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It is certainly possible to gain a good proficiency in casual spoken Japanese in one or two years, although scientific communication is more difficult. Written Japanese is another matter altogether, since for many students this will mean learning not only a new language but a new writing system as well. This poses a bit of a challenge, as all announcements, notices, safety warnings, signs, bus and train destinations, in short, all written communication in NTT and elsewhere, is in the Japanese writing system. However, it is quite possible to gain a working familiarity with many of the more common words, and certainly it is quite easy to learn the Hiragana and Katakana written scripts. Like learning any foreign language, a large investment of time is needed to gain a level of proficiency, and it is often difficult to balance the large amounts of time required by research, language study, family, exploring Japan, etc.
One of the most useful things you can do in preparation for coming to Japan is to learn the Hiragana and especially the Katakana phonetic alphabets. Japanese is littered with Western (especially English) words, which are written using the Katakana alphabet. Knowing Katakana will be of tremendous help in grocery stores, for example, where many Western items are labeled in Katakana.
If you elect not to take the intensive course (you already have an introduction to Japanese, you prefer studying alone, etc.) then in lieu of the class NTT will provide you with a grant which will be used as a 1:1 matching fund to pay for private lessons. Currently the maximum amount of money you can receive from NTT is 250,000-yen, but this value may decrease in the future. Some researchers in Ibaraki, however, have reported difficulty in finding tutors.
Many researchers elect to have a private tutor come to NTT several times per week. In this case, the lessons must be outside of "core time", 10am -- 3pm (see: Going to Work: Conditions). There are also outside schools which teach Japanese to foreigners. The Musashino International Association (0422-36-4511) has a 6-month course for a nominal fee, which provides you with the opportunity to meet once per week with a volunteer instructor from the community. The LeTS school in Kichijooji (0422-20-0670) offers a free six week course in beginning Japanese followed by private tutoring at variable rates. LeTS trains teachers who want to teach Japanese and the free courses are practice for the novice teachers. The Kichijooji Japanese School (0422-47-7390) offers various levels of instruction. Other than the MIA and LeTS options, you will find that tuition will range from 3000-7000-yen per hour.
Some researchers recommend intensive courses, others begin with introductory books. For those who wish to begin on their own:
Besides sports, both choral and orchestral clubs exist. Generally details of the various club activities are posted near the daishokudoo in building 6.
At the centre there are 'open hours' for volleyball, badminton and table tennis where you can simply go and play. For use of the training room, you have to sign up for a beginners' class scheduled most days am and pm and lasting about 40mins. There is also an intriguing form that you should complete (in Japanese) about your health and habits. The swimming pool has strict rules, so grin and bear it. You will be asked to leave the water ten minutes per hour for a rest, and items from books to beach balls, watches to sunglasses and all jewelry are banned even though one of the pools is outdoor and open through the summer months. In addition to the open hours there are also courses in many sports which start in May and November. Subjects are badminton, archery and yoga, amongst others. Look for the announcements and sign up in advance. Be prepared to converse in a mixture of Japanese and gesture, which for many people has added to the fun.
For general jogging and keeping fit around Musashino-shi there are several nearby parks (see map M-1). Musashino Chuuoo kooen is right next to the laboratories and is often used by runners at lunch time, Inokashira kooen is to the south of Kichijooji station, Musashi-seki kooen is near Higashifushimi station, and Koganei kooen, largest of all, is 3km or so to the west of NTT. It is rare to find any equipment such as bars for exercise, although Koganei kooen is well equipped in this respect.
Cycling routes are networked around the Kantoo Plain and are quite extensive. As yet I have been unable to locate a book in English describing their extent. There is a cycling path starting in Musashino and running up to Seibu-en (Saitama prefecture), where an amusement park neighbors a big reservoir. In fact the path follows the route of the reservoir pipe for most of the way. It has kilometer markers and thus is very useful for the marathon runners amongst you. Maps appear from time to time along these routes revealing the extent of the network. The one in Musashino is called the Tama-ko jitensha (hokoosha) doo (¿Ëà¸Ð¼«Å¾¼ÖÊâ¹Ô¼ÔÆ») and starts at the intersection of Itsukaichi-kaidoo and Inokashira-Doori across from the Red Lobster restaurant. To get there from the lab, go out the north gate, turn left and follow the somewhat twisting road until you reach the Red Lobster restaurant on your left (see map M-1). As a general note on cycling in the Tokyo area, bicycles usually use the walkway because the roads are small and considered to be too dangerous. This brings danger to pedestrians who often get hit, and also makes progress on a bicycle very slow. Hence, getting to such cycling routes may be less of a pleasure.
Mito has all the things needed for day to day life, plus some more interesting attractions. In Mito itself you can visit: Kairakuen one of the three most famous parks in Japan, the art center and tower, Semba lake and various other attractions. Mito is historically famous for having been the residence for the vice-Shogun of Japan. Within the scope of a day's journey are Nikko, Bandai, Fukuroda water fall, Nasu volcano, a number of beaches (Mito is about 10 km from the sea) and more. The labs at Tookai are very close to the coast, although they are separated by a nuclear power station.
