Moving to America

[Don Roley]

Folks,
This is a little announcement. I had been planning to move back to America after my youngest had a chance to develop a level of skill in Japanese. Now, unless some things change (I get a job that pays twice what I get now..... my mother in law falls to her death from her broom.... the Japanese finally figure out how to make a good television series) this may just be my last year here.

I hope to move to America by summer of next year. I do not know where or what I will or even can do.

Any help and advice would be appreciated. I have lived most of my adult life in Japan and there are a lot of things I do not know about finding a job in America, etc.

Heck, I am not even sure where I want to move back to. I know a few places I do not want to move to. Places that,

Have restrictive gun laws. (Boston and the like.)
Have hot and humid weather. (Hawaii, Georgia, etc.)
Are just plain silly. (California.)
Flat. (Kansas and the states there in the middle.)

But in addition, I was thinking of moving to a place that does not have much in the way of Bujinkan presence.

I am not worried about money in the short term. I can easily live off of my savings and pay for a few years of graduate level studies if needed.

Again, nothing is decided at this point and any help is welcome. I am clearing out my PM box and will try to return favors for favors if I can.

Thank you in advance to anyone willing to give advice.

 

[Mc Qoorbs]

Folks,
This is a little announcement. I had been planning to move back to America after my youngest had a chance to develop a level of skill in Japanese. Now, unless some things change (I get a job that pays twice what I get now..... my mother in law falls to her death from her broom.... the Japanese finally figure out how to make a good television series) this may just be my last year here.

I hope to move to America by summer of next year. I do not know where or what I will or even can do.

Any help and advice would be appreciated. I have lived most of my adult life in Japan and there are a lot of things I do not know about finding a job in America, etc.

Heck, I am not even sure where I want to move back to. I know a few places I do not want to move to. Places that,

Have restrictive gun laws. (Boston and the like.)
Have hot and humid weather. (Hawaii, Georgia, etc.)
Are just plain silly. (California.)
Flat. (Kansas and the states there in the middle.)

But in addition, I was thinking of moving to a place that does not have much in the way of Bujinkan presence.

I am not worried about money in the short term. I can easily live off of my savings and pay for a few years of graduate level studies if needed.

Again, nothing is decided at this point and any help is welcome. I am clearing out my PM box and will try to return favors for favors if I can.

Thank you in advance to anyone willing to give advice.

Dont clown california homie.Anyways the best dojos are here.

 

[Matt Stone]

Don -

Not sure what you're doing in the way of research, nor do I know what kind of employment you are seeking. That being said, I've grown quite fond of the Tacoma, WA, area.

I moved there after being stationed in Japan, and though I still miss Japan (and would go back in a heartbeat) I can get a satisfactory "fix" for the things I miss while living in WA.

Seattle is far too expensive, and for at least the last two years (the only two I've been tracking) has made the top few cities named "most expensice and overpriced" based on cost of living as well as economic growth potential. Not sure where Tacoma ranks, but I like it.

As far as the Booj is concerned, I don't believe there is a single active "official" Booj group or dojo. If there is, then they're some pretty darned good ninjae since I make it a point of knowing a little about a lot and I have yet to hear of any. There are a few "ninja" schools (I think I sent you a link to one of them a while back), but nothing approaching the Booj.

If you have any questions, email me. You know how to find me. I'll be back at Fort Lewis in late May of next year. If you did decide to relocate to that area, I'd do whatever I could to lend a hand.

Gambatte.

 

[Mickey Mullins]

Don Roley wrote:

my mother in law falls to her death from her broom

If she does I hope she tries to break her fall on mine (Because she's probably on the next broom below her.).

Heck, I am not even sure where I want to move back to. I know a few places I do not want to move to. Places that,

Have restrictive gun laws. (Boston and the like.)
Have hot and humid weather. (Hawaii, Georgia, etc.)
Are just plain silly. (California.)
Flat. (Kansas and the states there in the middle.)

Somehow I knew you had good taste.

Don,truly the only advice I can give is to know EXACTLY what you DO want then move from there.BTW,WV would be perfect for you,although our accent is tougher to learn than Nihongo .

Best wishes,and follow your heart(You have a heart!?!)

Mickey Mullins

 

[Brother John]

Heck, I am not even sure where I want to move back to. I know a few places I do not want to move to.
Flat. (Kansas and the states there in the middle.)

Great...
I was starting to get all excited...then you go dropping the "Flat Kansas" bomb.


But I know what youk mean.

Talk to you later...
Your Brother
John

 

[Gemini]

We've been looking to move also and are looking hard at Virginia. New York is a truly beautiful state but over run by extremely high taxes, COL and bad politics. Seen most of the country and it has alot to offer, depending on you criteria.

Not knowing what you're going to do for a living doesn't help, but maybe if you mentioned what you WANT to do, would. What do you do now? Looking for something totally different? What other hobbies/interests you have?. Different regions offering different options, la da da. Want lots of land? None? You don't like humid climate, but what about cold? Somewhere in between? You like water? Mountains? Skiing. Any/all info helps narrow it down. Be glad to help if I can.

