Since the day I left my home and landed into Japan nothing has ever been the same.
I never really had any goals before I went to Japan – the idea of actually just visiting the Land of the Rising Sun had been a dream. Yet somehow I ended up living, working and becoming a part of the Japanese community when I applied through boobooSKI and found myself in a winter of endless powder.
I went to Japan alone and left with countless new friends from around the world. I couldn’t speak hardly an ‘arigatou gozaimasu,’ yet towards the end of my adventure in Japan I was having conversations and laughing alongside my new found Japanese and bilingual friends.
I never changed or grew as much as I did in my time as part of my working holiday visa.
I think that the challenges of working abroad in a country of such a different culture, language and work ethic have a way of making you grow and discover yourself.
I was actually a very shy person before I went to Japan, avoiding introductions to new faces and awkward conversation making. But travelling alone teaches you be extroverted when you aren’t – to create friends in minutes and unforgettable families in weeks.
At my ski resort I made a family and found a home for the three months I stayed. At the end of the season, the winter melting into spring it broke my heart to leave. Foreign staff and Japanese alike cried in group hugs and shared last snowboards down the mountain faces side by side. We promised to meet again. And we did.
After I finished my ski resort contract I traveled Japan with friends, had house BBQ parties – Japanese style and found new work in the craziness of Tokyo city. I had so much confidence now that finding new work was effortless when once I was a bundle of nerves. I even had a job interview in Japanese once (my friend whispering over my shoulder when I pulled blank expressions to the voice in my ear).
Looking back I can’t even comprehend what I accomplished and how my experiences change my world so much. In a way snowboarding became the physical representation of how I kept advancing; eating snow each morning to work as I slid down the mountain on my backside and not board and then to gliding across rails and crashing jumps that I even the guts to attempt.
I left Japan on my very final day of my working holiday visa with the challenge of returning. I now work hard to save money to go back with hopes of studying in a Japanese university. It is hard being away from a place I grew to call home but I know it is all temporary just for now. I am fortunate to still have the friends the met who I write to daily, talk to and practice Japanese and even met again here in Australia as they took their own working holiday adventures.
Some people discovered themselves while they travel and what they wanted and took their dreams back to their homes. I discovered that my dreams laid beyond my own familiar backyard.
Making the most of your free time while working at your resort is very important because the time will go by quickly. It flies by, especially during the busy periods. You don’t have to be doing something interesting or different every night (you can if you want to though!) but it’s just important to make sure that you try to do as much as you can while in Hakuba, because if you don’t make an effort, you will live to regret it.
One thing you can do is setup a social media group to use with the other foreign staff and your Japanese friends. It’s a good idea for organizing parties, attending events and sightseeing trips as it gives everyone an easy way to discuss what’s happening and the best way to attend. Not everyone will have a cell phone, but everyone has access to Facebook!
Once you’ve found an event/or show which you want to checkout, make sure you ask your boss at work for the day off as soon as possible in order to give them a few weeks to arrange it. Japan has a strong focus on work culture, which can make it hard to get a day off work, but the sooner you give them the date you want off, the more likely you are to get it. If you work hard, your bosses will try to return the favor when they can. Just remember that sometimes, no matter how much you want a certain day off, it might not be possible.
When you aren’t out sightseeing or partying, you can use your free time to do a lot of other fun things. If you are working at one of the ski resorts you can go snowboarding/skiing (day and night), hangout in the common room (playing card games and eating/drinking/talking with friends) or go to a local restaurant, cafe or bar.
I recommend going to the bars that the Japanese staff go to as they’re normally more interesting and fun to hangout at. Also you’re not coming to Japan to hang out with Australians, so try to avoid the Aussie bars if you can!
Resort areas and the facilities around them provide a great place to meet new people and make friends outside of the workplace too. It’ll be here (not at work) where you can kick back, relax, and joke around with your friends – improving your Japanese at the same time.
Hope this information helps and enjoy your stay in Japan!
