Just Your Average Japanese Apartment

[@Mist2003]

This was a wonderful tour of a standard family style Japanese apartment. Thank you so much! I have enjoyed the two videos I've watched so far.

[@kawaiijutsu]

You're right, Japan does have a very elaborate series of expected societal instances, and while they realize foreigners won't know them, it is strange for them when these things are not met. I'd recommend checking out Moon Publishing's Living Abroad in Japan for some details, and also if you go to the JET Programmes main website, their General Information Handbook you can download, and it has a lot of practical info. For more details, I did random google searches for greater context.

[@keyup2626]

Your a very sweet person and your real good at explaining yourself about Japan. Thanks, Phil in Canada

[@kawaiijutsu]

thanks for the questions!

[@BetoValdivieso]

Awesome! Even just pictures is cool. Im Majoring in Asian studies and Humanities so I love learning about the culture in Japan. You videos are informative while still being entertaining. Very fun to watch! :D

[@kawaiijutsu]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@kawaiijutsu]

Thank you! I'm glad to hear it!!

[@secretdencanter]

For some reason, your apartment reminds me of my late grandmother's house. Very nostalgic ^^" I enjoyed the video very much, thank you!

[@kawaiijutsu]

I studied Japanese for 6 semesters total before coming to Japan, though my major was in UI Development. That has given me a good basis for speaking, but it was difficult at first to get used to natural speed, and forming my own sentences at a natural pace. I've gotten a lot better now, took maybe 8 months before I was fully comfortable. My greatest weakness now is vocabulary, which I'm seeking to correct with JLPT study and using decks from Anki. Lots of people here took some Japanese beforehand

[@kawaiijutsu]

I'm glad you liked it!

[@kawaiijutsu]

the festivals out in town are allright...good source of food, but the specialized, well known festivals are where its at, like the sukagawa fire festival nearby. the school festivals are awesome, especially the prep for it

[@kawaiijutsu]

thank you! i'm really happy to hear it! :D

[@kawaiijutsu]

you can see stars here, cause its slightly more rural...it is really pretty, especially when the leaves change color, and during cherry blossom season

[@Woopdeedew]

You just earned yourself a subscriber! Watching your videos is very entertaining and informative aaand fun! :)

[@kawaiijutsu]

I knew I wanted to go to Japan in high school too, the ambition can never start too young :P I am still taking questions - will be for a while, because I need some time to plan out shooting the video for them (letting them formulate answers, filming, editing, etc). I'll ask them though!

[@QuilQuail]

When you showed the outside of your apartment with the "better view", the mountain view kind of reminded me of where I live in Tennessee. I just thought that was kind of neat.

[@kawaiijutsu]

all of those sound good, thanks!

[@kawaiijutsu]

Depends - do you wanna teach in public/private schools, or in a for-profit English conversation school? If you wanna teach in a proper school, I'd recommend looking into JET and Interac. If you want an Eikaiwa, look into companies like Amnity, Aeon, etc. You can also try looking on gaijinpot for job listings as well.

[@kawaiijutsu]

no problem, i hope its not too long a time to wait for it!

[@kawaiijutsu]

It's a type of food here, veggies/meats cooked in broth. Very popular in the winter time, and my favorite Japanese food. A coworker found this somewhere and gave it to me as a present after seeing me eat oden for about 3 weeks straight at lunch :P

[@kawaiijutsu]

you take the bill (itll have a barcode or something on it) to one of the major convenience stores and tell them you need to pay it. they scan it in, you give money, bill gets paid. you can do this for amazon payments, etc etc. you can also do it at post office atm's using the PayEasy service

[@kawaiijutsu]

very cool, im glad you like them!

[@kawaiijutsu]

We'll actually have one at one of my schools next month, I fully intend to record and post it up here when it happens. They are big, huge deals, exactly like you might see in an anime. They mostly do events or games or shows, not really lessons.

