Life as an ALT in Japan: Two Weeks into My Year-Long Adventure

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This weekend marks the end of my first two weeks living abroad in Japan.

Just typing that out feels surreal, but here I am, having just about overcome the jet lag, and I’m so glad I made the leap.  

Before coming here, I’d never visited Japan before, unlike the majority of my fellow ALTs that I met during training.

As you can probably imagine, landing in a foreign country after 20 hours of travelling, jet-lagged, hungry, and extremely nervous, was a huge shock to my system.

It wasn’t until two days before I got on the plane that I found out where I would be living (and yes, that’s as stressful as it sounds). I had to say a teary farewell to my family with only this ounce of information to go off of, and they probably felt just as scared as I did. 

To summarise my first week, I would use the word hectic.

I don’t necessarily mean that negatively; of course, the language barrier has been a huge hurdle, and I’ve had to rely on the rather questionable Google Translate translations many a time, but diving head first into the deep end has rewarded me with new friends, a beautiful new place to call home, and a sense of adventure. 

I’m based in the Chiba prefecture, about an hour and a half out from Tokyo.

My city is so small I’d hardly call it a city at all, but I already love it. Everywhere I turn, I’m completely immersed in Japanese culture, from the food and language to the architecture and Shrines.

The Sakura is on the brink of blossoming as it’s beginning to get warmer, and it makes a nice change from the rainy England I left behind. 

Although a large majority of my first weeks here have been spent in training, I’ve been able to travel around a bit and get to know the areas closest to me.

Mobara Park:

I visited Mobara Park for the first time last week, and though the Sakura hadn’t fully blossomed yet, the park took my breath away. It felt like my first authentic experience in Japan, walking underneath the lanterns that overlooked the lake.

It was refreshing to be in such a green space with secret stairways leading to viewpoints that overlook the city, the meticulously crafted Torii, and the wildlife of the local area which included some very energetic turtles that like to bob in and out of the water to say “hello”. 

Tokyo:

My visit to Tokyo was a little overwhelming, to say the least.

In hindsight, I should have guessed that visiting on a bustling Saturday would not be a wise idea, but nevertheless, I made my choice and definitely realised my mistake.

We were faced with the infamous Shibuya Scramble Crossing almost immediately after exiting the station; it honestly felt like trying to fight your way through a stampede of angry cattle.

There was no time to stop and take in the incredible towering buildings and bright billboards unless you fancied getting trampled underfoot or being rammed into from every direction.

Besides the chaos, Tokyo offers the perfect tourist experience: plenty of authentic restaurant and cafe options to choose from, shops upon shops upon shops, and vending and Gachapon machines around every corner.

It was difficult to fit everything we wanted to do into one day, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend trying to do the same if you want to retain some of your sanity. 

Chiba:

Our training days were based in the heart of Chiba, where the iconic urban monorail is based.

Outside of the station, the city felt relatively quiet. We didn’t get to explore the area too much, but it was clear that the station is a main transport hub for morning commuters and that you’re likely to encounter a flustered businessperson sprinting from one line to the other to catch the right train.

On the topic of trains, the Japanese train lines confuse me (to say the least).

There are so many platforms and destinations in mixtures of Kanji and English, so I usually let the others take the lead. With a little help from Google Maps, finding out the way can be a bit more bearable, but we have still found ourselves catching the wrong train and ending up in a random rural station, miles away from our intended destination.

I’m sure there will be plenty more similar stories to come later on...

Overall, it has been a blast. Now that I finally have the chance to catch up on some much-needed rest, I’m beginning to (slowly) work out a few simple Japanese phrases and recognise a handful of symbols whilst also getting the act of bowing down. 

I've still got a lot to learn, but I'm really excited to begin my teaching position and grow more in love with this beautiful area.

I can’t wait to make more use of this blog to document my whirlwind of a year living abroad in Japan.

Stay tuned for more chaos!