A day earlier than I meant to! If there is enough interest, I’ll try to write about this more than once a week. If you like it, then pass the link around to your friends please! =^-^= And write a lot of comments!
Continued from:
☆ part 1
☆ part 2
☆ part 3
☆ part 4
Answers to questions from part 4: ^-^
Kari: What happened to your “real job” though??
A: You’ll see, soon! ^.~
Stacey: Are there healthy/low calorie snacks in Japan?
A: Oh, definitely! Probably more in Japan than America, I would guess, just because of the japanese girl’s obsession with dieting!
Shannon: You keep calling him hot in these entries. Does he read them? Would he care?
A: I never told him that I was writing these, and he can’t read english anyways. But he’d probably be flattered that I called him hot. XD
Aya: 1. The first time you stepped into the studio, did you think you would never feel comfortable there or did it ‘click’ well with you right away?
A: Honestly, I was too overwhelmed to wonder about that at first!
2. What was the first piece of work you handed in to Konomi-sensei?
A: I posted it in an earlier post, I think 
That piece never got used, but the first one to get used.. that’s another story! 
3. Did you get to your teaching job on time the next day? I CAN’T WAIT I NEED TO KNOW NOW!!
A: You’ll find out in this entry, so read on! ^.~
Sorry, I didn’t take any pictures during this time.. ^o^; At the time I was too busy worrying about underwear!
I’d just bought track pants with Sensei’s money, but Marie was still asking me about shitagi. What in the world does Shitagi mean?!? I wish I’d brought my dictionary! (I’d left it on my temporary desk in the studio)
Finally, Marie said, “bra?” I didn’t really connect it with shitagi, but at least we’d moved on..
…………to one of the most embarrassing topics ever!
I’ve known Marie for a long time now, and I still don’t think I’d want to go bra-shopping with her. ^o^;; Totally nothing against her– this is all me here, and my lack of interest in communal bra-shopping. Sorry, Marie!
And, I mean, the guys were somewhere, presumably waiting for us.
So, I declined in some way that she understood (yay!), and we moved on to towels. I bought the biggest, cutest towel that I’ve ever owned, and a little pink hand towel. Why I thought that I needed two, I’ll never know. I was probably just in shock.
Here is me today wearing the towel (lucky you! ^.^ Woo woo!)↓↓
I also got a toothbrush, some toothpaste, and some contact solution and a contact lens case. I wasn’t sure what I would do if I woke up overnight and needed to see, though! At the time, I had contacts that I needed to take out every night, and I hadn’t brought my glasses with me. Who would bring them to an interview?!
Oh…. and yes. There was the whole pesky job thing. I was lucky, though, and worked with some of the most understanding people ever. I called them from my cell phone and let them know what was going on (breathnessly, I’m sure. I was kinda freaking out!), and they said that they would cover my classes for the next two days, and to let them know how things were going after that.
YES! Although I’d be out some money, I was in working with Konomi-sensei, so who cared?!
The rest of the evening passed in the studio in roughly the same way– Sensei and Kaiwa-san peering over my shoulder and making me nervous, Marie inking, Tamusho drawing tennis shoes over and over again, and Sensei telling him to fix this or that or this or that. We also chatted.
7-ish pm rolled around. I was still nervous as heck, and well.. a little bit hungry! But, I mean, nobody else was saying anything, so what was I supposed to say? I’m too nervous to eat anyways, but I’m really hungry so please let me go get some food?!
I needn’t have worried too much. “How about dinner?” The announcement came suddenly from Sensei, right in the middle of a lull in the conversation.
YESSSSSSSSSS!!! He must have read my mind or maybe just been hungry too.
“Gusto,” he said.
Huh? I wondered. Is that some kind of magic key word?
It turned out that it was the name of the restaurant chain, Gusto. (Their website here: http://www.skylark.co.jp/gusto/html/index.html) Oh. I knew that.
“Order whatever you like,” Sensei said, and Tamusho was nice enough to hand me a take-out menu and write my order onto a piece of scrap paper. It was my first time ever getting take out food in Japan (after 4 years, this is kinda pathetic, I know. But ordering food in Japanese had always seemed like an impossible task! By the way, I have no problem with it now, though I’d prefer to use the internet of course. Thank god for internet delivery!!).
So, we ate dinner and about an hour passed uneventfully. I was starting to feel really shy again, and the best way of dealing with it was just to quietly draw, and try not to freak out. I mean…. here I was! This was the first step to making my dream of becoming a mangaka a reality, right??!
Yayayayayayayayayayayyy!!
^o^ ^-^; ^o^ ^-^; ^o^ ^-^; <— This was me
And then, as if he was involved at all, Sensei said, “Alright, shower time!”
Huh?
Well, it turned out that we were going to use that shower room after all!
I guess at the time the order of who-goes-first wasn’t set, but I kinda assume that Sensei would be using the bathroom first. I had no idea that he lived upstairs! But instead, Kaiwa-san used it, and then he showed me how. Apparently we were going by age (I was the second oldest after Kiawa-san. Kinda of embarrassing! Marie and Tamusho were in their very very early 20s).
So, after a quick lesson on how to use the water heater (it’s the instant kind that is heated up with the touch of a button), I was alone for the first time since I’d arrived.
