Preparing for Shimane

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Preparing to move to another country can be very stressful and time-consuming. Below is some advice to help you prepare. Also, the JET Programmes Official website provides a great FAQ for JET's about to make the big move to Japan. Please a few minutes to read through it.

Contents 1 What to Bring 2 Omiyage 2.1 Omiyage Suggestions 3 Money Matters 4 Related Links:

What to Bring

When packing, remember that most things can be bought in Japan after you arrive. However, certain products may contain ingredients other than what you are used to and size selections will be different.

With luggage space at a premium, especially for European JETs, consider sending your winter clothes and other low importance items to yourself before coming to Shimane, keeping to lighter summer gear for when you first come over.

Clothes

If you wear medium to large size clothes, bring all your basic clothing with you, sizes are small in Japan. Natural fibers are difficult to find, especially cotton blouses. Most schools in Shimane have a fairly relaxed dress code (neat and tidy, not formal), so don’t bring too many suits. And if you bring skirts, make sure they are long, it is difficult to ride a bike with a skirt!

• Winter clothes/sportswear
• Silk/long underwear for winter
• One formal suit and a couple of formal wear outfits
• Bras - they are heavily padded here
• Swimming gear - Shimane has nice beaches and swimming pools
• Shoes - if you were large shoes (Japan >28, US >M10), you will have difficulty finding shoes in Japan. It’s best to bring shoes that slip on/off as you will be taking off your shoes quite frequently. Here’s a list:

1. Indoor shoes (you will wear these at work)
2. Outdoor shoes (for sports)
3. Shoes you will use during your leisure time
4. Hiking boots (if you plan to hike)

For the big and tall crowd, the following items will be hard to find appropriately sized in Shimane:

• Shoes and socks
• Gloves
• Non-fitted dress shirts
• Neckties
• Jackets

Toiletries

Most of your toiletries can be found in Japan, but here are some suggested items to bring:

• Deodorant - there is no "roll‐on" deodorant in stores
• Sunscreen - the Japanese sunscreen tends to have alcohol as an ingredient
• Prescription medicines with prescription
• Tampons - they are slightly different here
• Contact lens solution - there are western brands available, but some do not contain the enzyme to remove protein. JETs have had problems with contacts becoming foggy, scratchy and small tears forming on the lenses. There is also no "no-rub" solution in Japan.
• Fluoride toothpaste - most Japanese toothpastes don’t contain fluoride and can contain sugar
• Toothbrush - Japanese toothbrushes have smaller heads
• Facial wash/moisturizer - many of the brands here contain "whitening" ingredients
• Hairbrush - if you use a specific type of hairbrush, bring it with you.

Food

Keep in mind that you can order foreign food from various companies online (see Useful Websites)

• Herbal tea (difficult to buy outside of the cities)
• Spices and packet sauces for your favorite dishes
• If you’re partial to grains or particular cereals, consider having them shipped to you
• Recipes (you’ll probably be asked to cook something representative of your country)

Work

• Enlarged photos of your family, friends, pets, neighbors, etc. for self‐intro lessons
• Holiday decorations (Christmas cards, Easter props, Valentine’s and Halloween things)
• A basic English grammar book – this is a useful reference for you when students/teachers ask specifics questions on grammar
• Stickers to give away as prizes – shiny, puffy and smelly stickers are popular with the kids
• English/Japanese dictionary

Electronics

• Laptop - English operating systems work here just fine. Be sure to bring your system disks, in case your computer crashes and you have to reload everything.
• 3‐to‐2 prong converter - most electrical outlets in Japan have TWO prongs, not three (you can buy this easily in Japan)
• Japanese electronic dictionary - these really come in handy, a highly recommended brand is the Canon WordTank. Try to purchase it in Tokyo before coming to Shimane.

Leisure

• International Driver’s License
• Travel guides for Japan and Asia
• A good quality backpack if you intend to travel around Japan or Asia, they are very expensive here
• The addresses/phone numbers of everyone you want to keep in touch with
• Work out tapes (decent gyms are hard to find in some parts of Shimane)

At the Tokyo orientation you will receive a lot of extra material: books, handouts, and general freebies. Please keep this in mind when packing or bring a spare bag to put these handouts and books in!

Omiyage

(a.k.a. Souvenir gifts) Let it be known that in Japanese culture, omiyage giving is customary, but by no means compulsory. Often staff members will bring back a box of something to share in the staff room (usually eatables) if they have taken a trip somewhere (whether leisure or work-related), and omiyage shops are a dime a dozen in Japan. However, often omiyage shops are hard to find in our own countries.

What to give? Who to give it to? When to give it? These are small, yet very stressful questions for JETs coming to Japan. The Shimane JETs both past and present have pooled together a list of omiyage that best represented their home country and went over well in their work places.

As a general rule, your colleagues will be very appreciative of anything you give. Don’t worry about outdoing your predecessor and don’t spend a huge amount of money. These gifts are meant to be tokens of your respect. You should distribute them soon after your arrival in Shimane, but don’t worry if you are unable to, and nobody will mind if you forget for a few days.

You should definitely bring something for your supervisor, and for the head of your school(s) or office, a group gift for your staff room and bring a decent supply of small gifts to pass out if you forget someone. It’s entirely up to you whether or not to bring gifts for your students, but remember there are many of them and if you give a present to one, you have to give them to all. It’s best to reserve small gifts such as postcards, coins or stickers for prizes in class. Some schools won’t allow you to give out candy so check with your predecessor before bringing a large supply with you.

