Baby steps in Japan

Greeting's one and all from the Internet, I'm reporting to you live from the West Sector of Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku.

  Let me rewind a bit and talk about the flight in. For a 13 hour flight, it was pretty smooth. We left Pearson at 12 noon and took off in a Boeing 777, the 'dream liner' which was actually quite comfortable. Despite the turbulence at the end of the journey, the overall experience was calm and relaxing. I watched several movies on the flight in, G.I. Joe Retaliation, Cloudy with a Chance of Meat Balls 2, Iron Man 3, Thor; The dark world, and Gravity, most of which were movies I wanted to see and really enjoyed.

 We arrive in Japan Int. Airport at 3pm and made our way through customs quick and easy before gathering our luggage and making our way out to the bus where we had a 2 hour road trip up to Tokyo. Drawing on my tablet helped pass the time and we soon arrived at the Hotel, Keio Plaza Hotel of Tokyo, a ritzy sorta place in the quieter upper sector of West town Tokyo, but I was just glad to get a bed to sleep on. I never knew toilets could be so cool, but in Japan, apparently, they do a lot to make this simple luxury well...more luxurious! The seats all have this attachment object that not only acts as a heated seat, but can also spray water on your butt to clean up after number 2.

After the concierge told us where to eat, we went into the mild temp of the city. (Plus 5 degrees here, man, this is an awesome winter.) We made our way a few blocks over to this massive building that has a very beautiful view of our district, with the restaurant we ate at being on the 52 floor, it was hard to really miss such a view; except the center of the building was cut out with a straight drop to the main floor, talk about fear of heights.

  Sushi here has a bit of a different taste to it, not sure if I can explain it, but it tastes more natural, perhaps since we ts fresher being caught nearby and then delivered to the restaurant. Tuna is big here, we had a dish of three types of tuna (different parts of the fish) from light meat to dark. I had read online that the proper way to eat sushi is go have lighter tuns/fish before going to heavier/darker fish, and the sushi wrapped in seaweed is like the end of your order. I also learned Miso is not an appetizer but the after course of the main dish, eaten before the desert, crazy.

From there, back to the hotel to sleep.

February 17, 2014

Monday

We awoke around 7am in Tokyo, the sky was clear and the skyline was beautiful in the morning sun. We washed, dressed and went downstairs to the hotel's buffet, a rather interesting mix of Asian and Western types of dishes as you can see in the picture; I went for a more traditional meal as there were also Pancakes and cereal next to fish and rice.

With full bellies and prepped minds, myself, my mom and dad went out to explore the wonders of West-side Tokyo. Our trip composed of us walking straight south through Yoyogi Park to the Meijin Shrine and then south towards Shibuya Station and the surrounding markets. However, before we began our trip, there was one thing I wanted to see: the vending machines. I had heard many stories about Japanese vending machines as well as seen them in many Anime and Manga, but actually being able to see them in person was something else; they are pretty much everything I expected and serve both HOT and cold drinks. We had some coffee from one to start off our trip, quite tasty if you ask me.

 Our first stop was Meijin Shrine, located in Yoyogi Park. The weather was perfect for walking through the gravel trail, taking us through lush wilderness in the mid-morning calm all the way to the center where the Imperial shrine lay. After paying our respect and cleansing our bodies and spirit, we embarked into the heart of the Shrine where we were able to see a Wedding ceremony as well as the prayer's of the monks and priests who resided within. We even went as far as purchasing some charms and placing a totem on a wall that allowed us to say wishes to the deities of the shrine for good fortune and protection.

Once we left the quiet of the park, we soon made our way further south, the lush calm of the Northern area replaced by more built up urbanized areas and shops and roads filling with cars. One thing I found interest was the size of a lot of the vehicles around here; none are nearly as big as some of the more construction/utility vehicles we have back home; cement mixers are almost two times smaller than the ones in Toronto and even their fire trucks aren't as big or imposing as ours. The reason? Due to the cramped nature of the city, a lot of those large vehicles had to be made smaller to fit in the narrow streets and park close to their small sites; even the massive ladder truck is half its normal size, but still boasts a long ladder to be used.

 The city really opened up, people walked to and fro, bicyclists and scooters drive in tandem with cars and trucks of varying sizes, and music blares from the colorful advertisements all around us. This is urban life in Tokyo, a hustle and bustle of bodies, advertisements and metal objects flying around and going this way and that.