And To Be Continued!!
I’m going to try something new– I will continue when I hit 15 comments on this post! (replies to other comments don’t count, but please make them if you can!) Or if I don’t get 15 comments before then, I’ll still update next week as usual. But if you want me to continue sooner, than have your friends comment, and spread this page’s link around to anyone who might be interested! ^.^
Let’s go!
Remember, I’ll answer your questions on the next post, too!
Loading ...
This is a really interesting blog Jamie. I’m visiting Japan for the first time this Christmas and you found you provide a real insight into the quirks of this interesting country.
shower time! Haha ^o^
gonna read the next one…..
Did Konomi-sensei seem like a typical boss (compared to Nova bosses) or more… interesting?
Katsubai_Gotsu may have already said this, but I would love to know about the process and supplies, (and oh cost!) from your experience. Here’s a list:
1. One of my obsessions comes over me, THE G-PEN!! WHAT’S IT’S LIKE? HAVE YOU USED IT? (if you did, is it hard to get used to?)
2. Any other pens and nibs used?
3. What are screen tones like, and where you taught to use them? (Heard you may need to apply it quickly.)
4. What’s the kind of paper used in the in process? Such as Storyboards, Manuscript, and Colour works?
5. What sort of “Colouring tools” are used in making the colored pages? (Seeing the coloring of the “old man in trunks” means you may of used something.)
6. And most fearfully of all… What does the “deadline syndrome” (I read about some Manga-ka, that stress over it) feel like? If you ever experienced it…
Sorry for an overload of questions… But those could be some ideas…
Wow, this is really interesting! I was also wondering if you were able to make it to your job. Glad to know they were so understanding.
What was the work like? Was any of it overwhelming? How were you able to balance two jobs? I get overwhelmed so easily. ^^; I know what you mean about drawing; it always calms me down when I’m freaking out. XD
I’m so happy for you Jamie, I really am! Getting a chance to work towards your dream is always awesome! Can’t wait for the next post.
Well, what do you know, I am comment #15. I feel such a responsibility to say something wise or interesting… let me see… You know, I never considered… what did they think of you snapping pics of everything inside the studio? That does seem just a tiny bit weird to me.
Wow, I’m sure Konomi-sensei would be thrilled if he found out about your blog.
What kind of courses should one take in College in order to be a mangaka or an assistant?
Oh, you tease
Also, nice towel!
hahaha, you are greedy for comments… fair enough!
ooh, your school was nice! considering all the stuff i heard about NOVA, it was really considerate of them!
also, don’t feel bad about having been in japan 4 years without ordering food… i just had my first time a little while ago and i’ve been here 3 years! and i was totally cheating since i made emo-boy call and everything… talking to a real person on the phone is one thing… talking to a restaurant person who spews keigo at you is quite another!! i have intense fear of ordering food in japanese!! XD so i never do :p
oh, so konomi-sensei went to his home (above) to shower then?
Actually, at the time I no longer worked for NOVA. ^-^ (I think I mentioned it in part 1? I’ll look it up)
i am a big supporter of people with dreams and the ambition to follow them. ganbatte jamie!! i am a fan of yours and will continue to cheer you on!! yay!!
I just wanted to say Thank you so much, Jason!
So cool ! You’re underwear story is pretty amusing :3
The towel is cute too xD. That life is pretty interesting Konomi calling all the shots , bathing in order of age etc. But he seems like a sweetheart too !
Ever since the mouse-over notes started, I’m not able to see a lot of the pictures. All that shows up is the mouse-over text.
Enjoying your blog so far! Love all of the posts.
Sounds like a college party – go to a new place, meet new people, get n3kk1d. Seriously though, when my daughter graduates from college (14 years from now) I’m sending her to work for you because you’ll be a famous mangaka by that point.
Oh my– I hope so!
I like reading about this so somebody better comment on it >:^@ … that is all
this seems less and less like an interview and more like a crash course!
you HAVE to tell us what happened next!!!! =o
When would underwear shopping ever be considered “something to do with another person”?!? Oh, right, Japan! <3
Looking forward to your next post! (Come on commenters, go!)
I don’t think I would have bought underwear either… I really don’t want to buy that kind of thing with anyone else, even someone I know really well ( and especially not with someone else’s money… ) XD I also appreciate it if there is self checkout when it comes to that. I like my privacy~
I probably would have taken the shower too, to just go with the flow and be cooperative…but really it just seems too weird to come to a new place, meet new people, and on the first day get naked there, lol…
I really wish we had instant hot water heaters in my house though~ convenient, and conserves energy~ ^_^
It’s so awesome to read your story
It made me so happy when you realized your dream years ago and I was there to read all about it! So happy for you still ^-^
So in the end you never bought underwear! XD Haha, I’m sorry it probably wasn’t funny for you at the time, but I think it’s funny now!!
Konomi-sensei is the one that makes all the decisions it seems, when to eat, when to take a break, when to shower, when to sleep. Woaw! That’s one interesting kind of lifestyle! Can’t wait to read what happens next~
I’m interested in the process of the work. like, what did you have to do exactly, what supplies did you use. so on so forth.