Your First Month: Part Two, Arriving in Saga
(Note: This article contains information specific to JETs who arrived in 2005, so some details will be different for your arrival.)
Your first day
After your short stay in Tokyo, you’ll be fully accustomed to the heat and humidity of the Japanese summer, so it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise when you experience Saga’s climate for the first time. Shortly after touching down on the tarmac of Saga Airport, you’ll be whisked bleary eyed (after the 7:55 a.m. flight) to a prefectural welcome ceremony, where you will get to meet your supervisor for the first time. You’ll be expected to dress in business attire for this event and there won’t be much opportunity to get changed, so it is probably best to travel smart from Tokyo.
Your supervisor will accompany you back to the town or city where you will be based. The structure of the first day will vary based on whether you are a ken ALT/BoE ALT or CIR and what your supervisor has planned, but if you are very tired, don’t be afraid to tell them! They might take you for lunch, show you around your new town, introduce you to the other members of your office/school or take you straight to your new apartment. It’s not even unknown for ALTs to attend a welcome enkai (party) on their first evening, although hopefully this will be arranged for a later date.
Either way, it is likely that you will have to introduce yourself many times in the first few days, so it is best to carry your self introduction around with you written on a small card which you can keep in your pocket.
Your new home
By the time you leave Tokyo, you’ll be sick of hearing the phrase “every situation is different” attached to the response of every probing question you ask. The fragmented nature of the JET Programme, with ALTs employed directly by their respective boards of education in different sized schools and in settings varying from very isolated/rural to the concrete jungle, complicates the creation of generalized rules about the life of an average ALT. This is certainly the case in terms of housing. There are some considerable variations in terms of size, condition, furnishings and location.
The housing situation in Saga is on the whole generally very good. However, try to arrive open minded, without too many expectations about where you will be living. Your predecessor is the most qualified person to advise you on what to expect, so don’t be afraid to ask them plenty of questions.
When you are taken to your apartment for the first time by your supervisor, try to find out the following;
- How to turn on/set the temperature of the water heater if applicable
- The location of the fuse box
- How to use the air conditioning and shower
- How to turn on the gas stoves
If you are lucky your predecessor will have left you instructions on how things in your apartment work. There is a great article containing some useful tips on dealing with mould, sorting rubbish and using your washing machine in the “Living Basics” section of the Fukuoka JET website.
Your first month
There are no lessons during the month of August at Japanese schools, although some students might still be there for bukatsu (club events), so your first month will probably be relatively quiet, giving you a chance to adjust. In your first few days your supervisor should:
- Take you to set up a bank account where your wages will be paid
- Help you apply for your foreigners (alien registration) card
- Give your inkan (personal stamp)
- Tell you what days rubbish is collected and what colour bags to use for the different types
They’ll also be able to help you get a phone line or the internet connected, buy a mobile phone, sort out the paperwork for your car and teach you how to understand and pay your bills.
Don’t worry about giving your omiyage on the first day. Take a few days or weeks to work out who everyone is, and who you will have the most contact with during your time in Japan.
Your district will be organising district orientations and parties, so you can meet those who live nearby and ask any questions about things you are having difficulty with. In addition AJET will be organising welcome events and there will be a two day orientation/summer conference in Saga, so you can get to know the other JETs in the prefecture!
Useful links
Fukuoka JET: Living in Japan. If this is your first stay in Japan, the Fukuoka JET Guide to Living in Japan is very comprehensive and offers some useful insights and tips about what to expect.
Related workshops
There will be a workshop on “Your First Month” at the Tokyo Conference for groups A and B. It will take place in the Hana D room on Tuesday 26 July at 16:15 and Tuesday 2 August at 14:15. (Don’t worry, you will receive a full program of workshops titles and times when you arrive in Tokyo).