*I’m posting this with little hope that it will remain published, since my previous post was deleted by some admin on* r/japan *”If you have questions, dump them in* r/movingtojapan*” basically. Since there are a BILLION posts unrelated to my questions that I honnestly gave up on checking after 15mins, I just decided to post this again, who knows, maybe people can ask questions here without being deleted ?*
*Anyway.*
I’m from France, I’m 27 years old. I have no degree, I’m self-employed ( IT shop/services ). I don’t like living in France anymore, rather without exageration, I just can’t take it anymore. I love my country for its history, its culture, but the people here are just horrible. They are arrogant, vulgar, selfish and cold ( Sorry fellow French, but you know that’s true). Also, life is getting harder and harder every year, thanks to the socialism deeply imbued in croissant-land.
Every day I’m asking myself “What the hell am I still doing here ?”
I’ve been in Japan in 2019, went from Tokyo to Okinawa, alone. Stayed 40 days there and it was the best 40 days of my life. I’m not exagerating, I was really depressed when it was time for me to go back to France, because I knew what was waiting for me there comparing to what I was about to leave. Sure, there’s my familly, but other than them, everything is repulsive to me in France. I know it was surely not long enough of a stay to be able to understand what Japan is really like, but I’m at this point where I just don’t want to live here anymore. I’m disgusted with this country, even if I was born here : **I just want to leave.**
For quite some time now, I’ve been regularly checking housings and job offers in Japan, and I really started considering to move in Japan to live and work. I know this can be hard to obtain the right to stay and work, so that’s why I’m coming here to ask some questions that I hope you can answer. I’ll probably face a lot of difficulties, but I seriously want to try, just try, at least.
**1) Working in Japan**
\- I’m obviously speaking native level French, also I think my English level is pretty decent ( you’ll be judging ). I’m waiting to gather up all the informations that I need to go ahead and pass the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication), my current level is apparently around C1 according to the free test. TOEIC is needed for the job I’d like to do once in Japan, they require 750+ score
\- Salary for this job are around 2 to 2,500,000\~ yens/year. (200,000\~/month), should I expect to have a good quality of life if half of my paycheck is to pay my rent ? Can you actually live and buy all the necessary stuff you need with 100,000 yens/month ? I don’t want to eat once a day just to be able to live in Japan.
\- In case I’d loose my job ( no contract renew, other possible issue… ) given that I managed to get one, what are my options ? Is there any help given to people who loose their job until they manage to find another one ?
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**2) Living in Japan**
\- Job offers pretty much allways come with the requirement that applicants are currently residing in Japan before applying. Which is logic in a sense, but what about housings ? Do you need to have a job in Japan in order to rent an appartment ?
\- I’ll surely need a bank account in Japan in order to apply for a job. Does anyone have recommendations for banks in Japan, regarding fees etc ?
\- Will I need a Hanko ?
\- What kind of Visa would I need in order to stay in Japan and work ?
\- I have an Idea about how difficult it is to go around in Japan not speaking much of Japanese, how hard will things get for me if I don’t ? I know Japanese don’t really need to speak English, some of them do, even if they’re pretty rare. But how is it regarding companies offering jobs ?
\- How does the healthcare system in Japan work for people in my situation ?
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These are the main questions I have. They may sounds ridiculous or even pretentious, but they are honnest questions. If you feel like I missed something crutial, feel free to add it to your answers.
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Thank you.
17 comments
>Salary for this job
What is this ‘job’ on your mind? One thing, you plan to work in Japan. You have no degree. A degree is a must for a working visa. I am sorry, but I pretty much stopped reading after ‘salary for this job’ considering you mentioned that you have no degree. Unfortunately, pretty much every other question that you have, it is irrelevant answering that given that you have no degree.
You’re going to need a Bachelor’s Degree, or 10 years experience in the field you want to work in.
Get the degree.
> I have no degree
This will be your biggest problem. It’s not a job requirement that you may be able to get around, it’s an immigration requirement for a work visa. No degree, no work visa.
You could also try posting on r/iwantout to see if there’s a different country that would be easier for you to move to since you don’t have a 4 year degree
>Stayed 40 days there and it was the best 40 days of my life. I’m not exagerating, I was really depressed when it was time for me to go back to France, because I knew what was waiting for me there comparing to what I was about to leave.
Because you were on vacation. There’s nothing special or magical about Japan and it’s not going to magically fix your depression if you move there. Work on that first. Not to mention you aren’t getting to Japan without a degree anyway.
Please, be careful what you wish for.
You want to live in Japan because you don’t want to live in your home country anymore, you are disgusted by it and you find your compatriots arrogant, vulgar, selfish and cold..
After spending a month and a half in Japan on vacation you think you have found the promised land.
Depression is coming.
40 days is not enough to get an idea, try to solve your problems at home before you put any hope of a better life in a very distant country of which you know nothing about.
