Gucha Gucha

I have noticed that a lot of people are interested in knowing more about the JET insurance, so here is an important link: Accident Insurance Coverage Information. From there, you can pretty much find any information you're looking for. Also, check out the FAQ.
Also, about taxes: If you are from the United States, you are exempt from Japanese taxes for two years. You still need to file with the IRS back home, but you may not have to actually pay taxes for two years.

For some reason there is a big misconception about JET dental insurance. We DO have dental, it just doesn't cover braces, sealants, or porcelain crowns. It DOES cover: cleanings every three months, x-rays, cavity fillings, and crowns.

We are responsible for a 30% deductible, BUT Japanese medical procedures are incredibly inexpensive.
Vaccinations are not covered by JET insurance.

Note: automobile insurance is separate and not provided by JET. You will either have to hunt down your own insurance company or, if you buy your car from a dealership like I did, your salesman should provide you with insurance options. Speaking of driving, if you are intoxicated while driving a vehicle and caught, you will suffer heavy fines and most likely go to prison. You WILL be fired from JET if you are found guilty of drinking and driving. The tolerance level here is zero. JET insurance does not cover alcohol-related accidents. Don't even ride a bicycle under the influence. You'll be sorry.

That being said, drugs are also really frowned upon in Japan, which has some of, if not the, harshest penalties in the world for drug use/possession. If you have done drugs in the past, even if you don't do them anymore, do not tell anyone in Japan. The knowledge that you have done drugs can have the same effect on people as if you are doing them presently. Be careful who you tell your personal stuff to.

Internet: My supervisor let me decide which internet to get, so I just picked the one Black Cat had before me. This meant no one had to come and install anything; they just sent me my router and access information and activated my internet remotely. In Japan, you need to give two companies money before you can have internet, and you must pay them every month. One is your provider. The other is... unnecessary. My ISP is NTT East, and my... extraneous bill... is OCN. They have an English speaking line, so don't worry if your Japanese isn't so great. And hey, if you have a supervisor who doesn't think you can do anything for yourself, they may just do everything for you. My internet is 100Mbps when connected to the modem (supposedly) and 50Mbps using wifi. There is no fiberoptic service here, so my internet is ADSL. I was worried that it would be slow, but it's way better than any internet I've had in America.

Keitai: I got an iPhone. It was expensive as hell and worth every yen. I paid ¥46,080 up front for the phone, but over the course of two years, to make up for the price of the phone, ¥1,920 is deducted from my monthly bill. In short, after two years, the iPhone is "free". This is a set special for the iPhone. It comes with the White Plan, Service Pack S!, and the unlimited data package. The data package does not exceed ¥6,000/month. Of course, there are way cheaper phones. Hell, you can get some for free. The iPhone is one of the luxuries I really wanted to have. I can chat with my boyfriend anytime, anywhere, I have an HD camcorder and camera in my purse at all times, and lots more reasons. Once you see where your placement is in JET, you should check out the coverage areas for SoftBank, AU, and Docomo. Those are the three largest cell phone providers in Japan... and maybe the only three. I'm not too sure.

Hopefully, my next blog will be about my fun times. I have done so much in the past two months that I don't even know how to start or what to say. How do you condense so many new experiences into words? I'll figure it out. If you have any questions about cars, internet, etc., just ask!