So you got a Tokyo placement? My advice to incoming Tokyo (private) JETs
This post is basically my advice to anyone with a Tokyo placement, mainly for private schoolers since thatâs where Iâm coming from but its applicable to general Tokyo JETs as well.Â
In short, I wanted to write a post because I see a lot of misinformation out there or just a lack of info at all because Tokyo placements are some what new and unique. I also sometimes see other JETs bashing on Tokyo placements or I see incoming JETs apprehensive and/or disappointed about being placed here. But like any other placement, there are good points and bad points. And as the old (annoying) saying goes, every situation is different. Just like in other places in Japan, your experience is going to vary greatly depending on the school(s) you work at- almost every other private school JET has a slightly different situation than myself.Â
HOWEVER that being said, there are some general points, both positive and negative, that I would like to discuss in this post; in order to give a realistic look into what Tokyo placements can be like.
So letâs start off withâŠ
-The Apartment Situation Â
Ah yes the dreaded apartment situation. Tokyo JETs do really get the short end of the stick when it comes to accommodation. There is no teacher housing or any type of housing already set up for ALTs, and we are not allowed to pass down apartments to our successors (as far as I know). We are pretty much on our own. Although we are put in contact with real estate agents and are provided a temp apartment for two weeks at first, other than that our schools have little to do with our housing. I was lucky enough to snag a place before I arrived in Tokyo and all I had to do was sign for it when I arrived, so I cannot stress enough that you need to be proactive- start looking at apartments now. Even if you donât know where your school is exactly yet, start researching what kind of apartments are out there, get familiar with Japanese housing lingo, figure out what your (reasonable) deal breakers are, get an idea of your budget, get familiar with the layout of Tokyo itself. When you do know your school- start looking up main train lines, what stations will allow you easy access to school and/or other places in the city, figure out how long of a commute youâre willing to take (which is a whole other can of worms but Iâll save that for another time), think about if you want to live in a livelier area or more laid back- Tokyo literally has it all so you need to narrow down your options. I was very prepared for the apartment search and even with my preparedness, it was still a stressful situation- the market moves quickly, the options for foreigners are somewhat limited, and on to my next pointâŠ
Unfortunately rent in Tokyo is more expensive and on top of that we do not receive any type of subsidy either like some JETs in other places do. Depending on the location, age, and size of the place, a 1R apartment not including utilities, can range from around 70000yen to 100000yen (but of course there are exceptions that can be higher or lower). Then thereâs the actual set up costs which can run as high as 3-4months rent due upfront (usually consists of first monthâs rent, a deposit, nonrefundable âkeyâ money, fire insurance, sometimes a cleaning fee, agent fee, and a guarantor fee). My personal start-up cost for my apartment was about 3,000 US dollars. And then we have to dive into furnishing the apartment. Most apartments come with almost nothing- when I moved in, I had a ceiling light and a stove-top. Thatâs literally it. I highly recommend going to recycle/2nd hand shops for appliances like fridges and washing machines- they are so much cheaper, most are still in great condition, and the stores will usually deliver it to your place so no need to worry about a car. Nitori, IKEA, 3coins, 100yen shops are all great places to look for other cheap basic items youâll need- maybe someday Iâll write a whole other post about how to furnish a bare apartment for cheap.
In general, the cost of living in Tokyo is higher than other more rural places. This isnât to say that Tokyo is soooo sooooo incredibly expensive though, itâs still definitely doable on the JET salary- we just may not be able to save as much or have as much disposable income. Our wages are still livable and I can still afford to travel (both locally and internationally) and the occasional big âtreat yoâ selfâ purchase.Â
-Harder to connect with the âlocalâ community
Because we donât live in a small town, you donât get as many opportunities to connect with people outside of your school. I will admit, I donât know any of my neighbors, and besides the connections I had made prior to my time on JET, I have not met any new Japanese people outside of my school community. Everyone is not going to know your name, youâre probably not going to be featured in the newspaper, and you definitely will not be the only foreigner. And it can be easier to fall into the âgaijin bubbleâ too. But that doesnât mean itâs impossible to connect with a local community. I know lots of JETs that have gotten really involved in specific communities within Tokyo- whether that be through hobbies, religious groups, classes, and/or clubs. Just because youâre not in a small town doesnât mean there arenât opportunities to connect with local communities- it may just take some more effort to find them.
-Maybe not as much support
Now this point is mainly coming from my own perspective and the impression that I have, but I feel that Tokyo JETs get a less amount of support for our COs. My school at least, has taken a fairly hands off approach (however Iâm sure that someone at my school would be more than willing to help me with something if I asked). From what I know, a lot of us had to set up our phone, banking, internet, etc. on our own. Some schools I know didnât even help with going to the city hall to register your address. And as I stated before they don't really assist us with housing as well*. I think the reason for this lack of initial support, is that for most of the private schools in Tokyo this is the only first or second JET theyâve ever had. There is no precedent of how things are supposed to be handled or they arenât completely aware of what they could be doing to help. So, I would say if youâre worried about something, ask about it because chances are your school isnât aware of the situation or donât know you need help. If no one at your school is willing to help, ask other Tokyo JETs because weâve all literally been there before so we can help you out. Again you have to be proactive in your situation.
*also noted we are on our own for setting up utilities like gas, water, and electric in the apartment- although if you use the agent provided by the school they will help you with this.
 But don't worry! Because after all of that thereâs alsoâŠ.
