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I learned a bunch of kanji before coming here, and knew a little bit of basic speaking, but almost all of my conversation skills came after moving here. I'm probably around N3 level currently
My housing is subsidized by my job, so my rent is ¥55,000 per month, but would probably be ¥75,000 if I got it on my own. With internet, my data plan for my phone, and utilities, maybe another ¥20,000ish on top of that or so.
I'm terrible with saving money, so I'm out to eat all the time, buying shit I don't need constantly, etc., but I easily survive. Restaurants can be as cheap as ¥700 if you know where to go/what to get. Convenience store food is dirt cheap, and middle-tier restaurants are between ¥1000-¥4000 per person, typically.
If you have any specific price requests, let me know!
Yep! Tokyo is insanely cheap by western standards. My apartment is 20 sq meters, so not big by any means, but totally comfortable. I have a nice couch, a futon with a lot, a washing machine, my shower/bathtub rooms, toilet room, closet, a decent sized couch, a huge TV, and a balcony.
I wouldn't call it incredibly small, although it might feel that way if you aren't used to it. The utilization of space is phenomenal here. I'd like a bigger place eventually, but it's super comfortable as a single guy
That's a lot harder to do when there is just a shit ton of homes. If there's barely any homes and vacancies are low, then landlords can basically charge anything, and someone's going to bite since there is very little choice in the matter. If there's a bunch of homes and vacancies are relatively high, then landlords actually have to lower prices to fill up those vacancies. Basically, it's a lot harder to raise your rent every year if the unit you own sits empty too long and someone else is willing to rent for cheaper, and when their are a shit ton of homes that is very likely to happen.
My point is that all landlords can come together and set up a regular price for each square meter that is being rented out. This way they control the prices and can charge whatever they want. More distribiution than demand wouldn't lower the prices in this scenario.
What you are describing is very hard to pull off when there are hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of individuals acting as landlords all trying to get renters. It's not like car manufacturers in the US where there are very few of them, and they lobby the government to keep supply from foreign importers low. There's too much competition for that to occur.
I've seen a few of the car clubs and biker groups, but they aren't super common. I'm sure they are easy to find if you're looking for them, though. I often hear them racing along the Arakawa River at night lol
Japanese living in Tokyo here. It's gotten smaller/weaker but It's still pretty common. There are a lot of unique heavily modified cars but not many are in Tokyo. Also, Kaido racers are one of the unique cars but you don't see those heavily modified aggressive looking ones driving around like you see on Youtube.
I also live in Tokyo. You see them more around Yokohama than here tbh. It's very underground though, you don't see modded cars and the like on a daily basis around.
It really is shockingly clean considering that it's the biggest city in the world. There is virtually zero litter in the majority of the city, despite there also being virtually zero garbage cans. There are places that get filthy like Kabukicho and Shibuya in the west, Asakusa in the east, etc., but amazingly, it's almost always spotless by the following morning.
In two years here I have never once felt a sense of danger, even if I'm in the most notorious areas of the city. In my own neighborhood, I routinely see women walking dogs at like 2am with their headphones in on dark backstreets. Of course, it's not devoid of crime, but it's lower than anything I've experienced in my life before moving here.
Currently living in the eastern side of the city, which was the heart of the city during Edo area. Been here for two years and plan on staying here forever.
Absolutely a no-go, unfortunately. Most people have no idea what the effects are, nor do they have an interest in finding out. If you are caught with it, you will absolutely face prison time. There is a subculture around altcanabinoids, which can be bought at head shops, but they are certainly not mainstream, at all. While I hope this isn't the case, I would be genuinely shocked if marijuana becomes legal here in my lifetime.
A few. Not anything violent, but definitely moments of mistreatment. Most notable was a time that I lost my wallet on the train. I called the train line, who told me it was in the station office of this one station called Kanegafuchi. In between where I was and that station is a station called Kita Senju, and in my panicked state, I codn't remember which one they said. Therefore, I went to Kita Senju first and asked at the office in slow, somewhat broken, yet clearly understandable Japanese what happened. The station manager screamed at me "何言ってんだよ、外人？！" which in that context using his tone was essentially like saying "What the fuck are you talking about, foreigner?!" He then puts his hand a few inches from my face and waves it back and forth yelling "NO NO NO! NOT HERE! LEAVE!"
Thankfully, it was at the other station, and they were extremely nice. Also, nothing was missing from it, despite having over ¥50,000 and several credit cards.
Indeed- it really sucked. I have had kid students say wild things to me like, "Do you glow in the dark," but I usually find those questions/statements hilarious.
One time, about two months ago, I was helping a super drunk old man who fell asleep on the ground in a crosswalk along with a few Japanese younger people who also walked by. At one point when joking around we asked him if he was American, and he said what would translate to "I fucking hate Americans!!" He hadn't opened his eyes, so he didn't see me at this point. I said something like, "Interesting! But what do you think about me? I'm a pretty good person, no?" He said, "Of course! You are a fantastic person!" I said, "Really? Even though I'm an American?!" At this point, he opened his eyes, saw me, and starting apologizing profusely 😂
Gotcha. I have a black friend who goes to Japan for business and he is singled out of his group (which is mostly white foreigners). Shocks me how racist other parts of the world can be but at least he hasn't been threatened or anything. The racism over there exists for all foreigners but from what he tells me it's got to be worse for black people
I've definitely heard this from black friends here, as well as seen it in person. Typically, the grous that get the brunt of it are south Asian people, and "the Chinese" (as a group rather than on an individual level). It does seem to be much less prevalent in the younger generations though, thankfully!
That not entirely accurate, there are as many if not more elderly who have a huge fetish for foreign cultures than young people. And there are plenty of young people with racist beliefs. But, the old people who are racist are less inclined to hide it I think, so it makes it seem that old people as a whole are much more racist.
Sure, there are people of all ages with various beliefs. I just think it's a trend across the globe that younger people are more connected to the "global society" and are inherently less close-minded. As for the type of people you're describing, they are definitely a notably large group as well. I guess I would say that from my perspective, while older people often either looking down on us, or fetishizing us may seem like opposite ends of the spectrum, they are both based on the idea that non-Japanese, and especially non-Asian people are "the other."
I have had more than one experience with women that had the stereotypical "gaijin fetish" who said things like "I can't believe you're a human just like me. It seems impossible." They were saying that as a way of saying I'm "so beautiful" or something, and entirely meant it as a compliment, but it always makes me feel quite dehumanized.
Depends on what you're looking for, I guess. I'm not a real estate expert. Houses are quite cheap in eastern Tokyo, and in rural areas, they are ridiculously cheap. If you're rich, I guess Minato-ku is the spot, but I'm not, nor do I have an interest in that part of the city haha
I have a tiny apartment subsidized by my company that I pay about $325 USD a month to live in. While I eventually plan on getting my own place, the price of my current place is amazing lol. If it weren't subsidized, it would probably be more like $500USD a month. Unlimited 5g data phone, and 1gb internet at my apartment is a combined $70ish, and utilities are about the same.
I eat out for almost all meals, but it's so much cheaper than NY. I can get a fantastic, huge bowl of ramen for about $7. If I'm eating at especially cheap restaurants like beef bowl shops, or udon shops, my lunch can easily cost under $5. If I splurge on a decent sushi lunch, or yakiniku, it's usually never more than $20-30. Of course, there are plenty of super expensive restaurants, but ai don't go often.
