This is a documentary a good friend of mine made this year. It covers many of the day-to-day activities of an ALT in Juniour High/Elementary school in Japan.
He lived way out in the countryside, quite close to where I am now. The scenery alone is worth watching for.
It's a little long (50mins), but it captures a lot of the atmosphere of rural Japan.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Elementary is definitely a different ball game from the (until recently) more common junior high school and high school ALT placements. Today we'll offer some brief opinions on what makes the elementary environment different and share an example lesson format that struggling new ALTs can try out.
The ALT's Dilemma
In many public elementary schools, lessons with the visiting ALT are ALT-centric. The students' homeroom teacher (HRT) is supposed to be in the room with you, but he or she may not be involved at all in the delivery of the lesson after turning the time over to you. This is in contrast to junior high or high school lessons, in which the Japanese teacher brings you along to class and "calls on you for help" or gives you a portion of the 50-minute class period to do an activity with the students. Accordingly, elementary lessons bestow much more responsibility on the ALT and can require more planning than a junior high lesson in which you're not responsible for all the day's content.
The HRT's Dilemma
It may be a relief to know, however, that when you start up your first few elementary lessons as a new ALT, the HRT may be feeling just as petrified of the class as you. English has only recently been phased in as a required subject in fifth and sixth grade in Japan. Elementary HRTs are supposed to be able to teach every subject to their class of students, from basic science to multiplication to kanji. With this phase-in, though, a completely new subject that they never thought they'd have to deal with before is suddenly being thrown in their lap: English. So, you're not the only adult in the classroom who's feeling uncomfortable.
Granted, a confident HRT shouldn't be jizo-ing it in the back of the classroom or dumping everything on the new ALT. They've probably worked with ALTs before and should recognize from their own experience how tough it is to stand in front of a class of 40-odd kids as a fresh college graduate. The best HRTs I worked with were eager to be teaching English and had topics and games in mind that they wanted to cover during class. But not all of my matchups were so lucky.
Entertaining the Kids
That said, elementary lessons don't have to be so difficult. Think of them as a session of stage acting more than as traditional stand-at-the-blackboard teaching. To the kids your arrival is a rarity in schedule; it's not a normal class to them. They're anticipating something fun and different. But "fun and different" doesn't mean "hard and time consuming to plan." You as you are, a teacher visiting Japan from abroad, is exciting and fun. Those are points in your corner already.
A Possible Lesson Plan
First of all, don't forget that we publish lesson plans every Sunday in our Worksheet Sunday series. We have many elementary plans up, with more on the way.
For each of my elementary classes, I usually tried to pick one solid topic per lesson with about ten associated vocabulary words. Some of my most successful topics were Body Parts and Animal Noises. Make flashcards for the ten vocabulary words beforehand or rehearse gestures you're going to perform while saying the word. For body parts, my gesture was as simple as pointing to my head while excitedly saying, "head!" For animal noises, my flashcards were as simple and low-tech as printing out images of the animals from Google on A4-size paper and pasting them to cardboard or construction paper. Try MES English for indispensable flashcards if you don't have time to make your own.
Once you're in the classroom, use a big smile and a loud voice to say your words and get the kids to repeat. Do a few words at a time, then review ones you've already done, and even after you've "learned" all the words go over them again in random order. I added a gimmick to the review time to keep the kids interested, like showing the cards or repeating the gestures over and over, faster and faster, seeing if the kids can keep up. Seeing the picture or mimicking your gesture while saying the word helps the students internalize the strange new foreign sound. Learning and reviewing the words should take ten or fifteen minutes. (For animal noises, by the way, we had to first learn the names of the animals and then the sounds they make. This also meant I kept the number of cards lower, since each card had two associated pieces of information to learn.) It may seem like a long time, and you may get bored; but if the kids are still having fun then you're doing your job.
After you have learned the words, play a game with them. For body parts, Simon Says is a fantastic game. It takes the students a little time to understand the first time through, but after that every class I played it with loved it so much that they didn't want to stop playing. For animal sounds, a game like Fruit Basket is fun. Students are assigned an animal and sit in a circle with one student standing in the middle of the circle. Whoever stands in the middle gives an animal name or its sound, and whenever a student's assigned animal is called, he or she must stand up and run to a different seat in the circle. Whoever is left standing in the center after the chaos is required to give the next animal name or sound. If you keep the pictures posted on the board, students are looking at them and trying to remember the names and sounds of the animals--they're studying.
