Moving to Japan

3 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Moving to Japan**

   Hi,
   We (wife, kids and I) are contemplating a move to Japan. I work for a company with an office around Tokyo area and they will cover the move (including few bells and whistles). We are in EU but originally come from a non-EU country.

   We might end up staying for a couple of years and I have a few questions in my mind to consider before accepting.

   1. How is living in general compared to EU? We live in a house and prefer to rent a house when we move there. Is that outrageous?

   2. What are the pros/cons of staying in Tokyo vs. Yokohama?

   3. How is safety compared to mid European countries? Since I might need to travel a bit, thinking about family?

   4. How is the social acceptance for foreigners? I’ve stayed in Dubai, Denmark and US. Each of these had its own challenges but still multicultural enough

   5. Anything I need to ask my company in advance that would help us to settle in or make the decision?

   Thanks…

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2. I can only say about 3 and 4 as I am still young.
   3) Japan is very safe. You don’t need to worry about that.
   4)It depends on your race. You get more respect if you have a white skin or you’re white.

3. There are houses, even in Tokyo, but you should check out some [real estate sites like this one](https://realestate.co.jp/en/rent/listing) where you can play around with your wants/needs to see what’s available in your price range.

   But your first thought should be where your kids will go to school. Some international schools have bus routes. There’s a German school in Yokohama. It really depends on what your plans are for their education. I don’t have direct experience with the quality of international schools, but they can be very competitive (and expensive) to get into.

   Safety is not a major concern, although you should use the same precautions as you would in any large city. Tokyo and Yokohama aren’t exactly New York City in terms of diversity, but foreigners are not rare. Housing discrimination is common, and foreigners are sometimes not welcome in some restaurants. But violence against foreigners is rare. Groping on public transportation is a problem, but there are women-only cars and situational awareness goes a long way.

   I would ask your company what assistance they will provide in terms of securing a home (move-in costs can be equal to six month’s rent, not all of it refundable, and you will need a guarantor, which might be your employer or a guarantor company — I’d ask for them to hook you up with a real estate agent who specializes in foreign housing) and helping to pay for or defray the costs of your kids’ education.

   Tokyo is a great place to live and depending on their ages a good place for your kids to learn independence. I lived in Vienna from the time I was 10-15, and was very independent, and I see Tokyo to be just as safe as Vienna in the 80s.

   I hope that helps a bit. Good luck!