fit for me after researching different aspects about expectations from the various programs. I'm a respected mounting/furniture assembly/home repair contractor in my city and I feel there has to be some opportunities for me to work in a field like that, especially since I have a basic understanding of the language. I've considered doing some kind of contract work for the military but I'd love to know other possibilities to be pointed in the right direction (Being a UA-camr is an option I've considered as well 😬)
The dream is definitely working for a foreign company in Japan. That, or freelancing, but freelancing seems really hard to do unless you either establish your own company which requires some massive cash, or I believe if you're married your spousal visa let's you earn income any which way you choose.
I work for an American company living in tokyo getting paid Silicon Valley salary. Life is good 😎
You can freelance on a normal work visa if you can get your clients to sign some visa papers and a contract to show immigration. Look up "sole proprietor" and you should get some helpful resources.
@@faa688 Which company? Indeed?
I appreciated being on the naming committee for this video. Great Q&A!
This was super informative and gave lots of food for thought. Thank you!
As a student who just got here to Japan, this video was very informative and I appreciate how personal your answers feel.
I think breaking my bubble is my first hurdle - but I managed to quickly move out of the dorm.
えええ。。。The land + sea plate situation is exactly what we're planning for in the PNW of the US/BC Canadia area. So terrifying.
good video. very informative. a lot more deeper perspective answers than most other "i want to live in japan" videos by far.
i graduated from apu over a decade ago. haven't been back in maybe 6 years. this video makes me curious to go back and see what beppu is like now.
It seems as if most opportunities to get into Japan are for native speakers of English, maybe it's because I watch those videos in English though. What would be some options for finding a job and getting a work VISA for a European with a STEM master's degree?
Beppu's tourism department should really pay you lol. Never heard of it or APU before watching your channel and since then I've gone from What's that? to Sounds nice, I kinda wanna look into moving there 🤔 Also regarding the big earthquake that's coming, is there a particular area of Japan it's most likely to hit (or conversely, will definitely not hit?)? I've heard Tokyo is the most likely spot but it's surprisingly difficult to find info on it in English
I feel the opposite way about old japanese buildings in an earthquake. In a new-build, it *should* be fine in an earthquake. It was designed to be. Should be safe. But in an old building you *know* it has already survived multiple large earthquakes. So long as you ensure it's inspected and maybe reinforced, you have a design you know for sure is good, instead of one that hasn't been "tested" by reality.
Very informative video! Loved how you also discussed about these various topics here, especially relationship… I always think that being honest and communicative along with finding common ground is one that makes a lasting impression!
When the English is just not Englishing because the brain is used to the other language(s). 😂 I legit had this problem with my language partner today.
Great tips and info! I'm taking notes!
These whole Earthquake after x years thing sound exactly like here in Chile. Every 10 years though we say we have a strong one. (Like, over 8 on Ritchter). The last one was 7 years ago (Coquimbo, 8.4) so, we're safe for now, but the strongest one I have lived (Concepción, 8.8) was after 15 years of waiting, so, I guess that checks out
Omg so cute when daughter walked in
Thank you for this advice, Dogen 🙂 I learned a lot in this short video!
I hope you’ll do more of these types of videos! very insightful
this is quality, thanks for your work!
never knew i would learn geography in this channel
When are you inviting your kids to come on the show to talk about Pokemon? I think you can earn a lot of cuteness points!
aaaahhhhh the little dogen was so cute 😭
"One of twenty students"
*Laughs in American University class sizes of 200+*
International schools are not college/university age
Thank you so much for content such as this Kevin. ;) Looking forward to the comedic stuff :)
Is there a children’s hospital in or near Beppu? Our youngest daughter has a medical condition that requires a pediatric neurosurgeon forever, and we’re going to have to move back to Japan for the healthcare system, but we don’t exactly want to live in Tokyo. However Tokyo is of course the home to the best choices for children’s hospitals that we can find. Beppu seems like a good option if they have the medical care we require.
Great video!
16:40 cuteness overload
I found that it is extremely effective for me to learn how to speak English accent properly by referring to Dogen video... Sassuga Eigo jouzu desune
nice q&a. thanks dogen.
@Dogen I just moved to Tokyo, Japan. I have been struggling these first few days as I do not know very many people in Japan. I was wondering if you maybe knew anyone/a community for foreigners in Japan? Honestly anyone who can speak English as I am still a beginner at Japanese. Thank you if you read this. Appreciate any help.
A good way to find foreigners is to find out which American military base is closest to you, and start eating at restaurants near there. A lot of the military people will leave the base for their lunch breaks or they'll go out for drinks after work.
So interesting..
Even tho Lots of other content creators do, i would love to hear more from you about daily life in Japan...
After teaching English, would love to pursue art in Japan for home and apparel
Goshhh out of all the interesting answers you gave, the earthquakes one has - shook - me; pun definitely intended. Because in comparison, California has and will always talk about 'the big one' that may never happen, but it must be so unsettling for the Japanese that it is guaranteed. But unfortunately this information does not deter me from wanting to be in Japan - my favourite country - in the future :3 & thank you Dogen always for your engaging videos!
Always appreciate these breakdowns. Sort of off-topic, but I've been really curious: how many hours a day, on average, do you spend on practicing/improving your accent? And how many were you spending in the past couple years? I'm trying to get a realistic picture to plan accordingly.
Fully agree with you on the Japanese economy and working for the local companies. What are your thoughts on raising your children in such a graduate environment (though far awayand probably the bigger reason to learn English fluently?)
Its funny that you're raising your twins bi lingual to learn Japanese and English, while I was on Spanish and English here at home. I took to English more readily, but the community I live in made being bi lingual necessary, and it is a massive benefit to me outside of my hometown. Now that I'm interested in learning new languages, and right now being Japanese, as far as pronunciations go, there are a lot of similarities to Spanish, with the difference being the pitch. Now learning written Japanese is another story
APU as in Azusa Pacific University? I live by the one in Southern California
Nice! Now I have something to do for the next 30 minutes :)
Weird to think that the next generation is growing up with pokemon just like we did.
Except that our parents didn't understand what those thing were
Shinsei bank's website is probably the most modern website I've seen from a Japanese company so far
Your child is SO PRECIOUS 😣💞
This video was super interesting!!!
15:10 maybe you didn't notice, but he Rickrolled us with his hands.
But I have no degree and I want more than anything to live in Japan! I’m trying to find the most efficient way to get a degree but I feel like I should just look for another route than start from no college credits and spend the time getting a BA. 3 years if I’m lucky?
Idk but I really wish I had went to college when I was in my 20s
I know that all to well.
I thought I would look into working in Japan for a couple of years - kind of like the adventure of a life time - but looking through the Japanese Embassies web page for information about working visa's etc, it was nope.
Other than the usual things of No criminal record etc, it was step 1) Be qualified in either a degree or trade. step 2) Have a job already lined up (a sponser).
So yeah, rules me right out.