Dorm life is something that I have always wanted to experience for some reason. The idea always seemed exciting to me, or maybe that was the way American college dorms were portrayed in movies. Like a sort of big party where every night there was something happening.
Surely dorm life working wouldn’t be the same. Not at my soon to be job working in Hakuba, Japan. Japanese are sophisticated and mature and very dedicated to their work. This is what I had told myself.
So I took my flight from Sydney to Narita without a single expectation in my mind – yet at the same time I had stereotype images floating around in my head that I didn’t realise I held.
That first night I lay in my bed tired from a long day of travel and my ears twitched at the sound of music.
“Is that a guitar I hear?” Coming from downstairs it definitely sounded like a guitar being played. Walking out my door I am greeted with shouts and more music. My newly met friend Krista walks past and I question her about the noise,
“Is that normal?” I ask quizzically.
“Pretty much.”
“Wow…”
“Also if you don’t smoke or drink you will be by the end of the season.” She nods her head indicating down the stairs to the racket.
The next night I went down to that common room and I was greeted by a mix of races sitting around a small table smoking and mixing alcoholic beverages with coke from a vending machine. I got a huge welcome, and met everyone – the Japanese workers excitedly speaking English,
“Nice to meet you!” Enthusiastically shaking my hand like westerners would in greeting.
“Hajimemashite,” I laugh at their eagerness.
“Sugoi! Jozu!” Shaking my head I laugh again.
“Jozu ja nai.”
The meeting and greeting went on for the whole of that week but then never really stopped. New staff were always coming and old staff leaving, that at times there seemed to be a new face every day.
But from my first day I some how felt at home. Never a day past I wished I could be anywhere but there. I couldn’t explain why but I guess because the whole dorm just opened up to you and embraced you in two arms from get go.
There were lots of different races living and working at my resort, so that not only did I make Japanese friends but also friends from around the world. Korea, Taiwan, Brazil, Philippines, Hong Kong, Germany and then there were us Australians. Quite a few of us. If you’re worried about there being too many foreigners there though, don’t be. We were all still well out-numbered by the Japanese!
I lost count of how many times I went to Karaoke. Of how many drunk people I had to help up the 30 minute or so hike back to the dorm at minus something degrees at some time past midnight with work the next day.
We went to Japanese pubs and took over the whole establishment. Were on friend terms with the staff there. One foreigner worker managed to get a drink named after him after making the staff create it.
We let off fireworks together at New Years eve and of course we all snowboarded and skied together.
The only time the common room was empty before 8:50pm kick out time was when we were all out at night skiing. After a long day of work every Saturday we were rewarded with the chance to go boarding or skiing. Most of the dorm was out there together, the only time most of us could all hit the slopes as one.
After the mix common room closed the boys and girls would go their separate ways. As dorms are separated for each gender. The good ones who were studying English or Japanese or even German and Thai would go back into their gender’s own common room and continue to study. The Japanese girls loved helping us foreigners out with Japanese as much as they loved us teaching them English. So we had a good exchange programme going.
Some times study was hard though, as we could be busy having a snack party or watching a hilarious Japanese comedy on TV.
Dorm life at a ski resort is one of the best experiences you could ever have – best experience I have had in my life so far. I have made so many friends from around the world and still seeing them now while travelling Japan after work has finished.
You know you had it good when staff were showing tears the last week before we all had to say good bye. You know it was a special time we all shared when even boys cried on that last day. Or even newly come together couples had to part ways.
The staff at the dorm had became my new family away from home.
Just remember:
You don’t actually have to drink or smoke to hang out with everyone. Many of us didn’t smoke and some didn’t drink. Just know that many staff do, and that smoking is especially popular among Japanese staff.
If you feel home sick talk to your friends, talk to them if you have work stress too. They will listen. It is better than keeping it all pent up inside you and keeping you down. In a foreign country sometimes even the small things can seem huge. Talking about them with people has a way of putting them in perspective.