Regards,

 

[dubljay]

Folks,
. . . snip . . . I know a few places I do not want to move to. Places that,

Have restrictive gun laws. (Boston and the like.)
Have hot and humid weather. (Hawaii, Georgia, etc.)
Are just plain silly. (California.)
Flat. (Kansas and the states there in the middle.)

But in addition, I was thinking of moving to a place that does not have much in the way of Bujinkan presence.

. . . snip . . .

Restrictive gun laws that omits California anyway. I thought about reccomending Oregon, however they are heading into a state of depression with the lack of jobs. The fact that OR has no salse tax has made the state income tax rediculus, as is the property tax. So if you are looking to the west coast I would look strongly at Washinton. Nevada has lax gun laws and is growing steadily, but it's kind of an oddball place with other laws.

Best of luck on finding a place and getting settled.

Regards,

-Josh

 

[Rich Parsons]

Folks,
This is a little announcement. I had been planning to move back to America after my youngest had a chance to develop a level of skill in Japanese. Now, unless some things change (I get a job that pays twice what I get now..... my mother in law falls to her death from her broom.... the Japanese finally figure out how to make a good television series) this may just be my last year here.

I hope to move to America by summer of next year. I do not know where or what I will or even can do.

Any help and advice would be appreciated. I have lived most of my adult life in Japan and there are a lot of things I do not know about finding a job in America, etc.

Heck, I am not even sure where I want to move back to. I know a few places I do not want to move to. Places that,

Have restrictive gun laws. (Boston and the like.)
Have hot and humid weather. (Hawaii, Georgia, etc.)
Are just plain silly. (California.)
Flat. (Kansas and the states there in the middle.)

But in addition, I was thinking of moving to a place that does not have much in the way of Bujinkan presence.

I am not worried about money in the short term. I can easily live off of my savings and pay for a few years of graduate level studies if needed.

Again, nothing is decided at this point and any help is welcome. I am clearing out my PM box and will try to return favors for favors if I can.

Thank you in advance to anyone willing to give advice.

Hey Don,

The Mother-in-law could need some work on her Broom, and you never know what happens from there

Seriously, If you are looking at graduate studies, then I would concentrate on where the schools are in the areas you are looking for. I agree with Matt Stone on the Pacific North West, as you can travel to California and San Fran and other cities if you desire. I also recommend the Mid-West, and maybe some place like Ann Arbor Michigan and Madison Wisconsin. Both have Big Ten Colleges. There is one "Booj" group I have heard of in the Ann Arbor area, but that does not mean you could not also train there and teach there.

The Ann Arbor Area, is also the place that many of the Local Japanese choose to settle while on work assignment here in Michigan, so, I know there are some places that serve close enough Japanese food. I could put you in contact with some for support groups, and local restaurants, as I worked with a Supplier for four years that was Japanese based.

Good Luck

 

[Tgace]

Well...what do you plan on doing to support yourself?

 

[rutherford]

There's no state with less restrictive gun laws than Vermont.

Not sure what you call "just plain silly", but I like it here. I don't think there's anywhere in the world where the people are as independantly minded and yet still friendly and willing to spend time building communities. Don't let the big liberal movement here fool you. There's a Republican governor now, and he's popular enough that I expect he'll be in office for a long time to come.

For schooling, there's Dartmouth on the high end of the price range, and a lot of more reasonable but still very good colleges.

And as the New Yorkers push North, property prices will just keep going up. Look at it as an investment.

 

[jfarnsworth]

If you don't like cold weather don't pick the east coast unless in way down south.

 

[Don Roley]

Thanks for all the replies. Both here and by PM.

I think I should explain the mountain bit.....

A while ago I saw a thread by someone in Kasas comlaining that there was no Bujinkan groups near him. I causually asked my wife about the idea of moving there. The temperature dropped about ten degrees and she let me know in no uncertain terms that she has lived her entire life with the ability to see mountains on the horizon and that was going to continue. Considering that she will be making the change from being able to speak in her native language to English, I think a few conditions like that are not unreasonable.

For that matter, I hate big cities like Tokyo. I would die if I had to live there. She complains a lot about how there is nothing to do even in the city we are in now. (Less than a hour north of Tokyo.) I sometimes feel like I am living in an episode of Green Acres. :erg:

So another thing to think about for me. How to keep her happy and me happy in that regard.

As for job- I have never had a full time job in America. My degree in related to Japan studies. I really am at a loss as to what kind of jobs I CAN do should I move back. I can speak and read Japanese fluently and know more about Japanese history than some of the proffessors that taught me the subject back in university, but how does that relate to the job market?

One thing I may do is lease a house and go back and get a TOEFL certificate. That may be my best bet. But I would like some other options. As I said- I really do not know how the job situation works in America since most of my adult life has been in Japan.

