Speaking and reading Japanese helps a lot, of course. Although many menus feature the same items, so a little knowledge goes a fairly long way. Take a look at the menu outside. If you can read some of it, you’re set.

Generally, I try to pick places that are fairly small and have a positive vibe. Most izakaya have both tables and a bar counter, so if you look in and see a few people sitting at the counter, that’s a good sign.

Of course, you can expect to be bombarded with the whole Rule of 7 questions before long. Having an electronic dictionary in your bag is probably a good idea.

Just wanted to say that this was really an entertaining reading and it made me happy

One question though – do you go to izakayas alone? I never dare to enter one with no company and I cannot imagine how it would be if I was alone

Cheers,
Simon

Your questions really got me thinking. Like I went out to the park last night and looked up at the sky and thought about your questions. And I thought about life and the universe. But then it was really hot and I got thirsty and so I went to Family Mart and bought a big beer. And then I went back to the park and thought some more.

But where was I? Oh yeah, anyway, so I think the idea of being a backpack journalist is fantastic. My experience with blogging is that, in addition to writing, there’s a lot of marketing and social networking involved. I really don’t devote the time I should to that aspect of it. Also I’m not selling anything, which would be a really good thing to do if you wanted to generate some income. So think about something you can sell. Like one of these days I’ll get around to publishing my book entitled “Holy Crap, The Last Train was When?” and its companion volume, “Ken Seeroi’s Guide to the Most Comfortable Park Benches in Tokyo.”

Aside from the question of income, you also have to somehow deal with the whole visa issue. In order to stay in Japan for a while, you’ll need a visa, which usually means you’ll have to work full-time, at least at first. So even if you could support yourself on your writing, you’d still need to get a job working for somebody else. Otherwise you’ll be limited in how long you can stay.

For income, I do the same thing many other long-term ex-pats do, which is, namely, lots of everything. In addition to writing and photography, I also do translation, consulting, voice recordings, and of course, teaching English. If you’ve got good qualifications, you can usually pick up a heaping variety of short-term contracts. The compensation can be pretty good, but your income will fluctuate from month to month depending on your workload. Having an amazing resume helps tons. So publish some things in your home country, do some photography work there, and acquire any certifications and licenses you can. See you when you get here.

And if they are quail, what are the larger implications? Does this mean my Egg McMuffin could be made with quail? Terrifying.

As for feeling un-Japanese, I kind of know what you mean, but then that situation isn’t hard to imagine here. While they’re often touted as being rigid, Japanese people are also remarkably uninhibited in some situations, and children are no exception. You know what I mean? Sometimes where you’d expect a boundary (or even common sense), there isn’t one. It’s one of the interesting things about living here.