Difference between revisions of "Frequently Asked Questions"

Revision as of 16:19, 13 August 2010

This is the Mie Guidebook FAQ.

As it is an ever-expanding word in progress, please edit in your own questions. In the cases where questions can be answered by information from other pages, such as regional questions or questions about lesson planning, please feel free to link to those pages within the FAQ.

Incoming JETs

What's Mie like in general?

Being composed of many, older provinces, each area of Mie has a distinct character, but the character of Mie in general is very average for a Japanese prefecture. Mie is neither as urban as Tokyo or Osaka, nor is it as rural as the prefectures of Honshu's north coast or some of the prefectures of Kyushu and Shikoku. In population rankings and area, it falls in the middle of the list. The economy is not dominated by the service industry, manufacturing, or agriculture. The accents of Mie are not as strong as those found in nothern Honshu or southern Kyushu, but are still noticably different from Standard Japanese.

However, even as this is said, exceptions exist: deep south Mie is easily as rural as Tottori, but from Nagoya to Ise runs an almost continual band of urban development; Yokkaichi, Tsu, the general Chubu area, and the deep south are economically dominated by manufacturing, service, agriculture, and fishing, respectively; and elderly citizens and those of rural areas can have at times almost indecipherable accents, whereas their more urbane, city counterparts speak everyday Standard Japanese in their public dealings.

Mie is an all-but-forgettable place to most Japanese, and you will often find yourself saying that you leave "near Osaka" or "near Nagoya" when talking to people about your new home. However, it provides an unrivaled opportunity to see into everyday, normal Japanese life, and how truly unquotidian and strange this life can be.

Also - see Mie Prefecture for more info.

When do I find out my exact placement?

The wait to receive your placement is a hassle and source of anxiety for JETs each and every year. Unfortunately, the government bodies in place are run by a tight bureaucracy with a number of rules that come between you and the knowledge of your placement.

• Municipal JETs

  If your initial placement, as received from the JET Program via your embassy or consulate, indicates "Mie Prefecture" as well as a specific city or town name, your are a municipal JET. This means you will be teaching at either junior high schools or elementary schools - or that you're a CIR. As each municipality is governed by different rules, the time frame for receiving placements can't be set in stone. Some will receive their exact placements right away, others won't hear for months. In general, though, municipal JETs receive their exact placements more quickly than prefectural JETs.

• Prefectural JETs

  If your initial placement, as received from the JET Program via your embassy or consulate, indicates "Mie Prefecture" and nothing else - ie. no city or town - you are a prefectural JET.

  This has two implications, generally:

  • You will be working in a high school. Though there are maybe four or five exceptions, most high schools in Mie are in or close to population centers, meaning that you will most likely not be placed too far out in the countryside and you'll be in an area with decent services.
  • You will not find out your exact placement, what school you're in, or what city you're living in for a long while, potentially not until the first week of July. Have no expectations of hearing your placement before then. In some cases, people may hear a month or so before then, but there is a rule at the Mie Board of Education, which manages all the high schools, that ALTs notifications don't officially go out until early July. The wait sucks, and isn't fun, but there is still a lot of preparations you can make before knowing your exact town.

What can I do before finding out my exact placement?

Almost all placements will require the same preparations as any other, as basic things in Mie such as weather don't change that much. Unless you are coming with a significant other or spouse, you can take care of almost all your preparations without knowing your exact location or school.

• International Driving Permit

  One thing to be aware of is that some people will need a car and that some won't. Whether or not you will use a car on a daily basis, or even own one, an IDP is good thing to have as it allows you to rent cars for travel. Also, if you do need a car, you may not find out your placement until it's too late to apply for the IDP so start this process sooner rather than later. You should set out to procure your IDP, at latest, in late June or early July.

What's the weather like?

Summers are hot and disgustingly humid, and winters are cold but not freezing: the temperature generally stays above zero degrees and thus there is no snow. However, schools and houses are thiny-insulated, winds can be very strong, and windows are always single-pane, so temperatures inside can be very chilly during the coldest months. Additionally, there is not as much climate-control indoors as you may be accustomed to, and it can feel awfully cold or terribly warm, even in your home or school.

That said, spring and autumn are very beautiful and temperate, with often little rain and many days of consecutive sun. These months are very popular times for in-country travelling.

Should I bring my winter coat?

If at all possible, have your winter clothes sent to you and don't waste space in your suitcase with bulky things like winter coats. However, winter clothing will be a necessity for three to five months of the year. Offices are not always heated, and schools rarely are heated, so layered winter clothing can be a boon for moving to differently-heated spaces.

Do I need to bring an umbrella? I heard there's a rainy season

Absolutely not. You can buy them everywhere. Additionally, inexpensive rain gear can be bought in a variety of sizes, but the caveat for the long-of-limb still applies here.