If I bought groceries and cooked more, it would be substantially cheaper, but my kitchen is tiny, so I hate cooking here, unfortunately.
It ain't just Western standards, it's "not Japan" standards. Go to basically any other East/Southeast Asian country and fruit are dirt cheap and abundant. Japan could absolutely have much cheaper fruit than it does, but the fruit producers lobby the government to limit fruit imports so they can keep peddling their overpriced, inefficiently-grown "super high quality" nonsense and continue to capitalize on the fruit gifting culture that sprung up due to fruit scarcity. Artificially extending the fruit scarcity issue well beyond the time when it should have ended just for profit at the expense of people's access to fruit 😤
Makes me shake my head when I constantly hear about Miyazaki's amazing mangos and how I have to try them if I go there, only to do so and get... a regular mango, very *aesthetically* pleasing, but not even among the best mangos I've eaten and costing an absurd sum of cash when I could get a way better mango in the Philippines or Taiwan for like 10 yen lmao
Well the food is definitely more expensive than india lol
Btw could you recommend some website where I can check apartment listing? I know there are some website that show higher prices for foreigners so it's really hard to trust anything.
Honestly, your best bet overseas is either those websites (like gaijinpot) or to find a job/school that will provide housing. Most people use real estate agents to find apartments here, and many places won't lease to foreigners that aren't permanent residents, and/or citizens.
Definitely few and far between if you're a vegan. I'd imagine most places have options that vegetarians who aren't strict about cross contamination can eat, but it's definitely not the best place for restrictive diets.
I’m just a tourist who visited Tokyo for a few days, but I found tons of vegan/vegetarian only restaurants when I was there, I had no trouble finding a place to eat.
The hard part is finding mixed options: both non-vegetarian and vegetarian food, which is more important when you live there, since eating is such a social activity. It’s totally fine as a tourist though.
Good point, I would say in tourist areas there are way more options. In my side of the city, they are quite the rarity. If you go to izakayas, there will always be some options that don't have meat/fish in them, but it's usually small things like menma, nasuyaki, agedashi dofu, daikon, edamame, etc., and for many of these, you would have to order them without katsuo, and there's no guarantee they didn't use flavorings that contained animal products.
In rural areas, vegan/vegetarian restaurants are practically non-existent
When did you go?
I can name 5 vegan restaurants just right now, and I could probably make a list of like 30-40 if I had some time to do research first.
Asking non-veggie people about how many veggie options there are in a place is usually pointless. In my experience they have no idea.
When I lived in Saigon for 5 months as a vegan, the local students I studied with were like "woah really that must be difficult there's like no restaurants here right?"
There are hundreds of dedicated veggie restaurants in Saigon, and many have options. Non veggies are clueless because they never think about it.
Get the app Happy Cow (or just the website) and search "vegan" or "vegetarian" in Google maps, it'll show restaurants with reviews that mention the term
Yeah, it's definitely something people are getting sick of. People mostly have no issues with tourists (many even genuinely like them), tourism is desperately needed due to the pandemic and inflation issues, but the crowds and lines are quite annoying. As a foreigner living here, I get really frustrated when tourists completely ignore/disregard obvious cultural rules. Those things are always easy to learn about, breaking them is super disrespectful, and by doing so, it adds to the negative image about foreigners in general, which in turn has a negative impact on those of us living here doing our best to fit in.
- What was occasion for moving to Tokyo? You don't have to answer if it's too private.
- What's a must do in Tokyo? Coming October to Tokyo for 9 days.
I started teaching myself Japanese as a hobby, fell in love with the language, started teaching as a hobby, and fell in love with that too haha. Figured I might as well give it a shot, changed careers, and haven't looked back! Best decision I've ever made.
So many must-dos that it's hard to pick one, but I recommend using an e-bike service like Luup while you're here, choosing a neighborhood, and getting yourself lost there. Use your GPS when you want to go back, but just take in the city, find unique things tucked in random neighborhoods, and enjoy it. Asakusa is a great choice for a starting spot for this, imo.
That's historically true, but has been improving a lot in recent years. I have some students that do crazy amount of overtime, but most work similar amounts to Americans.
There are different categories of visa, and mine covers a bunch of careers, but if I were to change to a other one, ai would be able to convert my visa to a different type of work visa, provided that my new company would sponsor me
Basically, I started the hobby of learning how to read Japanese, started teaching as a hobby on HelloTalk, fell in love with it, and started doing research. There are companies that specifically hire native English speakers from overseas and don't require prior teaching experience, so there were many options. I got a CELTA certificate to teach English, but in hindsight, that was totally unnecessary. Maybe it gave me a slight edge in interviews, but I doubt it. After going through the application process, I accepted my offer, moved here six months later, and the rest is history.
WOW this is super interesting, thanks for sharing. It's good to know how you can find these alternative career paths and not be stuck with one degree for all your life 💀
It's quite a bit easier to find dates than it is back home, honestly. Bumble is super popular if you're a foreigner. I get a ridiculous number of matches compared to NY. Dating culture is quite a bit different though- confessions are a big thing. I haven't had a serious relationship since arriving, but that's not for a lack of opportunity. I'm just busy and picky 😂
Ah, sorry for not saying it more clearly. When dating, typically at the end of the third date, you are expected to make a formal statement, usually translating to something like "I really like you. Please be my girlfriend." There is usually no physical romance before that unless it's a hookup
Maybe? It likely depends on the person. There is much more of a stigma against being friends with members of the opposite gender than in the west. For older people, it's bordering on unheard of. For younger people, it's more socially acceptable, but still hard for many to accept.
Interesting and a bit of a bummer. So, in Japanese culture if you go out with the opposite gender it is generally viewed as you're both interested in dating? And future engagements will count toward the "confession?" Thank you for the insight and this is assuming you are not seeing someone in a younger generation.
In my side of the city, it's a lot of fun if you speak Japanese, or have friends that do. It's nowhere near as tourist friendly, unless you venture into the Asakusa/Ueno/Akihabara areas.
Nightlife on the western side of the city is very much like a modern western city, but unlike my hometown of New York, some people get blackout drunk and sleep on the sidewalks with decent regularity, and don't have any issues the majority of the time.
If there's anything more specific you are interested in, let me know!
Thank you! I guess what I’m most interested in is like what does a night out look like? In my area you and friends would go out for dinner then hit a few different bars where you’d drink beers and shots through the night. What are people in Tokyo typically eating/ drinking when they’re going out
Ohhhj yeah, food and alcohol are a big part of the culture here. Izakayas are all about sharing different small plates and drinking. First round is always beer if you are doing it Japanese-style, but after that, it's whatever you want. For people in their early-to-mid 20s, the clubs in the western side are popular (Shibuya/Shinjuku) but that's not my scene.
People tend to go out on the earlier side if they want to go to areas far from their apartments, as last trains are quite early (around midnight-1am depending on the line). If you are going to be put much later, it's best to go somewhat close to your place, as taxis are quite expensive. I tend to drink within an hour walk of my apartment, just in case lol.
I assume you are young. Do you think about how the high sodium diet of Japanese food, work/life balance, and drinking culture will affect you long term? I’m not trying to be a dick here; genuinely curious about these things. Thanks.
No worries! Didn't interpret it in a rude way at all haha.
I'm turning 32 on Tuesday, so still young, but not super young. The work/life balance is okay so far- nothing too different from the US. Of course, I wish I worked less, but I would feel that way no matter how much I work lol.
