Posts Tagged ‘Living in japan’

Day 2 Started out with some heavy rain that seemed to get heavier every time I needed to get in or out of the car. Once in the car (and quite drenched) we headed to Guppi’s Shiatsu Massage. We had visited Guppi’s the first time we visited Miyakojima and Guppi had given us a lot of information on places to visit.

I kept in touch with him after we left and he offered to go with us to look at a apartments. Not only was he able to give us valuable information about the surrounding areas of each apartment and whether or not he thought they were worth it, but he also introduced us to more people and showed us some good places to eat.

Searching for an apartment

For anyone who is moving to a new location, having a good friend is invaluable. By day two, our friend Guppi had helped us search for an apartment, introduced us to a number of new people, showed us good places to shop, and had a number of appliances he wanted to get rid of that will save us from spending a lot of money. Not to mention the massage we got on the first day.

We looked at about a total of eight apartments and found one that we really liked. We decided to take it, but later realized the lower apartment has a dog. Since the idea was to really relax while we are here, we are going to look for another apartment.

When searching for a new apartment, and especially one in a new area, it is very helpful to make a list of the things that are important to you. Having a list will help you to quickly narrow down the list and also stop you from loosing focus on what’s important. Since the apartments here are quite different than what we were used to in Tokyo, it was easy to get excited about the size and forget about the location or price (things that are more important to me).

Adapt to the local situation

Once you get an understanding for the prices structure and quality you need to adapt to the local expectations. Apartments in Miyakojima go for far less than they do in Tokyo. Keeping the expectations of Tokyo would make it easy to be taken advantage of. The people are very honest here and it hasn’t been a problem at all, but in certain areas it most certainly could be. Lean the local conditions and adapt to them.

Know the general area

By visiting Miyakojima before hand we were able to see the layout of the island and could plan before hand where we hoped to live. Most of the housing is located in a tight small city and the rest of the island is basically farmland and forest. We are searching for a places just out of town, but close enough so we can walk to town if we want to save on gas. If you don’t have a chance to visit before you move, then I highly suggest getting to know some of the local people and ask them for advice.

It’s warm and raining again on day 3, but hopefully we will be able to find something today. I can’t wait to get out of this guest house. I have somewhat limited access to internet so I will post pictures once we move into our apartment.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have quit my job in Tokyo and will be moving to the tropical island of Miyakojima. At this point we have gotten rid of most of our stuff (the rest will be taken tomorrow) and will be boarding our plane in a few days. As the date is getting closer, I starting to focus on all the things I will be able to do in this new life and environment that I haven’t been able to do working here in Tokyo. Below is a list of 10 things I am looking forward to be focusing on.

1. Spend more time with my spouse- With both of us working full time jobs both with long commutes, we haven’t had the chance to spend a lot of time together for the last year. I am looking forward to spending more time together.

2. Catching/finding my own food- Since we will now be living by the ocean, I plan to support a part of our life by catching and finding our own food. Not only will this be a fun activity, it can also reduce our food bills. There is also a great satisfaction to catching or growing your own food that just doesn’t come with buying it.

3. Study more- Particularly language. One of the reasons I chose to stay in Japan was to keep improving my Japanese skills. As we would like to visit Central and South America, I also plan to start studying Spanish. I also plan to study internet marketing. Something I have been studying lately and really enjoy.

4. Exercise- Since I quit my job in August I have been doing a pretty good job in this area. However, I have been slightly limited by places to exercise. In Miyakojima, I would like to increase not only the types of exercise I am doing, but also the amount I am exercising. Miyakojima is one of the locations where they hold the Ironman Triathlon, but I don’t plan to go that far. I will probably focus on martial arts and have actually been considering trying parkour.

5. Scuba diving, Snorkeling, and Swimming- I absolutely love the water and water sports (along with driving and food) have been some of the things I miss the most here in Tokyo. Miyakojima has amazing beaches and great diving. Now The one draw back is diving in Miyakojima is quite expensive so, I need need to figure out a way to do it cheaper.

6. Volunteering- I don’t know exactly what will be available, but I would like to help do something with either the schools or with the ocean. How cool would it be to help as a volunteer diver.

7. Building my own business- I am still working on the exact business plan, but now that I am over the fear of actually starting it I am looking forward to seeing what I can do. The more efficient I got at work, the more I realized how much time I was being wasted. Now I have the chance to try out my own practices and theories.

8. Meeting new people- People in Tokyo can be somewhat cold. Friends are great friends, but if someone doesn’t know you they don’t want to be bothered by you. Miyakojima is much more laid back and the people are much more friendly. I will have the chance to meet people with very different backgrounds.

9. Drive- It seems weird to miss something that I sometimes hated when driving in the states, but driving gives a sense of freedom and can be a fun activity. We won’t need to do much driving on the island, but the occasional drive around the island or to the beach will be great.

10. Enjoying life one day at a time- During my busy week schedule here in Tokyo, I was always waiting for my next day off. The weeks and Months seemed to just fly buy and I felt as though I was a spectator. I am going to try my best to live each day the way I want and to it’s fullest. After realizing how quickly they can go by, I really want to treasure each one.

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