Top 20 List: Things to do before leaving Japan

Of course, Air Canada has a launched 50%-off seat sale for round-trip flights to parts of Asia. I totally miss traveling, but it's not the right time for me to peace out. I do remember the days I used to pay upwards of $2,000CAD to make my round-trip journey from Japan back to Canada.

I reckon most newly minted JETs are getting ready to jet off to Japan! I met some of them earlier this month. They seem bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, which is the kind of positive energy a successful ALT needs to possess. It was very natsukashii... I wasn't able to volunteer at the orientation sessions, but I did go to the bar. We fielded the standard questions: "Is anti-perspirant and toothpaste available in Japan? What should I wear to work? What are the students like?" I absolutely remember being in their shoes - they're in for a life-changing experience, for sure!

I have a lot of fond memories from my time in Japan. Indeed, I'm still updating this blog with old thoughts! But I also made some faux-pas, namely in the fiscal world. I'm still tackling my Japanese resident taxes, which is pretty unfortunate. I won't rant about it online, but it has led to quite a pickle.

If you like lists, here are some tips as you prep for your departure:

1. Assorted bills. Get your finances sorted before you leave. I thought I was squared away, but I've been having problems with my Japanese resident taxes. Ask 2+ people at your Contracting Organization to confirm your payment plan. Most everything else was pretty easy to cancel, and I simply had to visit a conbini to make final payments.

2. Kuro Neko sells sturdy cardboard boxes and delivers them right to your door. I lined them with bubble wrap and plastic bags to protect my belongings. I also used copious amounts of clear tape to protect the outside of the box. You can also ask for empty boxes from work. Free-99! But I had to do lots of reinforcing and measuring.

3. Eat at your favourite places, because Japanese food (well, in my city) is less-than-stellar and overpriced. A couple months prior to my departure, I created a hangout called "Tasty Tuesdays." I invited my neighbouring ALT friends to join me at one of my favourite local eating spots every Tuesday night. I enjoyed tucking into that one last chicken tonkatsu from Jintei's in Koriyama; the greasy but cheap food from Marumatsu; the master's recommended okonomiyaki in Motomiya; and that last burger at MOS Burger. I paid my first-ever visit to a cute soba place during my last days in Fuku; I couldn't believe I discovered that gem too late.

4. Buy last-minute omiyage for yourself. Don't forget your friends and family! Treat yo' self, 2012.

5. If you've got the money, treat yourself to one last trip with a couple friends around Asia (or wherever you please) before you head back to your final destination in August. You deserve it. And it's a nice way to end your JET career. I had a lovely time visiting Taiwan with my two of my fave Fuku girls. I also spent a few days in Tokyo, meeting up with my fave Tokyo peeps and even one crazy Aussie kid.

6. Leave a few -man in your Japanese bank account, and have a trustworthy person hold onto your bank card. If some surprise bills turn up after your despedida, they can access your funds and pay it off easily. Ask them to wire your leftover yen with your pension refund's tax in the future. (I closed my bank account, because I thought that was the norm. Apparently, most other JETs were encouraged to leave theirs open. Whoops).

7. Pack up/clean your apartment early. I started sending stuff back home in early June - I'd ask the Japan Post delivery person to pick up at least one parcel almost every week leading up to my departure. But I still had to pull an overnighter to pack up my apartment towards the end. Bad news bears!

8. Assume that you won't have a moment of free time during your last week in your town. Colleagues and townspeople will want to throw soubetsukais (good-bye parties) for you every night. I remember taking the daiko (special taxi service with two drivers, so one can drive your car home after those drunken nights) every night one week; the drivers gave me a slight discount when they realized I was leaving forever.

9. Take the time to write thank you notes for meaningful colleagues, friends and students. I had a small JHS, so I wrote personal postcards to every kid. (Only a few of them keep in touch with me via e-mail, but it's nice that those ones still think of me a year later!) Before leaving Fuku, I even texted some of my students who had already moved onto high school; they still made an effort to pay me a visit. Tear, I know! I had a delightful chat with my old speech contest kiddo at Starbucks. I had some of my favourite girls visit me after school at 2chu. And three of the boys even met me at the local train station to bid me adieu! So sweet. That's what I miss about being a teacher - making really cool connections with your kids.

Don't feel pressured to write cards for every teacher in your staff room. I did. What a time-consuming idea - poor form. I handed out postcards (with a generic farewell message typed out in Japanese, but I made an effort to write their names) and even included in my e-mail address; my base school, my two visit schools and my BOE all received thank you notes from me. But in reality I only keep in touch with 2-3 former colleagues via Facebook and e-mail. Quantity over quality rhymes true in this case!

10. Recycle shops are a godsend. I got rid of many clothes, a gigantic Pooh bear, two drawers, a kotatsu table and much more. They only gave me a few yen here and there, but it was better than letting the items collect dust. (I also donated tons of stuff to neighbouring ALTs. Ben raved about the long laundry stick I left behind for him - it spans the entire room, making indoor hang-drying pretty easy.

11. Relish your last hangouts with friends. I totally miss the tight-knit community in Fukushima. We all worked at least 8-4, but we were especially genki for hangouts on the weekend. It wasn't a big deal to travel a couple of hours to visit friends in another city. And it was easy enough to invite yourself over to crash at someone's place; it was fantastic having slumber parties even as twentysomethings. Someone always had a futon available!

12. If you're planning on doing some travel post-JET, ask a friend to kindly post your large suitcases to the airport on your behalf. (Narita doesn't usually hang onto bags for more than a couple days during the summer peak season).

13. Remember all of the cheesy stuff you learned from Leavers' Conference. It'll help you face reverse culture shock.

14. Take lots of photos before you leave!

15. Start arranging hangouts with your friends and family before you go back home. I'll admit that I was really thrown for a loop when I got back to Canada (still am, at times!)

16. When you produce an itemized list of your boxes at Customs in your home country, don't be surprised if the officer laughs at your taste in music or books. "Miss, do you really have a piano book for Lady Gaga?" Yes, yes I do. And I indeed wrote it on my list of things packed away, because I was afraid customs would later open my precious boxes and take stuff. (Someone's Fuji walking stick and folding chair was delivered to my house. I guess we both came from Japan, so they just lumped our stuff together.)

17. Make a copy of your gaijin card. It's a nice keepsake before you surrender it to the immigration officers in Japan. I also needed it for my application for some TEPCO compensation.

18. Check if your money wiring service has any maximum caps.

19. Exchange snail mail info! Most of my Japanese students can't be bothered to e-mail me. But it's nice finding a cute card or purikura in my mail!

20. Bask in the last few weeks of your placement. The JET Programme is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!