Working in Japan

[Mungusaurus]

Anyone know anything about working in Japan? Pay, lifestyle, benefits etc. A 1900 job just opened up there and I am thinking of applying. Thanx, Mung.

 

[Tug Driver]

Japan rocks. I non rev'd there last year. The food is great. The people are very very nice. And I felt very safe when I was there. I didnt have a car, but i rode a bike through the streets. It reminded me alot of the santa monica area. I would go for it.

nwo

 

[smart]

Which agent/airlines are you applying for?

 

[chperplt]

Are you going to fit into one of the 1900s out there.. I bet it's a 25 passenger airplane over there!

 

[CatfishVT9]

By all means apply, but ask some hard questions before you accept.

I did 2 years there in the Navy, 95-97, and it's a neat place but WAY expensive and a huge culture shock.

Rent was $1600 for 800 sq. ft., 2 bedrooms. Paid in cash every month. Pay other bills at the 7-11 (no kidding) in cash too. Some things may have changed since then, but when we were there, it was a predominantly cash society. No checks. Bigger stores took some major credit cards. No way to pay bills on line.

Grocery prices are out of sight. $5 for an apple, $20 for a watermelon were some of the things I remember. Those were on the high end but you get the idea. Expect to pay at least 50-100% more every month for food. Can you take the cold? Electricity could easily run $400-$500 a month in the winter if you're not careful. Most folks supplement heat with kerosene heaters and shut it off at night, restart in the morning. Lowest temp I saw in the AM was 35 degrees. Talk about shrinkage. This was in the Yokohama area. I hear the northern houses were better insulated, but not sure.

People are very friendly in public, but stand-offish in the neighborhood. Didn't meet many folks there, but Japanese people will ALWAYS help you when you need it.

Would I go again? sure. Is it high on my list? Not particularly. It's a cool place, but after a few years, you'll want to return to the land of the big WalMart.

If they pay enough, consider the job, but see if you can find someone who's been there more recently for data. Oh, and go to your video store and rent "Mr. Baseball" starring Tom Sellick. Most of the culture / lifestyle stuff is pretty close. To me it was funnier after living there.

Good luck!


Catfish

 

[WileE]

or something more recent

Lost in Translation. The Japanese are just very, very different from Americans.

Also if you speak some Japanese, you can earn a lot of money on the side teaching conversational English. I know of a Major in the Army whose wife earned about twice his salary just teaching English part time on the side while he was stationed there.

 

[sjflyer]

I lived in Japan for 2 years and there is huge difference between visiting and living in Japan. The cost of living is extremely high. I was paying 3800 a month for a 1400sq ft apartment. Things are very different over there. Example: houses/ apt don't have insulation, central heating or AC. The locals don't like foreneirs on extended stays. You will be treated differently.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

I agree 100%.

Visiting is pretty fun, just to see it all.

But to live there?? NOOO WAY. Very Expensive, Very Crowded.

It would have to pay a lot of money...but either way why not sounds like a good experience (if a short one at that)

have fun!

 

[RJFlyer]

I lived/worked in Japan for 2 years - one of the best experiences of my life. Do it, provided the job pays well.

I lived in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo, in a 12-tatami apartment (a tatami is about 6ft x 3ft., so 216 sq ft?) that cost about $750/month. It sounds small (about the size of a SMALL studio apt here), but it was much larger than most of my friends' places, and besides you'll be out partying or checking out the country most of the time anyway. Getting into an apt is the most expensive thing in Japan, see if the company will sponsor you/pay the move-in costs.

Everything is more expensive, but if you're paid in Yen, you should be able to afford living there, and even save some money. And you don't need to speak a word of Japanese to teach English and make a pile of extra money.

You can live pretty comfortably on 350,000 yen/month.

Good luck!