Finding a Job in Japan

Posted on September 20, 2013 by soyouwanttoliveinjapan

If you are going to stay in Japan for any length of time, you are going to need to find a job, or bring a lot of money. Fortunately, the unemployment rate in Japan is very low, and anyone who really wants to find a job can usually find one.

The type of jobs you can get in Japan depend primarily on three things. First, your education, next, your Japanese-speaking ability, and finally, your age.

Most jobs which pay enough money to live decently (or scrape by, if you happen to live in a metro area) will require a university degree. The subject you studied for so long and so hard in university is generally not relevant in Japan to any particular job. A friend of mine has a degree in horticulture, but was hired by a company as a game programmer. Another friend studied French Literature, and got a job in finance. The degree is important, the subject of study is completely irrelevant in most cases.

Japanese-speaking ability is a great plus, particularly if you don’t care to fall into teaching English. Pretty much all companies are happy to have people who are competent in both Japanese and English. The official measure of Japanese skill is determined by the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), and the higher the level you are able to pass, the better it looks on your resume. Some Japanese companies have begun English-only environments, which means that all communication in the company is done in English. Obviously, your odds of finding employment in such a company would be better than in others where all business is done in Japanese.

Unlike America and other countries, age discrimination exists in Japan. Most established companies prefer to hire people in their 20’s, preferably just out of university. Japanese universities are about as challenging as falling down the stairs while drunk. Just show up a couple times a week and occasionally show your face at a lecture, and you will graduate. Formal education begins once you join a company, and companies prefer fresher material to work with.

The most popular job for foreigners who come to Japan is teaching English. The job is about as challenging as falling down the stairs while drunk, but perhaps a little less fun. The pay is quite good for the amount of actual work you do, it averages about $2500 per month. This may sound good, but if you live in Tokyo or Osaka, you may find it doesn’t go very far. But out in the countryside, $2500 a month is a princely income.

The next most popular job is IT. IT includes design, programming, engineering, pretty much anything computer-related. Pay is the same as teaching, at least to start. Opportunities for advancement are rare; like any other salaryman, you put in your time, and your pay and responsibility increase gradually.

Other jobs include entertainment, food service, or common services. Talented or skilled musicians can find work at hotels, restaurants, and clubs, and even shops and department stores. There is also some demand for chefs or good cooks; Italian, Spanish, and French are the preferred types.

As for myself, I began my professional career in Japan teaching English. It was the easiest way in. The school provided the paperwork and sponsorship, and got me settled into an apartment. The work schedule was easy, less than 30 hours a week, and the pay was enough that I could save a bit of it each month.

But once I had enough money, I found an opportunity to go into business for myself, so now I am self-employed. I am not alone in choosing to be an entrepreneur, there is a serious lack of entrepreneurship in Japan, and those who look carefully can usually find opportunities.

If you are planning only to spend a year or two in Japan, I recommend teaching English. If you plan to stay in Japan for the long term, do something else.

Getting a Residence Card, Opening a Bank Account in Japan

Posted on September 16, 2013 by soyouwanttoliveinjapan

After finding a job, getting a place to stay, you need to get familiar with the bureaucracy which is a part of everyday Japanese life. The two things you need to do quickly are to get your residence card, and open a bank account.

Japan keeps careful track of all residents in the country, whether Japanese or foreigners. When moving into a city, you need to register at the city office, and apply for a residence card. In the past, foreigners were given what was called a “gaijin card”, or alien registration card. The cost of administering the alien registration system and the normal regular resident registration system was a bit high, and since local residents are tracked as closely as foreign visitors, it made little sense to have two systems.

To get the residence card, you need to bring your passport with the proper visa, a photograph, and the money for the fee to your local city office. City offices in Tokyo are generally overstaffed (compared to similar offices in other countries), so submitting the paperwork usually takes only a few minutes. After you submit the paperwork, you will be given a resident’s package, which is a large envelope which contains information about the ward and city, the location of hospitals, schools, and public buildings, as well as defining which days you can take out the trash, and where you can put it. Your residence card will be mailed to you, it generally arrives within a week or so.

