Moving to Japan

Ceewan

Famished
Jul 23, 2008
9,152
17,034
I lived in the west part of Tokyo for about a year and a half in a share house. At the time it costed 72000/m including utilities.


Is that in yen?
 

Ceewan

Famished
Jul 23, 2008
9,152
17,034
Sorry about the delay. I lived in the west part of Tokyo for about a year and a half in a share house. At the time it costed 72000/m including utilities.


Okay. So with the current exchange rate that is $593.92 a month...which is very reasonable. But what is a share house? You had your own room (how big?) and shared the kitchen and bath or what?
 

shinjiIII

Well-Known Member
May 23, 2010
173
388
Okay. So with the current exchange rate that is $593.92 a month...which is very reasonable. But what is a share house? You had your own room (how big?) and shared the kitchen and bath or what?

Yeah, living at a sharehouse is probably the best way to get started in terms of living here. Most, if not all Japanese landlords are reluctant to renting out to a foreigner without some sort of previous living history in Japan. The living arrangements are different depending on the sharehouse company, and the actual sharehouse, but my situation was my own room, which was about 8 square meters, and shared bath and kitchen. I shared with 6 other people. Now the biggest complaint I have with sharehouses, or my sharehouse in particular is that because rent is so low, your experience at the sharehouse really depends on your roommates, which is pretty luck-of-the-draw. I was there for a year and a half, and I definitely had some people passing through on short stay that have remained good friends, and I've also met some people there who I absolutely loathed. But as for the actual facility itself, it was fine. Here are some popular companies:

http://www.oakhouse.jp/
http://www.sakura-house.com/en
https://tokyosharehouse.com/eng/
 

Ceewan

Famished
Jul 23, 2008
9,152
17,034
Great advice. I think my biggest worry would be theft though...and 8 square meters is effing small for $600 a month. In the USA you can get a very nice sized apartment for that (depending on where you are, it is a big country). That is about 86 square feet and enough room for a twin bed and maybe a dresser (maybe fit a small desk and chair in there...if the dresser is small) without much walking room between them....which means no closet. The average studio apartment in the US is between 350-500 square feet (31-46 square meters). So I take it space is at a premium in Japan, which is no real secret.
 

shinjiIII

Well-Known Member
May 23, 2010
173
388
Great advice. I think my biggest worry would be theft though...and 8 square meters is effing small for $600 a month. In the USA you can get a very nice sized apartment for that (depending on where you are, it is a big country). That is about 86 square feet and enough room for a twin bed and maybe a dresser (maybe fit a small desk and chair in there...if the dresser is small) without much walking room between them....which means no closet. The average studio apartment in the US is between 350-500 square feet (31-46 square meters). So I take it space is at a premium in Japan, which is no real secret.

Absolutely. Especially if you're trying to live in Tokyo, you're going to be paying a premium for space. Probably not so much if you're willing to bite the bullet a bit, and live in maybe Saitama or Yokohama.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ceewan

R18.com

Well-Known Member
Jun 29, 2015
349
260
How much money is considered safe to save?
I will say 10,000 USD is not enough for a year without a full time job. You may need at least 25,000 USD to survive 1 year.

Where would you like to stay or attempt to live at?
Tokyo or Osaka if you want to make good money.

Do you have any friends or family in Japan?
Yes.

Is finding a Job easy? Do you make enough money to live happy?
First you need a university degree or equivalent in some area.
You just can get a job of the area you got your degree (or start up your own company).

IT jobs pay usually really good.

Are you a student?
Student of life ;)

Is it hard to make new friends?
It is easy. there are many FB groups with foreigners in Japan that get together everyweek.


One last question is about becoming a citizen but Im sure I can google the answer
You need to be at least 10 years here to get the Japanese passport.

My recomendation is: Come here with your saving, study intensive Japanese for a year and then look for a job.
Trying to get a job without speaking japanese will give you a low salary job and you will not have time to study japanese properly so your japanese will sucks forever and your salary will continue to suck the same.
 

WillEater

Well-Known Member
Mar 13, 2008
1,004
450
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude 6.7
Date-Time
  • 14 Jan 2016 03:25:34 UTC
  • 14 Jan 2016 12:25:34 near epicenter
  • 13 Jan 2016 19:25:34 standard time in your timezone
Location 41.952N 142.720E
Depth 51 km
Distances
  • 51 km (31 mi) SE of Shizunai, Japan
  • 114 km (70 mi) SSW of Obihiro, Japan
  • 119 km (73 mi) SE of Tomakomai, Japan
  • 122 km (75 mi) SSW of Otofuke, Japan
  • 743 km (460 mi) NNE of Tokyo, Japan
Location Uncertainty Horizontal: 4.8 km; Vertical 5.1 km
Parameters Nph = 101; Dmin = 36.6 km; Rmss = 1.22 seconds; Gp = 37°
Version =
Event ID us 10004ebx
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ceewan

tylersailer

Member
Jan 24, 2011
69
61
It was not that serious I suppose but thanks for info WillEater.

One tip for living in Japan: Don't get freak out by every earthquake you happen to feel. It is kind of everyday thing. You have to deal with it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ceewan

WillEater

Well-Known Member
Mar 13, 2008
1,004
450
It was not that serious I suppose but thanks for info WillEater.

One tip for living in Japan: Don't get freak out by every earthquake you happen to feel. It is kind of everyday thing. You have to deal with it.

Same for Los Angeles..