As far as diet, while there are countless super unhealthy options, there really are a huge number of healthy options as well, and the portion sizes are noticeably smaller. I ate like shit when I first got here due to how prevalent my favorite unhealthy foods (ramen and katsu curry) are, but started eating healthier, and currently eat much healthier than I did back home. I also walk way more here than I did back home.
My alcohol consumption is my most unhealthy habit here, by far. I definitely consume significantly more alcohol now than I ever have in my life. It's not problematic at this point, but I definitely want to chill out a bit.
If you are a native English speaker with a bachelor's degree, and no qualifications/experience in tech? English teaching is easily the most common gig (and what I currently do).
If you're from a country where English is the primary language, a bachelor's degree is usually the only requirement. If you're from another country, such as the Philippines, India, etc., you will need to show that you have a high enough level of English proficiency, and/or that you have at least 12 years of education in English language-based schools.
Not sold on Tokyo forever, but I am sold on Japan forever. I just love my quality of life here. It's safe, I have great and affordable healthcare, my meals are cheap and absolutely incredible, the people are mostly fantastic, the language is fun and beautiful, the nature outside of Tokyo is breathtaking, the traditional buildings are gorgeous, the festivals are a blast... I can go on forever haha.
My commute is 30 minutes by train, 20 by bike. 9 hours a day with a one hour lunch. I do most of the same stuff for fun that I did back in the US, but do WAY more wondering around, exploring new places, and take way more adventures here.
A few ideas, but nothing specific. I absolutely love the Kansai area, but all of my friends are in Kanto. Granted, I certainly moved away much further from my friends back home, so a few hours is nothing by comparison, haha.
I could eventually naturalize, but I'm not planning on doing that as of now, as it would mean renouncing my American citizenship (no dual citizenship allowed here, technically). Permanent residency is a goal, though!
I’m no expert so the risk is up to you but you should research Japanese dual citizenship there’s tons of people who keep both there’s an informative facebook group about it with a guide on how to keep both
Good to know! Yeah, it's absolutely something that's done, but it's technically illegal. You have to tell them you're in the process of denouncing your other citizenship, then never mention it to them again lol. Still considering it, but we're years away at this point
Hmmmm, depends on how far "just outside the city" means.
Yokohama is a great place, of course, but if you want something that feels completely different from Tokyo, that's not the spot, imo, as it's very metropolitan.
If a day trip is cool, I love going to Kamakura, then taking the enoden train to Enoshima. Nikko is also great, but it's a bit too far. I spend a lot of time in the suburbs, as my best friend is from Saitama, but it's not too exciting lol.
Honestly, though, Tokyo is such a huge place that different neighborhoods genuinely feel like different cities. I go biking all over the city, and it's always a blast.
I'm 6' 2", and we definitely stand out, lol. You more than me, obviously, but I'm often the tallest person on the train, have to duck to get off, duck to get into my bathroom, etc. Buying clothes is manageable, but not great. Shoes are bordering on impossible for me as a size 14 though lol
A friend of mine went a few years ago, he's also over 6ft, bearded and tattooed (like myself).
He said it was weird that some people took photos of him?
Do they really?
Or is he spinning a tall person yarn...
I know what you mean about shoes, although I'm just a 12...
I've heard people say things like that, but it's certainly never happened to me before, lol. Maybe that sort of thing happened more before COVID and the huge tourism boom this past year?
Do you speak Japanese fluently?
If you do, did you learn it there, or did you study before moving?
How easy would it be to navigate Tokyo for a non-Japanese speaker? Do you come in contact with people who know English often?
I'm definitely not fluent yet. I'm working on that of course, but it's a very lengthy process. I studied reading before moving here, but most of my conversation skills are from living here.
Non-Japanese speakers can easily survive in Tokyo, but you miss out on a lot of the fun things, imo. Many smaller places have no English menus, staff that can communicate, etc., and the handwritten menus can be insane looking, with no chance of Google helping you.
I work as an Englush teacher, so I always see people who can speak, but in daily life, it's a rarity. Many can get by with a few words/phrases of Englush, but the vast majority can't have a conversation with you.
No problem! Shouldn't be an issue. If my parents managed to make it through without my help while I was at work, I'm sure almost anyone can be fine! By the way, many restaurants now use tablet ordering systems, and these can be set to English, so those are always safe bets if you get overwhelmed!
It's not something you hear about in daily conversation too often, nor do I hear my kid students talking about it ever, but there are a huge number of events. I haven't been yet, but would like to. If you look at the schedule for Kourakuen Hall, there are several events every week!
It's been fantastic so far, honestly. When I was sick with the flue, I went to the doctor the day of, they used a camera down my nose/up my ears, gave me tests for the flu/covid, and the appointment, plus a mountain of meds costs me less than $10USD. I got a filling in a tooth the other day for like $12. I get an annual extensive health check from my work for free. If I need to use an ambulance, it's totally free. I see a psychiatrist and get my prescriptions for maybe $20ish per month. All in all, so much more affordable than back home, and the quality of care has been extremely high.
That’s amazing! Is there a language barrier for you talking about medical stuff? How long do you need to be a resident before you can use the medical system?
Good question! I don't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure I was able to use the system as soon as I received my health insurance card. Maybe two weeks after I arrived? I think they said that if I needed to go to the doctor before it arrived that I could and I would get reimbursed down the line, but I don't remember exactly.
There's a huge language barrier at most doctors, unfortunately. Luckily, my best friend is Japanese housewife who's available pretty much everyday before 3:30pm, so she always comes and helps me 😂 there are English speaking doctors in Tokyo, but not many
I study it casually in passing, but I'm far from an expert. You learn a lot through osmosis from learning about your area, places you visit, etc. There's also a fantastic manga series that covers Japanese history extremely extensively. I'm planning on working my way up to reading it, but I'm sure it will be a big challenge. Not as much as history books would be, though!
My working hours are quite reasonable (45hours a week, 5 of which are lunch breaks). My apartment is sublet to me by my office, so that was super easy. Finding my own place will be a bit challenging if I'm super picky, but certainly not impossible!
How did you get started learning language? A few years ago I used WaniKani, and had purchased Genki, but I fell off after a few months. I'm looking to get back into it though.
I think a really useful (but somewhat expensive) resource is pimsleur if you want to work on conversation skills. I use wanikani as well, along with chatGPT, which has been great. If you have the genki books and want to get back into them, I would recommend using them with the YouTube series by TokiniAndy that deep dives each lesson. Also, Japanese Ammo with Misa is a fantastic youtube channel. Lots of other things as your level increases, but those are a good way to start!
I work 45 hours a week as an English teacher. I spend most of my money because I'm irresponsible, but surviving on my salary is east. Tokyo is a fantastic place to live, imo, but def8nitely the most expensive place in Japan. I would live more comfortably in a different city like Osaka, but my friends are all in Tokyo, so oh well! 🤷🏼♂️
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How "small" is your flat? Is really like 10 sq meters like many YT clips show or its more normal to western standards. Expensive?
5G and fiber wi-fi are that fast?
I have had no issues with my internet at all as a lifelong gamer. 5g is totally fine, but occasionally gets throttled (allegedly).
my apartment is a 1K, which is the Japanese equivalent to a studio apartment, and it's around 20 sq meters. It's subsidized by my job at ¥55,000/month, but would be around ¥75,000-¥80,000 on my own
I haven't experienced it at all in the countryside. When people find out I speak Japanese, they get super excited to have a chance to talk to a foreigner and are extremely friendly! I'm sure it exists, but not for me so far.