Food is always a safe choice for your office and/or school staff room teachers. It’s easier to share and they enjoy trying new foods. Here are a few pointers on what NOT to bring:

1. It will be very hot when you arrive, so refrain from bringing any foods that will melt.
2. As well, Japanese people do not eat extremely sweet desserts (i.e. candy, cookies, cakes), so if you bring these items, make sure they are on the semi‐sweet side.
3. There is a rumor that the Japanese people love to get beef jerky! They do like it, but it is readily available here in Japan, and they usually only eat it when they are drinking alcohol. You are better to buy other delicacies from your home country.

And here is some advice on what to bring:

1. A box of biscuits (cookies) is great for your office/school. Often offices have a small "omiyage" supply, which staff are free to snack on during the day. You may get a thank you or two throughout the day, after someone has tried your delacacies.
2. Try to bring individually wrapped food if you can. Packets are usually opened up and left on the table for a week or two, and people will prefer to take an individually wrapped item.
3. Tea/coffee is always a good gift for offices, as most offices have a coffee brewer and facilities to make tea. I have found people enjoy trying new types of teas, and it usually lasts longer than food.

Omiyage Suggestions

Nationality	Top Gift Suggestions
Ireland	Postcards, picture books, prints, pottery, Baileys, lace, food books, wooden stuff, posters, tea, tea cosies, whiskey, cheesy plastic replicas of leprechauns. Little pins of the Irish flag a nice big flag as well as some Irish Music (Riverdance always works well).
New Zealand	Anything individually wrapped and featuring a Kiwi (bird or fruit), NZ wine, whiskey, magazines, 'upside down map', photo calendars, Marmite, posters (free from tourist information office), stuffed Kiwi (bird or fruit). NZ comics, Maori storybooks, postcards, etc.
U.S.A.	Food: 'Small candies', wine, dried fruits, tins of Jelly Belly’s that are individually wrapped inside, coffee from local grinders, jam from farmer's market Misc: Baseball, NBA, football stuff, magazines, picture books, postcards, stamps, coins, plastic replicas of the Statue of Liberty/ White House, shot glasses with logos, Bath Shop lotions, soaps, perfume or cosmetic samples.
Australia	Food: Macadamia nut anything, Vegemite, Violet Crumble, Arnotts biscuits, wine, tea, honey, weet-bix, "real" Milo, Misc: Animal motifs, kangaroo stuff, boomerangs, stamps, postcards, coins, little koalas, pewter animals, calendars, Aboriginal art, Aboriginal dreamtime storybooks, magazines, AFL stuff, Rugby stuff, cricket stuff, STICKERS, Australian folk music or traditional Aboriginal music, modern Australian music (pop/indie etc), tourist brochures (free from tourist beureaus), Supermarket brochures (to compare cost of living)(Australia Post shops and discount stores like 'Crazy Clarks' have a lot of suitable omiyage.)
Canada	Food: Maple syrup, maple cookies, maple tea, smoked salmon, tea, candy, Misc: Pins, badges, tea towels, flags, stamps, NBA/NHL stickers and picture cards, major league baseball stuff, coins, stamps and mini replicas of totem poles.
U.K.	Food: Tea, shortbread biscuits, marmalade, English mustard, old‐fashioned boiled sweets Misc: Postcards of London, or your local area, tea towels with British landmarks on them, teaspoons, cheesy plastic replicas of Big Ben., anything in a tartan box or bag, tartan hankies, Lovespoons, old lace, British magazines, comic books, tourist information brochures in Japanese, posters of Britain, stamps, coins, and whiskey.

Money Matters

See also: Banking in Shimane

How much money should I bring to Japan?

Most JETs won’t get paid until the middle of August, and sometimes later. You will need enough money to last until then. For the average person, a safe estimate is: ¥80,000‐¥120,000

This figure assumes you will not be traveling or going on any shopping sprees. If you intend to buy a car, traditional phone line, or lavishly furnish your apartment, you will need to bring more. It is best to bring a mixture of cash and Traveler’s Cheques, because some banks in Shimane have a difficult time cashing them. It is perfectly safe to bring cash. If you run out of money before you are paid, don’t worry, your office, supervisor, or friends will help you out!

Credit Cards

Japan is a 'cash society' and It is not unusual for Japanese people to carry large sums of cash with them. Although credit card payment is still not a popular method for payment in Japan, gradually more stores are beginning to accept them. Even in Shimane, there are a few retailers who accept credit cards.

If you have a credit card or can secure one in your home country, it is advisable to bring it with you. As a foreigner, obtaining a credit card from a Japanese bank can be quite difficult, often needing your supervisor as a guarantor, which they might not be willing to do. Credit cards are always convenient for traveling abroad or for use in the larger cities. A credit card is often needed in order to subscribe to some of the cheap international phone calls and to use mail order services.

Banking in Your Home Country

While you are in Japan, it’s a good idea to have someone trustworthy monitoring your accounts at home. Adding a relative as a co‐signer to your account can give them access to make transactions on your behalf. Alternatively, you can give them a general power of attorney, and they will be able to attend to all of your affairs, as if they were you. Also, most major banks in your home country provide internet banking services. If this is an option you are considering, it is best to subscribe and become familiar with the service before you arrive.

Taxes

With tax systems varying significantly for each country, it is too complex to detail here. The JET Programme General Information Handbook provides a more detailed account. For specific questions or concerns you can try speaking with your JET Program Coordinator at home or contacting your local tax authorities. Once you are in Japan, your fellow JETs can be a valuable source of information, since they have had to file taxes from Japan.

Related Links:

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