[@kawaiijutsu]

thanks! got another planned for this week!

[@coollary1]

Wow! You're really living it up. Great pay, cheap large apartment, and lovely looks. I am so Jello of you.

[@kawaiijutsu]

My particular apartment is for any teacher associated with the prefectural board of education. A nursery teacher would likely be employed by the city, but there are city-run apartments for teachers as well :)

[@Dillonius]

Subscribed! You and Namasensei have the best Japan YT blogs I've found so far. I'm an engineering student in the US who just started learning Japanese, and I'd like to work or study there someday. Thanks for the videos and the look into Japanese life. Question for your English club students: "Are you proud to be Japanese? Why or why not?"

[@kawaiijutsu]

I wasn't here last March, I came four months after. But Fukushima prefecture wasn't destroyed by the tsunami. Coastal cities like Iwaki sustained some damage, but the large majority of the prefecture wasn't hurt. The tsunami more affected Miyagi prefecture. Radiation from the power plant, however, is an entirely different issues.

[@kawaiijutsu]

Haha, I

[@kawaiijutsu]

thanks! I haven't seen Namasensei's vids yet, I'll have to check them out. There's plenty of jobs out here for engineering types, depending on what sort you're going into. Are you electrical? mechanical? telecommunications?

[@kawaiijutsu]

I live in Fukushima prefecture. As far as my favourite places to go, I largely hang out with friends and do random stuff like capoeira and slacklining. I plan to try posting some random videos of us hanging out various places when we do go somewhere though.

[@kawaiijutsu]

There is a shower. Well, it's part of the bath room. If you look near the water heater you might see the hand-held shower head. You sit down outside the tub and wash out there (ive got a little seat for it). Sadly I never use the bath cause the water is pricey to fill that thing up. My gym though has giant public baths that deep, so I just use those :P

[@rm2kdev]

I love how your fruit n veg looks like you opened the door took a few steps back and played the throw and hope game hahaha classic (I mean this kindly lol)

[@kawaiijutsu]

Some of my students actually go to Australia for homestay, so they might have some good answers to this question! Thank you!

[@kawaiijutsu]

it was a really cool place! you cant take pics inside the museum though, so i only have pics from the outside. ill see what i can find online before attempting to make the video. im glad you like the videos though :D

[@kawaiijutsu]

It varies a lot by my schools. In my higher academic level schools, I mostly just serve as a voice activated tape recorder. But in my other schools, I do more of the planning. The students are normally pretty shy unless you get them in groups.

[@kawaiijutsu]

thanks! it's my favorite game of all time.

[@kawaiijutsu]

thanks!! i appreciate it a lot!

[@kawaiijutsu]

I'll ask them! On my end, I became an English teacher through the JET Program. It pays the best, but it's also fairly hard to get into. There are other programs like InterAC, etc. You can also use gaijinpot[dot]com to find jobs as well. I can only speak from experience on JET though. Japanese wasn't necessary, and many came here without any skill. However, we are expected to start learning once here. I think having a bit gives the impression of an interest in Japan, so it's a plus

[@sircaballero]

Japanese apartments are both larger and smaller than I thought they would be. Your videos have been very insightful. Thanks!

[@kawaiijutsu]

to be an english teacher, all you need is a college degree, a bachelors in anything. of course, it helps and opens your options if you have a TEFL/TEFOL/CELTA cert. look into Moon Publishing's "Guide to Living Abroad in Japan". It's a great resource, and details many areas to live. I live in Fukushima prefecture, which I find very nice, but it's a bit far from Tokyo

[@kawaiijutsu]

Thank you!!

