Conflict

I’m going to move to Tokyo at the end of March, but my parents and even my grandparents are opposed to it. They say the company seems shady and I am not smart enough to understand programming. I know it takes time to acquire the skills in programming and the industry is getting more competitive. But I want to try to work in the industry to catch up on the latest trends of technology and to get a decent salary. I am planning to take another job interview within a few days. By the way, the classes at the elementary school will be cancelled starting from next Tuesday. The teachers have to go to school but I have a lot of time to think about what to do for the next school year. I hope the virus won’t have a big influence on my job hunting as well.

Backup Plan

I got accepted by a company in Tokyo and I am planning to move to the capital city at the end of March. But my parents strongly oppose my plan saying “the company seems skeptical” and “you are not smart enough to understand programming.” They don’t know anything about the company and programming, but they send me texts to make me quit the plan. I don’t have any other options in mind besides going to Tokyo. I think it’s impossible to persuade them for me to work for the company, so I’m looking for another IT company in Tokyo. I hope to start my new life this April without being worried about the relationships within my family.

Optimist

Articles on newspapers are mostly about the virus these days. I am sick of reading such articles because I see that the number of the patients increases every day. I think about something fun besides the horrifying news. This school year ends in a month and a new fiscal year starts from April. I will not be continuing my current job anymore, so my new life will start shortly. I got accepted by a company in Tokyo but I am still worried about if it’s a good option to go to the company. In any case, I will try to make the best decision as of the moment for the exciting next fiscal year.

Opposition

I passed the interviews at a company in Tokyo and I am going to move to Tokyo this March to work for the company as a programmer. For a couple of months, I will be studying programming at the company being paid and, after that, I will be starting to work for a company as a contractor doing programming. However, my parents strongly oppose my plan of going to Tokyo. They say that you should stay in the current prefecture and they say that I’m not smart enough to understand programming. I don’t have any other reasonable options besides being a programmer. I will prepare for my relocation despite their strong opposition.

Pixar

I watched movies with DVD, “Up” and ”Ratatouille”, in the morning yesterday. Both of them were made by Disney and Pixar. One of my American friends recommended me to watch them and I rented DVDs last Friday. Both of them had heart-warming stories. Both movies depicted the importance of friendship and people who are self-centered reached to bad endings. The animations themselves were really beautiful and I felt like watching live-action movies. I haven’t watched movies that many so far, but my American friends kindly recommended me many movies. I want to watch them and learn new worlds of movies and English expressions. 

Turning Point

Every time I hang out with my American friends, I come to think that I want to live abroad. I want to immerse myself in a different culture. In Canada for example. Although I will move to Tokyo next month to start a new job, it is just a passing point. My goal is to live in an English speaking country and to improve my English skills more. Finally, I will go back to teaching English to elementary school students. Programming jobs are very competitive and the skill is needed around the world. I will pursue my dreams in life by overcoming hardships.

My Idol

I attended a party last night which was held for celebrating the leader of our tennis group. He turned to be 70 years old, so we gathered to say thank you for his activities so far. He plays tennis well and other than that he knows anything about anything. Therefore, I like to talk with them. I want to be an adult like him who is smart. I'll keep in touch with him and try to be more friendly and knowledgeable.

Weekend Plan

Since next Monday is a public holiday, a compensatory holiday of the Emperor’s birthday. I’m going back to my hometown today to meet my American friends. They work as English teachers in the JET Program. They speak Japanese very well and they have more Japanese friends than I do. Honestly, I like to hang out with non-Japanese people because I feel more excited while talking with them. We are going to a restaurant for lunch today. Tomorrow, they are going to have presentations about the differences between Japanese and American cultures at a public hall. I will go to the place and listen to their speeches. We are planning to hang out after the presentation. I hope to have a fun time with them.

Dental Clinic

I go to a dental clinic once a month to have a dental hygienist clean my teeth. It costs less than 1,000 yen each time. I like to see my beautiful teeth after being cleaned up by them. Since I move to Tokyo next month, I need to find a new dental clinic there. The current clinic provides very good services. They clean my teeth very quickly and they give me a tooth brush which has pointy bristles. Previously, it hurt to be cleaned at another clinic but it doesn’t hurt at all at the current clinic. I want to live without any decayed teeth.

Flight Cancellation

I was planning to visit South Korea in March to meet my friend. I already bought a boarding pass for round trip and booked rooms for two nights, but I decided to cancel the trip because of corona virus. It is scary to visit the country which is close to China. Also, I cannot enjoy the visit from the bottom of my heart because of the fear of the virus. I’m not sure when the disease outbreak will end, but I want to meet my friend after being declared that you don’t need to be worried about it. I hope to meet my friend as soon as possible.

