STUDENT INTERVIEW: Oded Shimoni (AIJP)

Oded Shimoni

Oded Shimoni entered AIJP in April this year.

Jon: Oded, I'd like to interview you for this weeks Newsletter.
Oded: Of course, no problem.

J: How is everything going so far? Have you settled in okay?
O: Everything's going great and I've settled in fine.

J: I know you were staying in Tokyo for some time before you came to Yamasa but how does Okazaki compare with Tokyo?
O: I think Okazaki is a typical Japanese city. It has everything you need and is cheaper to live in than the big cities like Osaka or Tokyo. If you're looking for concerts, night clubs, department stores, etc, then Nagoya is only a 600 Yen train ride away. And you can always go to Tokyo by Shinkansen - if you have the money!

J: Whilst you were in Tokyo you were studying Japanese. What did you find were the main differences between where you studied and Yamasa?
O: My previous school and Yamasa are very different. I was studying Japanese in an office in a huge skyscraper, where the course has less teaching hours and I had to take the train every day which I didn't enjoy very much. I'm amazed at the variety of students at Yamasa coming from so many different countries. At the school in Tokyo most of the student were Chinese, but this wasn't a problem. Yamasa provides accommodation for you and Jon, you take care of business.
J: Thank you.......Now how is the accommodation you are staying in?
O: Good. A little expensive for me, but Residence U is much bigger than the apartment I lived in Tokyo. The garbage rules are annoying though. It tends to pile because of the days you have to put the trash out. In Tokyo you could put the trash out any day you wanted.

J: How's the course and the teachers?
O: I don't think I did very well on the placement test before the course began because I was put in a class that was too easy for me. But after a few days I moved up and the level is fine now. The teachers seem to really like what they do and they're very strict about students not speaking any other language other than Japanese!

J: The big question - why are you studying Japanese?
O: That's a difficult one. I came to Japan a couple of years ago for the first time and I travelled for 6 months on 2 tourist visas. I met a girl whilst I was travelling and after 8 months out of the country I decided to come back and study the language further.
J: Where did you travel to in Japan?
O: The center of Kyushu and all of Shikoku, Takamatsu, Kochi etc.
J: Did you make it up to Hokkaido?
O: No. Last October I went to Honshu, but I haven't been to Hokkaido yet.

J: What part of Japan did you like the best?
O: I lived in Tokyo for 6 months and that was great. The south part of Shikoku is really beautiful with all the beaches. I didn't think I'd miss Tokyo as much as I do though.

J: What do you do when you're not studying?
O: I work in a department store called Jusco at a jewellery shop which is actually managed by someone also from Israel. We have some lovely jewellery, you should come to the store on the 1st Floor at Jusco and have a look sometime!
J: I'll try.........Anything else, apart from working and studying?
O: I meet my girlfriend at the weekend - she lives a long way away - I watch movies and cook sometimes, but it doesn't always come out as it's supposed to.
J: What kind of things do you cook?

The 'Lunch Club'

O: Chicken, stew, all sorts of things. Many times I fail so I end up eating instant noodles or ham and bread. I make sandwiches every day and there is what we call a 'lunch club' at Yamasa. The 'lunch club' is a highly respected organization that discusses important issues like the meaning of life during the lunch break!
J: Right......and is this 'lunch club' an official organization?
O: No, it's underground.
J: And how many people take part?
O: On a regular basis very few.
J: Do you mean 2 or 3 people or just yourself!?
O: Not just me! 3, 4 or 5 people.

J: Do you have any interesting stories or observations about Japan that you would like to share?
O: I've noticed that Japan by daylight, and Japan by night are two completely different worlds. The same people will totally change and places too will have a different feel, a different atmosphere.
J: Is this something you noticed just in Tokyo or Okazaki as well?
O: I don't know Okazaki very well, so I haven't been out here very much at night. I went to Higashi Okazaki once and ended up going to a Philippino hostess bar. I wasn't looking for a hostess bar, I was looking for another bar called Izakaya Janai but I couldn't find it. As I wandering around a lady came up to me and said that there was all you can drink for one hour for 4,000 Yen at a bar she worked in. It sounded like a good deal so I went to the bar which I realised after I got in was a hostess bar. I didn't talk to any of the hostesses and just sat at the bar drinking. I got my moneys worth!

J: Good and bad things about Yamasa?
O: Yamasa is probably not the cheapest school in Japan but you get what you pay for with the facilites, the accommodation, the computer labs etc. I remember calling you at 6:30pm on a Friday evening for train times to Nagoya and you gave them to me straight away. I don't think you could get that kind of service anywhere else.
J: Future plans?
O: I don't know. There are many opportunities here if I can improve my Japanese and pass Level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. I haven't decided what exactly I will do yet.

J: And finally do you have any advice or message for our readers?
O: Don't buy a new bike straight away; buy a second-hand bike from a student or a used bike store as it will be much cheaper. Also many department stores have futons which may not be as good quality as the one Yamasa provides but are sometimes cheaper.
J: Thank you very much Oded.
O: One more thing...........long live the 'Lunch Club'!