[@kawaiijutsu]

yes, my major was web/graphic design, so i still enjoy doing some of that in my spare time

[@austian23532]

When I saw this was you, I yelled out "I love you!!" (yeah, I don't remember user names that well) and my sister looked at me like I was crazy...awesome videos!! ^_^

[@Mpdjd]

This is such a cool video! Your apartment looks awesome. I'm still in high school but I'm dying to go to Japan someday. If youre still taking questions for the students, here's one I have: What do they do in their free time, when hanging out with friends? Where do they go for fun (i.e. grab a bite to eat somewhere, go sing karaoke?). As an American girl I usually just go to a friend's house or go shopping, but do they do stuff besides that in Japan? This may be a silly question but...yeah XD

[@Kiraluci]

Your appartement is crazy! It is really huge compared to the appartement I was living in back in Nagoya and it was like 250 dollars a month! Also, with all the appartements I saw in Japan this is the biggest one I've seen. Nevertheless, as you tell us it is supposed to be a family appartement. :)

[@thepandagirl96]

Thankyou so much for your videos!! I am studying japanese at high school now and am planning to go on the school trip this year, youre really helping me to learn about japan in a way different to the typically sterile classroom so thankyou SO much! :D A question for your students: how do they identify with their religion (whatever it may be) in their everyday life? Is there a place of worship they visit or do they do that at home? Is there a specific time or day of the week? Or in the other ha

[@kawaiijutsu]

I live in Fukushima prefecture...it is prolly bigger than anything you'll get in Tokyo. It's easier to get more spacious housing when you're away from major metro areas.

[@kawaiijutsu]

Hey, the Netherlands sounds interesting too! I don't know much about the country at all. I'm glad you liked the video though :D If you want any advice on places online to study Japanese, send me a PM!

[@bitchyasian]

seeing this...it makes me want to bring most of my good stuff from here in America, but gotta say, it's pretty spacious comparing what i usually see, also a question for the students, how long are their school days usually, and what season does their new school year start? i have been very curious about it, also for schools with uniforms, do the school provide them or do you have to buy them at a store that specialize in uniforms?

[@BetoValdivieso]

Ghibli Museum would be so awesome! Love your videos, by the way. :)

[@kawaiijutsu]

there will be more!! i plan on getting another one up sometime this week. :) and yep, been a gamer since i was little, largely due to my brothers influence

[@HpBoost]

I love your EarthBound memorabilia!

[@4675636b796f75]

FESTIVALS!!! That's a topic i would love to know more about! Mainly, are they really all they are cracked up to be?

[@kawaiijutsu]

i majored in Arts and Technology at UTD, but I studied Japanese there for 3 years. its going fantastically! i love most aspects of my job, except when things get way too rigid and seemingly-pointless and dull. as for differences, i can really only compare american and japanese student behaviors. japanese students do not want to answer when called on. at all. you have to look for a kid with the right answer and ask by name. but normally, theyre very loud and outgoing outside of class.

[@cloudwatcher608]

Hey, thanks for your videos. They're pretty interesting, and entertaining. ^.^ I have a couple questions for the students. One, what do they typically think of when they think about American people, and two, if they could travel anywhere in the world, where would they go?

[@kawaiijutsu]

I don't want to share my exact city on the comments, sorry. I'm in Fukushima prefecture though. Thanks for the questions!

[@LadyLightningstorm]

I've been thinking about visiting Japan, maybe when I am an adult, so I find these videos interesting and useful. Though I would like to learn how to speak Japanese first. And I would go in fall or winter because I don't like heat or bugs, but I don't mind the cold. Question: how would it be considered if one were to wear a cloak instead of a coat? Because I prefer cloaks.

[@kawaiijutsu]

Its difficult to find details on this sort of thing that aren't biased or outdated though, so it's hard to give you places of good reference, I'm sorry. I'd also recommend the books "The Japanese Have a Word For It" and "Japanese Lessons" as good sources. Also, watch some of their live action dramas. Obviously, they are dramas and will not be fully real, but you can get a sense of their society and how they respond to situations from them, and you can infer from there.

