How an american guy got  a Job in Japan

according to an american guy ;

First, let me tell you how he ended up working in Japan.  See, back in the U.S.,he had this swanky corporate gig, with a big office, a desk with two computers, and a phone with all these buttons that lit up.  The high point of my day was pretty much going to Starbucks.  That’s known as an “off-site meeting.”  Then the economy went to hell, the company’s stock crashed, and since I was bored anyway, I thought, Great, why not get the same job in Japan?  “Salaryman” has such a glamorous ring to it.  So I sent off a few resumes, and Boom, immediately landed a slew of videoconference interviews.  They all sounded good.  Work in Roppongi, live in a nice apartment, make a lot of money.  I’m a big fan of money, as it allows me to do things like buy cars, stylish clothes, and eat.  But I also kept hearing something that sounded ominous.

For my first interview, I wore a red tie and sat in this giant videoconference room in L.A. that the company had rented to talk to me.  I figured red would show up better on screen.  Then from somewhere on the other side of the Pacific ocean, three serious-looking Japanese people in suits appeared on the TV and asked me questions.  At one point, the interviewer said, “Are you familiar with the phrase, ‘work-life balance’?”

“Of course,” I replied.

“Well, we don’t have that.  Work is our priority.

“That’s fine with me,” I lied.

After that, I wore a blue tie.  But no matter what color I pulled out of my closet, the same theme kept emerging.  And since I’d already had my share of stressful jobs, I was starting to think more along the lines of, Come to Japan and work in a surf shop.  You know, listen to the waves while showing college girls in bikinis how to wax boards.  I mean, who wants to wear a suit and sit at a desk all day?  That sucks.  Nobody’d be able to see my washboard abs.  So that avenue didn’t really seem like it was panning out.

Screw it, I thought, I’ll just go teach English.

I did of course consider some of the other available options.