I usually prepared two games when I planned a lesson like this, but depending on the group of kids they may love the first game enough that they don't want to stop. A warm-up, perhaps unrelated game or activity is nice to have as a backup (I kept a CD of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" for the body parts lesson and later often used it as a warm up in other lessons), and the last five minutes are good for quickly reviewing the cards or gestures you learned at the beginning of the class.
...And That's It!
I hope that these suggestions can be helpful for new JETs and other new ALTs who find themselves with elementary students to take care of and a minimal support structure from their HRTs, who are themselves rather new to the world of teaching English. If you have any comments or solid elementary lesson structures of your own to share, we of course welcome your comments below.
Addendum
*I know some things have changed a bit since I taught my last elementary lessons. And different schools of course have different expectations. Your school may be following Eigo Note and insisting you do a certain page of it each class. If at all possible, get them to tell you what page they'll want to cover next time you visit. A lesson topic isn't something anyone wants to find out just ten minutes before the bell rings. I think most topics in Eigo Note can be used in the basic structure I outlined above. And although Eigo Note suggests its own games, songs, and activities, if you plan a game of your own and bring materials for it, I don't think any rational HRT would balk and prevent you from using it, particularly if it's an HRT about whom your main quip is uninvolvement during class time.
Being an ALT series:
Monday, 26 September 2011
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| This plastic, gormless, empty- headed Gumper symbolises the kind of site AccessJ is not. |
Back then, it was just Steve and I, pooling some knowledge gained through complicated daily-life experiences and sharing them with the internet.
One year on, and we have two or three new writers, have stuck rigidly to our 4(or more)-posts-a-week goal, have brought in almost 300,000 hits and made absolutely no money.
But we're not going to bug you with PayPal donation links. AccessJ is all about giving :D One day we'll be big and successful. Until then, just keep reading our entries and leaving comments.
Cheers!
TeamAJ
PS: We've had a few inquiries about guest posting in the last few months. Although none of them have been successful, if you have something you think would fit the AccessJ style and provide a good read for our viewers, contact us.
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Shoes
Japanese shoe sizes come in two forms, S,M,L,LL or cm.
Womens shoe sizes (cm)
XS - 22.5
S - 23
M - 23.5
L - 24
LL - 24.5
The largest size women's shoe you will usually find is usually 24.5cm or LL (though some places stock 3L or even 4L). That's a UK 6 or US 8.
Men's shoes tend to go up to 28 or 29cm. You'll need to search hard or be lucky to find shoes over 27cm, although they are out there (especially in big foreign brand shops like the Nike store, and outlet centres).
If you have larger feet than this, or yours are an unusual shape (wide or flat) then your best bet may be bringing/having them sent from home. Or ordering online. Jonathan pointed out in the comments the existence of a Japanese online store called Kutsu no Hikari - check it out.
Clothes
The average sized European man should be OK in Japan for clothes. Men over 5ft 11 might struggle with trousers but T-shirts, shorts and jackets should be mostly fine. One of our writers is well over 6ft but has no problem with T-shirts, and has even managed to find a few pairs of sports trousers almost long enough.
The portly gentleman, however, will have problems. Clothes are rarely above size LL (smaller than a Western XL), although there are specialist stores out there (can't comment on style or price).
Clothes for women are a little more tricky due to the different average body shape of Japanese ladies.
Those above a UK 12/14 or US 10/12 will have trouble. And those smaller ladies with ample hips, bums or boobs will also have problems.
Chain stores from the West such as H&M have started popping up, and sell the same catalogue of goods as at home, although they usually only stock a few pieces in larger sizes.
Another good thing to stock up on whilst at home, or to buy online, are bras. Those with boobs larger than a UK D will find it impossible to find bras here. And even those who can fit into Japanese bras may find them uncomfortable, which is another thing we will be looking at soon.
Saturday, 24 September 2011
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| Everyone can play ohajiki |
Greeting Hello, how are you etc.
New words I skipped the warm up this week and concentrated on drilling the new words. First I held up the flashcards and had the students repeat the words after me, then I held up a card and they said the word in English. Boring, but effective. (my flashcards were pictures, but words can also be used). We looked at 14 new words this week, a bit many but that's what the school wanted.