Again thanks for all the ideas so far. I am going to to a little research of places mentioned so far on the internet. I may be contacting some of you with specific questions in the future. :wavey:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

NY has some of the highest taxes in the nation. Around me, it's a rather big mess, so I'd avoid WNY. Can't comment on NYC area. I've been looking at the Vancouver Washington area. Close to large cities, yet plenty of woodland, couple of mountains, and an active volcano near by.

 

[Kizaru]

Folks,
This is a little announcement. I had been planning to move back to America ..... my mother in law falls to her death from her broom....

Where exactly does your mother in law live? I think I know some good professional "broom pushers".

the Japanese finally figure out how to make a good television series) this may just be my last year here...I hope to move to America by summer of next year.

:erg:!?!?!?! :erg:
Japan without Don Roley is like rice without umeboshi!!!

Heck, I am not even sure where I want to move back to. I know a few places I do not want to move to. Places that,

Have restrictive gun laws. (Boston and the like.)
Have hot and humid weather. (Hawaii, Georgia, etc.)
Are just plain silly. (California.)
Flat. (Kansas and the states there in the middle.)

How about Matsudo?

But in addition, I was thinking of moving to a place that does not have much in the way of Bujinkan presence..

Like Texas?:rofl:

 

[Cryozombie]

Like Texas?:rofl:

NAHHH.

Texas isnt big enough for Don AND Ralph.

Don, Move to Colorado.

SPECTACULAR mountain veiws.
<Insert cheap shameless plug>
And the BEST coffee in the United States, hands down is there.

 

[Jonathan Randall]

http://www.dliflc.edu/Employment/employment_index.html

 

[Don Roley]

NAHHH.

Texas isnt big enough for Don AND Ralph.

Don, Move to Colorado.

By strange coincidence I just went through both Texas and Colorado a few weeks ago. Texas, at least the DFW area, is well served by Luke Molitor. I recently heard a Japanese Shihan state that Luke was the best instructor that area had ever seen and now Texas can learn real martial arts.

Colorado is nice, but I think there are already quite a few Bujinkan instructors there. Besides, the area I was in would not sell beers such as Samual Adams on Sunday!!!!!!
:drinkbeer

They are both on my list, but thanks to some responses here I am also thinking of places like Las Vegas, Tacoma, Vermont (formally on my "silly" list), Virginia and a few mores. I have a lot of think about. Thanks everyone.

 

[Shogun]

Well Don, you know I have pumped the heck out of WASHINGTON.

Lynnwood or Everett are by far are the best bet.

Everett is 20 minutes from Seattle, at the foot of Mt. Pilchuck (GREAT VIEW).

Malls and shopping everywhere. several malls. Marysville Premium outlets (awesome!) Everett mall (I work there) Alderwood mall.

Close to several colleges and such.

NO BUJINKAN ACTIVITY north of Seattle. (Esp. north to Canada.)

Oh, did I mention Canada? yes, its within 1.5 hour drive from Everett. head north on I-5 for 100 miles or so.....

Need to go back to Japan? Sea-tac is a half hour away....

The Puget sound is about 10 minutes away.

North cascades are about 30 minutes away.

Restuarants everywhere

Washington has A LOT of Japanese people, too.

just a few plus signs for ya you ponder.....

 

[Blindside]

As another Washington option, heading further toward the Canada border is Bellingham. Growing college town, on the coast, just west of the North Cascade mountains. Housing is fairly reasonable, certainly not insane like Seattle. I'd live there in a heartbeat, assuming I could find a job in the area.

On the other thread I recommended North Bend, but that is turning into a distant suburb of Bellevue, so take that into account.

It sounds like you have big life changes ahead of you....

Lamont

 

[shesulsa]

Don - giving it to you straight as a native Californian who is a transplant to Washington and who has been to the Seattle area ... the Seattle area reminds me A LOT of California. And the surrounding area is expensive.

The real estate market in Vancouver (southwest Washington) is insane right now - everybody from Portland, OR is moving over here to get the better schools.

No Booj school here, but still enough city to keep the wife satisfied. You should live in Washington, work in Washington and shop in Oregon. I am currently about 3 miles as the crow flies to the Columbia River - busy area, but not TOO busy - yet. There is DEFINITELY an excellent market for you here - we are not yet overrun with dojos and dojangs, and more than willing students. Plenty to keep you in business, no problem. Your biggest competition ... commercial Tae Kwon Do. (wink)

Look at property in the Woodland area - you can still get decent acreage there and build to suit. Washougal is a fair bet also.

Any time you choose to visit, I'll make time and show you whatever I can (that goes for you too, Bob).

As for recreation, you have plenty of opportunity - big river, smaller rivers, reservoirs, hiking, mountain climbing (Mt. Hood is 2 hours away, St. Helens is about 1.5 hours away), so you have watersports, winter sports, beach sports (2 hours away), forests abounding, reservations and gambling fairly close. Desert is 2 hours away (Warm Springs reservation) - two malls with full-size ice skating rinks, ya know - pretty much whatever you wanna do is here, inside or outside.

If you teach any orienteering and survival skills, this is GREAT country for it.