Why I Came To Japan
And how, I suppose
I'll never forget the first time I played Kingdom Hearts. I was about 8 years old, nursing a broken right arm during a family cruise that included a stop at Disney World in Florida. While many details of the trip have faded, those initial moments with Kingdom Hearts remain etched in my memory. Little did I know that this experience would spark my growing appetite for Japanese games, leading me to titles like Final Fantasy 10, The World Ends With You, and Persona 4. Around this time, I began dipping my toes into anime, watching late-night episodes of Naruto or Dragon Ball Z. Even waking up early on Saturdays for poorly English-dubbed shows like One Piece, and Sonic. Japan, in my mind, became a magical realm of adventures, unique culture, and, of course, video games and anime. Back then, the idea of visiting Japan felt like reaching for another world, something beyond my grasp.
Fast forward about 10 years. I had achieved what I always wanted – becoming a game designer. I was working for a game studio on a real, playable game. Yet, like many aspects of adult life, the reality didn't quite match the dream. Game design, in practice, often meant staring at spreadsheets, crunching numbers, and fixing Excel formulas – not the exciting gameplay I had envisioned. It was around the spring of 2021, and as the pandemic's end became visible in Canada, I couldn't shake a growing restlessness. At 24, amid a global pandemic, was a job I only sometimes liked really enough? I felt it was time to broaden my horizons, to see more of the world before it ends, or before I do – whichever comes first. Japan was the first, and only, real place I had in mind.
With this decided, it was time to talk logistics. Traveling to Japan isn't cheap, so how could I make it work? Like countless young adults before me, I looked to teaching English. To teach in Japan, I would need a bachelor's degree, which meant going back to school. Knowing that a full four-year degree would be a slog for me, I remembered my one-year program at Vancouver Film School after high school. Fortunately, they had a system to transfer those credits to another university for a bachelor's degree. The catch: the only available school for this program was the University of the Fraser Valley, an hour's drive away. Nevertheless, with my parents' support and car sharing plan, I became a student once again.
I’ll spare you the student life story, consider it a teaser for another post. During the fall of my second year, it was time to apply for the JET Programme. I’d love to say I thoroughly researched my options, weighed pros and cons, and delved into Reddit stories, but I didn't. JET was the first thing that came up on Google, and that was good enough for me. The application process stretched throughout autumn – collecting documents, reaching out to teachers for reference letters, and writing an essay on why I wanted to go. It felt like pulling teeth, but the promise of fulfilling my goals kept me going. Making it through the first application stage meant gearing up for a nerve-wracking interview in January.
The interview turned out to be a three-person panel, with me as the last candidate after a lengthy session with the previous interviewee. I wish I could provide more insights into the interview itself, but the moment I walked in, it felt like I blacked out. With no clear idea of how I performed, all I could do was wait.
After months of anxious waiting, I received the news – I was on the waitlist. Not a yes, but not a no either. An indefinite maybe. There was no timeframe for a potential offer, just a looming uncertainty that they could call me to uproot my life at any time before the year's end. If I declined whatever offer came my way, I'd be ineligible for the JET programme for several years. Hopelessly lost, I started exploring other programs and potential interim jobs. I stumbled upon Interac, applied, and found their process smoother and more transparent.
Within a few months, I had an answer – Interac was sending me to Japan! Exciting news, but the departure still felt distant. I managed to secure an old summer job, and things were slowly falling back into place. The plan for moving out and the job I'd have after the summer remained uncertain, but who has everything figured out?
As I drove home one day, I noticed missed calls from an unknown number. Typically, I don't answer unknown calls, but when my mom called shortly after, I knew something was up. JET had called, offering to pluck me from the waitlist and asking if I wanted to leave behind everything I knew in just two months. Oh, and I had about three days to decide. Initially convinced I wouldn't take the offer, my certainty wavered as I discussed it with almost everyone in my life. I had no job lined up, no leads on a place to live, and I would have to say goodbye sooner or later. After much deliberation, I decided to take the offer. I wanted an adventure, and I could have it in just two months. It was time to take a leap of faith.