Mystery card I was skeptical about this game at first, but the students actually really liked it. I had a sheet of card bigger than the flashcard. I hid one card behind it and revealed it millimetre by millimetre (the less you show the more fun!). The students raised their hand and guess (in English) which card it was. Simple, and surprisingly fun!
Ohajiki game 1 おはじき (ohajiki) means counter, like those used in board games, but you can use anything. Ask your school as they may already have some, I asked and was given about 2000 plastic flowers to use!
For the game students should have 5 Ohajiki each.
In the students textbook there is a page with pictures corresponding to the flashcards.
The students should place choose 5 pictures and put their ohajiki on them (one ohajiki per picture).
I then called out one of the shops names. If the student has an ohajiki on that picture they remove it.
The first student with no ohajiki on their page is the winner.
It`s kind of like reverse bingo!
Ohajiki game 2 This time students make pairs. Each pair should have one textbook between them, and a set of 5 ohajiki each.
This time, they both start with no ohajiki on the textbook and when you call a word out they both try to put an ohajiki on that square. The first student to place their ohajiki on the page leaves it there. The slower of the pair keeps their ohajiki.
The winner is the first student with no ohajiki in their hand.
Finger twister For the final game, students stay in their pairs, but discard their ohajiki. It is basically the same as game 2 above except they use their fingers to point, not their ohajiki. However, the fastest student leaves their finger on the page. So the next word they have to reach with their remaining fingers. Leaving them in a finger twister type situation!
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Welcome to the second part of our (weekly) comprehensive health insurance guide.
In this section, we will be looking at the fundamentals of the National Health Insurance (kokumin kenko hoken 国民健康保険 or simply "NHI"); specifically eligibility, costs and benefits.
Although it is referred to as "national insurance" the system is actually very much run locally, with the prefectural governments helping out. The national government issues grants to cover cost deficit, although these have been shrinking in recent years.
NHI is separate from Advanced Age Insurance (後期高齢者医療保険 koki koreisha iryo hoken) which is a relatively new, separate system for senior citizens 75 and older (65 and older if disabled) that covers costs 90 percent of medical expenses. This system will likely not effect most of our readers although you will find yourself paying an extra fee to help out your elderly neighbours.
Benefits
NHI covers all essential treatment, surgeries, and dental. However it does not cover check-ups, vaccinations, child birth, abortions, elective procedures (i.e. braces, cosmetic surgery), and extras like private hospital rooms.
Having an insurance provider not cover check-ups may seem odd but keep in mind that Japanese schools and work have extremely extensive yearly (usually free) health checks. In addition, municipalities generally offer extras such as vaccination clinics, special check ups for children, and so on. There are also vouchers available for special health checks and cancer screening for those over 40.
Pregnancy costs are covered in the form of a lump sum reimbursement (shussan ikuji-kin 出産育児金) of around 420,000 yen. This lump sum does not change regardless of the cost incurred by the hospital stay (which can vary by location, doctor, and optional costs) so it is possible to come out of a pregnancy with extra cash or even a net loss. Some hospitals have systems in place where in the money will be sent directly from the NHI provider to the hospital while others demand upfront payments.
Eligibility
Despite being a "compulsory system," there is no automatic enrolment. You should do so yourself at the town hall or ward office (see part 1 of this guide for details).
You are eligible for NHI under the following circumstances:
- You are self employed or the sole proprietor of a business
- You run or work in a business employing 5 people or less
- You work part-time, temp work, and/or dispatch work (less than 3/4ths the amount of time a full time employee would work is considered part time)
- You work in farming, agriculture, or fisheries and are not eligible for agriculture or fishery cooperative insurance
- You work in designated service industries or as an outside contractor
- You are unemployed
- You are a student
NHI extends to children and spouses so long as they do not make over 1,300,000 yen a year and/or have his or her own health insurance policy available through work.
Cost
The exact costs of NHI vary significantly from prefecture to prefecture, and even town to town. The costs are adjusted at the end of every tax year (March) and are based on your previous year's income. For this reason, many who have just arrived in Japan will be shocked to find how cheap their insurance is the first year only to find a massive spike in their NHI tax the following tax year.
Although costs differ, there is a standard formula in use that just about every NHI system uses.
