Hello, friends of the rising sun!
A lot has happened since my last post. New decisions, paths, friends, challenges, and beautiful experiences!
But let's start where the last entry left off.
I decided to go for the second round of applications at Hotel Hakunso (白雲荘), and this interview went amazingly well. Less than two weeks later, I had the acceptance in my pocket and could start to take care of my visa.
But what kind of visa do you need to work in a ryokan?
That was the big question that needed to be solved.
After a few hours of Google and many websites later, the word "Special Skill Visa" (特定技能ビザ) kept showing up for me, which allows you to not only work at the front desk but also serve food in the restaurant, prepare the rooms, or sell souvenirs.
However, to obtain this visa, one must have a Japanese level of at least JLPT N4 and pass a so-called "Hospitality Skills Assessment Test" (宿泊業技能測定試験).
There are two options for the first certificate. Either pass the JLPT at the desired level or participate in the JFT-Basic (Japanese Basic Test) and pass with as good a score as possible.
Since the JLPT in December would have been a bit late, and I had already registered for the much higher level N2, I only had the JFT-Basic left. I passed this with 97% and thus had the certificate for sure.
Now I only had to pass the hurdle of the accommodation test. The problem was that the test was only offered four times a year, and I had missed the last chance to register for 2022 by two weeks. For 2023, the first date was fortunately scheduled for January 26, which gave me enough time to prepare.
But let's not run too far into the future with the narratives. In terms of time, we are still at the beginning of November 2022, and so we still have the so-called 7-5-3 festival (Shichi-Go-San) to celebrate the health of the children who have reached these certain ages. I had the honor to celebrate this with my host family and, of course, in kimono. So here are a few small impressions.
I think our dynamics can be read out nicely from the pictures ;-)
Maybe I mentioned it in one of my posts before; I prepared since October for a Kimono Contest, which took place in January this year. I visited a kimono circle with my host mom (in the picture of the whole family behind me) every two weeks in the community house—a well-mixed group of kimono-interested people led by a strict yet loving teacher. I will present the contest in more detail in another post and then link it HERE.
In addition, I attended alone every week one time, kimono course at another kimono school, which is near my then place of work, Nihonbashi. And that's how my weeks in November and December turned out with weekday Japanese school, weekend work at the tourist information office in Nihonbashi, and here and there, the cultural lessons consisting of kimono lessons and tea ceremony lessons.
So November went by, and suddenly December was around the corner with the JLPT. This time it was not 19 points that were missing to pass, but only four! Very annoying, but it can't be helped. This year in December, I will start the third JLPT N2 attempt and pass for sure. I already notice how my new job helps me not only to speak and hear Japanese very well but also to read and write it. I am very grateful that I am involved in all processes here and can learn intensively.
But let's stay with December. Because with the end of the year, my school time is also ending. I was more than surprised by how quickly a year and three months passed. Half a year of night classes from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m., Monday to Friday, for six months. Then I change to Japan, living with my host family and finally being back home here in Japan. So many have happened in my nine months back in my home country. In nine months, I felt more and more that I had finally arrived where I belonged with each passing day.
The next post will be about my time after graduation, and I will go into more detail about the challenge of the visa, as well as take you to a part of Japan that I have taken to my heart since my first visit in 2015.
Have a good time, and I look forward to the next post.
Your Tanja