The new residence card has simplified things greatly for foreigners living in Japan. First, it feels better to be considered a resident, rather than an alien, it simplifies travel, as special re-entry permits are no longer necessary, which saves quite a bit of money. At the airport, your residence card is set on a scanner, and your photo and personal information will show up immediately on the computer monitor. On the other hand, when you are moving out of your city, you need to go to your city office and let them know you are leaving. This used to be a requirement for Japanese only, but now the rule applies to foreigners as well.

When you are registering your residence in a small town, they’ll probably take out a paper map of the area where you live, which shows every building, and they will actually write your name on the particular building on the map where you live. If you are working in the same town, they will put your name on the building where you work as well.

You must also get a hanko, or personal stamp. This is a small stamp which will have your family name in katakana, or sometimes kanji, if you can find it. There are numerous hanko shops in the city, and they are not hard to find in the countryside. A hanko is a necessity, you need it to endorse important documents, and to do things like open a bank account. Once you get your hanko, keep it in a safe place, if you lose it, you will have to register it with your bank, landlord, insurance, etc.

Opening a bank account in Japan is surprisingly easy, and takes about 30 minutes. To open a bank account you will need to bring your residence card, passport, hanko (personal stamp) fill out an application, and make a small deposit. 1000 yen is the usual amount required. At many banks you will be given a bank card on the spot, at the Japan Post Office Bank, you will given a pass book.

When looking for a bank at which to open an account, first check with your employer, and find out which banks they can wire your pay to. Different companies use different banks, you may end up opening an account, and then finding out that your company cannot send your pay to that account.

Next, if you like internet shopping, and like to use Paypal, keep in mind that only a few banks in Japan work with Paypal. Paypal is a great convenience for shopping for goods overseas, such as clothes and shoes, which can be hard to find in Japan in your size, or price range.

There are no checks in Japan, and ATM cards are not like the debit cards you may be familiar with. You can use your ATM card at bank ATM machines, or at convenience stores, some machines offer a menu in English, some don’t. At an ATM machine you can deposit or withdraw money, make money transfers, and pay for your rent and utilities. At present, you cannot get Visa/Mastercard branded debit/ATM cards.

Internet banking in Japan is surprising primitive and difficult, similar to what it was like in America 15 or more years ago. Making internet payments or transfers require that you know the receiver’s bank name, the branch name (which is usually in Kanji), a 7 digit account number, and katakana spelling of the receiver’s name, including spaces, if any.

Japan is still a cash-based society, and cash is used in most transactions. Credit cards are not accepted at as many places as in America or Europe. Credit cards are not especially easy to get, and foreigners can have a much harder time getting one. In Japan, credit history is not recorded or evaluated the same as it is in other places. In Japan, your employment status (full or part-time) and the company you work for are considered more important for your creditworthiness than your history of credit use.

Once you have gotten your residence card, and opened a bank account, you are more or less settled. What remains is getting used to life in Japan.

Finding an Apartment in Japan

Posted on September 16, 2013 by soyouwanttoliveinjapan

If you have been able to find a job and get a visa, your next step will be finding a place to live. Most people who move to Japan tend to gravitate to the larger metro areas, in which apartments tend to be smaller and more expensive. Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world, Osaka is the second most expensive city. But you can find a reasonable apartment if you shop around carefully.

The best place to find an apartment is at one of the numerous rental agencies, many of which offer assistance in English. You can also find an apartment on Craigslist or other internet site. Be aware that all rental agencies will charge a fee for their assistance. This fee is usually the equivalent of one month’s rent. All agencies charge the same fee, and all agencies tend to list the same properties, so it doesn’t really matter which agency you use. Keep in mind that not all landlords are comfortable with the thought of a “foreign country person” living on their property. You may find a listing you like, but the landlord may refuse to rent to you. Take it personally if you like, but it’s best not to dwell on it, and simply find another place.

When looking at ads, you’ll notice that apartments are divided into certain types.

The smallest type is the 1R or “one room” apartment. This is the smallest and cheapest type, it will have enough room to lay down straight in, and will likely have a combined shower/toilet. It may or may not have a kitchen (which in small apartment may be a single electric burner and a sink too small to hold a large dinner plate). A 1R apartment can be as small as 8 square meters.

