A guide for starting work in Tokyo
This year, through a stroke of luck and fate I secured employment in a Japanese company. Little did I know that the job seeking process was just but a fraction of the challenges that I will face to prepare for permanent employment in Japan. I spent considerable time researching to prepare myself for the move but there was no source that was fitting of my profile. Thus, I am penning down my experience and tips, hoping that it can help in some way my fellow comrade in his/her process in settling down in Tokyo.
My profile
- young professional in the early 30s
- Can speak conversational japanese
Before you start work
Before you fly in, you have to secure your residence card.
Your company should have sent you a certificate of eligibility, where you will head to your local embassy and apply for your residence card. You will receive your residence card at the immigration at Tokyo airport.
Congrats on securing employment and entering Japan.
Now in Japan, you need 3 main things to get things work.
- An address
- A local phone number
- A bank account and credit card
Before you start work, it is advised that you fly in before to settle your lifestyle requirements, of which the top priority will be housing ( It is important to note here that a lot of processes cannot move without a confirmed address, including setting up your bank account)
My recommendation is to have a full week to go to the real estate agency and tour the apartments that you want to.
In my case, I flew in with nothing settled but short term housing secured. If you are planning to do the same, my advise is secure housing for at least 2 weeks. If a business hotel is too expensive for you(¥10000 and under) The good thing is if you are not very particular (and if there is no major holiday) you would be able to find cheap and reasonable accommodation (1298364728) from airbnb even at a very last juncture.
The other tip that I cannot emphasize enough is to bring a local with you. Buy them a good meal, let them handle the correspondence and paperwork for you. You can set your mind at ease with a local looking at the contract and following through with the service provider to get things done on time.
One other consideration is to time your start date properly. I started work on the first work day of the year (4th Jan), which was a mistake as flying in during the new year holidays is expensive plus, you cannot get anything moving during this period. So avoid starting work during the new year.
The other period to avoid is the new fiscal year (April) . It is also during this period that there are a lot of HR movement, new job transfers, starting of work for fresh grads, so it'll be competitive to find your desired housing.
There is a clear disadvantage for foreigners trying to rent homes as there will be cases where the owner prefers renting to a local. ( Possibly due to difference in customs) Your agent will filter out the apartments that do not rent to foreigners. If there are other applicants for the home you want to rent, the owner gets to choose who he wants to rent to and be prepared that you will usually stand a lower chance.
2.Getting a local number
This is significantly less strenuous than the other 2.
There are 2 options, getting a phone line from the official provider (NTT docomo, Softbank, AU, etc) or the other option is what they call MVNO (telco providers that ride on the official providers network). You will get less priority but you can get a phone number at half the price.
As I am not a heavy user, I contracted with an MNVO called OCN (Open Cellular Network) which is run by NTT Docomo.
My plan is about 2000 yen per month with 3gb usage and call charges will be charged at 40 yen per minute I would not say it is the best option, as my first choice was MINEO due to free cancellation of contract anytime. There is a cost of 80000 yen for cancellation at OCN before 6 months. I ended up with them as MINEO rejected my application without any reason provided.
To apply for a phone line via an MVNO provider, head to any electric stores (Yodobashi, etc) and they will have a telco department. The process is quite straightforward, do remember to bring your identification and a credit card for payment (International card is ok for OCN)
3.Getting a bank account
In Japan, the top 3 banks are characterized by their color. Take your pick between red (Mitsubishi), green(SMBC) and blue (Mizuho). In my case, I had the easy way out as my company assisted in my application.
The other important thing when getting a bank account is to have your inkan ready. It will serve as your signature.
You can get an inkan at a reasonable price at Tokyu Hands~
Tips on getting around
Get a local (Katakana) name
While official places like banks will require you to use your official name per your passport, it is perfectly fine to give an alias for other places like consumer goods. For example, if you are buying furniture at Nitori and they request you to register, you can use your Name in Katakana, it will make life much simpler for you.
When you start work
Hopefully, you have already secured your home.
Here is a basic checklist of other things you have to settle
- Furniture
- Utilities - there will be 3 companies to call for power, water, and gas respectively
- Wifi
- Registration with the ward
- Insurance
Hope this provides a good start for your relocation to Japan!
EUFASS
