Jackson Boyle

December 08 2006 

-Where were you born?
I was born in Bangor, County Down, a seaside town about 12 miles outside Belfast (Northern Ireland).

-In which country and city are you living now?
Right now, I'm living in Fuji City, Japan with my wife (of 2 weeks!)

-How long have you been living in Japan?
I've been in Japan for nearly 5 years now; I've been living in Fuji with the spectacular Mrs. Boyle for nearly 3 years now.

-What is your age?
28

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Japan?
Just after I left university. All my friends had moved away from my hometown, I was living with my family and bored to tears. (Sorry Mum!) There were also no jobs going that I could see myself doing.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
Not at all. The company I work with sorted that. And my medical insurance.

-How do you make your living there? Do you have any type of income generated?
I got my job before I came out here, a nice cushy package working for one of the many private English schools. I saw the advert in The Times.

-Do you speak Japanese and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
I think it’s very important to speak the language to fully appreciate another culture, and also to show you're willing to make a life within that culture. Sadly, I don't study as much as I should! Respecting customs is important, although there's a bit of leeway given in most circumstances - most people will let you off for eating in public, but never ever, ever stick your chopsticks into your rice. Or pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks. Or eat food that's been touched by someone else's chopsticks. Even my wife gets mad at me for breaking any one of those.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Yes, I miss my family. I think it’s hard on them too, not being able to see me. I also miss Smithwicks, browsing in bookshops, and decent nightclubs. I don't miss the demented sea wind that roams my hometown, picking off the elderly and those without warm jackets.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
Maybe I'll get around to writing a book that gets published! Apart from that, Mrs. Boyle and I just want to get a house, and a dog. (She may also want a pony for Christmas, I'll have to check on that.) I'd love to have my own bar/cafe one day, so I'm going all out on the study front.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We're renting, and the price is pretty good in this area - a 2-bedroom apartment, with living room and dining kitchen combo sets us back about 70,000 yen a month. The station's only a 10-minute walk away, and there are shops close by too.

-What is the cost of living in Japan?
Fairly cheap - I just went back home with my wife, and she was shocked at how pricey going out for dinner is in the UK. Although, on the flip side, fresh produce is definitely cheaper in the UK, even if you shop at the local markets in Japan.

-What do you think about the Japanese?
Wonderfully welcoming, on the whole, although it can be frustrating when people try to please so hard that they let you think their English is better than your Japanese and you have a weird moment where each of you is trying to speak in the other's language. And both of you are crap at it.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Japan?
Positive aspects: low crime - I always feel safe. The public transport is stupendous, I learn new things everyday, and I can see Mount Fuji from my spare room window.

Negative aspects: feeling like I don't belong on those low days, weird rules that must be obeyed just because they're rules, and my own personal pet hate - the supermarkets. They're insane. The Japanese have yet to grasp the '5 items or less' checkout concept, and they also have a whole 'respect the customer' thing going when you go through the register, which doubles the time the process takes in most other countries.

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Japan?
It’s nowhere near as weird as those TV clips you see on the Internet would have you believe.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Japan?
Well, I have to plug the site I maintain with Crushmonkey & Rae - sushimatic.com.

I'm a big fan of Pingmag a Tokyo-based design mag.

The Mainichi Wai-Wai section is your one-stop shop for tabloid sensationalism.

And a couple of blogs I read fairly often: No Sword & Japundit.