Holliver

Thanks Penguin, I just had a read. Very interesting.

Azumi123

Japan is expensive if you don't know what you're doing. In order to keep the costs down you will need to get your own place. There is no other way about it. Oh, and don't live in Tokyo or anywhere within 100 miles. Stick to a relatively unknown area if you can.
Once you have your own place then it's not too bad. In fact I would say it's cheaper than living in the UK as the taxes are lower for goods.
If I were to compare other aspects to the UK :

Crime - A lot lower than the UK if you're outside of tokyo. I can leave my car running in the snow while I quickly go into a convenience store with a full size navigation system screen on my dashboard and nobody will touch it. Nobody will even think about it.

Health - Comparable in quality to the UK but it costs you so be prepared. You'll need the insurance from the city office just to be served in some hospitals.

Food - Much better than the UK but this is a personal preference. Even the western dishes taste better here to me. You will miss the British Bacon, Roast dinner, turkey (if that's your thing) and prawn sandwiches though. mmm I love British roast dinners.

Drink - not a drinker myself but Japan has a huge alcohol culture and you'll find just about anything you want at a low price if you stick away from eating establishments or bars.

Nightlife - Outside of tokyo there isn't much. Most people will go to a small, independent bar which has only a few seats and no music. Or drink at home.

The movies : Again, outside of Tokyo you will only find very cramped and small cinemas with small seats. Sometimes they are very dirty and some are even used as adult entertainment places during the night. The big chain cinemas are very hit and miss. The screen will be small wherever you go though.

Work - Japanese companies have very strict policies on etiquette. Try for a foreign owned company if you can. Unless you are very good at the language and knowledgeable on Japan.

Weather - Coming from the UK it's extremely hot and humid in the summer. Unbearable sometimes. The 32c heat coupled with 90% humidity can cause serious health issues. In the winter it's pretty much comparable to central England.

Community - I have never had an issue beyond the people who stare myself. Everyone is nice and friendly and nobody wants to make a fuss or public show of themselves (unless you bump in to a drunk salary man on the weekends). People will tend to just ignore you and you ignore them. This can be a bad thing though as it's not customary to chat to a shop keeper on a personal level or place complaints in public about services.

Racism - Yes it exists. At first you won't even notice it but as time goes by and as you start to need services like from the city office, you will start to feel it. Do you get treated as 2nd rate? no. Will you subconsciously feel as if you are put to the bottom of the pile? yes. Japanese people have a way of making you feel something without actually saying it to you. That's not all establishments though, most are nice and welcoming to foreign people. Some will even give you special service. The ones which make foreigners feel low are things like : The police, Ambulance staff, city office.

Shopping : Just like the UK really. No big trolleys though. You usually get a basket and put it in a small trolley. Shops don't have conveyors either, you have to take your basket of products, after you pay, to a work surface nearby to pack your products in to bags. Other than that, the experience of shopping is identical.

The people : One thing you will notice while you are out and about is how cleanly dressed most people are. There are exceptions of course but most people dress very nicely. No ripped jeans. No wrinkled up t-shirts etc. A clean shave, nice haircut and nice clothes will help you blend in. Blending in is what people like here. Don't dress in things that make you stick out like a sore thumb. Try to lay off the strong colognes too or strong deodorants. A neutral smell is better.

Cleanliness - This is where the UK has no possibility of coming near Japan. It is extremely clean here. Even in built up areas outside of Tokyo. No cigarette butts on the floor, no cans or bottles, no general litter. No chewing gum marks all over the pavement and very little graffiti.

Toilets - Modern places have westernized toilets, kept very clean and with washlet seats. Other places can be different. In the countryside areas you will find traditional Japanese style toilets : a hole in the ground with a basin around it. They usually smell really bad and can be very unhygienic. Look for a modern building like a shopping mall if you need to go.

bkk_mike

When I first had a trip to Japan in 2000, it was EXPENSIVE.

However, over the years, prices in Japan have generally stayed the same, while they've gone up in the UK and elsewhere, so that Tokyo is now, if anything, cheaper than London.

Unless you're on silly money, any apartment you live in in Tokyo will be tiny.

I worked there for a few months, for an American firm, so the Japanese people in the office spoke English, rather than me having to learn Japanese. I believe you need a degree to get a work visa (common requirement throughout Asia). I had previously worked for a Japanese company in London a decade earlier, so had a few Japanese phrases that I still remembered from the language lessons I'd had.

If you move there for work, allow for the fact that there can be delays until you can open a bank account as you need to get your ID card first, and if you enter the country while still waiting for your work visa to be granted, that can mean more than a month.

Pearleallay44

Great information. I like all your post.I will keep visiting this thread very often. Thanx for this great work.

bakedbean

Hi there and welcome to the forum . Are you thinking of moving to japan?

AW1

More to the point . Have you arrived yet?