[@abyios]

Thank you for the tour. When it comes to recycling your trash, what are the three categories? I see you have a container for plastic. What are the other two for? And how long do you keep your "garbage" in that little plastic dish in the sink? That would smell after a while.

[@kawaiijutsu]

I get that, you can get a cheap 22" monitor or so here for 100-120 USD. Try checking around on Rakuten or something for some cheap deals here, cause I think you'll pay more in shipping that monitor than you would getting a new one.

[@kawaiijutsu]

haha, I do have the snack food video, but I'm thinking of doing a part 2 to that now that ive discovered all sorts of new food here. :D

[@kawaiijutsu]

i think its cause if the front of the capsule has a window, depending on how you lie in it, you could get an upskirt

[@kawaiijutsu]

yay! another fan!!

[@EzKitty]

You have an adorable baby!! Her mew is so cute!

[@kawaiijutsu]

It's a fair question, someone else has asked it too. I'll be sure to ask it of them when I shoot this video. Most people saw me and just think I'm very pretty because I'm different looking, and they want to know if my hair is natural. They are shocked and awed to find that it is. On a side note, JET is an awesome, awesome experience, and I fully recommend it :D

[@wolverineminer]

Just discovered your channel and I've been considering applying to JET once I get my bachelor's degree so I think this is awesome what you're doing. Anyway, I don't know whether or not this question would be appropriate or even applicable, but I was wondering what their views on foreigners were. Like, experiences with exchange students, tourists, etcetera. What is their initial attitude toward obviously non Japanese people (I'm 6'2" and blond so it's pretty damn obvious in my case) does that ma

[@NekoChrona]

Such a nice apartment! Your cat is super cute.

[@kawaiijutsu]

yeah, i'll respond here too in case you dont see the other. i think it must be the camera. my first one was recorded with my crap laptop built in camera, and the mic on that is even worse lol. these are all filmed on my hand cam or ipad. you can tell the difference in sound between me walking around the apartment and me talking to the camera, as they were filmed on two different things

[@kawaiijutsu]

There's a number of tattoo parlors here, so it would seem younger people are okay with it. However, there are still bans at lots of places, like public bathhouses. Even my fitness gym has a ban on tattoos.

[@kawaiijutsu]

yeah, ill try to get them to answer in english, but then i might still need subtitles cause their enunciation isnt always clear. and yeah, i did get it, i just havent had time recently to sit down at my inbox cause i was gone all weekend >< sorry! i'll prolly be able to later on tonight, im about to head out somewhere.

[@kawaiijutsu]

Lol, it takes a really long time to get good at a language to the point of perceived fluency ( I still don't claim I'm fluent). I've studied German way longer lol. I studied 3 years at school, I also use various free online services/apps, and here in Japan I study with the Kumon Japanese program for foreigners.

[@kawaiijutsu]

The yen is more expensive. It's currently about 78 yen per dollar, I think. If you live in a major city in Japan, it will be quite pricy. Where I live, which is a big city, but not MAJOR, it's a fairly standard price, comparable to Dallas.

[@kawaiijutsu]

haha, i think we have a localized version of whiskers here called KalKan (its the wet food i feed my kitten). The packaging, colors, fonts, etc all look just like whiskas. I don't think it smells like human food though :P

[@kawaiijutsu]

Mine is owned by the government so it's subsidized...I pay ~170-180 bucks a month for mine. Some friends of mine who are also subsidized pay ~320 dollars for a smaller place. My first place here was 1 room smaller and cost 500 bucks a month. It all kinda varies.

[@kawaiijutsu]

ill ask, though honestly, not a lot have been there (we're a bullet trains ride from tokyo, which is expensive. prolly not many families want to go out of their way on trips to tokyo). in my experience, akiba is very noisy and crowded, but a ton of fun to wander and get lost in.

