Frequently Asked Questions

This is the Mie Guidebook FAQ.

As it is an ever-expanding word in progress, please edit in your own questions. In the cases where questions can be answered by information from other pages, such as regional questions or questions about lesson planning, please feel free to link to those pages within the FAQ.

Incoming JETs

What's Mie like, in general?

Being composed of many, older provinces, each area of Mie has a distinct character, but the character of Mie in general is very average for a Japanese prefecture. Mie is neither as urban as Tokyo or Osaka, nor is it as rural as the prefectures of Honshu's north coast or some of the prefectures of Kyushu and Shikoku. In population rankings and area, it falls in the middle of the list. The economy is not dominated by the service industry, manufacturing, or agriculture. The accents of Mie are not as strong as those found in nothern Honshu or southern Kyushu, but are still noticably different from Standard Japanese.

However, even as this is said, exceptions exist: deep south Mie is easily as rural as Tottori, but from Nagoya to Ise runs an almost continual band of urban development; Yokkaichi, Tsu, the general Chubu area, and the deep south are economically dominated by manufacturing, service, agriculture, and fishing, respectively; and elderly citizens and those of rural areas can have at times almost indecipherable accents, whereas their more urbane, city counterparts speak everyday Standard Japanese in their public dealings.

Mie is an all-but-forgettable place to most Japanese, and you will often find yourself saying that you leave "near Osaka" or "near Nagoya" when talking to people about your new home. However, it provides an unrivaled opportunity to see into everyday, normal Japanese life, and how truly unquotidian and strange this life can be.

Also - see Mie Prefecture for more info.

When do I find out my exact placement?

The wait to receive your placement is a hassle and source of anxiety for JETs each and every year. Unfortunately, the government bodies in place are run by a tight bureaucracy with a number of rules that come between you and the knowledge of your placement.

Municipal JETs

If your initial placement, as received from the JET Program via your embassy or consulate, indicates "Mie Prefecture" as well as a specific city or town name, your are a municipal JET. This means you will be teaching at either junior high schools or elementary schools - or that you're a CIR. As each municipality is governed by different rules, the time frame for receiving placements can't be set in stone. Some will receive their exact placements right away, others won't hear for months. In general, though, municipal JETs receive their exact placements more quickly than prefectural JETs.

Prefectural JETs

If your initial placement, as received from the JET Program via your embassy or consulate, indicates "Mie Prefecture" and nothing else - ie. no city or town - you are a prefectural JET.

This has two implications, generally:

• You will be working in a high school. Though there are maybe four or five exceptions, most high schools in Mie are in or close to population centers, meaning that you will most likely not be placed too far out in the countryside and you'll be in an area with decent services.
• You will not find out your exact placement, what school you're in, or what city you're living in for a long while, potentially not until the first week of July. Have no expectations of hearing your placement before then. In some cases, people may hear a month or so before then, but there is a rule at the Mie Board of Education, which manages all the high schools, that ALTs notifications don't officially go out until early July. The wait sucks, and isn't fun, but there is still a lot of preparations you can make before knowing your exact town.

What can I do before finding out my exact placement?

Almost all placements will require the same preparations as any other, as basic things in Mie such as weather don't change that much. Unless you are coming with a significant other or spouse, you can take care of almost all your preparations without knowing your exact location or school.

International Driving Permit

One thing to be aware of is that some people will need a car and that some won't. Whether or not you will use a car on a daily basis, or even own one, an IDP is good thing to have as it allows you to rent cars for travel. Also, if you do need a car, you may not find out your placement until it's too late to apply for the IDP so start this process sooner rather than later. You should set out to procure your IDP, at latest, in late June or early July.

What's the weather like?

Summers are hot and disgustingly humid, and winters are cold but not freezing: the temperature generally stays above zero degrees and thus there is no snow. However, schools and houses are thiny-insulated, winds can be very strong, and windows are always single-pane, so temperatures inside can be very chilly during the coldest months. Additionally, there is not as much climate-control indoors as you may be accustomed to, and it can feel awfully cold or terribly warm, even in your home or school.

That said, spring and autumn are very beautiful and temperate, with often little rain and many days of consecutive sun. These months are very popular times for in-country travelling.

Should I bring my winter coat?

If at all possible, have your winter clothes sent to you and don't waste space in your suitcase with bulky things like winter coats. However, winter clothing will be a necessity for three to five months of the year. Offices are not always heated, and schools rarely are heated, so layered winter clothing can be a boon for moving to differently-heated spaces.

Do I need to bring an umbrella? I heard there's a rainy season

Absolutely not. You can buy them everywhere. Additionally, inexpensive rain gear can be bought in a variety of sizes, but the caveat for the long-of-limb still applies here.

Life in Mie

What kind of cell phone should I get?

See Phones

In general, the 3 major phone providers (SoftBank, DoCoMo, and AU) all offer nearly identical services and prices. SoftBank, for one reason or another, is the crowd favorite among most JETs and English-speaking ex-pats in general.

Be aware that you will likely need a gaijin card to apply for a cell phone. Incoming JETs will fill out forms to receive their gaijin card soon after arrival, but may not receive it for up to a month.

How do I send money?

See Bank Transfer

Many financial transactions made in Japan are done by bank transfer, or furikomi (振り込み). Though Amazon and other large online merchants favour convenience store ticket machines for their payments, ordering from smaller companies will often involve a money transfer to that company's bank account.

How do I get my mail re-delivered?

See Mail Redelivery

How do I get a Japanese driver's license?

See Getting a Driver's License

How do I renew my license?

See Renewing a Driver's License

Where can I get the schedule for my local movie theater?

See Movie Theaters

How do I type in Japanese?

For Windows XP, see this blog entry