Japanese
If you don't speak Japanese the last couple of months may be too hectic to start, but you should take the time to learn to read, write and correctly pronounce hiragana and katakana, the two phonetic syllabaries of the language. Everything you learn will be useful.

You can get by without making any effort to master Japanese but at least being able to read phonetically written words is very useful.

Passports, visas, travel
Obviously you need a passport, for many JETs it is their first time to travel overseas. If you already have a passport it is advisable to get a new one. It is prudent to assume you will stay several years. If you want to travel on your way home, many countries will not allow you to enter with less than 3 months remaining on your passport. Renewing a passport in Japan is possible but embassies are more or less bureaucratic. Australian and US Embassies are notoriously inflexible. Plus you will have to carry your old passport, which contains your Japanese visa.

On your acceptance the embassy or consulate will provide you with a Certificate of Eligibility. You take this and your brand new shiny passport to the visa section and have a visa issued and stamped into your passport. Visa arrangements vary between countries but as you are on an official Programme you don't have to worry. However you are still subject to immigration rules and you could be still denied entry.

Once you have arrived in Japan, if you plan to travel outside of Japan you need a re-entry permit to re-enter Japan REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF VISA YOU HAVE. There is no logical reason, getting one is merely a rubber stamp procedure at your local or not-so-local immigration office. But not having it when you return from your holiday is a nightmare. Get a multiple re-entry visa, and allow plenty of time before travelling.

Inoculations and vaccinations
Other than usual childhood vaccinations no special inoculations or vaccinations are required, although you should be cautious about travelling to SE Asian countries. As with everything, it is easier to have them before you leave your country. Many JETs travel to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and The Philippines; you should look into health warnings before you travel.

Buying from your predecessor
It is almost obligatory to buy stuff from your predecessor but don't be pushed around. Everything your predecessor has bought is useful. Fifty or sixty thousand yen may be a lot to a recent graduate but a new futon set will cost around twenty five thousand yen. A very cheap VCR will cost around ten thousand yen. Yes you do want a TV and VCR and an answering telephone and a kotatsu (heated coffee table) and a toaster oven. And cutlery and crockery, pots and pans.

Luggage
Until now JETs have flown first class on premium airlines such as JAL. From 2001 only economy flights are provided. Telling you how wonderful JAL first class was would cause undue jealousy.

The biggest impact of this is the reduced baggage allowance, probably only 20 kilograms. You will be able to check this when you are issued your tickets. As you will check-in as a group booking there is some leeway. The author brought 38kg checked luggage and a two huge oversized pieces of hand luggage even though the limit was 30kg (first class remember). You need to plan this very carefully as flying into Japan has one of the most expensive excess luggage costs. On a more recent flight the author managed to bring 70 kilograms on an economy ticket without paying anything but don't count on it, particularly if the flight is full. You can phone ahead and get a quote.

Some airlines have smoking sections on inbound flights.

You are only allowed one bag at the hotel, anything else is shipped to your destination and should be waiting for you in your new mansion. Pack for this in mind.

What to bring
Most of your luggage should be clothes. Things that you are unsure about should probably be left at home, get someone to send it to you later. You are going to experience huge changes so some things that at least feel like home are good to have. Things like your favourite chilli powder or curry paste, photos of family and friends, will make you feel a whole lot better. My stove top expresso coffee maker saved the author's life.

Toothpaste. Japanese toothpaste does not contain fluoride and the taste is quite different. Many people bring a supply of name brand toothpaste every time they return to Japan. Some mouthwashes do contain fluoride.

Feminine products. Obviously Japan has all the necessary products, but the last thing you want to be doing on your first day is shopping for sanitary napkins.

Contraception. The contraceptive pill has only recently been made legal. It is very rarely used. Women: obtaining it may be difficult and in a small town everyone will know. Men: the object of your desires is not taking the contraceptive pill so you're responsible, I hope.

Anti-perspirant. It may just be a JET Programme myth that Japanese deodorant doesn't work or is expensive. You'll need it when you arrive, promise.

Clothes and Shoes. If you are large (by Japanese standards) then you'll have problems buying clothes and shoes. Large bras, men's shoes larger than 27 cm and women's 24.5 cm can be impossible to get. (27cm is men's 9.5 American, 8.5 British, 44 European; 24.5cm is women's 7.5 US, 6 British and 38 European.) Bras are a different size; you'll go up a couple of cup sizes. A pair of slippers for around the house is a good idea.