When is the Prefectural Orientation?

The Prefectural Orientation in Tsu is held during the week and is generally a two-day event, but the dates change from year-to-year, some years it may be immediately after Group B arrives, other years it may be a good two weeks after Group B arrives. However, it is not something that incoming JETs need to worry about whatsoever because your schools or BOEs will be aware of it upon your arrival. You are required to go, and so your schools will not plan anything for you on those days. Since it is required you will not be asked to take vacation days, it is considered a business trip, and you will not have to pay for the train fare to Tsu. If coming from especially far away (like those in southern Mie), your school/BOE will pay to put you up in a hotel as well.

When will the suitcases I send from Tokyo arrive in Mie?

Incoming JETs who bring two suitcases are required to send at least one to Mie upon arrival at Narita Airport, and if you choose to take the second to the hotel for orientation you'll have to send at the end of orientation before departing for Mie. This is handled by Japanese suitcase shipping companies which provide excellent service and prices -- sending suitcases this way in Japan is quite common and so the services are pretty solid. Any suitcases sent upon arrival at Narita Airport will definitely have arrived in Mie before you get there and will be waiting at your school/BOE/house (wherever you were told to send them by your supervisor or predecessor). It a suitcase is sent from the hotel at the end of orientation, it will likely arrive in Mie within two days (at the maximum) of your own arrival in Mie.

Life in Mie

What kind of cell phone should I get?

See Phones

In general, the 3 major phone providers (SoftBank, DoCoMo, and AU) all offer nearly identical services and prices. SoftBank, for one reason or another, is the crowd favorite among most JETs and English-speaking ex-pats in general, however be weary that its signal area isn't as all-inclusive as DoCoMo and may be a viable choice in some of the more isolated placements.

Be aware that you will likely need a gaijin card to apply for a cell phone, this is an official policy with all three phone providers. Incoming JETs will fill out forms to receive their gaijin card soon after arrival, but may not receive it for up to a month.

You will no doubt hear stories of JETs who have attained their cell phone without a gaijin card. This has little to do with the company or even the store you choose, and almost everything to do with the actual employee who signs you up. They may not ask for you gaijin card at all, they may demand to see the form indicating you've applied for one (the so-called "temporary gaijin card"), or they may demand to see an actual card - it is almost entirely up to chance.

What is a furikomi bank transfer and how do I do it?

See Bank Transfer

Many financial transactions made in Japan are done by bank transfer, or furikomi (振り込み). Though Amazon and other large online merchants favour convenience store ticket machines for their payments, ordering from smaller companies will often involve a money transfer to that company's bank account. Furikomi is also useful for sending money to other people, such as sending payment to the AJET Treasurer to pay event fees. The system effectively replaces the use of checks as found in many countries.

How do I send money to my bank back home?

See Sending Money Home

While there are many methods for sending money home, it is reasonable to say that GoLloyds and XE Trade are the two best options. Both are banking services which you must sign up for, and after receiving an account you furikomi money from your local ATM to a Japanese bank account owned by the service and it will automatically be remitted to your home bank (generally) within a business day.

Where can I find an English-speaking doctor?

See Medical Care

There is a larger official list and a smaller unofficial list, the latter of which is based on numerous personal recommendations made by Mie JETs over the years.

How do I get my mail re-delivered?

See Mail Redelivery

How do I get a Japanese driver's license?

See Getting a Driver's License

How do I renew my license?

See Renewing a Driver's License

Where can I get the schedule for my local movie theater?

See Movie Theaters

How do I type in Japanese?

For Windows XP, see this blog entry

Website Questions

I can't access the phone list. How do I get access?

The phone list is only available to current JET Program participants placed within Mie.

• If you are a current Mie JET, follow the instructions for Extended Registration. Under "Access to this website", choose "Current Mie JET".
• If you are not a current Mie JET, access to the phone list is only available under certain circumstances via special request to the site admin. In general, special access will only be granted to those who need contact info for a large number of people for the purpose of planning or participating in events.

Sometimes I receive a "502 Gateway Error" when loading various pages on the site. What's going on?

If you encounter this error, simply hit refresh and it should work right away. This is a mystery issue between our web host and some of the office/school networks in Mie.

Why does it say "Mihama Fruit Picker" under my name even though I don't live in Mihama?

See Forum Rankings

"Mihama Fruit Picker" is a forum ranking and is decided based on how many forum posts you have, not where you live. There are over 15 different forum rankings and most of them are references to place names in Mie -- for example, "Iga-Ueno Ninja". You can input your actual location in your forum profile, and it will appear each time you post under your forum ranking.