About Us
18 July 2011 Posted By admin
GETtoJAPAN.com is committed to helping those interested in Japan and learning Japanese get to Japan. We introduce a 6-step process in which users can effectively implement from virtually anywhere in the world, in order to obtain the proper motivation to effectively learn Japanese, and the knowhow in order to get there. The website will offer completely free services full of insightful information about Japan and Japanese from those who have “been there and done it.” (<- that’s us! 
)
In our 6-step process, we introduce a system simple enough for a learner of any skill level to follow in order to travel, work, study, and live in Japan within a realistic timeframe.
…Or so you might think! At the end of the day, it is really all up to you! Drew & Fab are here to provide to you what has worked for them, share their ideas/thoughts/experiences, and ultimately provide you with a better idea of what exactly it is you are “getting yourself into” by getting to Japan. There are literally hundreds of Japan related blogs out there that over-glorify the exciting and fun aspects of Japan. While we intend to provide you with all of that goodness, at the core of or site is the nitty-gritty, “hey, why the hell did no one tell me about this?” kinda cra… stuff… that we are going to do our best to share with you. Both of us having been to Japan 3 times respectively for vacation, school, and work, we want to share all the different struggles, difficulties, and hardships faced with coming over to this little island, whether it be for 3 weeks, or 3 years… all in hopes of making your transition, and time here all the more valuable and stress-free.
So that’s the jist of it. If you care to find out more about us, keep on reading! If you’ve had enough of us blabbing and wanna get down to the meat & potatoes of this site, head on over to our 6-STEP PROCESS overview.
Drew Quick Bio:
- Born and raised in multicultural Toronto, Canada
- Natural understanding of East Asian cultures and customs from an early age through childhood best friend
- Hons. Bachelor of Arts: East Asian Studies (Japan Focus)
- Intensive Japanese language studies at Dokkyo University supported by JASSO scholarship
- M.Ed in Second Language Education (English/Japanese focus)
- Wants to share Japan with the world
Drew’s introduction into Japanese is as typical and down to earth as they come. Growing up in a city as multicultural as Toronto, one is bound to make friends with people of different backgrounds. Since first grade Drew’s best friend was of Chinese decent, and he would regularly be exposed to Asian food, culture, music, etc (he was using chopsticks like a pro by third grade!). Being raised in a European household, yet not speaking another language also caused some identity issues for Drew moving into high school, when everyone decides to be all culturally cliquey and avoid hanging out with other races. As his best friend from elementary school moved and went to another high school, Drew was experimenting and jumping around from group to group, never really feeling the social dynamics of any of them. Perhaps by influence of his childhood friend, he ended up infiltrating the only group of Hong Kong Chinese students at his school, and was fully satisfied being a member of that social sphere.
Moving along into university, Drew was a psychology major, but decided that he was fed up with only knowing one language, so he wanted to take a language on the side. Of course the most practical of languages at the time for him was Cantonese, as all his friends spoke it and he would be able to get help from them and communicate with them. However, Mandarin being the mainstream language, that was all that was offered. So, as it no longer mattered, on a whim Drew decided to take Japanese. It was love at first sight. The material was somehow familiar, engaging and he had never had so much fun studying before in his life. He soon switched majors to East Asian Studies with a focus on Japanese and never looked back on his decision.
Attending a university with one of the top language departments in Canada, Drew obsessively studied and gained as much insight into Japan and Japanese as he could, until finally in his 4th year he went to study abroad at a Japanese university in Saitama. The experience was eye opening and one that changed his life forever. Through his daily classes in Japanese, Tennis club activities, and an obsession for Japanese television Drew’s proficiency rose dramatically in that 1 year abroad. Returning to Canada in 2009 he had a newfound passion and understanding for the country he had learned so much about.
In order to realize that passion Drew is currently nearing completion his Masters in Education of language studies at the most renowned university in Canada. He hopes to take his newly acquired skills to Japan in early 2012 in order to improve the quality of cross-cultural understanding between Japan and other Western nations. Drew has always been comfortable as the mediator of East and West, and wants to help put those skills to use in order to create a culturally and internationally rich Japan, as well as share Japan with the world through his eyes and experiences.