Medical Care Portion + Senior Citizens Support Fee + Long-Term Care Insurance = (Total Cost x Fee Reduction Percentage)
- The medical care portion consists of the following formula (Basic Fee x Number of Insurees) + (Basic Levy for All Members x Fixed Percentage). There is a maximum limit of about 500,000 yen for this portion.
- Basic Fee and Number of Insurees refers to a fixed price, usually in the 30,000 yen or more range set by the city. This is multiplied by the number of immediate family members on your NHI.
- Basic Levy is calculated by taking your previous years' household income minus 330,000 yen.
- Senior Citizen Support Fee is the section that goes toward the aforementioned Advanced Age Insurance and is calculated as (Basic Levy x Number of Insurees) + (Basic Levy x Fixed Percentage). There is a maximum of approximately 130,000 yen for this portion.
- Long Term Care Insurance supports nursing care for the elderly but it is only paid by those 40 to 64 years old and is calculated as (Fixed Fee x Basic Levy for Insurees 40 to 64 years old) + (Basic Levy for Insurees 40 to 64 years old x Fixed Percentage). There is a maximum of approximately 100,000 yen for this section.
There are deductions available for those who are unemployed, below a certain income threshold, have young children, or cannot work. The most common deductions are for low-income earners, students, the recently unemployeed, and the disabled. The Fee Reduction Percentage is generally in the range of 20 to 70 percent. Consult your local town hall for details.
You are liable for payments from the first day of eligibility (i.e. the first day you arrive in Japan) for a maximum of 2 years back payments. So if you fail to sign up after getting your alien registration then you are technically liable for all the back payments up to the day you change your mind and decide to join. Late payments will invalidate your coverage (although not immediately) and many city halls won't allow you to join late if all the back payments are not paid in full.
Finally, don't forget to submit your earning and withholding (gensen choshu shomeisho 源泉徴収証明書) statement during tax time (February-March). Reporting your income or lack thereof is particularly important for students with part time work since they are generally entitled to a hefty discount. Unemployed should similar report a continued lack of income in order to get reduction benefits.
Out-of-Pocket Costs
As we have covered previously, you are responsible for 30 percent of all medical expenses. Children under six only need to pay 20 percent. There is a maximum out-of-pocket expenditure limit (kogaku iryo-hi 高額医療費) of 80,100 yen plus 1 percent of any portion exceeding 267,000 of total medical costs for treatments occurring up to 3 times in a month. For treatments that occur over 4 times a year there is a cap of 83,400 yen. This maximum amounts are higher for those taxed as "high income" and lower for citizens 75 and older and/or those who are exempt from local residence taxes.
Any money paid over the maximum cap is returned in a reimbursement from your city hall.
If you lack the means to pay for your immediate out-of-pocket expenses, many providers will use a temporary loan (kashitsuke seido 貸付制度) or a charge payment system (inin-barai seido 委任払制度) wherein you arrange for the local NHI system to receive the excess payments directly. Consult your medical provider and local town hall to see if there are any such arrangements in place.
More
- Since NHI is administered on a local level, you must register your address at the city hall. Also, if you change or renew your residence status, make sure to report it to the city hall.
- Once you are in, you generally cannot leave the NHI unless you leave the country. In this author's experience, simply telling city hall that you plan to move to another prefecture is generally enough for you to get out of the system although not every city hall is that forgiving. Some prefectures may require proof of having moved or even a copy of plane tickets home before they let you go. It all is on a "case-by-case" basis, it would seem. For all intents and purposes, don't assume that leaving the system will be an easy task short of leaving Japan.
- Finally, if you get a job that provides health insurance under one of the Employee Health Insurance schemes then you need to show your new proof of insurance to city hall before they let your out of the system.
- Since fees are generally paid in installments, you may be entitled to a reimbursement after you quit the local system (i.e. move to a different municipality). For example, if you move prefectures at the end of the month, you will be liable for the whole month's payment in your previous prefecture in addition to any payments in your new location, but you will receive a reimbursement for the days in which you were not covered.
As you can see, the whole NHI system is more than a bit complex. Welcome to Japan. Check back soon for our next section where we will cover the Employee Insurance System.
Other posts in this series
- The Fundamentals [part 1] [part 2]
- National Health Insurance
- Employee Health Insurance
- Optional Insurance
- Do I need Insurance at all?
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
It was first attempted by people living in Inakadate, Northern Aomori, who were looking for a way to revitalise their village and attract tourists to the area. Computers were introduced in 2010 to help farmers with increasingly complex designs over some huge paddies (2,500 sq. metres).
