Will be teaching in Japan in a few months... some questions

[Mr Srippery]

Konnichiwa-minnasan,

I was recently accepted into a teaching program in Japan, and I had a few questions that those of you who have lived in Japan may be able to help me with.

First of all, I am 6'4" and I am being told that it will be impossible to find clothes that fit (even for a 6'4" guy I have long limbs). My teaching contract is for one year, and, with some luck, can be extended to five years. I would like to be in Japan for AT LEAST three years, so, even if I bring suitcase after suitcase of clothing, I will eventually need to buy something to wear.

Now, is it really IMPOSSIBLE to find clothes? Surely there are SOME 6'4" people in Japan.

Next question... I am also an avid weight lifter. Are workout supplements readily available in Japan like they are in the U.S.; protein powders, multi-vitamins, flax/fish oil pills, NO-Supplements, etc...? Also, the gym near where I'll be living is $75 a month for the "weekend plan." What does that mean. I hope it doesn't mean I can only use the gym on the weekends. Anyone heard of a "weekend plan?"

How easy is it to ship things to Japan from the US? I lived in Mexico for a while, and my mother sent me some workout supplies which weighed about 11 lbs, and the shipping was like $60! I could only imagine how much something would cost to ship to Japan. If I can't find any clothes, having them shipped from the U.S. was my back up plan.

Also, what's the "rule" on going out with students? I will be teaching a wide-range of age groups, from children to adults, and according to the teacher whose position I'll be taking, he says that it's not uncommon for students to take you out for a drink or two. Obviously, underage students would be a no-no, and I wouldn't feel awkward if a male student asked me out, but if 20-something year old female student asked me out, I wouldn't know what to say. I of course want to be as professional as possible, so I would probably politely decline the offer, but at the same time I don't want to come off as being rude. Anyone have any details on that? I, of course, am not going to Japan looking to find a girlfriend/wife, or whatever, but I just want to know what to do should the situation arise.

I'll be living in Nagasaki, and I was wondering if anyone could tell me how long of a train ride it is to Toukyou from there. I would like to maybe go there over a weekend or two, but not if I'll spend half the trip traveling.

Also, do I need any kind of power converter to use my electronics, or will the charger for my laptop, or whatever, work over there as-is?

Thanks in advance for any help with these questions. I just recently found out I got the job, so I'm still a bit excited. I'm sure I'll have more later, but these are just ones I'm thinking of at the moment. I'll do some research on my own, too, but I always find that personal experiences are much more beneficial than reading some "how to" or "what to know" article on some website.

Arigatou gozaimasu,

Slip

[Taurus]

Now, is it really IMPOSSIBLE to find clothes? Surely there are SOME 6'4" people in Japan.

There are plenty of 6'4" people in Japan (like, my wife has a group of about 6 friends from university that she stays in touch with and all of the guys are 6'4". I guess it depends on who you hang out with though...). I don't know where they get their clothes from though. And you might find that even if you can find clothes designed for your height, they're not designed for your build. I'm about 5'10" but a lot of the guys clothes over here are too narrow for me. Like, all of my jackets, the sleeves come up between my elbows and wrists because my shoulders are too wide...

Next question... I am also an avid weight lifter. Are workout supplements readily available in Japan like they are in the U.S.; protein powders, multi-vitamins, flax/fish oil pills, NO-Supplements, etc...? Also, the gym near where I'll be living is $75 a month for the "weekend plan." What does that mean. I hope it doesn't mean I can only use the gym on the weekends. Anyone heard of a "weekend plan?"

I don't take supplements myself, but all of the local pharmacies have various protein powders and multi-vitamins. I don't know what the weekend plan means. Where will you be teaching? At a language school, or at a regular school? If the latter, you might be able to use the school gym. That's what I do. (It was a little bit embarrassing when I dropped a barbell on my nose and had to be rescued by my students though...)

Also, what's the "rule" on going out with students?

That will depend on your employer. I guess you'll have to ask them... (Maybe you could ask your predecessor.)

Also, do I need any kind of power converter to use my electronics, or will the charger for my laptop, or whatever, work over there as-is?

Someone else will be able to give you a definitive answer, but as far as I know, US electronics are compatible with the Japanese power supply.

[rjsprague]

You don't need a power converter. I use my laptop as it is just fine, but you will need a 3-prong to 2-prong converter, which you can buy here at an electronics store, but it would be easier to just pack one because they are fairly small and probably cheaper in the US.

You can ship things from the US to Japan, if you have an army friend it will be significantly cheaper, just ask your friend to let you have stuff mailed to him/her and then he/she can mail the package to you. Otherwise you're looking at spending hundreds on shipping if you ship it air, but less if you use surface shipping (it just takes 2-3 months). If you don't mind waiting surface shipping is obviously the way to go. There are lots of shapes and sizes of people in Japan these days. They all seem to find clothes and I bet you can too if you ask people you become friends with, and since you're going to be in Nagasaki there will likely be plenty of places to buy things.

As far as the train ride to Tokyo... Nagasaki is over on Kyuushuu. I've taken the shinkansen a few times and if I remember correctly you're looking at 6-7 hours on the nozomi, and longer if you take the slower ones. But considering the distance that's not so bad. Although I could be way off on that estimate because I only recently traveled from around Kyoto to Tokyo. You should check the Japan Railways website. Or I think yahoo lets you plan train rides etc.