How to watch DVD’s in Japan

 

Technorati Tags: DVDs in Japan,Region 2,Japan,Japan DVD,How to watch DVD's in Japan,American DVD's Japan,British DVD's Japan,region free DVD player,Divx player,SD card,USB

Ok so when you get to Japan you probably want to keep watching those DVD’s you’ve collected in your home country. If you’re British like me you’re in for some luck, Britain is on the same region as Japan, region 2. America unfortunately is on region 1.

But the bad news for the British is Japan use NTSC not PAL so it doesn’t matter if your DVD is region 2 or not unless you have the right connections etc.

Luckily I have a simple solution for everybody.

First I recommend you buy a region free DVD player in Japan (or you can bring your own from home). The easiest way to do this for me was to try Amazon jp. You will have to use it in Japanese, I managed to figure it out with the use of google translate and common sense and within three days I had the DVD player for 5,000Y

google translate

Region free Divx dvd player AMAZON JP

I also recommend a DVD player with Divx. If you go to amazon jp and search the word 'Divx’ you will be able to see DVD players with this feature (Divx is a brand name so no translation is needed)

The DVD player I use

Now you will able to play all your DVD’s from home and ones from your native country too.

If the player has Divx you can also download films from the internet and play them on your DVD player. Usually this is done by putting the Divx file (usually an .avi) onto a USB stick or a SD card (as used by many cameras). I suggest you pick up the biggest SD card you can afford in your home country but they are wide spread here in Japan and you wont have any trouble getting one.

Now you have your region free Divx player and an SD card now just connect the SD card to your computer (card readers are also widespread if you need one) and copy your film to it. Plug your SD card into your DVD player and watch.

Divx is a very popular file format for films that gives very good quality for a very small file. Films could be over 1GB so make sure you get a big card but most are about 700mb. I don’t know where you should get these films from, people tell me pirate bay has a full range of latest films, TV shows and other media but I’m not sure about how legal it is, so that one is up to you.

Pirate bay

I hope this helps anyone planning to come over to Japan in the future. If anyone has any other questions please comment and I’ll answer as fully as I can.

Also if anyone wants to know about setting anything else up in Japan please let me know.

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****some advice for people before you leave for Japan*****

Instead of taking your DVD’s to Japan why not just convert them all to Divx and keep them on your computer or external hard drive.

DVD to Divx

Maybe you can find that program on pirate bay, I don’t know.

Aomori Aeon Roster

Now I have been working for Aeon for about 9 months I feel I have got to know my colleagues, not just professionally but also socially. I’d like to share with you the people who have helped me getting set up in Japan.

Mifuyu – Head Teacher

When I was ill, this is the person who helped me in the hospital by sorting everything out. She has helped me so much and supported me, I almost think of her as my Japanese mother! I don’t just go to her for support at work but she also helps me with personal problems. I have gone to her for advice about Yuuri and even how to look stylish.At work she has also helped me and supported me. She has helped me where I have struggled with lessons and coached me through foreign procedures.

Mifuyu invited me to her wedding not long after I started AEON which you can see on my other blog or by clicking here

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Megumi (pictured here with Kenji) – Kids head teacher

Megumi has the best English out of all the Japanese staff at Aeon. This makes her a joy to work with! With Megumi you know exactly what is happening. She has helped me a lot where I need some complex translations and recently made the reservation for me for my Christmas meal.

I can always rely on Megumi to give me advice about my kids lessons. She’s very helpful to me and also an easy person to talk to about personal issues.

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Yoko (Left, Megumi right) – Assistant Manager

Yoko is a wonderfully kind person. Her English is not as good as Mifuyu’s but we have worked together on projects for Aeon and had no problems. If I ever need information or advice she is always quick to respond. Although I haven’t seen her as much as the others outside of work, she is always very friendly.