The next largest would be called a 1K, or “one, kitchen”. This type will be a bit larger than the 1R apartment. The kitchen will likely be the one burner, one sink type, but there will be room for a refrigerator. The 1K apartment is usually 13 to 20 square meters.

Moving up, the next would be a 1LDK, which means “one bedroom, living-dining, kitchen”. This apartment has two rooms, the bedroom and a living/dining room. In some apartments, this simply means a one room apartment with a sliding door in the middle to divide the room when it’s time to go to sleep.

Going up the list in size and price are 2LDK, 3LDK, etc. Apartments with a separate dining room, or more than one toilet are quite rare. Apartments usually include and air conditioner, a washing machine, and perhaps a refrigerator. The rental agency will often provide these appliances if you need them.

Move-in costs vary on the size of the apartment, and the requirements of the land lord. You should expect the minimum move-in cost to be about three months rent, the maximum may be as much as five months rent. The move in costs include the first months rent, on month deposit, the rental agency fee, and perhaps “key money”, which is not a deposit, but a “gift” to the landlord, and can be anywhere from one to three months rent. You are entitled to a return of your deposit if you leave the apartment as you found it. Key money is a gift, so once you hand it over, you will never see it again.

When looking for an apartment, you should be careful of the following. First, for some reason, many Japanese buildings are very poorly insulated. This means that apartments are difficult to heat in the winter, and difficult to cool in the summer. Most Japanese tend to just bear the cold or heat, rather than use expensive electricity on heating or air conditioning. A surprising (or not so surprising) number of people die of cold in the winter, of suffer heat stroke in the summer. Many Japanese simply wear heavy clothes in the winter to stay warm, and wear as little as possible in the summer to stay cool.

Finding a well-insulated (newer) apartment will save you a bit of suffering in the extreme seasons which much of Japan experiences. A well-insulated apartment will save you as much as 70% on your heating and AC bills, and will also save you from listening to your neighbors practicing karaoke, or arguing over losing too much money on pachinko in the late hours.

Location is important. To save commuting time to your job, it is a good idea to live as close to your workplace as possible. But this can be unrealistic if you are working near the city center, where rents can be spectacularly expensive. Most likely you will have to commute on the train or subway for some distance. Some poor souls spend as much as 4 hours a day commuting on the train. Spending 1/6 of your day on the train is a little soul-crushing, so try to find something closer to where you work.

Apartments near a train station are the most convenient, but are also more expensive, particularly if the station is one at which “rapid” or “express” trains stop at. The rapid/express trains have many fewer stops over their commute, and living near a station where these trains stop can save you a lot of time each day.

When choosing an apartment, you want to try to find one from which the balcony faces south. This may sound a little silly, but though apartments in Japan include washing machines, none include clothes dryers, so clothes are hung out on the balcony to dry. Hanging clothes in sunlight will let them dry quickly, and make them smell nice, hanging them in the shade may cause them to get moldy, take too long to dry, or in the winter time, simply freeze.

In Japan, the 4th floor of any building is considered unlucky. If you are superstitious, avoid the 4th floor. On the other hand, apartments on the 4th floor will be cheaper than apartments on other floors. The 1st and 4th floors of any building are the cheapest, and if you are looking at apartments on these floors, you can attempt to negotiate on the rent and/or move-in cost.

When looking at an apartment, also check out the bathroom carefully. Older apartments may have “Japanese” toilets (known elsewhere in the world as Turkish toilets). These toilets are simply an oval hole in the floor over which one squats when doing one’s business. These toilets are prone to leaks, and are as inconvenient as one can imagine.

Always use you nose when looking at apartments. Avoid apartments which smell moldy, or smell like sewage. Many (or most) Japanese apartments are primarily constructed of wood, which tends to mold and rot in the hot and humid summers. The mold releases spores which some people are allergic to, or which can cause health problems in others. The plumbing system in Japan is not vented in the same was as plumbing systems in other parts of the world, where drains are vented with pipes which go up to the rooftop. Japanese plumbing is not vented, and some apartments and neighborhoods (depending on the age of the sewer system) can smell unpleasant. On higher floors the smell is usually not an issue, but on the first or second floor, it more possible to be a problem.