Soo… I chimed in on a few specific things in other replies, but I figured I’d make a top-level reply to address your other questions as well.
First off: You’re not getting a job as a Japanese/English translator. See my other comment. If that’s the plan, well… Plan is going to need to change.
>TOEIC is needed for the job I’d like to do once in Japan, they require 750+ score
See above. Regardless of your TOEIC score, as a non-native speaker it’s not happening.
>Salary for this job are around 2 to 2,500,000~ yens/year. (200,000~/month)
That’s lower than most ALT salaries, and they’re living in borderline poverty. It’s so low there’s a decent chance immigration would refuse to grant a visa due to it being not quite a living wage.
>should I expect to have a good quality of life if half of my paycheck is to pay my rent ?
You can expect to *live.* Not live well, just exist. 200k/mo in Tokyo will be absolutely painful. 200k/mo in the middle of Hyogo… Still wouldn’t be great, but not as painfully bad.
>In case I’d loose my job ( no contract renew, other possible issue… ) given that I managed to get one, what are my options ?
You have 90 days to find a new one.
>Job offers pretty much allways come with the requirement that applicants are currently residing in Japan before applying.
“Must currently reside in Japan” doesn’t mean that you’re simply physically present in Japan. It means that you need to be living in Japan ***with a valid status of residence***. You need to *already* have a valid working visa. You can’t just show up on a tourist visa and expect them to suddenly hire you.
>Do you need to have a job in Japan in order to rent an appartment ?
No, but you need a ***visa***. And you can’t get a visa without a job.
>I’ll surely need a bank account in Japan in order to apply for a job. Does anyone have recommendations for banks in Japan, regarding fees etc ?
Why would you need a bank account to apply for a job? You don’t. You’ll need a bank account to get paid, but you need to sort out the whole “can I get a job” thing before you even think about banks.
>Will I need a Hanko ?
Again: Sort out “can I get a job” first.
>What kind of Visa would I need in order to stay in Japan and work ?
A working visa?
Again: You can’t just “move to Japan” and *then* think about work. You need a visa to even enter the country, and you need a job offer to get a visa.
>I have an Idea about how difficult it is to go around in Japan not speaking much of Japanese, how hard will things get for me if I don’t ?
You’re planning to be a ***translator***, and you’re asking about “what if I don’t know Japanese?”
I… I don’t even know how to respond to that. How do you expect to work as a translator if you *don’t speak the language*?
>How does the healthcare system in Japan work for people in my situation ?
What situation? If you’re here on a valid visa you’ll pay into the national health insurance.
damn ….
And here I am living more than 15 yrs in Japan and I can’t take it anymore and wanting to move to some place in Europe… I guess it’s quite normal for people to get tired of living in the same place for years and wanting to move.
Honestly, getting a visa in Japan without a degree gonna be pretty tough.
I think you need to take a step back and think carefully. You are not the first person to say you cant live in your country anymore and want to move to Japan. Japan is not a magical land that will fix all yours problems, it might get worse. You stayed just short period of time in Japan. Visiting and going to different places in Japan is another experience. Living here and doing the same thing everyday is another.
If you’re already depressed then I honestly think Japan is not the right place for you.
You’re an EU member, you can travel and move freely in Europe. Maybe you should try living in some other countries in Europe and see if it gets better. You won’t have problem with visa and you can do it immediately without doing all the visa paper work.
Just to answer your questions in case you aren’t getting them, because of people hung up on your ineligibility to actually get a visa to work in Japan.
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>Salary for this job are around 2 to 2,500,000~ yens/year. (200,000~/month), should I expect to have a good quality of life if half of my paycheck is to pay my rent ? Can you actually live and buy all the necessary stuff you need with 100,000 yens/month ? I don’t want to eat once a day just to be able to live in Japan.
If your salary is 200,000 yen per month, you actually will have a lot less because there is pension, health insurance, residence tax, and income tax. Your actual take home will be about 75% of that.
That said, it depends on where you live. If you live in a more rural place, rent is a lot cheaper. If you insist on living in a big city, then you will have to sacrifice your quality of life.
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>In case I’d loose my job ( no contract renew, other possible issue… ) given that I managed to get one, what are my options ?
Your options are to find a new job in 90 days or go home.
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>Is there any help given to people who loose their job until they manage to find another one ?
You can get unemployment.
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> Job offers pretty much allways come with the requirement that applicants are currently residing in Japan before applying.
These are not the kind of jobs you can apply for. They are for people who already have a visa. For example, dependent visa, spouse visa, permanent residence, student visa, work visa in the same field, working holiday visa, etc. If they require the applicant to be residing in Japan, then they probably won’t sponsor your work visa. You also cannot work under a tourist visa.
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>Do you need to have a job in Japan in order to rent an appartment ?
You need a valid status of residence. A tourist visa doesn’t count. So, you need a job.
