Meet Elliott & Tom - Two JETs headed for Japan! Part 1
Hi there!
Just the other day, Aaron and I were invited to a local JET Program orientation for this year’s outbound JET participants. You won’t believe what happened when we got there….
We were just standing around talking when a guy named Elliott came up to us and told us that he was a viewer of Happy Hour Japan! How crazy is that?! Aaron and I were completely taken by surprise! We ended up inviting him to join us for an episode of Happy Hour Japan…and well, here it is!
In this episode, we’ll introduce you to Elliott and his friend Tom. Both of them are leaving for Japan on the JET Program later this month. We had a great time talking about Japan and the JET Program–so much so that we couldn’t fit it all in just one episode. So we’ve broken it up into two videos and this is part 1.
I hope you enjoy it and stay tuned for part 2 where I’ll tell you a really embarrassing story about my JET interview way back when!
Until then, Kanpai!
Kevin
I just stumbled upon your podcast on iTunes today and I have to say that this is my favorite podcast so far :). Lots of good stuff to know about the culture.
The JET program sounds awesome! I’ll have to look into it and apply when I get the chance :).
@Ariel
Hey Ariel, thanks for the kind words! the JET program is definitely cool. It seems to make a really big impact on the participant’s lives.
Very interesting! When can we expect part 2?
@Colin
Thanks for watching!
I’m working on it as we speak! It’ll be up soon
I just got to say, I am in school for Game Development and want/wish/will one day go to Japan. I was wondering how Japanese friends act towards someone like me with many tattoos and how do they deal with a mohawk? I train Bushido and Ninjitsu but also wonder if they train outsiders in their Dojo’s.
hey you guys are awsome! you have made my learning of the lanuage much easyer now that i understand the basics, and the Jet Program is for universiy graduates right?
thanks so much you guys have been a great help!
@Ark Destruction
Being a foreigner in Japan with tattoos and a mohawk is most likely fine, especially if you’re in a big city. You may get extra attention in the rural parts of Japan but the Japanese are very careful about being polite.
The one thing you should be careful of though is that you probably won’t be allowed to enter pools or hot springs in Japan. Aaron and I discuss this in a previous episode on travel, but the Japanese still have a lingering stigma regarding tattoos so keep that in mind.
I have heard of foreigners being trained in martial arts in Japan. I actually don’t know much about this so I won’t pretend to be an expert on the subject
That being said, going back to your first question, if you do take on training in a dojo in Japan, your sensei may make you get rid of your mohawk.
@Thaniel
Thanks for the comment! I’m glad that our videos are helpful
Yes, the JET Program is for college graduates. Assuming the rules haven’t changed in the last couple of years, I believe the only two age-related requirements are that you need to have a college degree and be less than 35 years old.
For more reliable information, contact to your local consulate or visit the JET Program website at http://www.jetprogramme.org
I’m a bit new to your guy’s website but I have been studying Japanese for a year so far at my local community college. And I noticed in this video i think or another one. That I saw Pike Place market are you guys in Washington state too? But so far it’s a nice refresher course of what I have learned so far and learn about some interesting stuff about japan and jet. Bummer that jet wants Bachelor degree holders to become teachers not Associates degree holders. Not sure if you guys happen to know or not but there is actually some other Japanese learning popcasts on itunes too which you can learn from also.
Hey! I’m worried about the friend thing as well. I’m really hoping my interview with Amity goes well because I will probably die if I can’t go to Japan soon. I just keep thinking to myself about how it would be really great to meet people and have Japanese friends, so it’s reassuring to hear you say that you pick the language up fairly quickly, and I guess in that case you kind of have to! haha. I was also wondering though, is it easy to travel around on weekends, sight-see and stuff? I want to see as much of Japan as I possibly can when/if I go!