For organized day trips and short breaks you may like to try some of the events arranged by the various international organizations (addresses in the appendix). These cover activities from riverside barbecues and onsen trips through to mountaineering and skiing holidays. The local clubs are Musashino International Association, Musashino International Club and Kichijooji International Fellowship. Besides these many other clubs exist which have members from throughout the Tokyo metropolitan area. The International Adventure Club is one example and generally places meeting notices in the Japan Times.
Books, both foreign novels and language texts, are available at many of the big Tokyo book stores. The novels are predominantly in English although French, German, Spanish etc. are also available. Perhaps the most popular of the shops is Kinokuniya in Shinjuku which has its 6th floor devoted solely to foreign books. Maruzen and Yaesu in Nihonbashi (ÆüËܶ¶) and Jena in Ginza (¶äºÂ) also have good selections. At Kinokuniya and Maruzen good science sections also exist. For Japanese language books and tapes Bonjinsha at Yotsuya (»Íë) is perhaps the best choice. For books about Japan, Tuttle in the Kanda Bookstore Area near Ochanomizu (¤ªÃã¤Î¿å) has a good selection plus a wide range of novels. Parco in Kichijooji has a selection of foreign magazines and some shelves of fiction and nonfiction for shopping closer to Musashino. The bookshop at Musashino (next to the library) is a branch of Kinokuniya and can order books at a 20% discount. Another slightly larger Kinokuniya can be found inside the Tokyuu department store in Kichijooji. Two bookshop in the Tokyo area buy and sell used English books: Good Day Books (Midorigaoka 3-1-7, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152, tel. 03-3717-0848, nearest station: Midorigaoka, ÎÐ¥öµÖ, on the Ooimachi line, Âç°æÄ®Àþ) and The Bookworm (550-8 Kaitori, Tama-shi, Tokyo 206, tel. 0423-71-2141, nearest station: Nagayama, ±Ê»³, on the Keioo, µþ²¦, and Odakyuu, ¾®ÅÄµÞ lines).
Clothing can be a problem in Japan if you fall outside of the usual sizes that shops stock. Generally this means that inexpensive clothing will not be available to any male over 5'10" (178cm), but you will probably not experience too many problems in the more expensive mens shops. There are obviously similar problems for women with the height cut-off around 5'6" (168cm). Isetan department store in Shinjuku (¿·½É) claims to be able to fit the international customer and also has an assistance office which can help foreigners. It is interesting to note that our tallest Japanese colleagues also complain of a lack of choice in clothing that fits them. In fact it turns out that shoes are one of the biggest problems for most of the foreigners in Japan. Ladies sizes over 24.5cm [4.5 UK][8.5 US][39 F] and gents sizes over 27cm [7.5 UK][9.5 US][42 F] become almost impossible to find. For large sizes there is an oversize shoes store in Shinjuku called Ten. They sell sizes larger than the usual 27 (M) and 25 (F) limits. Also, the Japanese tend to be more flatfooted than some Westerners, so arch support may be hard to find. In general there are very few suggestions for overcoming these problems. Bringing your favorite mail order catalogue with you is not a bad idea, especially if you feel that your budget will be a little tight.
Furniture is something that you will be needing on your arrival here. Several of the international researchers have shipped furniture to Japan, however most have probably bought it here, having sent or carried only the most essential items. There are many places to buy furniture and the range in quality, and consequently price, is huge. Typically, the best is sold in the more expensive department stores, several of which are in the local Kichijooji shopping district. Nice items of Japanese furniture can be bought here, especially if you intend taking it with you when you leave Japan. Perhaps for the more functional items such as chairs, tables, wardrobes, desks etc., the cheaper department stores and local furniture shops should be used. The best of the department stores in this respect is Seiyu which offers a good range of inexpensive to moderately priced goods. Perhaps more fun, and slightly cheaper too, is to visit the small furniture shops to the south of Kichijooji station. Like the department stores these shops will deliver to the locality and may be more flexible on delivery times than the bigger stores. Generally they are out to please and will even order things in from catalogues if they don't have the item in stock. Often they can even get exactly the same items of furniture as the department stores, but at a better price. As far as other household goods such as curtains, futons, crockery etc. are concerned generally the above rules apply. Comparing the prices with those at Seiyu is often enlightening. Some other major stores worth mentioning are: Tantom DIY on Ome kaidoo, Nerima-ku (ÀÄÇß³¹Æ», ÎýÇ϶è), even though it is a little less accessible, which stocks a very wide range of goods, from sports equipment to household items and even tools and raw materials and Rogers (¥í¥Â¥ã¡¼¥¹) in Kichijooji (located in the arcade near Fuji Bank, (Éٻζä¹Ô), which is across the street from the Tookyuu department store, (ÅìµÞ¥Ç¥Ñ¡¼¥È) which has possibly the lowest prices around for electronics, housewares, clothes, non-perishable food items, tools, sporting goods, etc.