Priorities

There is one month to go until the end of this school semester. I hope there won’t be any big troubles at school. I will prepare even in details for the lessons to avoid mistakes and to make the 45 minutes meaningful for the students. Besides work, I need to prepare for the new job starting April. I am planning to move to Tokyo with only a suitcase and a shoulder bag. I will throw away my belongings which I don’t use to fit all my stuff in the two things. This long weekend will be an important days-off to prepare for relocation.

The Virus

The influence of corona virus is spreading around Japan as well. Employees in Tokyo will start to work at home not at their office to prevent them from being infected. Since I live in a country side in Japan, the disease hasn’t been a serious problem so far. But, I will be moving to Tokyo this March, so it is a bit scary to put myself in the crowded capital city. I will try to get the latest information about the virus, wear mask, keep my hands clean, and gargle frequently. By doing so, I want to start my new life in a good shape.

Travel in Kochi

My American friend and I went to Kochi Prefecture over the weekend to visit. We stayed at his friend's house. His friend and his wife were also American, so I am the only Japanese person in the group. He kindly took us many places in Kochi such as a crave, beaches, a castle, restaurants, and a shopping arcade. His house was at a very country side, but we enjoyed walking and seeing beautiful nature from the hill. I learned that you can find something fun regardless the place where you are. I really appreciate their help. It was a very meaningful weekend.

Performance

My American friend and I joined an event held at a community center in Kagawa Prefecture last Saturday. We performed Soran-Bushi, a famous dance performance originated from Hokkaido. There were about twenty audiences in the room. I didn’t get nervous at all. He and I really enjoyed performing the dance. After that, we ate free udon at a facility next to the performance room. I was a good experience that we perform it together. I learned that it is important to try to do new things to update myself. I don’t have to be perfect. Doing it is more important.

Time Management

I like to be with the elementary school students, but I don’t think I want to be a full-time teacher. This is because we have to do many tasks besides preparing and conducting lessons such as making plans for school activities and talking with the parents most especially students who need counselling. Therefore, I will quit my current job this March and start to work as a software engineer at a company in Tokyo. After having an extensive training and experience with this company I aim to be a freelance engineer in the future. As a freelance engineer, I can manage more time for myself. In doing so, I can allot time to work as a part time lecturer at a school.

The Only Option

I was waiting for a reply from a university I applied for. There was a job opening of English teaching job at the school. Sadly, I failed the first screening process. That means the only option I have for the next fiscal year is to work for a company in Tokyo as a software engineer. I have already passed the interviews of the company so I will be working there starting April. Both of my parents are against my career change but I think becoming an engineer in Tokyo is the most reasonable option in terms of the income and stability. I hope this school year will end without any big troubles.

Match Making Party

I attended a match making party yesterday. I had applied for the event before I passed the job interview for a company in Tokyo. I applied for it not to find a partner seriously but to learn how such parties are held. There were ten male and female participants and most of the female were older than me. We baked bread from the dough and ate them together. It was a good experience that I was able to learn what a match making party was like. Probably, I will not join such a party anymore in Kagawa. I will focus on my programming job and hope to find a partner whom I can be myself with.

Looking Back

I have started to work for the current school since April last year. Honestly, I didn't want to work there last May and July because I didn't have anything fun at school. But now I like to study English with the kids. Also, I like to play outside with them. Recently, I'm practicing riding a mono cycle. Although it's exciting to be with the students, working one year in the school is enough for me. Gradually, I have less things to learn something new. Therefore, I'll quit the job this March and start to work for a company in Tokyo starting April. I want to enjoy the rest of the days with the student.

Concert

I went to see a concert yesterday. It was held at a large public hall and the artists were all professional pianists and violinists. I don’t know much about orchestra but I was amazed by their performances. The first pianist performed for 45 minutes without seeing musical scores. I couldn’t imagine how long she spent on practicing the tunes. She had won an award at an international concert before. It was a good experience that I was able to see first-class players. I learned that I need to spend time on studying programming and studying English more to become a professional in these fields.

Rent in Tokyo

I was looking for a room to live in Tokyo starting this April. Fortunately, I passed the interview with the president of an IT company last Thursday. The company is at Nakameguro, which is close to Shibuya. The rent of the apartment around the district is pretty expensive same as the rent of share houses and Airbnbs. The company cooperates with an real estate agency, so I’ll ask if they have any reasonable places. The company owns a programming school and its employees can study programming until midnight every day. If possible, I want to live within walking distance from the school and stay there as long as I can. I will ask my friends who live in Tokyo how to find a good place.

