I've recently been looking into alternative work in Japan?

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I have a relative that did JET, and a friend who married a woman during his JET gig, and numerous friends who also did JET. Been to Japan numerous times visiting them.

At the time my friends did their gigs, JET like that you didn't have a huge command of Japanese. One, it keeps you under their thumb, and two you are in the country to teach ENGLISH. Hard for kids to pimp if you can't speak their native language well. lol...So don't pipe up how terrific your Japanese is, find out first if JET might hold that against you. (it's been 5 years since my last friend came back, but it wouldn't hurt to find out from people in the program)

Anyway, on the surface, many Aspies on the board think, "Japan is cool! They don't yak and carry on like NTs in the West". Let me tell you, for Fior (diagnosed Aspie) his visits to Japans are nightmares because he can NOT read body language or figure out proper social cues. Like washing your hands after using the restroom. Now, people in the States are pigs (wink!), and maybe someone might comment long after the fact you by passed the sink the one odd time, in Japan it matters. Big time. My friend didn't use the washroom sink once, and somehow it got passed through the school gossip loop that he NEVER washed his hands. This end when the principal pulled him aside and quietly dressed him down wonder what his issue was. Some Aspies are beyond tidy. Big plus in Japan.

Also being "weird" isn't a plus, especially if you are an Aspie who stims or has an additional psychiatric problem. I came into Kansai with enough Bipolar and asthma medications to supply the the small town I was staying at. Fior (husband) had nothing. Guess who almost got the body cavity search in the back room? Fior was pale, disorientated after the long flight and had a serious case of caffeine withdrawal. I'm sitting on the floor at Kansai, watching customs officers drag him off. As dro1d guy points out, these home boys don't play. PERIOD. The officers thought Fior was smuggling cigarettes/tobacco into the country. (WTF?) I had over 120 Xanax tabs, and not a boo. The officers didn't even look at my documentation. We also got harassed by the police when Fior melt down in a public street in Tokyo. We luckily dodge the psych hospital due to my friend's decent Japanese.

Below deals with getting psychiatric care in Japan. American style care is nil, and most likely (if you need crisis intervention), you'll get stablized and shipped the hell home.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_t ... rcumstance
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7119.html
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-p ... sions.html

Worth taking a look-see.

The good part about Japan, is you will alway be the outsider, no matter how long you live there. (ask any Korean living there). So as an Aspie, you don't have to try. It won't really matter. Expectations you read/write Japanese with any fluency are a shrug "because you aren't Japanese." I don't necessarily understand this, but the average Japanese person believes you have to be Japanese to really learn the language. (told to me by more than just a few people).

So if you are looking for an adventure and single. Why the hell not. Just make sure any overt issues (stimming/out bursts) are really under control.

Ah, sorry... didn't see that small (but important) detail from your earlier post. Oh well, I'm sure others will find this thread in the future, and they might benefit from it

I did two years on the JET program and it was a good experience. If you've never lived overseas or applied for a work visa, JET is a good starting point because they pretty much hold your hand once you're accepted. The application process also runs on a pretty strict schedule, so check with your nearest Japanese consulate on when you can apply.

I've also worked in South Korea and Cambodia. My only caution to anyone considering Korea would be to do your research before accepting a position at Korean private schools. Some schools, especially kindergartens, play pretty loosely with labor and immigration laws.

My sister actually went to Japan in the JETS program, lol.

I see the first post said this, and this is all I really had to say. I followed her over there when I was around 16 for a month, interesting country - not going back. Too noisy.