 As the day wore on, the city became more and more alive, people coming to and from work and school filled the streets, and for the first time in my life, I was able to see a thousand people crossing a street. Shibyua district. the station area, is like a major commercial hub, with lots of stores and things to see and do. Advertisements drive around on trucks and sing the songs of their bands on display; shops offer both Japanese and Western products and of course, the air is filled with the varieties of food and cigarettes, oh, by the way, they have those in vending machines too, and what a selection they have, shame I don't smoke.

As we turned back towards the hotel, we stopped for some Side-street Udon, a small little restaurant that served only Udon and the various types of this large rice-noodle dish. Delightful in taste and texture, we gobbled it up before making our way back North towards our hotel, seeing the sun slowly fading to the West as we hiked back through less crowded streets, the school children making their way back home and the night life only starting to emerge as we soon returned to our hotel for some much needed R&R.

With the day coming to a close, we rested up, went out to eat in that tall building once more, then hurried back to hit the sack and prepare for day two of our Tokyo adventure.

Documents, VISA, and travel plans galore!

Hello dear readers of the internet! So, things have progress extremely well since the start of my escapade, and I know posting this only a day after my first post might make a few of you turn your heads, but I've wanted to go into the nitty gritty of the travel organization and the acceptance information of going to South Korea for a teaching job or just for any place that might require it. When I started getting sorted with the trip to South Korea (SK for short) I wasn't sure what I needed to get, and to be honest, it sorta wasn't spoken to me at all during the first time I tried to look into this. However, since I was able to get in touch with a friend who had taught in SK before, he was able to direct me to the starting point of finding my own job opportunity as well as the subsidiary requirements of the application process. Since I really had trouble finding all this info out, I feel the need to share with everyone what you should do in a rather simple, step-by-step, process.

 First off, locating a job. Best place to look, and one that opened the door for me, was Dave's ESL Cafe , a job posting site that presents teaching jobs from Japan, China and SK, all of which explain their requirements as well as salary, job hours, location and benefits. It's also a good place to post your resume and seek out recruiters who'll make the task of finding a potential job a lot easier. Once you've applied to however many job positions you want, the next stage is the interview stages. Most of the time the recruiter will send you detailed information on each school who wishes to have an interview with you, they will often speak to you first via skype or your phone, and most often, for Canada, will be between the hours of 9pm till midnight as it would be around 10am till 12 noon in SK. This is probably the most important part of the application stage, you'll speak to the recruiter who then has to convey how you act, what you answer their questions with and general impression they get from you. Often they will have simple questions, a few tricky ones do come up here and there, but if you act cool and prepare yourself accordingly, you should be fine. Afterwards, you'll either speak to a school director or have your interview conveyed to them by the recruiter, which then boils down to them accepting you or not. If you get it, congrats, move onward, if not, then keep trying and NEVER give up.

On to step two.
You got the accepted notice from your recruiter, usually by e-mail, its now time to jump through a few paper-work hoops to gather ALL the info you will need both for the school and your VISA. There are several documents that are the utmost important for the stage of your VISA application, which is the primary paper-work you'll need from the school to actually GO to SK and work there for a year (or longer depending):
1. A notarized and legalized copy of your Diploma
2. A National Level Criminal background check
3. Two (or one, depending) copies of your University Transcript
4. The signed contracted sent to you by the recruiter.
5. Medical Forms sent by the job.
6.(Optional) A TESL Certification
7. Passport Photo
8.(When acquired) VISA Application

1. Diploma
This is the first and easiest paper to get, if you graduated University or a College and have a certification of sorts, doesn't matter the stream, then you're able to apply for these positions. (Sometimes places won't require it, but you'll be looked on better with this.) You won't need the actual copy, a photocopy will do, you'll have to bring it to a lawyer to get it legalized (saying its a legitimate Diploma or Certificate) and then notarized at the Korean/Chinese/Japanese Consulate which says that they confirm it being legit.

2.Criminal Background Check
A bit of a time consuming paper to get, this basically says you've not done anything wrong criminally in the past little while, and the sooner you get this the better; just be sure its recent, otherwise you might need to get a new one. It doesn't cost too much (mine was around 20 bucks) and takes only a week or so to process. Once you have this, you need to bring it to the Consulate and the lawyer to get it notarized and legalized. (MUST BE ORIGINAL COPY)

  3. Transcripts
Another time-consuming paper, and also the most costly (25 bucks), you need to contact your University or College and have them send you two copies (one if American) of your University transcript. I'm not sure why two are needed, but both have to be given to the Consulate, one for legitimacy purposes, the other for your VISA application. These must be SEALED in their original envelopes.