[@kawaiijutsu]

Hmm, I guess it depends on what youre most interested. My first night in Japan, we hit up a sushi restaurant, then wandered around shinjuku and went to Mr. Donuts, a pet shop, etc. Then we got lost. That was a pretty good time lol

[@kawaiijutsu]

I do teach English conversation and Business English at high schools. It is difficult sometimes because they see grammar concepts differently, given the difference in base languages. So I sometimes think they teach it wrong or confusingly, and I'm not the main teacher so I can't change it. I also can't stand the lack of practical application and focus on rote memorization.

[@kawaiijutsu]

I'm not sure. I got it from Nitori, and it was just in the "2 seater couch" section

[@kawaiijutsu]

very very much so. my old apartment was about one room smaller but a non-teachers apartment, so rent was ~530 dollars. im pretty sure i can only beat 180 bucks if i were to be homeless or live with a friend.

[@kawaiijutsu]

It can be. If you go to the market after 7pm, they mark down premade food, meat, and fruit/veg.

[@Harleybear09]

WOW! I love the apartment!!!!

[@kawaiijutsu]

It was indeed. Some of my friends and I here play, though normally its just goofing around and playing Big Deck.

[@rea-lb6bu]

woww i never thought the apartments there were this cheap O.O !!! that's awesome !

[@kawaiijutsu]

ive done this question as a writing assignment before. they actually like them ,cause they see it as a unique high school experience

[@kawaiijutsu]

I work for my board of education lol. I'm with the JET Program, but my direct employer is the Fukushima Prefectural Board of Education. I wasn't a teacher in the US, I just did some TA work for the Japanese teacher.

[@TristanLauzon]

yay another video!!! you should do a food rant lol

[@kawaiijutsu]

Haha, thanks, glad you like them! I'll definitely still try, but I may just wind up needing to find pen pals from random places :P

[@kawaiijutsu]

Youre correct, but my cat was given to me by a student who had a litter of kittens who needed homes. It's sort of rare to have a pet though. Some others keep hamsters.

[@kawaiijutsu]

there are many design colleges out here, and lots turn out great work. however, pretty much all of these schools will be in japanese only, and you'll need to pass the JLPT-N2 or some equivalent. As for financial opportunities, you can do a study abroad and your home university should have some scholarships for it. Schools here are pretty pricey though...I dont know of financial help for those looking to do a standard degree here.

[@whodat42018]

i want to be a history professor in Moscow we are about the same age and ur videos are very motivational to me achieving that goal thanks for the videos love em

[@kawaiijutsu]

Yeah, I can try. The only difficulty is finding a class that would care too much. English classes don't want to spend time reading low level English, World Geography/culture classes don't have the time it seems, etc. ><

[@kawaiijutsu]

On the overall, Japan. But there are plenty of things back home that I miss. Like more convenient food.

[@95ellington]

Your apartment reminds me of Professor apartments when I was in China. Three Gorges University, College of Electrical Engineering & Information Technology, in June 2012. The balcony, kitchen and lack of central AC are not news to me, neither is the gas heated hot water in the bathroom. But one thing did stand out was the number of closets and the deep sitting down bathtub. Personally I only use showers, but I didn't see one here.

[@mikoku921]

This beats the MTV Cribs so much. Thanks for this!

[@kawaiijutsu]

The characters represent a word, though sometimes extra hiragana will come after them (to make proper verb forms, etc). They do use the arabic numerals, but its not weird to see the kanji numbers as well

[@kawaiijutsu]

very good question! I'll be sure to ask it and get you an answer.

[@kawaiijutsu]

its actually a sheet of stickers i have taped to the fridge. They were a gift to me, but they're all on the same page, so they came together.

[@kawaiijutsu]

Thank you...I'll try to ask them, if they are able to answer in english

[@emmsu1]

At least I couldn't find the video about your students yet so here is some questions ! What is it like in Japan at christmas and new years ? And what are the best hang out places for teenagers ? How strict is your school about accessories or other things considering appearance ? :) ...hope you didn't make the video yet 'cause then this will be awkward :D