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!!!

Lake Towada

Well it's 3 months since I started going out with Yuuri so I took her to Lake Towada, just outside Aomori prefecture. We rode the bus for 2hrs until we reached Mount Hakkoda. I got tickets to ride the cable car to the top. 

By now the top was already covered in snow. It's hard to believe these pictures were on the same day because of the amount of sunshine at the bottom and the amount of snow at the top. It was very beautiful. 

After that we got back on the bus for an hour until we saw the streams leading to the lake. We saw the beautiful waterfalls and rapid waters. We walked for about another hour and got the bus the rest of the way.

We stayed one night at Towada Hotel which looked out onto the lake. The view was extraorindary. We had a nice Japanese style meal and got in our Yukata's and made our way to the hotsprings. I relaxed in the sauna and bathed in hotsprings for about an hour. However they are very hot and I think an hour was all I could take.

The next morning we took a walk round the shrine in the forest. The cliffs and the tall trees made quite a sight. The shrine itself was really eeire but lovely to visit. By noon we took the ferry round the lake and took one last look at the waterfalls before heading back home on the coach.

We both had such a great time. It was the first time I got to spend some real time with Yuuri, just me and her. Next month she will be busy so I don't think we can do much, plus it's getting cold here and she can't stay with me so much. I will only see her on weekends for a few hours after work. I still haven't met her father but I hope to soon. 

Here are some videos of the trip:

Yuuri by a waterfall

This is the shrine in the forest

Dancing Yuuri in a yukata

Yuuri taking a picture in the cable car to mount Hakkoda

Hello Mum and Dad

Talking to Yuuri

You can also see my photos here

Towada

Renewed Contract

Well Aeon offered me a contract renewal for next year so I took it. So I'll be here until April 2010 if all goes well. I have yet to experience the winter yet but I'm sure I can cope.

I am currently learning Japanese. The main reason I took it up was I want to be able to talk to Yuuri's parents. I would really like to get along with her family, especially her father. I think he is a very protective person who vets boyfriends very carefully. I have the very best intentions for Yuuri and I hope he will see this. 

Yuuri and I are getting along really well. I have given her a copy of my key and she uses my apartment from time to time. She has finished her course at Aeon but she is still working towards her TOEIC. If she does well she can reach her goal of becoming a flight attendant. 

Sometimes the cultural aspects of Japan make our relationship difficult. She has a curfew and although she is older than me she still lives with her parents. This is typical of Japan and I respect that. I think there is also a distinct gender hierarchy. She seems very driven to looking after me, which is lovely but I don't want to take her for granted and I want to look after her too. Sometimes it is difficult to find her perspective on things and I her opinion seems to revolve round mine. I know she is very smart and I want her to be able to express herself fully without my permission. Her English is brilliant and she gets noticeably better each day. 

I assume my cultural differences affect her in the same way. Compared to Japanese I must seem very open and direct. I hope I'm not seen as rude but my values as to what are and are not acceptable probably make her feel uneasy. My world is so different to the one I'm in now, I worry Yuuri wont like it. 

The hospital Years

Things are not going well here in Japan. I've been in hospital for about a week and now I'm house bound for another week. The reason? Chicken Pox!

Around the time I went to Hakodate I caught chickenpox. They didn't come out until about 3 weeks ago and I started getting a high fever and my boss took me to the hospital. The Dr laughed and said it was merely flea bites and sent me on my way.

I set to work in a high fever cleaning my apartment, shopping for new bedding and throwing out my old comfy bedding. The next morning I was feeling worse and my rash was blistering so I went to another Dr who told me it was chicken pox and was quite serious. He told me to remain indoors and rest. About a week later of staying home in a high fever I was told I had to go to hospital. I was far too weak to stand so they wheel chaired me into hospital and put me on a drip.

After about 3 days I started getting better and after a week they sent me home and here I am again house bound.

This time I don't have a fever though and my rash is getting better. My girlfriend, Yuuri, brings me things each day so I have things to eat and she helps me around the house.

My main concern is the cost of staying in hospital. The room i stayed in was 10, 000Y a day until I told them I had to move to a cheaper room which was 4, 000Y a day. I also had blood tests, drips, X-rays and various tests. What's more is I don't get paid when I'm off work ill so my wage will be much lower next month.

It's also very frustrating not being able to speak to the doctors because of the language barrier. Still I'm getting treated and I'm looked after so all is well. I want to try and get back to work as soon as possible but it will probably be another week before I'm able to return.

The Story so far....

Ok so I admit its been a while, but things have been really hectic here. It's been busy just understanding what the hell it is I'm doing and managing to form some sort of social loop.

Anyway I have just had my second (out of an overall of three) week off. My first week off was in May. This was called Golden Week and for that week I headed out of town to Hirosaki, a city about 40mins away by train.



You can see pictures of it here.

After Golden week was over, I stopped being trained at Aeon and it was up to me. The lessons are very structured so a whole procedure has to be learnt but they are manageable. Essentially there are two kinds of adult lessons, Round up and Group. Round up is grammar based and shows the student how to use certain grammar points within a conversation. Group lessons are just conversation and focus more on pronunciation and phrases.

Most I have in a class is about eight but usually my classes hold no more than three and often just one on one. I can talk to students when they come in and get to know them and I have set up nights out drinking to help welcome students and socialise with them. These have been big hits!

Here are some pictures of one of our Karaoke nights

I am also leader of recruitment at Aeon so I am in charge of making new posters and coming up with new ideas to help get more students. This is giving me lots of new challenges and a great way to be creative.

The people I work with are very friendly and often want to socialise with me after work. I have even attended my boss's wedding which I have pictures of here

Over the road from Aeon is a British bar who is owned by a man called Rob from Leicester, I have been helping him promote his bar and set up his sound system. In turn he has let me borrow his drill to help set up my apartment.

My apartment is small but comfortable. I have a main living room which is tatami and that's where I live and sleep. I also have a separate kitchen/dining room and a balcony. I have 2MB/s internet so I have been downloading British TV, I have a 19" TV and a separate speaker system. I managed to get a DVD player that plays SD cards so I can download a film in AVI, put it on a 1GB card and put it in my DVD player.

I also have a mobile phone which can play and record live TV (but its in Japanese :| ) and I have a home phone. Still, I'd rather use skype for overall price!

The temperature here is still so hot, most days I'm out sweating in my T-shirt but at night its nice and cool. I have just returned from Hokkaido, the northern most island of Japan and it is still boiling up there. I will post pictures of it on my site.

Recently too I saw the biggest festival in Aomori called Nebuta. Naturally I got dressed up in my Yukata and danced for two days during Nebuta. During the festival they have these huge floats lit up and followed by drummers and chanters. Everyone really loves it! I took some pictures of the whole thing although a little blurry. Click here

I should also point out the Japanese girl in those pictures is now my girlfriend. We've been going out for about a week now and she is really lovely. Her name is Yuuri and she works in tourist information in Aspam (the giant triangle building in my pictures).

Well that's pretty much it up to now, I'll try and keep you all posted. To see more of my pictures you can get them directly from here

PICTURES