Moving to Tokyo

For the past month and a half, I have been applying to jobs in the Tokyo area. I was hoping to get a job in the city, but I was willing to work on the outskirts or as near as I could get because I knew that it's difficult to find a job in Tokyo, due to it being the most competitive area for English teaching jobs. I think I probably applied to every position in the Kanto area that I qualified for, and maybe some that I didn't. My current company told me that they only had part-time positions in Tokyo. Most of the jobs I applied for were ALT (assistant language teacher) positions like the one I have now. However, there were a couple of Kindergarten positions as well, where I would be the primary teacher. I heard back from several companies, but my interview with one Kindergarten company went really well and, after the second interview, they offered me a position as a Kindergarten teacher in Tokyo. The starting date for my new job cuts into my current contract by three days, but my school is going to work with me to set aside an early farewell, after which I will drive my car (if it makes it) back to my company in Mito, which is about a 4 hour drive, and say goodbye to the most embarrassing vehicle I have ever driven. Starting this coming weekend, I have to begin moving my things, of which I have gathered an abundance, to Tokyo.

I have wanted to live in Tokyo ever since I first visited back in the summer. I have to admit, however, that as March draws ever nearer I am a bit anxious about making the move from what can only be called a small village, to the largest metropolitan area in the world. But above all, I am excited.

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."



My friend Tyler and I found a Mexican restaurant in Sendai, but it was tiny and the food was overpriced, insufficient and unsatisfying, as has become expected of foreign-themed cuisine in Japan.


This is the cool new poster for the new bullet train that is debuting soon. It goes even faster than the current one, making it possible to get from Sendai to Tokyo in only 1 and 1/2 hour (a 6 hour drive by car), as opposed to the 2+ hours it takes now.


Kaminome Elementary School, 2nd grade!