Arrival Introduction

There are just over 100 JETs placed in Mie, one of the most relaxed and friendly prefectures in Japan, and you are about to join them!

A welcome message from Mie AJET

Hello and Welcome to Mie-ken the best prefecture in Japan!! Although it has a more relaxed country feel, Mie still has a lot to offer you to make your experience great! Mie is home to beautiful mountains which are famous for hiking (Kumano kodo), beaches to relax on, several theme parks for extra fun and excitement and we are convienently located between nagoya, osaka, kyoto and nara for all of your touristy Japan sightseeing needs! Most importantly however, Mie-Ken serves up a fabulous bunch of people to party and adventure with as well as a great AJET council to facilitate your need to get down in Japan. Whether it be through sports, cultural activities or drunken merry making (or combination of all three) we’re here to help.

Mie AJET is a group of volunteers from within the Mie JET community who meet regularly to organised social, cultural and sporting events. Mie AJET also pay for and run this website. Although many prefecture's AJET organisations charge a membership fee, Mie AJET is completely free to join.

I'm an ALT coming to Mie, but where in Mie will I end up?

There are 2 types of ALTs, Prefectural and Municipal.

Prefectural ALTs are organised by the main office in Tsu and are usually Senior High School ALTs. Many new Prefectural ALTs are at first under the wrong impression they will be based in Tsu, but that is simply where all of your initial correspondence will come from. Prefectural ALTs usually don't get notified of their city or town until late June or even early July.

Municipal ALTs are hired directly by their towns and are usually Junior High School based, with visits to Elementary Schools (though some Prefectural ALTs also do Elementary Schools). You should be notified directly by your town, so you will be aware of where you will be based fairly early on.

If you want to know a little more about Mie, you should check out the Regional Guides, which have been written by local ALTs and are probably your best source of information about your new home.

Tokyo Orientation Conference

New Mie JETs will arrive first in Tokyo for a 3 day orientation (Monday to Wednesday), and then they'll travel with a prefectural representative back to Mie on the Wednesday afternoon where they'll be picked up by a someone from their school or town. Group A usually arrives late July, with Group B arriving one week later.

All new JETs fly into Narita airport on from early Sunday morning to late Sunday night, where you'll be met by current volunteer JETs who will show you to your buses and to where you can forward your heavy luggage on to your prefecture. It's helpful to have a small bag with just the items you'll need for the conference and for the first few days in your new city or town. When we catch the Bullet Train to Mie on Wednesday, you really don't want to be carrying big luggage as the Tokyo trains can be very crowded.

The conference runs from Monday to Wednesday and is considered a business conference, so a suit or equivalent is recommended. There are a number of seminars dealing with the JET program and with life in Japan. Most countries (but not the U.S.) have an Embassy night where your national embassy puts on a free meal and lets you know of things more specific to your country like registering so they can contact you in emergencies and voting and such. There will also be a get-to-know-you bonding night for the Mie Prefecture JETs where we'll have dinner in Tokyo and go out somewhere afterwards.

What's the weather like in Mie?

You'll be arriving in the middle of summer, so it'll be hot! Mie is sometimes described as having a mild Japanese climate, but that can be deceiving! Mie really has 3 different climates.

Firstly there is the Ise Plains that stretch all the way from Kuwana in the north to Ise-Shima in the south. Winters are fairly mild, hovering around zero, with some snow in the north, but rare in the south. Summers are hot and fairly humid.

Then there is the more mountainous regions that include Nabari, Iga and Kameyama. Expect snow in the winter, though the summers aren't quite as hot as those on the Ise Plain.

Lastly we have the Deep South (from Taiki to Kumano) which really is a sub-tropical climate. Summers are hot, though the winter is quite mild compared to the rest of Mie.

What should I bring?

Mie has a number of big, modern shopping centres and Nagoya, Osaka and Kyoto are within an easy day-trip away. You can buy most things here, but in general most people find deoderant and tooth paste in Japan to be fairly sub-standard. If you're shoe size is greater than about 28cm then you may also find it difficult to buy shoes.

Transport

Mie Prefecture is served by 2 train lines, JR and Kintetsu. Trains from Nagoya to Ise run frequently from about 5:30am to about 11:30pm and regular trains run from Matsusaka to Osaka, Nara and Kyoto. South of Ise or west of the Ise Plain, trains can be more infrequent or areas may be served by bus only.

Mie is also serviced by excellent High Speed Ferrys that run from Yokkaichi, Tsu and Matsusaka to Nagoya Centrair International airport (an approx. 40 min. journey).

Earthquakes and Typhoons

10% of all the worlds earthquakes occur in Japan, so chances are you'll feel one while you're here. Every new JET will be issued with instructions in English on what to do in case of an earthquake. In the past 3 years there have only really been 2 reasonable earthquakes in Mie. In April 2007 a mild earthquake caused a small amount of structural damage in Kameyama, and in September 2004 two large earthquakes hit off the coast of Mie that also caused minor structural damage and was felt as far away as Kobe. Not a single house or building suffered any major damage in either event. Generally, though, you will probably feel nothing more than minor tremors during a normal year.

Typhoons start at the end of rainy season in late June and can continue as far as late September. Generally typhoons are nothing like hurricanes or cyclones and tend to be little more than a strong wind/rain storm. As long as you don't go down to the beach or to swollen rivers, there's not much to worry about with them.

Mie Social Scene

Mie AJET organise a number of social events throughout the year. Highlights are the Halloween Party in October and Valentine's Day Ball in February in Matsusaka, as well as the Sayonara party and the Deep South Camping trip in June/July. There are also a number of other events organised on the fly.

JET Support Networks

Moving to a foreign country where you don't know the customs or the language can be incredibly frustrating and sometimes you may need someone to talk to about problems at work or in your day-to-day life. We have several P.As (Prefectural Advisors) available to help you out. Check out the AJET page on this site to see who your P.As are. All will be available to meet at the Mie Orientation later in August.

Learning Japanese

If you don't know any Japanese, don't worry. About half the JETs who arrive in Mie know no Japanese! But, of course, the more you know before you come, the easier it will make things in your day-to-day life in Japan. Check out the Basic Japanese section for some good websites for learning common phrases, simple lessons and reading hiragana and katakana.

Tips for Getting the Best out of your JET Experience

Although every situation is different, here are some basic tips that may help you make the most of your time in Japan.