Utilities. Getting utilities switched on is surprisingly quick and easy. All of the utilities have people who speak English, simply ask whoever answers the phone “eigo o hanashi masu ka?”, and they will connect you to an English speaker. The utilities will send someone within hours (sometimes sooner) to get things switched on for you.

Internet and local phone service are a little more difficult to get set up, and may require the installation of a line if such a line does not already exist. There are various internet service providers, Yahoo is one of the more popular services, and they can get you set up quickly.

Once you get your apartment, you need to furnish it. Most people seem to find their way to Ikea when they want to buy furniture. This is all fine and well, but Ikea is in Japan is usually as crowded as a pub on St Patrick’s day. I have no idea why so many Japanese love Ikea, but you can expect crowded showrooms, and long lines at the restaurant and check out.

Personally, I prefer to buy furniture from recycle shops, or from Yahoo Auctions. The stuff at recycle shops is used, but often of very high quality, and extremely cheap. You can buy new stuff on Yahoo, and often get designer furniture (or imitation designer furniture) for less than what you would find Ikea stuff for, and it usually arrives to your door within 24 hours of sending your payment.

Finding an apartment can be fun, but it is important to search carefully for what you want.

Getting a Visa to Work in Japan

Posted on September 15, 2013 by soyouwanttoliveinjapan

“How do I get a work visa” is one of the most common questions I have been asked. There are various types of visas available for long-term visitors or people who wish to work in Japan. The standard visa for most visitors is the 90 day tourist visa. With a tourist visa you are considered a visitor, and working is not permitted.

The next most popular visa is the Working Holiday Visa. Japan has a working holiday agreement with a few countries which allows young people to visit Japan and work for up to 6 months, in exchange, the other countries in the agreement will accept young Japanese under the same terms. Getting a WHV visa is not difficult, provided you live in a country which is party to the agreement. People with a working holiday visa are permitted to work in Japan, but are limited to working part-time.

The standard visa for most people who work in Japan is the “Specialist in Humanitarian and International Services” (or SHIS) visa. This visa has a number of qualifications which must be met. First, a 4 year university degree, or 3 consecutive years experience working in a “profession”, next, an employment and sponsorship agreement from a company, and thirdly, a minimum income requirement, which is approximately 250,000 yen per month.

The second most popular visa which allows foreigners to work in Japan is the “Spouse” visa, which one can get if one marries a Japanese citizen. But, there are a few requirements necessary to obtain a spouse visa, first, you need documentation from your home country, translated into Japanese, which certifies that you aren’t legally married to anyone else. Second, your Japanese spouse must have sufficient income to support you, and your spouse must also act as your sponsor if his/her income is sufficient. If your spouse’s income is not sufficient, you may be able to get your spouse’s family to sponsor you. Once you obtain a spouse visa, you still need to obtain permission to work.

Another option is the business/investor visa, which can be obtained for those who with to establish a small business, or branch offices in Japan. This visa has many requirements, such as a business address in Japan with a long-term tenancy contract, a business license, bank account, an official seal, and 5 million yen in capital. There are agencies which can help you get set up in Japan. Fees vary, but are usually about 1/2 to 1 million yen.

Other visas exist; student visas, which allow one to work part-time with permission, maid visas, chef’s visas, etc. Information can be found at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) website.

As mentioned previously, the SHIS (Specialist in Humanities and International Services) is the most common, and not hard to obtain if you meet the qualifications.

It is commonly believed that a university degree is required to qualify for the SHIS visa, but this is not entirely true. As I mentioned earlier, three years consecutive experience in a profession will take the place of a university degree. Keep in mind that in Japan, “professions” do not include construction, car repair, or washing dishes. IT technology, teaching, graphic design, and such can qualify as professions, but you will need documentation, such as pay stubs or tax returns to verify that you have at least three years consecutive experience.

Most people obtain the proper visa from the Japanese embassy or consulate in their home countries. You need to fill out an application, provide a photograph of yourself, your original university degree (or official transcripts) and the employment/sponsorship agreement from your future employer. It usually takes a month or so for the paperwork to be processed, and a visa issued.