Tokyo is a massive city; there is always something going on, something to do, people to meet. Iâve lived in this city for about 2 years now and there is still so much that I havenât done or seen yet. Every area has a different feeling and vibe, itâs like having a bunch of smaller cities jam-packed into one. It may seem daunting at first but it really is an amazing place to live. Everything is at your fingertips and itâs easy to find something to do, something to see- itâs hard to be bored in a city like Tokyo. Also, you may think Tokyo is only urban, but that isnât true- there are great outdoor areas just a short trip from downtown and even within the urban sprawl there are so many beautiful parks to relax in. Itâs also easy to travel to other places in and outside of Japan from Tokyo since it's the countryâs main transportation hub. Overall I think itâs an amazing experience to live in a city like Tokyo. We may not get the small town experience that many other JETs do, but life in Tokyo is no small feat either. Donât let others who say Tokyo âisnât real Japanâ get you down! Sure, it may be different from other places, but it doesnât mean its any less âauthenticâ (whatever that means- I have so many issues with this line of thinking that I will probably detail it in another post) and you can have an absolutely amazing time here.
+Public transport is amazing
I love Tokyoâs public transport system. Granted I come from a place in the US that has about zero public transport, but Tokyo is really something else. You can get just about anywhere by train, subway, bus, etc. And itâs really easy to understand as well- after a few weeks youâll pick it up in no time. Passmo/Suica makes it easy to get around too- just put some money on your card and your set to go, no worrying about buying location specific tickets. I love the freedom that a great public transport system in a city designed for pedestrians and not cars, gives you to go out and explore. Also, you donât have to worry about buying a car, car insurance, or getting a driver license, so in that aspect we do save some cash compared to our more rural counterparts.
+English services when needed
This mainly goes for things like doctors. The first year I came to Japan, I had two incidents where I had to go to specialized doctors and it was so nice to be able to find English speaking services. I speak conversational level Japanese, but for things like medical services, I felt more assured and comfortable talking in my native language. Tokyo has no shortage of English services if you need them, especially with the influx of foreign travelers its seen in recent years. Besides medical services, I know certain bank branches, phone service shops, some ward offices, provide either service in English or provide translated info in English. HOWEVER, this does not mean that the majority of people you encounter will be able to speak English- this is one misconception I see a lot from JETs/people who have not lived (emphasis on the lived not just visited)Â in Tokyo before. We may have more English services than other areas in Japan, but itâs still not that many- you specifically have to seek them out, they are not the norm. Also I do not use English on a daily basis for most of my interactions (outside of school and friends)- most retail workers, waiters/waitresses, station attendants, ie. the general population, do NOT speak English.
+Closer relationship with your school
In comparison to other JETs who have multiple schools, most if not all Tokyo JETs work for one specific school. For private JETs that means we donât even have a BOE, everything goes on at your specific school. This makes it easy to integrate into your schoolâs community- you get the chance to see the same students every day, the same coworkers and JTEs. Because of this, you are in a position to be able to easily develop relationships with them, compared to if you worked at multiple schools and/or were based at a BOE. Iâm like a (semi)normal staff member at my school, which is nice because it makes up for the fact that I donât have that âlocalâ community which comes with living in a smaller area. My school is my community. I canât speak on behalf of other JETs because I donât fully know their experiences or situations, but the fact that I teach at one school is one of my favorite things about my job. Of course I can still feel like an outsider at times, but because Iâm like regular staff here it really feels like Iâm truly a part of the school.
 +Possibly more time off (private school only)
Now let me preface this by stressing the âpossiblyâ, everyoneâs school is different but for the most part I believe us private school JETs get more time off than the average JET (I cannot say anything on behalf of public school Tokyo JETs because Iâm not 100% sure of the situation for them but I believe itâs a bit more than average as well). Basically, because we donât have a BOE we are not required to do (some of) the desk warming that comes with that. For example, once the kids are off from school, I am not required to come into work. So I get like 2 Âœ weeks off during the holidays in Dec/Jan, another week and a half in early spring, and also a considerable amount of time in August. But thatâs on the lower side, I know other JETs that get even more time off than that- they are only required to come in when regular classes are in schedule (so no work during testing periods, supplementary classes, etc.). But to balance this, I know most Tokyo private school JETs only have 10 days paid leave and no sick leave.
 +Can choose where you want to live
The silver lining of the apartment situation is that we have the freedom to choose where we want to live. Wanna save some yen and live a bit father from school? You can do that! Wanna live 2 minutes from school? You can do that! Wanna live in a more urban area in the middle of the city? You can do that! Wanna live in a rural area? You can do that! Wanna live in sharehouse? You can do that! You can do whatever you want- you are in charge. You make your budget, your list of wants- you decide what will work the best for you! You also donât have to worry about moving into an old dirty apartment that 20+ JETs have lived in before you. Your school doesnât have a say in where you live but they will reimburse you commuting costs, so really the choice is all yours!
To sum up: I guess my main advice to incoming Tokyo JETs is to BE PROACTIVE. Be proactive with the housing situation, with getting involved in local communities, and with seeking support because often these things will not just fall into your lap nicely on their own. If you do that, Tokyo can be an amazing placement. Itâs understandable to be disappointed at first about being placed in Tokyo if you were expecting something else, but donât judge it too harshly before you get here. Even if youâve been to Tokyo before, visiting here and living here are two very different things. And as Iâve said before, the city is full of endless possibilities- itâs definitely not all like the bright lights and busy streets of Shinjuku. It may be a bit tough at times, but living in Tokyo is an experience like nothing else- embrace it, run with it, and have fun!