Gifts to send or take home can be often be solved in one simple step. Pop in to the Oriental Bazaar in Harajuku (¸¶½É) for a selection of Japanese gifts at a very reasonable price. Be warned however if you want to buy something truely Japanese many of the goods in this store are actually imported from Korea and other neighbouring countries. The area around the Asakusa Kannon Temple is also very good for buying traditional items which are often difficult to find elsewhere.
Electronics goods, next to cars, are probably the Japanese products that you are most aware of prior to coming to Japan. The range is massive and the competition between the companies strong. However prepare to be a little disappointed, the prices are not perhaps as big a bargain as you might expect. Shopping around however, is important to get a good price. The most famous place in Tokyo for electronic goods is Akihabara (½©ÍÕ¸¶) and you can spend many hours in the hundreds of retail outlets weighing up the prices. The best price is never displayed and a salesman always has a calculator in hand to tell you what you will have to pay. This place has to be seen to be believed. Closer to Musashino you can sometimes find better bargains at the likes of Seiyu department store, and similarly the Laox in Kichijooji (µÈ¾Í»û) is not much more expensive than its flagship Akiharbara store. Another one to try is Jonan Denki in Shibuya (½Âë), Mitaka (»°Âë) which many people claim has the lowest prices in town, although much restricted choice. Rogers (¥í¥Â¥ã¡¼¥¹) and Kimuraya (¥¥à¥é¥ä) in Kichijooji are also guaranteed to have good prices. As for cameras (and in fact also a good range of electrical goods too), Yodobashi Kamera at Shinjuku station has the best prices and the widest selection (Note that there are actually three premises belonging to the same store). For cameras, as with electrical goods, ignore the written price and ask the salesman. Refer to the information section for answers to your queries about compatibility of electrical goods.
Finally, closest to home is the Musashino Baiten (ÇäŹ) located in building 2 next to the training room. Most electrical goods can be ordered here with a 10-15% discount and with speedy delivery it is very convenient. The Baiten also provides services such as dry cleaning and tailoring, and sells many other items including a wide variety of snacks.
A point generally worth noting is that second-hand goods are not popular in Japan, and as a consequence there are bargains to be had in small second hand shops but obviously the choice isn't great. For furniture a typical example is found right next to Seiyu department store in Kichijooji and many more exist in the area. These places generally stock some new furniture too. Second hand book stores exist around Ochanomizu in a place called the Kanda Bookstore Area and there are many good prices. Finally, and for me most interesting of all, is the recycle center next to the Musashino Bunka Kaikan (Éð¢Ìîʸ²½²ñ´Ü), which is run by Musashino-shi. This wonderful place displays and sells the rubbish of the community, which in many cases is in alarmingly good condition. It occasionally has some very nice 'antique' goods for sale at prices which appear to have a zero missing. This is also a source of second hand electronics (HiFi etc.) and of bicycles, all of which are repaired by old gentlemen of the local community.
Still on the subject of second-hand, there are many international researchers passing through NTT who, when leaving the country, generally try to sell many of the items they have collected. In fact this doesn't just apply to NTT researchers, typically several 'sayonara sales' are advertised in the various newspapers and journals each week.
Food of the gourmet and international variety is not cheap, but can be found at several specialty stores. In Kichijooji near Musashino, there is a Miuraya in the Sun Road arcade and a Kinokuniya supermarket on Inokashira-Dori (a few blocks toward Mitaka and the Musashino lab from Kichijooji station). The National Azabu store near Hiroo (¹Èø) station on the Hibiya subway line (ÆüÈæëÀþ) also carries a wide variety of international foods.
Even if you will not use a car to commute, you may occasionally want to rent a car so it is a good idea to get an international driver's license. An international driver's license, issued according to the relevant Geneva Convention, is valid one year from the date of issue (or until your existing driver's license expires since it is merely a translation of that document). After that period it has to be renewed in your home country, or exchanged for a Japanese license. You should inquire about obtaining this in your home country before coming to Japan. In America, they can be purchased at AAA offices. The procedure for the latter is described in the Living Manual Corner in the library.
If your test is successful you will have an eye test and your photo will be taken. If you fail the driving test you may take it again the next day. There is no extra charge if you fail. You can take a friend to translate in the car if the instructor does not speak English. Two other points are noteworthy. First, the application period may be short between 8.30am and 9am only. Check before going to the licensing center. Second, the total duration for the whole procedure can be 6 hours or more depending on the number of applicants. Good luck.
There is a book in English on Japanese driving rules and signs. It is called Rules of the Road and is published by the Japan Automobile Federation (supervised by the traffic bureau of the National Police Agency). It is available by mail from:
Japan Automobile Federation
Kantoo District Office
3-5-4 Shiba-kooen
Minato-ku, Tokyo 105
tel. 03-3436-2454
The ordering instructions say to send 2070 yen in postage stamps with
the return address, name, and telephone number of the purchaser along
with the book order. "Postage stamps" may not be the proper English
word for the form of payment so it is best to call first. The book is
also available from certain driving test centers (including the one in
Fuchu near Musashino) for 1860-yen.
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