Many people take a somewhat riskier route, they come to Japan as tourists with a 90 day visa, and then hunt for an employer/sponsor inside Japan. This is not a bad option, and many people have success with this method. Keep in mind that you must bring your degree/work experience documentation with you. You will need to supply the photo (easily obtained at most train stations), and the documents provided by your employer. Remember that 90 days is not a lot of time, so you will need to try to find an employer as quickly as you can, it may take 30 days for the paperwork to be processed. If it takes more than 60 days to find a job, you may have to leave Japan and return again with a new tourist visa. You cannot get a tourist visa renewed in Japan, you must leave the country and get a new visa at the airport when you return.

In the past, a work visa was issued for one year, and had to be renewed annually. The length has been increased to 3 years, which is less troublesome. It is recommended that you go to the regional immigration offices rather than the local ones, and arrive as early as possible. The immigration office is remarkably efficient, and you can usually get in and out in an hour. Two visits are usually required. You will drop off your paperwork on the first visit, and pick up your visa on the second visit.

The process for getting a visa is the most important things to understand before thinking about moving to Japan. The requirements are strict, but the process is smooth and quick, much more so than in most other developed countries.

Moving to Japan

Posted on September 15, 2013 by soyouwanttoliveinjapan

As most of you can probably imagine, moving to another country is quite a big step. It is not easy to leave your home country and go to a place where you look different and don’t speak the language. But I didn’t move to Japan on a whim, I spent a fair amount of time thinking about my move. I even visited Japan three times before moving. Not everyone who has come to Japan has been happy with their choice, sometimes the differences in lifestyle, culture and language are too big to overcome.

Before moving, you should carefully weigh the benefits and costs of such a move. Can you adjust to living in a tiny apartment? Can you adjust to commuting on crowded trains and subways? Can you adjust to paying twice as much for food and clothing as you did in your home country? Can you adjust to hot and humid summers, and cold winters?

Next, you need to think about life as a “gaikokujin”, or “foreign-country-person”. In America, the word “foreigner” is seldom used or heard. Most Americans (and many Europeans) come from somewhere else, and regardless of their appearance, or English-speaking ability, they are most likely Americans; there is no way to identify who is a foreigner, and who is not. This is not the same in Japan. If you are a non-Japanese, you are a foreigner, and that’s it.

Thirdly, you need to consider what kind of work you will do after you arrive in Japan. There are several options available, a few of which require no ability to speak Japanese. There is, and always has been a demand for foreigners in some professions. The most popular jobs are language teachers, chefs, entertainers, and bilingual people who can translate, or work at international companies with offices in Japan.

If you think you can overcome the living conditions, being a foreigner, and finding a suitable job, then you might find Japan an attractive place to live. All you need to do next is find out if you meet the basic requirements to get an appropriate visa to live in Japan.

So, you want to live in Japan…

Posted on September 13, 2013 by soyouwanttoliveinjapan

From time to time I like to take a step back and look at where I am, and think a bit about how I got here. A wise man once told me that your present condition in life was the sum total of all the decisions you have made up to this point. At this point in time, I am sitting on my sofa in an apartment building in the heart of Tokyo, Japan. It seems funny that I should end up in such a place, throughout most of my life, I would have thought that my odds of one day living in Tokyo were the same as living on the moon.

But, I am in Tokyo, and though I have made my share of mistakes in life, moving to Japan was not one of them.

I have met many people, visitors to Japan, and others from back home who have asked me what living in Japan is like. Many have thought about one day moving to Japan, and want to know if it is really possible. And, if so, what living in Japan is like. In this blog, I hope to share with others my experience in Japan, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Questions and comments are welcome, both from those who would one day like to come to Japan, and from those who are already here.

For what it is worth, I have now been in Japan for five years, having lived in Tokyo for most of this time. I have passed the “honeymoon phase” of my life here, and have more or less adjusted. I am still working on the language, and trying to get used to a few of the more incongruous parts of life in Japan as a foreigner. But I like to think that I am doing well in Japan, and I know that coming here has been good for me.

So you want to live in Japan

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