At school you'll need a pair of indoor shoes for school. Notwithstanding size problems, cheap and reasonable quality shoes are readily available shoes, bring or buy a plain pair of comfortable sports shoes with soft non marking sole (make sure they at least look absolutely new!). You will be on your feet a lot and the floors are vinyl covered concrete. During winter many people wear rubber boots (outdoors!), which you will discard for your indoor shoes at school. If you are unsure about this wait until you start work, there are guest slippers that will get you by for the first week, except they are small and uncomfortable.

It will be very hot. Short sleeve business shirts look dorky but who cares? You'll get the feel of dress standards from the other teachers, but for men, short sleeve shirts and trousers for summer, and at first a necktie. For winter add a woollen jumper (sweater). You need a dark suit and white shirt for formal occasions. Many JETs can dress too casually, polo shirts and dungarees looking more like a Seattle rock band than a teacher. At some schools everyone wears tracksuits, at others everyone wears suits. Whatever you are wearing, be prepared to sit on the floor, tatami mats are fibrous and easily pull threads on some materials.

Women should dress modestly, think of the 1950's TV sitcoms. Remember Japan is very conservative, especially outside Tokyo and Osaka and schools are especially conservative. Covered shoulders and no cleavage please. Save that little black dress for AJET functions.

Good quality rain gear is necessary both for the rainy season and to keep the wind out during winter. Good quality Gore-tex is available but terribly expensive.

Dry cleaning is readily available but your Flintstones era washing machine is tough on delicate clothes; or anything for that matter. Visiting the local laundromat is a wonderful experience, and that is not being sarcastic, just remember to take your shoes off as you enter. You can do several loads at once and use the driers for towels and other heavy fabrics, it gets expensive but it saves heaps of time and you can afford it.

Pharmaceuticals. Codeine and pseudo-ephedrine are illegal in Japan. That means that most cold medicine from overseas is illegal. Colds and flu seem more common here than elsewhere. Bringing good cold medicine is a risk but probably worth taking, particularly night medication that dries you up and knocks you out, getting a get a good night sleep will aid your recovery. If you are caught claim ignorance. Painkillers that contain codeine are also illegal. The author suffers from migraine and keeps a good supply handy.

Bicycles
If you have a really good bike and you are serious about riding regularly then bring it. There are many excellent areas for touring and mountain biking, Sato Island off the coast of Niigata is a very good example. The typical Japanese bike might look stupid but they are extremely practical, particularly good for shopping and when you are wearing good clothes.

Shipping
You definitely won't need any cold weather clothes until late November a bit earlier in the north. Pack bulky winter gear and ship it to yourself by surface mail or economy airmail. Have it delivered to a work address and someone will take pity on you and drop it around to you at home.

Anything that is new should be made to look old and declare everything as personal belongings second hand. When you arrive at Narita airport remember to declare it as follow on luggage or you may have to pay import duty. The customs officers will probably ask you.

Taking it home
You need to feel comfortable and at home, you earn enough money. But remember everything has to get home again, forced upon your successor, sold for nothing or thrown out.

Leave Behind
Recreational drugs, see above.

Censorship rules are quite strong in Japan. You may have to demonstrate that videos are not pornographic. American Playboy and Penthouse exceed Japanese censorship laws.

Souvenirs (O-Miyage)
This causes the most headaches for JETs. You should bring small gifts for key people. Your predecessor should be able to give a list of people to give gifts to. Junior high school ALTs tend to have at least two schools. Whereas high school ALTs are at only one school. A guide would be each of your principals, each vice principal, your supervisor (who may not be a teacher), and the teachers you work with, and maybe your landlord.

The gifts do not have to be expensive. It is often said the wrapping is the most important part of a gift but you won't be expected to present a work of art, the thought will be appreciated. You may find most recipients are surprised you thought of them. Or at least fake it.

Good suggestions include, small pieces of indigenous art, framed pictures of famous locations (prefect for the principals office), office or desk ornament for the principle, picture books, soft toys (koalas etc), alcohol, souvenir cigarette lighters, paper weights, food, and English books for the teachers. The cigarette lighters go down well, most Japanese men smoke, but not all.

When Japanese travel it is customary to bring back a small gift for all their co-workers. Typically this is a box of individually wrapped cookies, candy, or Japanese style cakes, and these are distributed to everyone. It is a nice touch arriving to work to find a single cookie on your desk, a good conversation starter.

So something suitable for distributing to all the teachers is a nice added touch. (A high school may have 70 teachers.) Visit your local souvenir store and ask what Japanese tourists buy.

Some simple cheap gifts that you can use as presents for the students is a good idea. Australians have it easy with cheap toy koalas.

CIRs probably should put a bit more effort.

