Any work for a post-ALT/writer in Tokyo?

Greetings,

I'm a JET ALT that is nearing the end of my first year here. As with many JETs, I got plucked from the bright lights of a big western city and dropped into the inaka (Hokkaido, unfortunately). My experience has been... interesting... but I am missing living in a big city dearly.

I've got a Bachelor's degree from a good private school and have been published in a few newspapers back home. BUT... my Nihongo is lacking severely (dated a J-girl who was fluent in Eigo for a long while, which completely did away with my motivation). I'm trying to get back on track, but it's hard to find a sensei out in the middle of nowhere when no one speaks good enough Eigo to be able to explain...

Anyway... I don't want my Japanese experience to end just yet. My ultimate goal would be to head for Tokyo for a year.

So, finally, my filler is over and the question has reared its ugly head: What can I do? I have a 3 year visa (thanks, JET), ALTing experience, writing experience, and I was even the vocalist in a band back in college. I know ''where there's a will, there's a way,'' but I want some fellow gaijin to be brutally honest with me.

Do any of you know of English-languaze zines (indie magazines) or any other (paying) journalistic outlets for someone with only basic Nihongo ability? How hard is it to be a part-time gaijin bartender? I used to promote night club events in my native city and I am a damn good social networker... anything in this line?

Ideally, I would want to save SOMETHING (even if it was 20,000 a month) and I have to pay about 5 man a month in student loans. So, if I couple English lessons, some kind of writing, and some kind of social-networking scheme, do you Tokyoites think living there is possible?

Thanks for reading.

Bear in mind that it is illegal for you to do anything other than teach in schools on your current visa (I'm assuming it's an Instructor visa). Bartending is particularly risky as the police are known to raid places that hire foreigners looking for people working without visas/on the wrong visa. Being caught can result in deportation and being banned from Japan at worst, or a fine at best.

Jobs I have seen for work at English language magazines (mainly Metropolis, which is the biggest magazine for the Kanto area- there aren't a lot of others) always ask for bilinguals or business level Japanese at the least.

If you have student loans to pay off, it seems like you would be better off looking for at least part time ALT work in the Tokyo area so you have some kind of income while you are looking for the kind of work that interests you.