For the first 9 years one simple "View of Mt. Fuji" design was used, but since 2005 the patterns have been getting ridiculously intricate. Using 4 different types of rice, farmers have been able to create (mostly imitate) amazing works of art with every harvest.
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| Different varieties of rice create these giant pictures |
Thanks to the tourist boom resulting from Inakadate's efforts, many other towns have taken up the practice. It's now possible to see this kind of art all over Japan.
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| Fictional Warrior Naeo Kanetsugu and his wife Osen, Yonezawa |
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| The 2003 design, Inakadate |
And here is a Time-lapse video showing the 2009 design in Inakadate from our friends at Pink Tentacle. Unfortuantly this one has a JAL advert design at the bottom. People got angry about this, however, and it 2009 was the only year it happened.
Sunday, 18 September 2011
So, what are potatoes called in supermarkets? What varieties are popular here? And what are the differences between them? Read on to find out!
I imagine this situation to be akin to an ESL learner proudly knowing the word "apple" only to walk into a shop and find labels like "Granny Smith" and "Red Delicious." They both look like apples, but what's the difference between them?
Well, if you pick up something that looks like a potato, your curry dinner will probably turn out all right. But, the two most popular varieties of potatoes sold in Japan have different properties that suits each of them to different dishes. Those varieties are called だんしゃくいも (男爵芋, danshakuimo) and メークイン (meekuin). Abroad, they're known as "Irish Cobbler" and "May Queen," respectively.
By the way, another label you are very likely to encounter in the supermarket is ばれいしょ (bareisho), usually in hiragana, but it also has kanji: 馬鈴薯. This word is not a variety of potato: It's just another word for potato coming from the dialect of Hokkaido. It's kind of like saying "spud" in US English. Because だんしゃく are often the only variety of potato sold at a small shop (under a sign reading ばれいしょ), it's easy to mistake this word as a variety name for those little round guys.
Finally, although we've introduced the two most popular varieties of potatoes here, they aren't the only types sold in Japan. If you're interested in learning more, here's a list of other potato varieties in Japan. The site is in Japanese only, but its data is arranged in handy columns, including characteristics or cooking suggestions for each type on the right.
Saturday, 17 September 2011
Here's a fun activity I came up with today.
- First, play Simon Says, incorporating the "Don't" point. Start with basic gestures and icnrease the difficulty in stages:
- Run, walk, swim, jump, fly
- Touch... simple body parts, desk, textbook, friend etc.
- Pick the flower, tree etc.
- Play tennis, soccer, TV games etc.
- Be happy, hungry etc.
- Then you can move on to part two. Use a soft object/ball and have the kids move their desks to the edge of class and stand in a circle.
- Throw the ball to one kid and shout "Catch the ball" or "Don't catch", until the kids get it.
- After that, start using the vocab from Simon Says...
- Student gestures (or does the opposite gesture) and then throws the ball to someone else.
- In some classes, this can be very slow. If so, elect a good kid (or you) to stand in the middle and be "it", telling other kids what to do and then getting the ball back each time.
- Keep doing that until they're bored.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Read on...
Premium/Tax Payment
There are several options available for paying your health insurance premiums (in the case of EHI) or tax (in the case of NHI). The options are as follows:
- Deducted directly from your monthly salary (EHI only)
- Pay at an institution (convenience store, post office, etc) in a series of 6-10 installments (NHI only)
- Pay via automatic bank transfer (NHI only)
In the coming installments we will discuss the details of how premiums are calculated.
Costs
Although you pay regularly for your insurance, you are in most cases required to bare some additional costs when visiting the doctor. The magic number to remember for most people is 30%, since that represents the portion of the costs you must shoulder yourself for NHI and EHI. There are deductions and discounts available to the elderly, disabled, and for infants which we will cover later.
While 30% may seem like a lot, medical treatment prices in Japan are heavily cost controlled and even at full price, most procedures are only a fraction of the price found in the USA. Amounts are subject to change annually as the doctors union haggles with the government over proper pricing. Doctors and hospitals in Japan charge based on a point system (保険点数 hoken tensu) assigned to each treatment, medication, and procedure. Clinics also add extra points for things like a first time visiting fee (which gets reduced if you continue to see the same doctor) and points for writing prescriptions.
