15 thoughts on “Email Me”

1. Hi Reannon-

   Thank you for your response. Yes, any info about teaching in Japan would be great. I was also wondering about the hostess clubs (status). I know the economy is not good. I heard that Greengrass is good but there have to be others. Any info or suggestions on that? I heard that it is a good way to supplement teachers income which isn’t too good!

   Brie

2. No, I never worked as a hostess, but I have a friend who did and she made quite a bit of money…but she was Japanese. Do you speak Japanese? You should definitely read Lea Jacobson’s book “Bar Flower”.

   http://www.amazon.com/Bar-Flower-Decadently-Destructive-Nightclub/dp/0312368976

   She was a hostess in Tokyo and she has a blog, which she doesn’t update anymore but she has a lot of info. about hostessing on it.

   http://www.geisha-interrupted.typepad.com/

   Also, you can check out Green-Eyed Geisha’s blog because she’s written about visiting host clubs in the past. She’s a good writer and her posts are funny but informative, too. You can find her blog at:

   http://greeneyedgeisha.blogspot.com/

   One good thing about working in Japan (versus Korea, for instance), is that your working Visa allows you to legally work a second job in other industries other than Education. So as long as you know at least a little Japanese, you can get a job as a bartender or waitress in neighborhoods where there are a lot of tourists or Expats. Check out Metropolis magazine, because they often post ads there.

   http://metropolis.co.jp/

   You can also tutor pretty easily there. It used to be that you could charge 5,000 yen per hour if you had some teaching experience or were just really good at marketing yourself. When I left though in May, I had to slash my rates to 3,000 yen in order to get students. There’s a lot of competition but if you’re female, it’s a lot easier. If you want some more info. on tutoring, just email me and I’d be happy to share some tips and advice on that. I tutored from time to time while I was there and found that it was easy and a great way to make some extra cash.

   Hope this helps! And good luck…

3. @ Anne – Well, it was easier for me because one of my best friends lived in Tokyo so I had somewhere to stay when I got there. That definitely took the edge off.

   But seriously, as you probably know, most schools only hire in person. So you’re kinda limited yourself to only a handful of companies (and most of them are in rural Japan) by only applying from abroad.

   Then again, what makes Japan a better country to work in than Korea, is that you can always get a job and a visa and then quit when you find another (better) job. Your visa is good for up to a year regardless of whether you quit or get fired. Plus you can work multiple jobs, which is always nice.

4. I followed your comment on my blog and, how lucky for me, it led me here. Loving the blog! I’m having a great time reading your old posts. It’s wonderful to find another teacher/traveller/writer/female. How’s the job in Guatemala so far?

   Thanks for posting Japan advice on my blog, btw. I know tons of teachers who go to a country without a pre-arranged contract and luck out, but I’ve never had the balls. My boyfriend and I are applying for positions together and it seems that in Japan, most schools only have one spot opening at a time. Damn economy. The hunt continues. I’m off to read your Japan posts and sigh with envy.

5. Hi Reannon,

   Read your post on http://www.vagabondish.com/female-foreign-japan/ and was amazed. What a true and vivid description! That’s good you had those experiences and felt drastically different culture which taught you, I believe, a lot of new things. And I would like personally thank you for spreading up this information to give some insights to people who still see Japan through pink glasses!

   All your blogs are awesome. I will be your dedicated reader!

6. Hi Anna. Awww…Thanks for reading. Are you in Japan right now?

7. Hi Reannon
   I read your article in Divine Caroline, and it was great! Reminded me of my first travel abroad (well, ended up meeting with my family who lives in Mexico, but I left the US on my own), at age 15. What a thrill! Thank you for reminding me that I was brave way back then, and I made it through that experience unscathed and much the better for it. I have a deep love for Mexico now (need to go back, it’s been 10+ years!!!) I didn’t realize self travel until much later, in my late 30’s when I lived in Florence Italy for a year. Now, I’ve been back in the states for 6 years, and keep pining to work/live abroad again. Trying to find some sort of career with skills that are transferrable. Any suggestions? I love your energy, and your writing style. I’ll be following you!
   Melissa

8. Hey Melissa!

   You should try teaching English abroad! There’s some good money involved and all you need is a bachelor’s degree. Let me know if you need any information.

   I often wonder how differently life would have been had I not taken the plunge into solo travel at a young age. A lot of my friends claim that they could never do what I did (even as adults) but I think that when you’re that young, you don’t really know what you’re getting yourself into, so there’s a lot less fear involved. I think that if I tried it for the first time now, at 29, it’d be a helluva lot harder.

   I’m so grateful to my parents for giving me that opportunity!

9. HI Reannon

   Any news on our article??

   Thanks

10. I really enjoy the way that you write. Nowadays, I’m in Tokyo and I found your blog pretty funny and interesting. Thanks for doing it!

11. Hi!
    I would love to subscribe to your blog via email but don’t see that options available. Is it? If so, help! I did subscribe to your FB page…
    Thanks so much,
    Annie

12. Hello Reannon, love your insights. I’m half Japanese, went to Japanese school in my youth (which helped alot for me to learn Hiragana/Katakana early on). I can handle basic Japanese vocabulary and understanding, though I’m not fluent. Once considered teaching English in Japan, but that never really transpired for me. Its always interesting to see foreigner’s experiences in other lands. I’ve only visited Japan 2x in my life- once as a child, and then as an adult. I could sense visiting as an adult, that being in Japan could increase my language skills, looking at Japanese writing on a daily basis and not being able to understand it was a bit frustrating.
    I also came across your blog about foreigner’s thoughts about American women. Yes, sadly some stereotypes are true. However, IMO the one about American women are rather exaggerated. What I don’t understand is why there are so many comments/websites about American or Western women being so bad, yet a large lack of rebuttal from women about American or Western men…thus you were astute in observing this imbalance and making comment about it.
    Thanks for your diverse body of writing!

13. Hi Reannon!

    I love your posts. They gave me a lot of inspiration to begin my first legitimate travel blog! I’ve had wanderlust for quite some time, and have been living in Prague, Czech Republic for almost two years now. Just wanted to let you know that you’re an inspiration to me, and I hope to inspire others too through my writing.

    Kindest Regards,
    Kasey

14. Hi Reannon,

    We are considering moving to Henderson and I was hoping you might have a recommendation for an apartment complex or two or if there are some areas we should avoid. I didn’t really sound like thatt was an issue.

15. “Hi reannon. I recently planned a trip to Kashmir, India very meticulously but it got cancelled due to political unrest post elections there.i was very depressed but your site has inspired me to take an unplanned trip…so here I am leaving for Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India. Thanks to you.. Unplanned!!! All the best for your future derive!!!!!!

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