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Alexis – Foreign Teacher

I used to spend a lot of time with Alexis but since I went into hospital we kind of drifted apart. I had to stop going out drinking and she liked to go drinking (i liked to go drinking too but Dr’s orders told me not to). Either way she is still a great colleague at work. I feel we are connected by being in the same situation and I’m always willing to help her along if she needs it as she has done for me many times.

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Seiko – Part Time Kids Teacher

Seiko is only round the office for a little bit but she is a great person to know. She has helped me travel around and has taken me to the museum before. She loves speaking English and she is never in a bad mood.

I love talking with Seiko, it’s always interesting and usually very funny too!

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I have to say there isn’t a bad member of Aeon here at all. Maybe because our branch is small, things are a little more personal. I think in bigger cities I might be seen as an expendable foreigner but I don’t know, all I know is this is a great branch of Aeon and I hope to continue working here.

Meet the parents

LiveJournal Tags: Japan,Marrying in japan,japanese,teach in japan,aomori,meet the parents,meeting japanese parents,japanese love,japanese girlfriend,aeon,aeon school,TEFEL

^click for album

Ok we all have to do it one day. When we find that girl we really like and we’re young and in love we have to face the meeting with the parents. Nowadays this is usually not a huge deal, parents are mostly welcoming and laid back in England unless you’re some kind of drug trafficker or convicted killer. Maybe they will shake your hand and you will have to watch Tv for an hour with them. But in Japan its a little more formal.

Well, time had come for me to meet Yuuri’s father so I wanted to make a good impression. I dressed smart casual and got my haircut that same day. I had already got him a present (a bottle of single malt whiskey) so I brought that with me and Yuuri and I got a taxi. We drove along the main road for about 20mins before heading into the snowbound side streets for another 10mins we curved around strange little cubed houses.

The shoe thing has always got me and I messed up again this time. There is a tiled surface that shoes stay on and a wooden floor which is for slippers. I took my shoes off on the tiled surface but to take off my other shoe I put my sock onto the tiles giving me a wet sock. Everyone laughed but it wasn’t a good start for me.

Now I’m not the most graceful of people but usually I can handle myself without being too clumsy but the next thing I did was nearly knock over a mirror. This gives you an idea how tense I was. Quickly I told the family about how breaking mirrors in England gives seven years bad luck. I saved the situation and we began our meal. I was offered beer and gave her father the whiskey.

I made small talk about the whiskey and we talked together about it. He told me he liked motor bikes and cars, which I too am fairly fond of so we talked a little about this. Finally at the end of the meal he gave me some whiskey and by coincidence he had bought the same whiskey as I had for him. He put them side by side and sure enough they were identical. So I drank whiskey with him.

None of Yuuri’s family speak English and I speak very little Japanese but I wanted to speak to her father. He excused his family and I spoke to him with Yuuri’s help. I told him ‘Yuuri san to kekkon o zenteini tsukaiatteimasu’ which translates roughly as ‘I want to date Yuuri with the intention of marrying’. He paused for a long time. Sipped his whiskey and held his glass looking at the floor. I watched him and waited eagerly. He turned and asked about my future. I told him Yuuri wanted to be a flight attendant and I would support her in that and would move with her to Tokyo so she could work for one of the big companies. He asked about my education and what I would do in the future. I assured him I would stay committed as an English teacher. Again he sipped his whiskey, I did also.

A few minutes later he called his family back and stated that he wanted Yuuri to stay in Japan but he would support our marriage. He welcomed me into his family and we all drank together.

I am happy to stay in Japan, I would like to move out of Aomori someday. It’s a nice place to visit, the people are wonderful here and life is easy going but it’s cold and not much happens here. The pace is a bit slow especially in winter. I am very comfortable here in Japan though, I have no worries really. I have music to listen to, films to watch a guitar to play. I’ve got friends, people to support and someone to love. My family are only a phone call away.

Sine it’s Christmas here are some pictures of our Christmas party at Aeon and I took Yuuri to a French restaurant for Christmas so enjoy some pictures from then. (at the top)

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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!