First time moving into japan for work

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.

1. An address
2. A local phone number
3. A bank account and credit card

1. Lets work on the address first.

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

Changing large amount of SGD to JPY in Singapore

So far, especially taking into consideration my numerous trips to Japan, my conclusion is transferring at a local money exchanger hotspot into cash is still the best choice.

My best friend is going back to Japan and is closing his SG account. Now there are 2 ways to transfer his money back to japan.

1. Directly through interbank transfer

2. Transfer to cash and bring it back

Telegraphic transfer

We went to UOB to enquire about telegraphic transfer.

I must give some kudos to UOB service, great service and we did not had to wait long despite having 20 people in front of us.

The charges were as such:

############ 

The indicative rate is 1.245 (which means 100 yen/ for SG$1.245)

Cable fee: $20

Commission: 0.125% (min $10 charge)

############

Assume for every SG$10000, he would get 800600 yen.

The Cash Way

Now to transfer the cash, you can change at the bank / airport, or change at the money changer.

Having previously written about where best to change SGD to foreign currency, I brought him to the arcade where I am familiar enough to help him get the best rate.

We got a better rate of 0.1230 after negotiating with the owner. 

At this rate, assume for every SG$10000, he would get 813000 yen

It was a savings of 12400 yen, which translate to about 1.5% savings for an amount of 10k.

Other Tips:

• Check your local limit of cash that you can bring through customs.
• Give your cash a good count before leaving the money exchanger
• Go for convenience if it’s a small amount

In our case, I guess the time spent justifies the savings we’ve achieved from this trip to the money exchanger!

Learn tips, Share tips

EUFASS

How to get to tsukiji fish market by taxi to watch the auction

You need to be up in the wee hours.

To watch the auction, you need to reach the location REALLY early. There is no other way to arrive at your destination except by taking a taxi or on foot, as trains do not start running until dawn.

If you want to know about getting to tsukiji to watch the tina auction, you are at the right place. Information online will tell you everything else except the exact instructions on which taxi to board, where to alight, and which building to go to, what time to be there.

On which taxi to board

Japanese are a honest and civilised bunch. This is the only country which I feel it is reasonable to say "Feel free to hop on to any taxi you see."

Of course, make sure you are hopping on a vehicle that looks like a taxi.

On where to alight

The exact location is as below. Note it is just before the bridge.

If you can manage some japanese, tell the driver "tsukiji roku cho me, osakana fukyuu senta (築地六ちょも, お魚普及センター) which means tsukiji 6th street , fish distribution centre)

If you can't speak good japanese, have google maps with you so you can direct the driver nearer to the location. 

Once you alight you can check with the guards who will guide you to the place.

**Time to be there**

I was there on Monday during the autumn and arrived at 4.03am and all the 120 slots available were all filled. Do not doubt that there are ample enthusiasts willing to arrive more than 1 hour before for the 20min tour. 

Other things to note

You will need to make a choice. Not on whether to wake up early or not. But on whether you want more badly to watch the auction or eat the best sushi in the area, sushi dai.

We might have missed the ticket to the auction, but as a blessing in disguise, we managed to have our extravagant sushi breakfast by 735am...

Hope this was useful for you

EUFASS 

SGD to JPY: Credit or Cash and tips on how much to change for 1 week in Japan

Ramen, generous beef serving, onsen egg, tasty seaweed for 800 yen

In my most recent solo trip to Japan last month, a few things have changed with regards to currency exchange.

1) Singapore dollar to Yen is now at a bargain compared to 2 years ago.

2 years ago, I changed at 1 to 65. Last month, I changed at 1 to 90. Now imagine the happiness of a tourist in Japan as everything is basically at 30% discount!
Why? Abenomics, they call it, which is their Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's solution to their declining economy. He has introduced a round of quantitative easing since his political victory causing Japanese currency to drop and hence increase exports.

2) More outlets are accepting credit cards

2 years ago, cash is king as many outlets do not accept cards. Now, it seems that paying by cards is increasingly common as most eateries accept cards. This will greatly impact the amount you have to change, since you need not carry huge amounts of cash anymore.

If you are planning to go to Japan and thinking on how much cash to change, here is the right place.
If you need ideas on where best to change SGD to JPY, refer to my previous recommendation here.

The two key questions are -

How much minimum cash would I need for 1 week?

Lets break down the expenses that can be paid via cash / credit
Accommodation - credit
Better Restaurants - credit
Shopping - credit
Roadside shopping - cash
Other food/convenience store - cash
Transport - top up by cash

Lets say you spend 1000 yen (~$11) on food per day, another 1000 yen on miscellaneous at the convenience store, 800 yen (2 x two-way trip from shibuya to akihabara), you will need 2800 yen a day. For 1 week, having about 21000 minimally with you would be OK. 

The rest, I will recommend to pay by credit card (Remember to activate overseas usage!). 

The next question I investigated was:

Does it make economic sense to pay by cards? How much would bringing all cash save me?

My credit expenses for this trip were as follows:
I spent, per my credit card bill, $583.19 in restaurants and shopping.
If I had paid by cash, with the currency exchange rate I got at Singapore, I would be spending $578.86. Which means that for $583 of spending,  I paid about $4 for the convenience of not holding large amounts of cash.

Pretty worth it (<1% of spending), I would say. So bringing all cash might not save you alot after all!

In conclusion, Japan's ease of credit card use has improved these 2 years. If you are going to Japan,
1) have minimally about 3000 yen per day, carry more cash if you want to
2) pay everything in credit and enjoy the convenience of not holding cash at a small price


Hope this was useful for you
EUFASS

World Cup Trivia: 5 Reasons to Remember Japan

Japan fans left Brazil yesterday with the heaviest heart as the Blue Samurai crashed out of the World Cup following a 4-1 defeat to Columbia.

Personally, I have been rooting for Japan in the World Cup. Here are 9 things I will remember Japan for:

1. Superb passes 

Some call it the tiki-taka style of play, but indubitably the team has an uncanny ability to produce the most telepathic passes, which allows them to have clear shots at goal. For the last match with Colombia, they created 24 shots while Columbia only manged 13 shots

2. Alluring Blue Jersey

Living up to their nickname, the Blue Samurais has one of the most attractive blue jerseys contrasted with neon orange.

3. Shinji Kagawa 

The star player of the Japanese team who is currently playing for Manchester United. Would have expected more magic from him this World Cup.

4. Their mascot -Pikachu! 

Kawaii... Isn't he cute!!

5. Graciousness of the fans. 

It should be publicised to every corner of the world by now, that the Japanese took the liberty to clean up their garbage after every match, leaving their area cleaner than before. Very wonderful manners and culture.


It's a pity to see Japan crashed out during the group stage, and I really hope to see them perform better in the next World Cup!

EUFASS

World Cup Trivia is a series designed for the current World Cup 2014 to give fans more than one ways to savour the game. 

World Cup Trivia: Accurate prediction by blue jellyfish from Japan?

Came across an interesting news article by Asahi News today:

For the recent World cup match between Japan and Greece, an aquarium in Yamagata prefecture (Japan) did a prediction of the results using jellyfish that shared the same colour as the Blue Samurais. Guess what?

2 jellyfish were released and out of 8 containers, both the blue jellyfish settled into one of the 2 containers indicating the result is a draw. For those who caught the match this morning, the score was 0-0, and indeed a draw!

You can watch the video and read the article here. It is written in Japanese though.

Japan must win Colombia next to qualify for the next round... Go Japan!!

EUFASS

World Cup Trivia is a series designed for the current World Cup 2014 to give fans more than one ways to savour the game.