You don't have to present your gift on the first meeting, certainly not when you get off the plane. When you do you're supposed to say something that humbles the gift

"tsu-ma-ra-nai mo-no de-su ga"

This literally means "it's a boring thing but �c�h, suggesting it's not good enough but the best you could do. You'll find that usually the gift is not opened in your presence.

Pass it with both hands raising it slightly and bow. To the principal and vice principal a deep bow is appropriate. Don't sweat over bowing, at first it seems awkward but very quickly it will come naturally. One trick, only bow once, otherwise you may enter a bowing war where each of you is trying to get the last bow in.

Money
You will need money when you arrive. Your transport, accommodation and all meals are covered in Tokyo, theoretically you don't need to spend any money at all. Your transport from Tokyo to your new home is also covered. Your fist pay will be mid to late August so you may need up to 4 weeks spending money, in cash. The minimum needed is around 100,000 yen. You shouldn't have to pay rent deposits or buy a lot of things (see buying from your predecessor) but you will need to check on this.

But you will have spare time and maybe the opportunity to travel a bit in August. Plus things you want to buy are best bought early, you'll get more use from them. Plus you'll want to make yourself more comfortable buying a few things for your apartment. The more you bring the better, 200,000 yen is a good figure to budget on.

You shouldn't have to pay key money or deposits. If you are then you'll need to raise this as an issue perhaps at the prefectural level.

Once you have a bank account opened you can transfer money from overseas, however you cannot do this until you have your Certificate of Alien Registration which will take at least three weeks. If you have a VISA card or a debit with the PLUS logo on it you can use some ATMs in Japan but ATMs that can access VISA or PLUS network are very rare, there may be only one in each prefecture.

List of VISA network ATMs

Once you get your first pay you'll be fine.

Electrical Products
Before you read on I suggest you do not bring any electrical products other than laptops, your favourite Walkman, and digital cameras. The weight and customs hassles are not worth it.

Japan uses 100 volts and the same plug as USA. East Japan has uses a 50 Hertz power supply and Western Japan 60 Hertz (or is it the other way around?). Products that rely on the power supply for timing such as many alarm clocks may not work, your alarm clock may run 20% fast.

Check the specifications on the back of your product it may be able to handle 100 volts but a 100 to 120 Volt converter is reasonably cheap.

Electrical products, in fact most products are usually more expensive in Japan, but laptops are very competitive, you can also buy less powerful laptops at lower prices.

Most US electrical products will work correctly however you should consider carefully what you will bring. No point in bringing hair-driers and hot curlers.

Laptops are a good idea however if you want to bring your tower I'd suggest at least leaving the monitor and keyboard at home. If you know what you are doing you can bring just the hard disc or cut a CD with everything you want. Laptops can usually take a very large voltage range and so should be no problem, check the power supply.

It's worth bring your favourite computer games as you can only buy Japanese versions here and most online stores will not export to Japan because of copyright laws, or get them sent to your mum ' she'll forward them to you. Some check the operating system (eg Quake) and refuse to run on Japanese Windows, others check the regional zone which can be changed easily.

The DVDs region code of Japan is 2 which is the same as Europe. The US is 1. Not all players check region codes, but if they do this means American DVDs won't run on a Japanese player and vice versa. Be aware of this if you consider buying DVD or DVD players.

The video format is NSTC, the same as North America but different to the rest of the world. If you have videotapes sent to you, you will not be able to watch them unless they are in NTSC, the cassettes are the same size but the encoding is different. This is also an issue with buying video equipment, TVs, VCRs, video cameras and home computer games such as Nintendo and Play Station. Computer monitors are standard throughout the world.

DVD and video formats

Radios and TV will not work, as the frequencies are different. A former JET brought a very expensive clock radio to Japan; it ran fast and couldn't pick up radio stations. Computer monitors are fine.

GSM Mobile phones will not work in Japan. Although it can be a hassle, It is certainly a good idea to get your own mobile phone in Japan since almost everyone else uses one.

Music
Imported CDs can cost anything from 2000 to 3000 yen. If music is important to you then bring every single CD you own, you will miss them all, or at least carry half and ship the rest. Remove the CDs from their containers and put them into slim soft plastic covers.

Extra Passport Photos
You'll need these for your alien registration card and similar documents. These can be taken from photo booths, but bring them if you can, it's always good practice to carry some when you travel.

International Drivers Licence
Getting a Japanese licence is straightforward but a real hassle. See this site for more information.

Bring an International Drivers Licence and your home licence.

Sports Gear
Will you really use it? Contact your predecessor about access to sports facilities. Tennis, squash, basketball, soccer and baseball are all played everywhere.