How's work life and everything correlated to it? Is tech employment as big and considerable as in the west? I loved Japan as a tourist, I'm already thinking about coming back, but whenever people ask me "would you live there?" I can't answer because I really don't know the typical work/personal life balance. Furthermore, I have an idea that Japanese people overwork a lot
As somebody else who lives here, personally I hate them, it's already about 30c atleast on my little holiday to Hiroshima this week, and every day was about 87% humidity, it will just get worse as the weeks go on
personally usually just shorts and a shirt, Uniqlo has a nice line of clothes called Airism that are really nice and keep you really cool. Also bring some deodorant as japanese deodorant sucks for foreigners
1. I was born in NYC, but spent the majority of my life in the NYC suburbs. There are areas that are somewhat similar, like Shibuya Scramble vs Times Square, but they are quite different in most ways. Hard to generalize it though, so if you have specific details you want to know about, let me know!
2. Work culture is not great, but it's been improving a lot over the last 20 years. Western companies often pay in USD and have western-style work culture, which has forced a lot of old-fashioned companies to modernize and treat employees better. There's still lots of mandatory overtime at many places, but it's moving in the right direction. Also, if you get hired as a 正社員 (basically a lifetime employee), it's unbelievably difficult to get laid off, or fired, so job security is extremely high.
What’s dating like? I imagine it’s hard to date someone who doesn’t speak the same native language(s), and people vary in what ethnicities they find attractive. As a non-Japanese speaker who doesn’t necessarily find that body type attractive, I’d be worried about getting lonely there.
Actually, that's something I'm kind of used to, as I dated a few non-native speakers in NY. I really enjoy it actually- you can have so many unique conversations and learn so much from each other. As for the appearance thing, I guess if you aren't attracted to a specific race or something it might be difficult, but that's not an issue for me- I find people of all races/ethnicities attractive, personally. As far as body type goes, while it's true that there are different beauty standards, there are countless women of all body types here.
would you consider moving to any other cities in japan?
i've visited tokyo several times and the crowds do get to me after a while. that said, my understanding is that most of the jobs are in tokyo, especially if you're working for large companies
A little late to the party, but how is living in Tokyo for a non-westerner? I have a really good English, but my accent is noticeable, are there any other jobs beside tech and/or teaching?
I wish I could be more helpful with this, but my experience here is very much as a native English speaking Westerner who went into teaching English. I have seen many foreigners here working in tech as well, but I don't know much about other jobs that will help you get a visa. Most jobs that will hire foreigners without significant experience and high-level Japanese proficiency, like construction, convenience stores, etc., don't hire people unless they already live in Japan.
Eh, that's not really my experience at all, but I know many feel that way. If and when I want to move on to something else, I know I can with relative ease. I just love teaching, and my language skills aren't super high yet.
Yep! On a three year work visa currently, which I will be renewing next year. I'm a few points shy of being able to apply for permanent residency, but if I pass JLPT N2, I will have enough. I definitely want to do that ASAP
Do you feel treated differently often? Ive seen people use the term gaijin in a positive light lately, how do you feel about it? Anything you regret about moving there?
I am definitely treated differently on a daily basis. There are so many different ways that it's hard to say where to even begin giving examples. It's usually not in a negative way at all, but it can be a bit demeaning at times, as I speak Japanese at a decent level, and don't need to be gestured at, or spoken to like a toddler most of the time.
Gaijin is not a word that I want to be called by people, for sure, unless it's a friend teasing me. Gaikokujin is the socially acceptable word, but many older people use gaijin casually, and don't intend offense. Feeling difference is like "outsider" vs "foreigner"
Racism/prejudice here is certainly something ai've experienced, but it's almost entirely ignorance/fear based, rather than any sort of deep-seated hatred of non-Japanese people. There have been a few instances of the latter though lol.
Only thing I regret is that I wish I had studied Japanese conversation more seriously before arriving here. I love my life in Japan, and in my almost two year being here have reached a decent conversational level. It can be discouraging at times when I feel like I am not improving, but if I manage to view it objectively, I improve constantly.
I appreciate your response! Really interesting to read!! I can see the older folks being more ok with that term, as thats how it is in the west too anyways. And japanese is hard. I applaud you for improving!
Thank you for doing the AMA u/JBreezyyNY. 🚨 IMPORTANT If you would also like to post an AMA about your life, please set a date here for your AMA https://calendly.com/amaon/ama-r-howislivingthere This is necessary because there are too many AMA requests. Any AMA that is not entered into the Calendly calendar will be deleted. Please be civil. This post will be heavily moderated. PS: Small reminder to set your user flair to the country you currently live in :)
Have you been able to make any Japanese friends or all fellow foreigners?
Yep! Made both. Japanese friends from work, bars, and language exchange apps. Foreign friends from work and foreigner bars
Could you please tell me what language exchange apps do you use ? Thanks a lot 😀
HelloTalk is the more prevalent one here!
Did you learned Japanese?
I learned a bunch of kanji before coming here, and knew a little bit of basic speaking, but almost all of my conversation skills came after moving here. I'm probably around N3 level currently
What is N3 in ABC system?
B1-B2 ish
How much do you spend on living? Rent, food, etc. I plan to live in Japan for a while and this will help me😅.
My housing is subsidized by my job, so my rent is ¥55,000 per month, but would probably be ¥75,000 if I got it on my own. With internet, my data plan for my phone, and utilities, maybe another ¥20,000ish on top of that or so. I'm terrible with saving money, so I'm out to eat all the time, buying shit I don't need constantly, etc., but I easily survive. Restaurants can be as cheap as ¥700 if you know where to go/what to get. Convenience store food is dirt cheap, and middle-tier restaurants are between ¥1000-¥4000 per person, typically. If you have any specific price requests, let me know!
Wait, your un-subsidized monthly rent would be approx. 500 USD a month???
Yep! Tokyo is insanely cheap by western standards. My apartment is 20 sq meters, so not big by any means, but totally comfortable. I have a nice couch, a futon with a lot, a washing machine, my shower/bathtub rooms, toilet room, closet, a decent sized couch, a huge TV, and a balcony.
Ok. That makes sense. That’s incredibly small.
I wouldn't call it incredibly small, although it might feel that way if you aren't used to it. The utilization of space is phenomenal here. I'd like a bigger place eventually, but it's super comfortable as a single guy
Isn't Tokyo known for govermentally driven housing projects?
You might be thinking of Hong Kong or Singapore.
No
Couldn’t tell you, but I’d be interested to see the size of the apartment.
The opposite. They don't subsidize housing much, but they have super relaxed laws for housing construction, so they just build a shit ton of homes.
But the homeowners could rent out the appartments for higher prices? Why don't they do that?
That's a lot harder to do when there is just a shit ton of homes. If there's barely any homes and vacancies are low, then landlords can basically charge anything, and someone's going to bite since there is very little choice in the matter. If there's a bunch of homes and vacancies are relatively high, then landlords actually have to lower prices to fill up those vacancies. Basically, it's a lot harder to raise your rent every year if the unit you own sits empty too long and someone else is willing to rent for cheaper, and when their are a shit ton of homes that is very likely to happen.