Contact Drew at drew[at]gettojapan.com
Fab Quick Bio:
- Born and brought up in Germany
- Studied East Asian Studies with focus on Japanese economy at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
- Japanese language studies at Dokkyo University supported by scholarship from JASSO
- Internship at a German company in the car manufacturer supplier industry located in Tokyo
- Diploma thesis about the importance if cross-cultural training for a successful overseas assignment of western managers in Japan
- Business Japanese studies at the Naganuma School in Tokyo supported by a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service
- Currently working at a Japanese relocation company as an immigration coordinator
- Japan representative for the NPO KOPRA – providing internship offers with focus on Asia
- Organizing international get-togethers and other events to promote international exchange
- Wants to connect people, share his fascination for Japan and help foreigners and Japanese to understand each other
Fab was born and brought up in Germany. When he was 8 he started practicing martial arts which was his first contact with Asia, especially Japan and China. The perfectionism, discipline and humility he learned during his early years impressed him deeply. This keen interest motivated him so much that he decided to study East Asian Studies – covering a wide spectrum from Japanese language, geography, Japanese society & politics to his major, Japanese economy.
During his studies he visited Japan two times. The first time he went there in 2007 to volunteer at a home for the elderly in Gunma-prefecture in central Japan. After his work there he travelled across Japan all the way down to Kyushu. During this time he realized that although Japan and Germany are actually quite different, he felt really comfortable and kind of like “at home”. This feeling fostered his interest in Japan and desire of being fluent in Japanese, that after he returned to Germany to continue his studies he immediately started preparing his next trip to Japan.
This next trip started in summer 2008 where he took Japanese courses at Dokkyo University – a partner university of his German university – supported by a scholarship program from JASSO. At Dokkyo University he totally devoted himself to improving his Japanese skills and therefore mingled with the local students, always asking questions to deepen his understanding of the Japanese culture and society. Being involved in a lot of activities of his host university, he also faced cultural differences and challenges, but by being open minded and constantly pushing himself out of his comfort zone he gained valuable experience, grew a lot and made lots of friends he’s still in touch with. Fab even worked together with a club of Dokkyo university making an appearence on @campus, a show on Japanese TV.
After one semester at Dokkyo University, Fab did an internship at a German company in Tokyo producing car parts to gain first work experience and experience in working in an international environment. This time was very valuable as he learned how to interact with Japanese and foreigners in a work environment, overcome cultural misunderstandings and how to deal with Japanese office practices.
After his return to Germany he continued his studies, took some last exams and wrote his diploma thesis. Inspired by his internship he wrote his diploma thesis about the importance of cross-cultural training for a successful overseas assignment of western managers in Japan and even did some empirical research in collaboration with the German company in Tokyo he did an internship at a year ago.
He graduated from university in 2010 and went back to Tokyo to study business Japanese at the Naganuma School supported by a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service as a preparation for working at a Japanese company in Tokyo since summer 2011.
Fab is also Japan representative for KOPRA – a NPO providing internship offers with a focus on Asia – and organizing international get-togethers and other events to promote international exchange on a regular basis.
If you just got to Tokyo, want to meet knew people or need some help, just send him a mail!
Fab[at]gettojapan.com
You are probably wondering how this Canadian/German duo was formed?
In September of 2008, as both Drew & Fab were entering Dokkyo university at the same time, they were both required to write a placement test in order to determine which level of Japanese classes each student would enter (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced 1/Advanced 2). As the names were called out Drew & Fab, who had not yet been acquainted, were the only two students of a Western background that made it into the Advanced 1 class. They both abruptly turned to each other from their seats in the classroom and upon eye contact uttered “yoroshiku.”
Soon after Drew & Fab committed to studying together on a frequent basis and had lengthy discussions on Japanese study methods, Japanese culture and mannerisms, foreigners’ presence and importance in Japan, and so on.
Although Drew & Fab parted ways after their first semester at Dokkyo, as Fab went on to pursue an internship & Drew remained at Dokkyo to continue his language studies, they still kept in frequent contact and met often in Tokyo.
After returning to their respective home countries to finish their degrees, their friendship was strong, but not yet the level it is today. During the summer of 2010 Drew & Fab embarked on a 3-week backpacking trip around Eastern Europe. The whole experience added a new degree of understanding to their friendship and allowed them to create the concept for a future business.
If you have any comments, ideas or want to tell us something, just send us an e-mail or leave a comment!