4. Signed Contract
When you're accepted, you'll be given the contract to sign and check over, IMPORTANT Document as it will have all your requirements, job information, responsibilities and benefits listed, read it, scan it and send it. You'll also have to send the original copy too.

 5. Medical Forms
For the medical insurance given by your recruiter (if available) you will need to fill out this and send it back (original must be mailed).

 6. TESL Certification
This is optional because I've heard so much controversy over actually needing this. It's not required/mandatory for getting a position, but it helps. I took it, did teach me a bit, and it does make you look better, but its not required for the position.

7. Passport Photo
You will require at least 8 photos in passport format (the smaller ones) 6 for the mailing package for the schools records and to apply for your visa confirmation number and 2 more for the VISA application at the consulate. Before I continue, let me just make it clear that the above paper-work must be collected and mailed by a 3rd party mailing company (FedEX, UPS, DHL) as the company would only accept packages that way (US/Canada posting won't do.) Once the paper work has been mailed, it will take at least 3-4 business days to travel to SK, then, its a matter of time to wait for the school to reply to your application information and send you your VISA Confirmation number which allows you to get your VISA.

8. VISA Application
 Once you receive your VISA confirmation number, take 2 of the passport photos, the number and of course YOUR PASSPORT to the Consulate, they will process your info within 3-5 business days depending, and once you're done, send a photo of said VISA to your recruiter and you're set. Its also important to keep all the paper work you get from this in one folder just in case you need to bring it out for reference.

That's pretty much the whole process of it; it should take at least a month or two to gather your essentials so plan accordingly before you prepare your flight and such.

I hope this info helps!

Big Adventures Await

Hello one and all people of the internet, my name is Mitchell Flatt. I'm 26 years old, a graduate with an English BA from York University in Toronto, Ontario. I like nice walks outside, but also love video games, role playing, miniature models and figures, writing, reading and a lot of other normal things people enjoy (that and the emphasis on geeky stuff hence my inner nerd.) Suffice to say, I'm in the midst of a grand escapade to befall my life. Since I graduated, I've been sitting in a rut of laziness and procrastination. I've not been able to complete many projects I've started over the years, even getting so far as to wrapping up a thrilling story but leaving the end out of uncertainty. Many more projects and plans lay scattered and untouched, and my life seemed to go in a depressing line of never losing or gaining. I've worked since then, jobs here and there. My most recent was Security, working in that field to gain some knowledge of the industry for future career choices, but it wasn't were I should have been; I knew, as well as a few of my closer co-workers, that I wasn't meant to be stuck in that field, and that something else is out there for me to take and gain valuable experience.

 Dating back to September of 2013, I decided to go about searching for this new path in the one place I had tried before; teaching. Teaching English abroad has been told to me by many people as a very positive and rewarding experience. I had dawned the idea sometime ago back in 2011, but due to circumstances, I lost interest in pursuing it, but during my current employment, I had decided to further investigate the idea of teaching abroad, and this time, taking it far more seriously. Since that month, I had searched the internet, searching contacts, checking connections and doing everything I could from sending over resumes and info to having phone interviews, I did it all in hopes of snatching a position teaching abroad. I had been trying for months to find a position, but by the end of October, because of all the false ends and failures that I'd run into, I started to doubt myself that I'd ever get an opportunity to teach abroad. However, fate has a strange way of making things happen, and that opportunity I sought soon came knocking.

On December 27th, 2013, I received word from a recruitment agency I had been working with to hear that I've been accepted for a teaching job in South Korea. The news filled me with great joy and excitement. I guess words really can't describe how I felt; it was like getting something you've sought after your whole life, only a bit less than that, and add some additional bang for the fact it would be very useful in the long run of your life. However you look at it, the fact remained, I had been accepted, and began the rather tedious process of preparing all the required documents, VISA, and travel plans. This blog is designed to be the verbal and visual launch pad of my adventures in South Korea and all the process and progress made both through the agency, the school and my own person endeavors. Both reports in text, and movies when able, will be documented here, and above all, the experience I will have and lessons I've learned to take from this whole thing will be passed on to my fellow followers, readers and adventurers.

 Stay tuned!