Do not worry if you cannot ski or snowboard. There will be someone there who is willing to help you. You won’t be the only beginner.
Bring games or movies to play in the common room. They can be a great way to make Japanese friends at the beginning of the season when you don’t know many people, and may lack a conversation-starter.
You all get to eat together at breakfast and dinner and it is a great time to see everyone before and after work. Breakfast is awesome but beware of dinner and a whole heap of deep fried everything.
If you are studying Japanese, study casual Japanese too. Don’t focus solely on formal. Everyone was very relaxed with speech and encouraged you not to speak too formally!
You won’t spend much money while you are working but you will be eating out on occasion with your friends. Okonomiyaki is awesome. Hot pot parties too. Also it is always good to have a healthy snack stash to eat with everyone.
Even if you can’t speak Japanese, somehow you can still communicate. It is amazing how much you can understand without understanding words. Don’t be quiet, go start a conversation. You get points for trying!
I hope you are good at remembering names. Being the foreigner it is like everyone knows you, yet you don’t know anyone.
So in the end, dorm life was as exciting as I had hoped it would be. Parties and socialising and study and eating. Maybe it is like American college?
I loved my roommates, my friends and colleagues. Dorm life is one thing in life you must try and I can’t imagine any place better than in a foreign country in the snow.
Thank you everyone for the great memories!
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What is it about Japan that lures; that unique appeal that draws millions of tourists to its shores every year? When I think about Japan, so many wonderful things come to mind. So I thought I’d reflect for a moment and list all the wonderful points in my head, in the hope of luring you here one day too 🙂
The people: certainly the most amazing thing about Japan is its people. While there are certain elements of the Japanese culture which repress individual expression etc., the reasons are also quite beautiful. Preserving / maintaining the “Wa” (which means “harmony”) is of the utmost importance in Japan. For this reason, being loud, and disturbing others around you, is frowned upon. This is why people are always so quiet on trains, so patiently waiting in lines, and so polite whenever you enter their store, accidentally bump them while walking past, or interrupt them to ask them directions.
No matter where, when, or how you deal with Japanese people in your daily life, they will always show you their best side, to ensure you feel comfortable and have a pleasant interaction. And as a result, you are more encouraged / inspired to do the same, to reciprocate the pleasantness, which compounds and permeates through almost all your daily interactions in the country.
The Japanese people are also incredibly generous, considerate, and kind, going out of their way to make you not only feel comfortable, but also to help you with whatever you may need. Especially in the realm of customer service, the Japanese excel unlike any other nationality.
The scenery: Japan is a country of stark contrasts. The traditional: thousand-year-old temples and shrines, built of the finest materials, perched atop magnificent mountains, sitting amongst giant monolith trees (which are considered Gods in the local “Shinto” religion of Japan), or next to bubbling streams; the epitomy of peace; tranquility; harmony.
Then you have the megalopolis cities of the modern; bright neon lights, perfectly-run public transport (don’t bother to run for a train – by the time you get to the platform, the next one will already be pulling in), millions of people crammed into every street, high-rise buildings with restaurants on top overlooking the entire city-scape, subculture upon subculture that you can delve deeper and deeper into the longer you stay… there is something for everyone in the big cities of Japan.
The food: undoubtedly one of the best points about Japan is their unique, healthy, nutritious, delicious, and impeccably presented, food. The pride the Japanese take in whatever they do translates into some of the most unique and taste-bud titillating, mouth-watering delicacies you may ever see. Plus, these days Japan has become incredibly affordable, so even shoestring backpackers can afford to try a wealth of wondrous dishes while you’re here.
The history: Sometimes touching, sometimes painful, always intriguing, Japan’s history leaves nothing to the imagination, and no matter where you go, you will always find some trappings of a world past, but not forgotten; whether it be a tiny shrine in the middle of a busy city street, a Geisha clopping down a cobble-stoned street of Kyoto in her “geta”, or a hundred+ year old tea-house nestled into the edge of a cliff atop a crystal clear stream in the countryside.