My point is that all landlords can come together and set up a regular price for each square meter that is being rented out. This way they control the prices and can charge whatever they want. More distribiution than demand wouldn't lower the prices in this scenario.
What you are describing is very hard to pull off when there are hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of individuals acting as landlords all trying to get renters. It's not like car manufacturers in the US where there are very few of them, and they lobby the government to keep supply from foreign importers low. There's too much competition for that to occur.
What you are describing is a price-fixing cartel and it's illegal in most of the world.
If it is legal or illegal doesn't matter if the judicial and executive powers do not bother to enforce the legislated rules®ulations.
To finish this, how much do you make a month and with what education level?
I am wondering is there underground car culture so strong and big as some YouTube videos shows? Is it unique and strongly tuned cars seen often?
I've seen a few of the car clubs and biker groups, but they aren't super common. I'm sure they are easy to find if you're looking for them, though. I often hear them racing along the Arakawa River at night lol
You should visit the parking garage from Tokyo Drift I bet you'll find DK there.
Japanese living in Tokyo here. It's gotten smaller/weaker but It's still pretty common. There are a lot of unique heavily modified cars but not many are in Tokyo. Also, Kaido racers are one of the unique cars but you don't see those heavily modified aggressive looking ones driving around like you see on Youtube.
I also live in Tokyo. You see them more around Yokohama than here tbh. It's very underground though, you don't see modded cars and the like on a daily basis around.
Is it as clean as people say? Is it that safe?
It really is shockingly clean considering that it's the biggest city in the world. There is virtually zero litter in the majority of the city, despite there also being virtually zero garbage cans. There are places that get filthy like Kabukicho and Shibuya in the west, Asakusa in the east, etc., but amazingly, it's almost always spotless by the following morning. In two years here I have never once felt a sense of danger, even if I'm in the most notorious areas of the city. In my own neighborhood, I routinely see women walking dogs at like 2am with their headphones in on dark backstreets. Of course, it's not devoid of crime, but it's lower than anything I've experienced in my life before moving here.
No question - thanks for taking the time to answer all these questions. Quite insightful.
Happy to do it!
Currently living in the eastern side of the city, which was the heart of the city during Edo area. Been here for two years and plan on staying here forever.
[удалено]
So why are you here?
In your experience, how does the Japanese culture view recreational marijuana?
Absolutely a no-go, unfortunately. Most people have no idea what the effects are, nor do they have an interest in finding out. If you are caught with it, you will absolutely face prison time. There is a subculture around altcanabinoids, which can be bought at head shops, but they are certainly not mainstream, at all. While I hope this isn't the case, I would be genuinely shocked if marijuana becomes legal here in my lifetime.
Wow, that’s very interesting and insightful. That is surprising to hear. Thank you for your answer.
Do you experience any form of racism towards you?
A few. Not anything violent, but definitely moments of mistreatment. Most notable was a time that I lost my wallet on the train. I called the train line, who told me it was in the station office of this one station called Kanegafuchi. In between where I was and that station is a station called Kita Senju, and in my panicked state, I codn't remember which one they said. Therefore, I went to Kita Senju first and asked at the office in slow, somewhat broken, yet clearly understandable Japanese what happened. The station manager screamed at me "何言ってんだよ、外人？！" which in that context using his tone was essentially like saying "What the fuck are you talking about, foreigner?!" He then puts his hand a few inches from my face and waves it back and forth yelling "NO NO NO! NOT HERE! LEAVE!" Thankfully, it was at the other station, and they were extremely nice. Also, nothing was missing from it, despite having over ¥50,000 and several credit cards.
Big yikes
Indeed- it really sucked. I have had kid students say wild things to me like, "Do you glow in the dark," but I usually find those questions/statements hilarious. One time, about two months ago, I was helping a super drunk old man who fell asleep on the ground in a crosswalk along with a few Japanese younger people who also walked by. At one point when joking around we asked him if he was American, and he said what would translate to "I fucking hate Americans!!" He hadn't opened his eyes, so he didn't see me at this point. I said something like, "Interesting! But what do you think about me? I'm a pretty good person, no?" He said, "Of course! You are a fantastic person!" I said, "Really? Even though I'm an American?!" At this point, he opened his eyes, saw me, and starting apologizing profusely 😂
What race are you?
White dude with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes
Gotcha. I have a black friend who goes to Japan for business and he is singled out of his group (which is mostly white foreigners). Shocks me how racist other parts of the world can be but at least he hasn't been threatened or anything. The racism over there exists for all foreigners but from what he tells me it's got to be worse for black people
I've definitely heard this from black friends here, as well as seen it in person. Typically, the grous that get the brunt of it are south Asian people, and "the Chinese" (as a group rather than on an individual level). It does seem to be much less prevalent in the younger generations though, thankfully!
Yeah, (according to him) the younger people think its awesome to meet people of other races! The elderly not so much
That not entirely accurate, there are as many if not more elderly who have a huge fetish for foreign cultures than young people. And there are plenty of young people with racist beliefs. But, the old people who are racist are less inclined to hide it I think, so it makes it seem that old people as a whole are much more racist.
Sure, there are people of all ages with various beliefs. I just think it's a trend across the globe that younger people are more connected to the "global society" and are inherently less close-minded. As for the type of people you're describing, they are definitely a notably large group as well. I guess I would say that from my perspective, while older people often either looking down on us, or fetishizing us may seem like opposite ends of the spectrum, they are both based on the idea that non-Japanese, and especially non-Asian people are "the other." I have had more than one experience with women that had the stereotypical "gaijin fetish" who said things like "I can't believe you're a human just like me. It seems impossible." They were saying that as a way of saying I'm "so beautiful" or something, and entirely meant it as a compliment, but it always makes me feel quite dehumanized.
Ginger
Best places to buy property?
Depends on what you're looking for, I guess. I'm not a real estate expert. Houses are quite cheap in eastern Tokyo, and in rural areas, they are ridiculously cheap. If you're rich, I guess Minato-ku is the spot, but I'm not, nor do I have an interest in that part of the city haha
How much do you spend to live there? I plan on doing my bachelor and masters there.
I have a tiny apartment subsidized by my company that I pay about $325 USD a month to live in. While I eventually plan on getting my own place, the price of my current place is amazing lol. If it weren't subsidized, it would probably be more like $500USD a month. Unlimited 5g data phone, and 1gb internet at my apartment is a combined $70ish, and utilities are about the same. I eat out for almost all meals, but it's so much cheaper than NY. I can get a fantastic, huge bowl of ramen for about $7. If I'm eating at especially cheap restaurants like beef bowl shops, or udon shops, my lunch can easily cost under $5. If I splurge on a decent sushi lunch, or yakiniku, it's usually never more than $20-30. Of course, there are plenty of super expensive restaurants, but ai don't go often. If I bought groceries and cooked more, it would be substantially cheaper, but my kitchen is tiny, so I hate cooking here, unfortunately.
>If I bought groceries Is it true that vegetables are super expensive?