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>I’ll surely need a bank account in Japan in order to apply for a job. Does anyone have recommendations for banks in Japan, regarding fees etc ?
You can only get a bank account after you arrive in Japan with a valid status of residence. Again, this means you need a job first. Once you get the job, they sponsor the visa, you come to Japan, thennn you get a bank account (and an apartment after).
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>Will I need a Hanko ?
You don’t need one, but it makes a lot of stuff easier. The only time I think you actually need one is when you need a registered one for buying a car or house, but even then, you might be able to register your signature (I’m not 100% sure).
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>What kind of Visa would I need in order to stay in Japan and work ?
You need a work visa. As a requirement, you need a university degree, or 10 years of relevant experience. You of course need a job from a company that will sponsor your visa.
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>how hard will things get for me if I don’t ?
Everything will be harder. You can get around, travel, do everyday activities, etc. fine without Japanese. But, there are a lot of times where you need Japanese, such as anything with a contract, renting a house, buying a car, dealing with city hall stuff, etc. Basically, anytime you need to do something more intensive than ordering food at an izakaya. Without knowing Japanese, you will have to rely on someone to translate for you. It would get tiresome for your friends to always have to help you.
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>But how is it regarding companies offering jobs ?
Without being fluent in Japanese, the number of jobs available to you is severely limited.
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>How does the healthcare system in Japan work for people in my situation ?
As a resident, you get regular health insurance just like everyone else. You either get the national health insurance directly from the government or you get the national health insurance through your company. Health insurance is mandatory. With it, you only pay 30% of your health bill.
Vacation vs living are 2 different things. Visiting Japan is definitely an experience and I understand that you love it so much, but do you know what it’s like to work/live there? It’ll be a completely different experience. I’m not saying you won’t like it, but you have to ask yourself if you’ll thrive in the country for several reasons.
Yes, Japanese people are nice and respectful for the most part, but many foreigners there complain about being extremely lonely (especially in Tokyo) because they cannot find any friends to the point that they actually wanna move out. You might say it doesn’t matter to you, but it will get to you at some point. Next is work/life culture. Tokyo is constant work if you’re trying to make a living, and so far I do not see any reasonable plans for you since you don’t have a degree. Be prepared to work more than under the command of people. Not speaking Japanese isn’t too bad but not having a degree will make it extremely hard.
Man… As a guy who loves japanese culture and have been on vacation to Japan 2 times and also lives in Europe, I can say that you are very lucky to live in France. Excluding US, France is the country in the world which has the best relationship with Japan culturally speaking. Japanese people LOVES France (don’t ask me why lmao), many japanese goes to your country on holiday or move there, and it’s full of japanese related business, wagashi shops, etc. I also know there is a Japan Expo in France too, so if I were you I wouldn’t be so sad about it.
Maybe you could try to build a network with japanese people that lives in your area for now…
Besides everything people said related to the visa, please take care of yourself before coming here. I have a friend who also visited Japan before moving here and they loved it. This person struggles with depression and social anxiety and they moved to Japan 2 weeks ago and most of the the time they are really struggling, especially because they weren’t able to bring their medication with them.I try to do my best as a friend but I’m not a mental health professional so I can’t do much. So please consider that as well.
Since you mentioned you work in IT, look into dev related jobs in Japan. Many of the jobs don’t even require Japanese as long as you can conduct day to day communication in English, and some of them are willing to sponsor to get you the work permit.
I used to travel to France quite regularly in the 90s, I understand why you want to leave now. I’m also trying to figure out a way to escape to Japan (not from France though).
Feel free to DM me if you like.
Without a degree but a good proficiency in French/English and an IT back ground I’d look towards Fukuoka. Rent is low, salary is stagnant but keep life interesting. I’d say you could even teach english and make those wages.
I moved back to Japan after living in the US and am very happy that I did. Forget those you tell you that you won’t be happy (they are usually those you haven’t assimilated and have not learned Japanese well) . However Japan, like all countries, is no utopia. Work on your depression first and if possible learn Japanese and get a degree.
Dont feel too discouraged OP, this subreddit has a lot of people who are passive aggressive cuz their lives are depressing outside of reddit and this is the only place where they can remove their stress, anger and satisfy their egos, but other than that since you dont have a degree and learning japanese would take a lot of time and effort, why not go to a place like Canada, UAE or USA?
I assume you’re tired of the shitty behaviour people in france have as they’re known for being quite rude, there are still other places in the world with nicer people other than Japan! But getting a skill that can be monetized will definitely be crucial, I doubt you can live happily as a translator and proof reader forever as the pay isnt that great anywhere, and as for the depression living there, maybe you can spend time educating yourself in a cheaper asian country such as Thailand, Indonesia etc to avoid French ppl (Assuming you have money saved up of course, but these countries r super cheap)
Sorry, you need a Bachelor’s degree first and foremost. 🙁 Try to work on that, if you’d like to move to Japan!