The Seasons: Cherry blossoms in Spring, tropical humidity and vivid green jungle-like lushness in Summer, coloured Japanese maple leaves in Autumn, and monkeys bathing in hot springs surrounded by snow in Winter; every season brings with it a unique and astonishing wonder that must be appreciated.
Japan is a country that must be experienced. I can’t even begin to capture the true wonder of the place in a simple post like this, but hopefully I have begun to capture your attention, and hopefully increased your desire to come and explore it for yourself! 🙂
Despite not being the infrastructural miracle that Tokyo is (with its trains departing on the minute… EVERY minute), Hakuba is a place that is surprisingly both easy to navigate and cheap to travel around!
In terms of cost, getting around Hakuba is very cheap. Most resorts provide free shuttle buses to almost everywhere. Whether this is just down the hill so you can get to a convenience store, or all the way to the other side of Hakuba there is usually a bus that departs at least every 2 hours. On top of that the drivers are very kind and you can always negotiate special drop offs and pick-ups with them!
As a quick example, simply because I wanted to go for a quick bite out in Hakuba central I hopped on the bus bound for Hakuba station. When I was hopping off I asked the driver if there was a return bus. Apparently there wasn’t one but he offered to just come and pick me up on the way back of one of his runs if I gave him a time, so I did. Sure enough after I’d finished eating he was right back at the station at the planned time and I got to Hakuba central and back without spending a single yen!
As I just mentioned, there is even a free bus to Hakuba Station. Hakuba station is your hub to the rest of Nagano, which in turn is your hub to the rest of Japan if you feel like going for a big trip! Given that you have these buses, you could easy get to the station, buy a ticket to Nagano-city for around 2000 yen, and see all the sights of the prefectural capital! Please note however that the trains are not as convenient as they are in Tokyo! (if that’s what you are used to!) In some cases they only come every 2 hours and on particular days they don’t come at all, so make sure to do your homework first!
Other places you can visit via bus are of course the other ski resorts! If you’re a keen skier/boarder then you’ll love this shuttle bus system, you can get from Goryuu, to Iimori, to Hakuba 47, to Happo One, and back all from the same bus station right outside the Resort. You can even get as far as Tsugaike from taking the aforementioned Hakuba station bus and then hoping on the Tsugaike shuttle bus! It may not be the same as Tokyo’s train system, but it sure is more relaxed, cheaper, and comes with even friendlier service!
Well aside from taking buses and trains there’s always the alternative… LEGS! Yes, most of us are born with those! Along with being free, walking also provides things that ‘conventional’ transport never can. There are so many places inaccessible by bus or train, so go on an adventure! I spent the greater portion of my first month doing just this and ended up seeing many great things that others missed… despite these things being right under their noses!
I saw temples, found natural hot springs, made new friends, discovered great food joints, and all sorts of other amusing things! Hakuba’s an area that on sight may not look like something that’s jam packed with things to do, but mark my words! Get off the main road and have a look around and you will find something new and interesting. I did and have many a tale and picture to show for it!
One last method of getting around Hakuba is a little less set in stone, but while working in Hakuba you are bound to make many, many friends. These friends may be from work, the slopes, or even the pub but at least one of them is going to have a car. The Japanese people are extremely well known for their generosity and so more often than not your friends will be more than happy to give you rides to places all over Hakuba. (So long as you aren’t asking too much! Be realistic!)
As you can see, Hakuba is actually a really easy place to get around and there a few good methods too! So what are you waiting for? Get out there and find yourself an adventure!
There are many fantastic organisations to volunteer in Japan with. However, there are very few comprehensive resources out there in English to help you find them.
If you want to volunteer in Japan, it is helpful if you understand Japanese, as most organizations don’t have any English staff. However, there are many organizations who welcome non-Japanese speaking volunteers too.
So, we decided to create this map to show you all the opportunities for volunteer work in Japan. We hope you find this useful.
Are we missing any? Please email us if you know of any / want to list your organization on this map.