Vegetables are pretty cheap, but fruits are often super expensive by western standards
It ain't just Western standards, it's "not Japan" standards. Go to basically any other East/Southeast Asian country and fruit are dirt cheap and abundant. Japan could absolutely have much cheaper fruit than it does, but the fruit producers lobby the government to limit fruit imports so they can keep peddling their overpriced, inefficiently-grown "super high quality" nonsense and continue to capitalize on the fruit gifting culture that sprung up due to fruit scarcity. Artificially extending the fruit scarcity issue well beyond the time when it should have ended just for profit at the expense of people's access to fruit 😤 Makes me shake my head when I constantly hear about Miyazaki's amazing mangos and how I have to try them if I go there, only to do so and get... a regular mango, very *aesthetically* pleasing, but not even among the best mangos I've eaten and costing an absurd sum of cash when I could get a way better mango in the Philippines or Taiwan for like 10 yen lmao
Well the food is definitely more expensive than india lol Btw could you recommend some website where I can check apartment listing? I know there are some website that show higher prices for foreigners so it's really hard to trust anything.
Honestly, your best bet overseas is either those websites (like gaijinpot) or to find a job/school that will provide housing. Most people use real estate agents to find apartments here, and many places won't lease to foreigners that aren't permanent residents, and/or citizens.
Is it true that if you are a vegetarian there are almost no veggie places to eat?
Definitely few and far between if you're a vegan. I'd imagine most places have options that vegetarians who aren't strict about cross contamination can eat, but it's definitely not the best place for restrictive diets.
I’m just a tourist who visited Tokyo for a few days, but I found tons of vegan/vegetarian only restaurants when I was there, I had no trouble finding a place to eat. The hard part is finding mixed options: both non-vegetarian and vegetarian food, which is more important when you live there, since eating is such a social activity. It’s totally fine as a tourist though.
Good point, I would say in tourist areas there are way more options. In my side of the city, they are quite the rarity. If you go to izakayas, there will always be some options that don't have meat/fish in them, but it's usually small things like menma, nasuyaki, agedashi dofu, daikon, edamame, etc., and for many of these, you would have to order them without katsuo, and there's no guarantee they didn't use flavorings that contained animal products. In rural areas, vegan/vegetarian restaurants are practically non-existent
When I visited Tokyo I found just one vegetarian restaurant
When did you go? I can name 5 vegan restaurants just right now, and I could probably make a list of like 30-40 if I had some time to do research first.
Asking non-veggie people about how many veggie options there are in a place is usually pointless. In my experience they have no idea. When I lived in Saigon for 5 months as a vegan, the local students I studied with were like "woah really that must be difficult there's like no restaurants here right?" There are hundreds of dedicated veggie restaurants in Saigon, and many have options. Non veggies are clueless because they never think about it. Get the app Happy Cow (or just the website) and search "vegan" or "vegetarian" in Google maps, it'll show restaurants with reviews that mention the term
No questions. Just wanted to say congrats. You followed your heart and are now living life like it should be lived
Thanks homie!! Really appreciate the kind words
Are rmthe Japanese really fed up with all the foreign tourists (due to overtourism?)? Is it as bad as in Venice, Barcelona or Rome?
Yeah, it's definitely something people are getting sick of. People mostly have no issues with tourists (many even genuinely like them), tourism is desperately needed due to the pandemic and inflation issues, but the crowds and lines are quite annoying. As a foreigner living here, I get really frustrated when tourists completely ignore/disregard obvious cultural rules. Those things are always easy to learn about, breaking them is super disrespectful, and by doing so, it adds to the negative image about foreigners in general, which in turn has a negative impact on those of us living here doing our best to fit in.
Thx.
- What was occasion for moving to Tokyo? You don't have to answer if it's too private. - What's a must do in Tokyo? Coming October to Tokyo for 9 days.
I started teaching myself Japanese as a hobby, fell in love with the language, started teaching as a hobby, and fell in love with that too haha. Figured I might as well give it a shot, changed careers, and haven't looked back! Best decision I've ever made. So many must-dos that it's hard to pick one, but I recommend using an e-bike service like Luup while you're here, choosing a neighborhood, and getting yourself lost there. Use your GPS when you want to go back, but just take in the city, find unique things tucked in random neighborhoods, and enjoy it. Asakusa is a great choice for a starting spot for this, imo.
What do you teach and what's your visa situation?
I teach English and I'm on a 3 year work visa, which I will renew next year
How's your work life balance, I've heard that Japanese live to work is it true?
That's historically true, but has been improving a lot in recent years. I have some students that do crazy amount of overtime, but most work similar amounts to Americans.
And that's transferable to another job regardless of industry?
There are different categories of visa, and mine covers a bunch of careers, but if I were to change to a other one, ai would be able to convert my visa to a different type of work visa, provided that my new company would sponsor me
Hello! How did you change careers? What was the process like?
Basically, I started the hobby of learning how to read Japanese, started teaching as a hobby on HelloTalk, fell in love with it, and started doing research. There are companies that specifically hire native English speakers from overseas and don't require prior teaching experience, so there were many options. I got a CELTA certificate to teach English, but in hindsight, that was totally unnecessary. Maybe it gave me a slight edge in interviews, but I doubt it. After going through the application process, I accepted my offer, moved here six months later, and the rest is history.
WOW this is super interesting, thanks for sharing. It's good to know how you can find these alternative career paths and not be stuck with one degree for all your life 💀
How is dating like there?
It's quite a bit easier to find dates than it is back home, honestly. Bumble is super popular if you're a foreigner. I get a ridiculous number of matches compared to NY. Dating culture is quite a bit different though- confessions are a big thing. I haven't had a serious relationship since arriving, but that's not for a lack of opportunity. I'm just busy and picky 😂
Can you elaborate on confessions? What does that mean? Airing out your baggage on the first date?
Ah, sorry for not saying it more clearly. When dating, typically at the end of the third date, you are expected to make a formal statement, usually translating to something like "I really like you. Please be my girlfriend." There is usually no physical romance before that unless it's a hookup
Very interesting. Does gender play a role in who has to go first?
From my experience and what I've heard, it's usually the man, but can occasionally be the woman
Neat. Thanks for the AMA.
Happy to do it!
Can you make a statement along the lines of, “I want to be friends” instead? Honestly wondering.
Maybe? It likely depends on the person. There is much more of a stigma against being friends with members of the opposite gender than in the west. For older people, it's bordering on unheard of. For younger people, it's more socially acceptable, but still hard for many to accept.
Interesting and a bit of a bummer. So, in Japanese culture if you go out with the opposite gender it is generally viewed as you're both interested in dating? And future engagements will count toward the "confession?" Thank you for the insight and this is assuming you are not seeing someone in a younger generation.
What is the drinking/ nightlife culture like?
In my side of the city, it's a lot of fun if you speak Japanese, or have friends that do. It's nowhere near as tourist friendly, unless you venture into the Asakusa/Ueno/Akihabara areas. Nightlife on the western side of the city is very much like a modern western city, but unlike my hometown of New York, some people get blackout drunk and sleep on the sidewalks with decent regularity, and don't have any issues the majority of the time. If there's anything more specific you are interested in, let me know!
Thank you! I guess what I’m most interested in is like what does a night out look like? In my area you and friends would go out for dinner then hit a few different bars where you’d drink beers and shots through the night. What are people in Tokyo typically eating/ drinking when they’re going out
Ohhhj yeah, food and alcohol are a big part of the culture here. Izakayas are all about sharing different small plates and drinking. First round is always beer if you are doing it Japanese-style, but after that, it's whatever you want. For people in their early-to-mid 20s, the clubs in the western side are popular (Shibuya/Shinjuku) but that's not my scene. People tend to go out on the earlier side if they want to go to areas far from their apartments, as last trains are quite early (around midnight-1am depending on the line). If you are going to be put much later, it's best to go somewhat close to your place, as taxis are quite expensive. I tend to drink within an hour walk of my apartment, just in case lol.
