New Life in Japan: From Alien to Expat in Fifteen Minutes

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Top photo: Jezael Melgoza on Unsplash

Imagine taking a job in Japan. The whole process of relocating, flying over, and stepping off a plane into an unusually hot summer (like stepping into an oven if you are from the north of England). Everything looks different, you can’t read the street signs and suddenly realize that all your friends and family are now on the other side of the world.

This could be just a little bit daunting for some, and even as surroundings become familiar, one discovers that certain home comforts are not so readily available in Japan. In my case, no UK-style bacon, and worse….no HP sauce. If any of this applies to you and this happens to be one of the first articles you are reading about life in Japan, then please continue! And hopefully, get some reassurance as advice on how to approach daily life in the land of the rising sun will soon follow.

The primary fear to many incoming foreigners is the language. Having seen a picture of a city at night, containing kanji characters, one will wonder ‘how do I find what I am looking for?, I can’t speak proficiently and I can’t read at all, that will take years to master’ First of all, there are reassuring western places that can be used a safe haven when finding your feet. Mcdonald’s tastes just the same and 7-Eleven and FamilyMart are everywhere. You may not be able to read it all, but items can be scanned and you will understand the numbers on the till. Mission one accomplished- it is pretty  easy to get something to eat.

This leads into our next issue, where to go out. There are many branches of the western TGI Friday’s and a British-themed pub called ‘The Hub’ that can easily be searched for online. If you’re looking for something a little more relaxed than fast food or convenience store food (and in the latter’s case, looking to possibly meet people) these aren’t bad starting points.

Another way to find people with the same interests, for example ‘skateboarding’, download the app ‘MeetMe’ on your smartphone and you can find events to meet many likeminded people, whatever your hobby or unusual interest may be. For single people, all the western dating apps and sites are active in Japan as well. There is also a famous speed dating event in Roppongi for those feeling particularly eager.

Also, in terms of going out, the aforementioned places can be a little expensive at the beginning. However, there are plenty of ramen shops, gyoza shops and other such local places where, if tired, you can get a quick meal for comfortably under 2,000 Yen. My personal recommendation is Hidakya, the set of 6 gyoza with a glass of beer is currently 520 Yen.

Another thing some people have issue with is using the train. They don’t like travelling alone or get easily confused in new places, particularly when they can’t speak the language. Asking for directions and then of course buying tickets become a nightmare. Of all the issues in the article, this is the easiest to overcome. Ticket machines have English settings and it is easy to buy a Pasemo or Suica card, to which credit can be added at your convenience. These cards can also be used in convenience stores and used when you are in a hurry or have not completely woken up.

As regards planning your journey, there is Google Maps, but I would recommend a site called www.hyperdia.com. This site is in English, Japanese or Chinese and very user friendly. Just input your local station and your destination and it will provide all routes and prices. There is a voice app, but this does not pick up your audio very well; I would just stick to the website.

So, once familiar with day-to-day life, the normal, human struggles become more apparent and manageable. The cost of living is generally more expensive here; it is easy to spend 10,000 yen (100 USD/72GBP) in a couple of shopping trips. Real estate companies have all kinds of admin charges and even charge people to renew rental contracts after two years (they even call it ‘thank you money’).

So, in addition to the advice for new arrivals, I also have some survival tips too. When looking for somewhere to live, check the ‘foreign friendly’ websites like gaijinpot.com and Tokyo Craigslist. It is possible to find property pre-owned by other foreigners and avoid some of the admin charges. I would also recommend looking up people that provide a service to new people in Japan. Kototokyo.com for example can help with registering at city hall, searching for a new apartment and even negotiating with the real estate company. Keep in mind, if you’re coming over with a job lined up (such as ALT work with a company like Borderlink) they will assist with a lot of the heavy lifting of guiding you in registering at city hall, talking with a real estate agency, etc.

With regards to shopping bills, some supermarkets are cheaper than others. Avoid station department store supermarkets like the Tokyu store and search for the cheapest supermarkets. Places like Sanwa, Seiyu and Ito Yokaddo are quite cheap. Seiyu is also the cheapest place to buy business suits. If you want to shop in bulk, Costco warehouses are in Japan too, but you will probably have to drive to find one and get membership.

‘Don Quijote’ is bigger than a supermarket and much smaller than Costco, but also very cheap and you do not have to become a member, and they have just about everything. This is the cheapest place to buy that bottle of wine or pack of beer for your day off. They also sell clothes, electrical and travel goods, and should be the first place to go when you need something new like a large suitcase.

Finally, in terms of reducing that weekly grocery bill, search for a ‘Gyomu Super’ (業務スーパー). These places sell frozen meat and vegetables that will keep for a long time and they are much cheaper than fresh products in the regular supermarket. If you are from the UK, it is like ‘Iceland’. For those into physical fitness, it is the best place to get a lot of chicken breasts in a big, cheap pack. I have just purchased some ‘steak cubes’ for 555 Yen, enough for 3 meals, but a, singular, fresh steak would be three times as much in a supermarket.

All in all, the process of moving to Japan and settling down is one that will take time, patience and effort, as it will moving to any other country. But it’s a process worth going through; the short-term pain leads to long-term gain. It’s a wonderful place full of things to explore and experience. Invest the time; after all, life is a journey, not a race.

Photo Credits:

Top photo: Jezael Melgoza on Unsplash

Information used in this article sourced from: 1 2

Previous photo used: ” 1 Chome Asakusa, Taitō-ku, Tōkyō-to 111-0032, Japan ” by James Willamor licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. (CC BY-SA 3.0) No changes or modifications made. Wikimedia Commons Link

All other content (text) created by the original author and © 2021 MUSUBI by Borderlink

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Michael Atkinson

From the UK
Has experience Japan for many years!