Third Party Damages and Coverage
There are limits to "third party damages" (i.e. stuff caused by the actions of others or circumstances out of your control) when applied to public and private health insurance. For instance, if you are in a traffic accident accident and need medical attention afterwards then you must submit a proof of accident form and/or any settlement papers regarding said accident to your insurance institution. Failure to do so will result in non-payment of your doctor's bill.
The All-Japan Health Insurance Association (全国健康保険協会 zenkoku kenko hoken kyokai) lists the following as grounds for "adjustments" to your benefits:
- Malicious criminal acts and incidents
- Injury resulting from fights, intoxication, and/or "significant misconduct"
- Conditions resulting from failure to follow your doctor's instructions or follow the diagnosis of your health care provider without proper cause
- Receiving or attempting to receive insurance payments via fraud or other improper means (i.e. "borrowing" a friends insurance card for a visit to the clinic)
- Failure to comply with document submission requests and/or inquiries made by the insurer
- When receiving benefits from local or national institutions as prescribed by the Infectious Disease Prevention Act and other related laws.
Well, that about covers the basics of health insurance in Japan. Tune in to our next installment where we'll cover the system in more detail.
Other posts in this series
- The Fundamentals [part 1] [part 2]
- National Health Insurance
- Employee Health Insurance
- Optional Insurance
- Do I need Insurance at all?
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
And so, here is a list of Japanese online radio stations:
The list comes from site tunein.com, which is, unsurprisingly, a radio streaming site.
For the freshest content, go straight to their site here.
You can filter by genre, so if you want talk radio, or just to listen to enka or J-pop, adjust search settings as appropriate.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
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| The 初心者 mark. |
Booking
Of course, all of Japan's major automakers maintain rental branches complete with websites and customer service numbers. But, outside of international airport branches, you may have difficulty communicating your request without Japanese.
I recommend trying ToCoo, an independent web-based service that will accept your reservation request in English and make arrangements with a local Japanese rental agency on your behalf. Their website is easy to navigate and includes up-to-date lists of rental agency locations all over Japan.
(By the way, we aren't affiliated with ToCoo--several of our writers, myself included, are just satisfied customers. Furthermore, in my own experience, ToCoo has always been able to provide me with a better price quote than when I called the same rental agency directly in Japanese.)
What are the downsides of ToCoo? You'll have to put in your request at least 48 hours in advance of your intended pickup date. (In contrast, it's sometimes possible to make same-day reservations when you contact an agency directly.) Also, ToCoo tends to be a stickler about each agency's opening and closing times. If the branch you rent from closes at 17:00, ToCoo will insist that you have the car back by 17:00. However, often when you walk into the branch to pick up your car (even after making a ToCoo reservation saying you'll have the car back by a certain time), it's usually possible to negotiate an evening return time: The branch employees will explain where to park the car and what to do with the key if you come back after hours.
Prices
Prices vary based on the class of car you want to rent, but entry level white-plate cars usually run around 6000 to 8000 per day at ToCoo's site. I've seen kei car prices as low as 3500 for the day during discount campaigns. You can expect rental cars from major agencies to come equipped with top-of-the-line GPS navigation systems, which really helps when you're traversing new territory. It's often also possible to pay a little extra for English GPS.
More
- You'll need to provide a credit card number for insurance purposes. No charge will be made to the card (so long as the car survives) and cards issued outside of Japan are OK. On pickup, you'll need to provide a copy of your driver's license or passport + international driver's permit. Then, simply pay cash for the days you intend to use the car and bring it back on time with a full tank of gas. If you come back late or with a tank you forgot to top up, inform the agency and pay the difference--it's all a very trusting, customer-oriented experience, and feels great compared to the red tape you'll sometimes encounter elsewhere in Japan.
- On the other side of this very trusting arrangement, I hear that rental agencies keep and share customer blacklists. An accident in a rental car for which you refuse to take responsibility, keeping a car longer than agreed without calling to inform the agency, or failure to pay the balance on a car returned late or without a full tank of gas could prevent you from being able to rent a car from any major agency in Japan again.
- By the way, rental car services are available even if you are not a resident of Japan. However, in that case you'll be asked to provide contact information for the hotel, etc. where you are staying. So, even if you're just traveling here, it's not hard to arrange a rental car to let you occasionally escape the train lines and explore Japan's wonderful countryside.