Two Options

I had a job interview two days ago and fortunately I passed the interview. I will be able to work as a programmer in Tokyo starting April. However, there is a concern about my job change. A few weeks ago, I applied for an English teaching job at Kagawa University. I thought I failed the document screening process because the university didn’t inform me anything. I called the school yesterday to check my result. A person in the office told me that they are going to send me the result next week. That means that I may pass the first screening step. If so, I will move on to the next interview. Honestly, working at a university is my dream job. Working as a programmer is only for money. If I pass all the processes to become a lecturer at the university, I want to try the job. Therefore, I am waiting for the result from the university. If I fail the first step, I will definitely grab the programming job.

Rice Burger

McDonald’s in Japan launched new products called “rice burgers.” Buns are replaced by rice and a patty is sanded between the round-shaped rice. These burgers are available after 5 pm, as part of the night menu. There are three kinds of rice burgers and I bought all of them. The taste of the burgers were okay, but I will not buy them again. It's because I didn’t feel any excitement while eating them. They were not disgusting, but they were also not that attractive or interesting for me. I think regular hamburgers and cheese burgers taste better than the rice burgers. I will observe if the rice burgers will remain in the menu, or if they will be phased out by McDonald's.

Job Interview Through Skype

I am going to have an interview with the president of an IT company in Tokyo through Skype this evening. Fortunately, I passed the first interview and the next one will be the last one. If I pass the interview, I’ll be hired as a programmer in Tokyo. The interview will be thirty minutes long. The president will ask me the reason why I chose the company and the career path I imagine. The human resources staff member already kindly designated some websites to read before the interview which explains about the business of the company and about the president. I hope to pass the interview and get the job starting April.

Job Interview

I had a job interview through Skype last night. I applied for an IT company in Tokyo. First, I talked with the human resources staff member for about thirty minutes. Secondly, she asked me some things referring to my resume. Then, she explained their company using PowerPoint presentation. Fortunately, right after the interview, I received an e-mail from her telling me that I passed the first step. That means that I’ll move on to the next step, which is the final one to be hired. I am going to be interviewed by President of the company. I want to secure my future by getting the programming job starting from April.

Living at Two Locations

When I think about a good relationship, not being too close is very important to keep a positive relationship. Honestly, I don’t live in the same house all the time even with my love ones. Although I don’t have a girlfriend now, I’ll take some distance with my future partner to enjoy each life by ourselves. My ideal lifestyle is to work in Tokyo for three or four days in a week and go back to my partner’s place for the rest of the week. When it comes to programming jobs, there are more job openings in Tokyo and the salaries are better than the ones in rural areas. If I can live at two locations at the same time, I can make money and keep a good relationship with my partner by making time not to be with her. I hope to make this lifestyle within two years.

Tuition Fees

It is possible to get a Ph. D while working for a company because you can study online. I am planning to enroll a graduate school again to take the degree on education. The tuition fees for doctoral course in Japanese public school are reasonable. For example, the doctoral course’s tuition fee of University Tokyo is about 500,000 yen per year. Private schools and universities in the U.S. cost much more than the amount. My plan is as follows; I will study programming hard aiming for becoming a freelancer which enables me to earn enough to enroll in a Ph. D course. Next, I will work as a freelancer and study at a university as a Ph. D course student. If possible, while working or studying, I want to find a good partner. I hope to make this plan come true.

Inazo Nitobe

Inazo Nitobe is an educator and an author of the book “Bushido”, which talks about the soul of Japan in English. I read his biography yesterday. My first impression of him was he was very diligent and a devout Christian. He studied several subjects such as agriculture, statistics and economics at universities in America and Germany to obtain a Ph. D. He married an American who was from a well-known, rich family lineage, the Elkintons. After returning to Japan, he taught at Hokkaido University and also established his own school for kids where the students can learn for free. I haven’t thought about religions seriously so far but I've come to believe certain religions can be helpful to have a good foundation for forming one's character. I will read more books especially on religions to know more ideas about life.

Outbreak in China

The Philippine president declared that people who will come from Wuhan will be refused to enter the country as a precaution to stop the expansion of the corona virus. Japanese Government made Japanese people in Wuhan return to Japan to protect them. However, five people who came from the Chinese city turned out to be infected with the virus. There are already about twenty people in Japan who have the virus. As of now, there are still no critical treatments that have been invented to cure the virus. I will try to be updated with the latest information and try to prepare not to be infected by the virus.