Hey, Japan connoisseurs! Dariru back at it again with another tale from the vault of my Japan journey. It’s a bit of a time warp, folks, as we’re rewinding two whole decades. Back to 2003. Buckle up, because I’m recounting my first day of living in Japan!
Living in Japan - WHY!?!
So, there I was, 23 years old, fresh out of university, fueled by dreams of becoming an indie darling on the film circuit. But first, I had something I needed to get out of my system: I had to go to Japan. Why pray tell did I need to do something so daft? Well, during my film school days (at Chapman University), my eyes were opened to the larger world. I went to Japan, was introduced to anime, met so many kind and wonderful people there, and even had a girlfriend who was Japanese. It all filled me with a thirst to learn more about this familiar-yet-foreign place. But what was the catalyst for it all? Well, ironically, Japan wasn’t even a blip on my radar before my film school days. Actually, before university, I was pretty indifferent to Japan. Sure, I’d seen a few anime here and there, but the whole “Land of the Rising Sun” allure didn’t quite register until I hit Chapman University. There I had to pick a language to study as part of my required courses. And me being the me that I am (someone who doesn’t like to take the ‘normal route’) saw that Chapman offered Japanese. My little brain went, “That one! I’m gonna try that one!” and before I could say “konnichiwa” I was thinking “hello, whole new world!”
Now, as much as I wanted to make movies, I was a quiet guy, lacking the networking prowess needed in the cutthroat world of filmmaking. It was one reason I knew I’d never make it in Hollywood. But I never really wanted to be Steven Spielberg. I wanted to be an indie filmmaker. I wanted to be a Christopher Nolan (I know what you’re thinking! At the time, though, that’s what he was!). So I figured going to Japan and making stuff there would give a unique twist to my filmmaking. But I didn’t know anyone in Japan. I had no idea how to get a job making film there. So what did I do? I did what probably 95% of all foreigners do in Japan — I got a job teaching English.
Welcome to Teaching
There are lots of places to teach English in Japan. Government sponsored groups like JET, teaching at high schools as an assistant teacher, but the most common teaching gig is at an Eikaiwa (meaning “English conversation”). But we’ll get into that whole world of teaching English later. I chose to go the Eikaiwa route and applied at a place we’ll call REDACTED (I don’t want to get fired) from an ad in a local paper (this could possibly be made up, I don’t remember). Luckily, the interviews and tests took place in the good ol’ US of A and only an 50 minute drive away in Los Angeles. After a nerve-wracking dance of proving my English prowess and surviving the scrutiny of interviewers, they hit me with the golden ticket – a job offer. Woo! Luckily they didn’t just toss me into the Japanese deep end and wish me luck. They hooked me up with a housing agency, the unsung heroes dealing with incoming teachers. So, armed with a job and a roof over my head, I was officially set to dive headfirst into the Japanese whirlwind. I was headed to Japan!
Touch Down
I can barely recall the specifics of my arrival – it was a blur of jet lag, nerves, and the surreal realization that I was about to embark on a life-altering adventure. But there I was. My first few moments off the plane. Nighttime, airport, sweaty palms – you get the picture. As I waited for my landlord, I became acutely aware of how little Japanese I spoke. While I had studied at Chapman, I had very little experience speaking it. Plus I wasn’t the most outgoing of guys. Luckily, I stuck out like a soar thumb in Japan – a tall, white guy with a big grin on his face. Doubly luckily, I had no problem figuring out which of the many people on the street was my landlord, because he was just like me. After a quick greet and shake, we quickly squeezed my luggage into the pint-sized Japanese mini-van and were off. As the tiny vehicle sputtered down the narrow winding streets, I felt a mix of excitement and exhaustion (it had been a13-hour flight after all). As my eyes drooped, the small talk Mr. Landlord insisted on having felt like scaling a mountain. But, hey, I was in Japan. I was finally there! And I had done it all by myself.
Your New... Home?
It didn’t take long to get to my place. And it was…well…hmm…something positive to say. It had a big red mechanical crab on it! Picture this – a gray stucco building, molded from watered damaged*, it was nestled off the bustling shopping street of downtown Juso. Juso? What’s that, you ask? Well it’s a pink area in Osaka. Another, what’s that? Well, ‘pink‘ in Japan stands for something that is erotic (a classic example: pink films). I wasn’t aware of it yet, but a few blocks from home was a very robust red-light district. But before I knew any of that, I was pushed through the door and greeted by my two roommates. Both were awesome guys, a friendly American and a Brit, greeted me. Behind them was… it looked like a hurricane had just passed through. Sink full of dishes, cramped Japanese-size living room, and scattered clothing throughout. But none of it mattered. I was in Japan, at the dawn of an epic adventure! And I was blissfully ignorant of the rollercoaster ride awaiting me.
*(memories may not be completely accurate)
The truth is, back then, I had no idea what the future held. The challenges, the triumphs, the comic-drawing endeavors – it was all a blank canvas waiting to be filled. Stay tuned, folks, because the journey was just beginning, and little did I know, Japan had a lot more in store for this wide-eyed dreamer.
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*I don’t use AI for my artwork. These filler images are just for fun and aren’t meant to represent my art so they have been labeled “AI GENERATED.” I want my blog to be enjoyable for you but I don’t have 2-6 hours to draw each image (this blog is done in my free time). If you’re against AI in art, please direct your criticism elsewhere (maybe someone trying to pass off AI generated images as their art). I am not doing that.
