Hey everyone; i’ve been lurking this sub a lot over the last 12 months as i progress towards my goal of living and working in Tokyo. I have a few questions that i feel are unsuitable to ask my employer/the handful of people i know living in Tokyo right now (both Japanese & expat)
Some background: Am transfering to my current employers HQ in Tokyo, with my partner (unmarried), we don’t speak really any Japanese, but i will be working in english and have access to a translator and language school, we’re going for 2 years minimum but if we love it, we’ll stay longer.
Anyway, onto the questions:
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1. I am a big motorcycle fanatic, and while i know it can be hard to own a car in Tokyo, i would love to own a motorcycle. Is it hard to do this? i know there are rules about having to prove you have space for a car in order to buy one, is that the same for motorcycles? Do apartments often have parking attached either for a car or motorcycle, can motorcycles be parked on the street?
2. Recognition of my license, i have a fully endorsed motorcycle class on my license and have been riding for about 11 years. I am hoping there will be no need for additional testing in Japan in order to buy a large (600CC+) motorcycle. Any info here would be great.
3. Health insurance: i come from a country with social medicine, will i need private health insurance in Japan as an expat? does anyone know if there are reciprocal rights between Australia and Japans healthcare system
4. Finding apartments: while its still in negotiation i am expecting/hoping that my employer will arrange temporary accomodation for a few weeks or months, i hear it is hard for foriegners to rent apartments in Japan, we are white though, sadly, i hear that makes a difference. How hard will it be? how long should i ask my employer to provide us with housing?
5. Cycling to work – i cycle to work currently, we have changerooms, lockers, showers etc at my office here in Australia. Do people in Tokyo cycle to work much? i know of course people cycle a lot in Japan, but i am talking about riding the full distance on a road bicycle rather than a casual trip to the train station – is this common? will my coworkers think i am a nutcase? Is it common for companies in Japan to have change rooms (end of trip facilities) in their office buildings?
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Thats it for now, but i expect my questions may result in answers that generate more questions.
Thank you!
4 comments
Just curious as your partner is unmarried, how will she come over? Hope you got that covered.
1. Yeah, you’ll need a legitimate parking space even for motorcycles. Some apartments will have parking space attached that you can pay additional for but not all so you’ll need to look for that. You can’t park in the street.
2. You’re lucky, Australians don’t need to take any tests. You just need to prove that you resided for at least three months in Australia after your licence was issued, and take an eye test.
3. You will pay into the National Healthcare and be insured by it. Either paying yourself or most realistically, on your employer’s insurance.
4. Hard to say honestly. It’s true that you’ll get shot down at many places just for being a Foreigner but if your company is assisting you with this, I wouldn’t worry too much. They won’t just kick you out if you still haven’t found a place.
5. You’ll actually find most people taking the train as the commute is usually covered by their job. I forgot the details but in some cases, you’re almost barred from going to work any other way, weirdly enough. I’m sure someone else might chime in better for this.
>i would love to own a motorcycle. Is it hard to do this? i know there are rules about having to prove you have space for a car in order to buy one, is that the same for motorcycles?
No, motorcycles don’t have the same ‘proof of parking’ requirement that cars do.
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>Do apartments often have parking attached either for a car or motorcycle, can motorcycles be parked on the street?
It depends on the building and the area. If they do have space for motorcycle parking it won’t be free. Make sure you discuss this requirement with your real estate agent when you’re apartment shopping
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>Recognition of my license, i have a fully endorsed motorcycle class on my license and have been riding for about 11 years. I am hoping there will be no need for additional testing in Japan in order to buy a large (600CC+) motorcycle. Any info here would be great.
The requirements to convert your license are here: [https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/traffic_safety/drivers_licenses/index.files/convert_license_english.pdf](https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/traffic_safety/drivers_licenses/index.files/convert_license_english.pdf)
and some tips here: [https://japan.embassy.gov.au/tkyo/driving.html](https://japan.embassy.gov.au/tkyo/driving.html)
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>will i need private health insurance in Japan as an expat?
You will be required to enroll in the Japanese national health insurance system, which will cover 70% of your health costs (up to a predetermined maximum cost to you).
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> i hear it is hard for foriegners to rent apartments in Japan
Difficulty in finding housing for foreigners is overblown, especially in Tokyo. When folks move to Japan with my company, the company sets them up in a furnished apartment for their first month. Sometimes people extend this on their own for an additional month or two, but mostly one month is enough. I would expect your companies HR department to have resources to help you with your search including providing guarantor services for you. You should discuss it with them.
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>Do people in Tokyo cycle to work much? […] Is it common for companies in Japan to have change rooms (end of trip facilities) in their office buildings?
My company had tried to encourage folks to bicycle to work a few years ago. The main issue is parking. Bicycle parking, especially downtown, can be rather problematic. You can not expect your office to have change rooms or shower facilities either. Another thing to consider is that commuting to work is considered a work related activity, which means your employer is partially responsible for you. If you get into an accident (or cause one) then your company can be on the hook to make payments. As such it is pretty common for companies to require that employees use public transportation.
4. I recently found an apartment with motorcycle parking for a foreign applicant. There is a Catch 22 situation where you cannot buy a motorcycle without a parking space and you cannot apply for a parking space until you know the make and model of the motorcycle you will park there.
Many apartments advertise parking for motorcycles but are very strict about the size of the bike. Also, the parking spots can fill up quickly. So you should always apply for an apartment and the apartment’s parking space at the same time. There will be two applications, but if the application for the parking spot fails you can cancel the application for the apartment.
About the motorcycle license it depends on your country. However, the websites will tell you to provide documents that you’ve stayed in said country for at least 3 months. This is enough for cars. For motorcycles you should provide *3 years* of proof, otherwise you will be given a beginner’s motorcycle license. Don’t do my mistake.
Essentially here in Japan you’ll be given a new license from the date you do the transfer. Beginners license for cars lasts 3 months (that’s why they ask 3 months of proof). Motorcycles are 1 year for total beginner and 3 years for (semi?) beginners license (idk the exact terms). It’s rather restricting. Unlike other countries, your 11 years of experience won’t count towards your license here unless you provide them documents showing you resided in your country for 11 years.