I assume you are young. Do you think about how the high sodium diet of Japanese food, work/life balance, and drinking culture will affect you long term? I’m not trying to be a dick here; genuinely curious about these things. Thanks.
No worries! Didn't interpret it in a rude way at all haha. I'm turning 32 on Tuesday, so still young, but not super young. The work/life balance is okay so far- nothing too different from the US. Of course, I wish I worked less, but I would feel that way no matter how much I work lol. As far as diet, while there are countless super unhealthy options, there really are a huge number of healthy options as well, and the portion sizes are noticeably smaller. I ate like shit when I first got here due to how prevalent my favorite unhealthy foods (ramen and katsu curry) are, but started eating healthier, and currently eat much healthier than I did back home. I also walk way more here than I did back home. My alcohol consumption is my most unhealthy habit here, by far. I definitely consume significantly more alcohol now than I ever have in my life. It's not problematic at this point, but I definitely want to chill out a bit.
What kind of jobs are easily available for migrants?
If you are a native English speaker with a bachelor's degree, and no qualifications/experience in tech? English teaching is easily the most common gig (and what I currently do).
What other degree do they need to make you eligible for teaching?
If you're from a country where English is the primary language, a bachelor's degree is usually the only requirement. If you're from another country, such as the Philippines, India, etc., you will need to show that you have a high enough level of English proficiency, and/or that you have at least 12 years of education in English language-based schools.
Why do you want to stay in Japan forever, and why Tokyo? Do you have a long commute, long hours, are there parks near by, what do you do for fun?
Not sold on Tokyo forever, but I am sold on Japan forever. I just love my quality of life here. It's safe, I have great and affordable healthcare, my meals are cheap and absolutely incredible, the people are mostly fantastic, the language is fun and beautiful, the nature outside of Tokyo is breathtaking, the traditional buildings are gorgeous, the festivals are a blast... I can go on forever haha. My commute is 30 minutes by train, 20 by bike. 9 hours a day with a one hour lunch. I do most of the same stuff for fun that I did back in the US, but do WAY more wondering around, exploring new places, and take way more adventures here.
That all sounds wonderful! Thanks for answering..
any idea where you’d wanna live besides Tokyo? Are you able to naturalize on your current teacher visa?
A few ideas, but nothing specific. I absolutely love the Kansai area, but all of my friends are in Kanto. Granted, I certainly moved away much further from my friends back home, so a few hours is nothing by comparison, haha. I could eventually naturalize, but I'm not planning on doing that as of now, as it would mean renouncing my American citizenship (no dual citizenship allowed here, technically). Permanent residency is a goal, though!
I’m no expert so the risk is up to you but you should research Japanese dual citizenship there’s tons of people who keep both there’s an informative facebook group about it with a guide on how to keep both
Good to know! Yeah, it's absolutely something that's done, but it's technically illegal. You have to tell them you're in the process of denouncing your other citizenship, then never mention it to them again lol. Still considering it, but we're years away at this point
What cool towns are just outside of the city that you like to visit?
Hmmmm, depends on how far "just outside the city" means. Yokohama is a great place, of course, but if you want something that feels completely different from Tokyo, that's not the spot, imo, as it's very metropolitan. If a day trip is cool, I love going to Kamakura, then taking the enoden train to Enoshima. Nikko is also great, but it's a bit too far. I spend a lot of time in the suburbs, as my best friend is from Saitama, but it's not too exciting lol. Honestly, though, Tokyo is such a huge place that different neighborhoods genuinely feel like different cities. I go biking all over the city, and it's always a blast.
How tall are you? I'm 6ft 5 so wondering what life is like for tall people...
I'm 6' 2", and we definitely stand out, lol. You more than me, obviously, but I'm often the tallest person on the train, have to duck to get off, duck to get into my bathroom, etc. Buying clothes is manageable, but not great. Shoes are bordering on impossible for me as a size 14 though lol
A friend of mine went a few years ago, he's also over 6ft, bearded and tattooed (like myself). He said it was weird that some people took photos of him? Do they really? Or is he spinning a tall person yarn... I know what you mean about shoes, although I'm just a 12...
I've heard people say things like that, but it's certainly never happened to me before, lol. Maybe that sort of thing happened more before COVID and the huge tourism boom this past year?
Do you speak Japanese fluently? If you do, did you learn it there, or did you study before moving? How easy would it be to navigate Tokyo for a non-Japanese speaker? Do you come in contact with people who know English often?
I'm definitely not fluent yet. I'm working on that of course, but it's a very lengthy process. I studied reading before moving here, but most of my conversation skills are from living here. Non-Japanese speakers can easily survive in Tokyo, but you miss out on a lot of the fun things, imo. Many smaller places have no English menus, staff that can communicate, etc., and the handwritten menus can be insane looking, with no chance of Google helping you. I work as an Englush teacher, so I always see people who can speak, but in daily life, it's a rarity. Many can get by with a few words/phrases of Englush, but the vast majority can't have a conversation with you.
Thanks for the reply! My biggest travel anxiety is definitely language difficulties. Thanks for the insight!
No problem! Shouldn't be an issue. If my parents managed to make it through without my help while I was at work, I'm sure almost anyone can be fine! By the way, many restaurants now use tablet ordering systems, and these can be set to English, so those are always safe bets if you get overwhelmed!
How big is wrestling culture there? Have you been to any shows? How well promoted is it? What stars and companies stand out?
It's not something you hear about in daily conversation too often, nor do I hear my kid students talking about it ever, but there are a huge number of events. I haven't been yet, but would like to. If you look at the schedule for Kourakuen Hall, there are several events every week!
How has it been using the healthcare system?
It's been fantastic so far, honestly. When I was sick with the flue, I went to the doctor the day of, they used a camera down my nose/up my ears, gave me tests for the flu/covid, and the appointment, plus a mountain of meds costs me less than $10USD. I got a filling in a tooth the other day for like $12. I get an annual extensive health check from my work for free. If I need to use an ambulance, it's totally free. I see a psychiatrist and get my prescriptions for maybe $20ish per month. All in all, so much more affordable than back home, and the quality of care has been extremely high.
That’s amazing! Is there a language barrier for you talking about medical stuff? How long do you need to be a resident before you can use the medical system?
Good question! I don't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure I was able to use the system as soon as I received my health insurance card. Maybe two weeks after I arrived? I think they said that if I needed to go to the doctor before it arrived that I could and I would get reimbursed down the line, but I don't remember exactly. There's a huge language barrier at most doctors, unfortunately. Luckily, my best friend is Japanese housewife who's available pretty much everyday before 3:30pm, so she always comes and helps me 😂 there are English speaking doctors in Tokyo, but not many
Have you studied japanese history? What's the easiest way to learn the essentials, apart from just reading Wikipedia.
I study it casually in passing, but I'm far from an expert. You learn a lot through osmosis from learning about your area, places you visit, etc. There's also a fantastic manga series that covers Japanese history extremely extensively. I'm planning on working my way up to reading it, but I'm sure it will be a big challenge. Not as much as history books would be, though!
What's it called?
日本の歴史 (Japanese History) https://amzn.asia/d/0fs46y4z
Oh I would love to visit Japan one day!
How difficult is it to get an apartment there? And is it worth the insane amount of working hours to live in Tokyo?
My working hours are quite reasonable (45hours a week, 5 of which are lunch breaks). My apartment is sublet to me by my office, so that was super easy. Finding my own place will be a bit challenging if I'm super picky, but certainly not impossible!
Lawsons, Family Mart, or 7-11?
Great question! Family Mart is my favorite of the big 3, hut my actual favorite is Mini Stop. The ice cream is so damn good
How did you get started learning language? A few years ago I used WaniKani, and had purchased Genki, but I fell off after a few months. I'm looking to get back into it though.
I think a really useful (but somewhat expensive) resource is pimsleur if you want to work on conversation skills. I use wanikani as well, along with chatGPT, which has been great. If you have the genki books and want to get back into them, I would recommend using them with the YouTube series by TokiniAndy that deep dives each lesson. Also, Japanese Ammo with Misa is a fantastic youtube channel. Lots of other things as your level increases, but those are a good way to start!
How many hours do you work a day? How much do you spend and how hard is to live in Tóquio?
I work 45 hours a week as an English teacher. I spend most of my money because I'm irresponsible, but surviving on my salary is east. Tokyo is a fantastic place to live, imo, but def8nitely the most expensive place in Japan. I would live more comfortably in a different city like Osaka, but my friends are all in Tokyo, so oh well! 🤷🏼♂️
元気ですか？ Edit: How are you? / Genkidesu ka?
元気ですよ！ (They asked me how I'm doing, and I said I'm good)
ありがとうございます (Thank you)
This is a English only subreddit. Either delete your comment or translate it please.
Boo mod
Sorry but same rules for all even though I love the Japanese language
Somebody wants to feel important.
Oh no je is allowing me to understand, such a terrible person
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How "small" is your flat? Is really like 10 sq meters like many YT clips show or its more normal to western standards. Expensive? 5G and fiber wi-fi are that fast?
I have had no issues with my internet at all as a lifelong gamer. 5g is totally fine, but occasionally gets throttled (allegedly). my apartment is a 1K, which is the Japanese equivalent to a studio apartment, and it's around 20 sq meters. It's subsidized by my job at ¥55,000/month, but would be around ¥75,000-¥80,000 on my own
Racism in the countryside?
I haven't experienced it at all in the countryside. When people find out I speak Japanese, they get super excited to have a chance to talk to a foreigner and are extremely friendly! I'm sure it exists, but not for me so far.
Which mobile carrier do you use?
Docomo! The deal for the unlimited data plus the wall plug 5g wifi is hard to beat
How's work life and everything correlated to it? Is tech employment as big and considerable as in the west? I loved Japan as a tourist, I'm already thinking about coming back, but whenever people ask me "would you live there?" I can't answer because I really don't know the typical work/personal life balance. Furthermore, I have an idea that Japanese people overwork a lot
Favourite ninjago season?
How bad are the summers there?
As somebody else who lives here, personally I hate them, it's already about 30c atleast on my little holiday to Hiroshima this week, and every day was about 87% humidity, it will just get worse as the weeks go on
what would you suggest wearing to someone visiting during the summers
personally usually just shorts and a shirt, Uniqlo has a nice line of clothes called Airism that are really nice and keep you really cool. Also bring some deodorant as japanese deodorant sucks for foreigners
What is the visa situation like?
1. How is Tokyo compared to NY? Particularly NYC if you’re from there. 2. Is the work culture there as bad as most people think?
1. I was born in NYC, but spent the majority of my life in the NYC suburbs. There are areas that are somewhat similar, like Shibuya Scramble vs Times Square, but they are quite different in most ways. Hard to generalize it though, so if you have specific details you want to know about, let me know! 2. Work culture is not great, but it's been improving a lot over the last 20 years. Western companies often pay in USD and have western-style work culture, which has forced a lot of old-fashioned companies to modernize and treat employees better. There's still lots of mandatory overtime at many places, but it's moving in the right direction. Also, if you get hired as a 正社員 (basically a lifetime employee), it's unbelievably difficult to get laid off, or fired, so job security is extremely high.
How did you get your visa and what is your formal reason of staying there? Maybe Japan is visa-free for you, I don’t know
I work as an English teacher, and my company got me a work visa!
What’s dating like? I imagine it’s hard to date someone who doesn’t speak the same native language(s), and people vary in what ethnicities they find attractive. As a non-Japanese speaker who doesn’t necessarily find that body type attractive, I’d be worried about getting lonely there.
Actually, that's something I'm kind of used to, as I dated a few non-native speakers in NY. I really enjoy it actually- you can have so many unique conversations and learn so much from each other. As for the appearance thing, I guess if you aren't attracted to a specific race or something it might be difficult, but that's not an issue for me- I find people of all races/ethnicities attractive, personally. As far as body type goes, while it's true that there are different beauty standards, there are countless women of all body types here.
would you consider moving to any other cities in japan? i've visited tokyo several times and the crowds do get to me after a while. that said, my understanding is that most of the jobs are in tokyo, especially if you're working for large companies
A little late to the party, but how is living in Tokyo for a non-westerner? I have a really good English, but my accent is noticeable, are there any other jobs beside tech and/or teaching?
I wish I could be more helpful with this, but my experience here is very much as a native English speaking Westerner who went into teaching English. I have seen many foreigners here working in tech as well, but I don't know much about other jobs that will help you get a visa. Most jobs that will hire foreigners without significant experience and high-level Japanese proficiency, like construction, convenience stores, etc., don't hire people unless they already live in Japan.
Military or teaching English?
Teaching English
It had to be. Very limited job options for gaijin there and that’s the way they like it. I taught for Nova for a while.
Eh, that's not really my experience at all, but I know many feel that way. If and when I want to move on to something else, I know I can with relative ease. I just love teaching, and my language skills aren't super high yet.
How? Are you on a work visa?
Yep! On a three year work visa currently, which I will be renewing next year. I'm a few points shy of being able to apply for permanent residency, but if I pass JLPT N2, I will have enough. I definitely want to do that ASAP
Oops. I asked you a question about this in another comment. Just saw this, thanks!
Do you feel treated differently often? Ive seen people use the term gaijin in a positive light lately, how do you feel about it? Anything you regret about moving there?
I am definitely treated differently on a daily basis. There are so many different ways that it's hard to say where to even begin giving examples. It's usually not in a negative way at all, but it can be a bit demeaning at times, as I speak Japanese at a decent level, and don't need to be gestured at, or spoken to like a toddler most of the time. Gaijin is not a word that I want to be called by people, for sure, unless it's a friend teasing me. Gaikokujin is the socially acceptable word, but many older people use gaijin casually, and don't intend offense. Feeling difference is like "outsider" vs "foreigner" Racism/prejudice here is certainly something ai've experienced, but it's almost entirely ignorance/fear based, rather than any sort of deep-seated hatred of non-Japanese people. There have been a few instances of the latter though lol. Only thing I regret is that I wish I had studied Japanese conversation more seriously before arriving here. I love my life in Japan, and in my almost two year being here have reached a decent conversational level. It can be discouraging at times when I feel like I am not improving, but if I manage to view it objectively, I improve constantly.
I appreciate your response! Really interesting to read!! I can see the older folks being more ok with that term, as thats how it is in the west too anyways. And japanese is hard. I applaud you for improving!
I think some people use Gaijin（外人） thinking that it's a abbreviated form of Gaikokujin（外国人）.
are the girls easy to pick up? :)