How to make life in Japan easier?

10 comments

1. Learn Japanese, learn how to laugh off slights, understand your way of anything is different in Japan.

   Knowing Japanese wipes most of any issues away. Many issues that people speak about Japanese people too struggle with–trust me, my wife handles a lot of it, and damn it’s difficult.

   I’ve experienced little xenophobia and racism in my time–mostly the, “Japan knows best, foreigners don’t know anything” belittling stuff, and mostly from coworkers.

2. >not knowing the language, attitude against gaijin, bureaucracy, complex processes for simple things like opening bank account or phone number

   Honestly, if these things are already a concern for you, you’re in for a rough time. Aside from the language, the things you’ve listed are effectively trivial non-issues.

   Let’s break it down:

   **Language:** Yes, this is an issue. But it’s an easily solvable issue… Learn the language. Even a little bit of Japanese goes a very long way. Rosetta Stone. Rocket Languages. Hell, even Duolingo, much as I think it’s terrible. All of these are relatively painless ways to at least get started on the language.

   **Gaijin Stuff:** Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. While there are some issues, and assholes exist everywhere, you’re not going to get harassed. Japanese people are just people. Some of them are assholes, most are perfectly friendly people. You’re planning on moving to Tokyo, the most cosmopolitan city in Japan. It’s not like you’re going to the deep inaka where you’d be the only foreigners in town.

   **Bureaucracy:** If the idea of setting up a bank account or getting a phone number scares you… I dunno, dude. Those are possibly the easiest things to do. Go in, show them paperwork, get account. Japan loves its bureaucracy, and there are many things that require paperwork and various forms. But the trick with a good bureaucracy (And Japan’s is *very* good) is that it’s all explained.

   Every document or form you need for every transaction you want to do is clearly laid out on a website, or by the employees when you call them on the phone.

   Want a bank account? Check their website, collect the necessary stuff, go in and get it done. Same with a phone number. Even the much feared government agencies clearly lay out which documents you need. The only time you’ll have problems is if you just walk in and expect them to fix it all for you. If you have the documents it’s a cakewalk. If you don’t, they’ll tell you what you need and make you come back when you have it.

3. >What if money is no object, is there any service that helps newcomers settle quicker?

   Yes, google ‘relocation service japan’ to find a bunch. I would expect your companies HR department to have some kind of contract with a local company that they use already, or at least be able to make a recommendation or two.

4. You should probably mention what it is you’ll be doing for work here, whether you’re on an expat package, language ability, etc.

   The biggest thing that’ll make everything easier is being able to speak the language.

5. You get [services like this one](https://www.omakase-helper.com/) that can help you navigate these various challenges, if you really need them.

   But while I’ve encountered people who are facing challenges like the ones you mentioned, none of them have found it absolutely necessary to use any such services and they’re getting by just fine with even minimal Japanese.

6. don’t worry about it, Redditors are a bunch of drama queens. just don’t expect it to be America and study Japanese if you haven’t already

   also just accept bureaucracy, there’s a lot of irritating paperwork but it’s not some insurmountable thing.

   as for relocation services, aside from like guarantor companies for renting apartments, which genuinely is a bit annoying and one of the places you may run into “no gaijin” stuff – they’re not very useful. guarantor service is highly recommended especially if $ is not a concern, and having $ and a guarantor usually gets you around the “no gaijin” stuff.

7. There’s a natural selection bias when you rely on what you read online, especially on Reddit. People come here to complain about specific issues and discuss them, so you are not going to see “btw, life in Japan is good” threads.

   All of what you mention are issues that people run into, but they are probably not as big of a deal as you think they are.

8. Thanks all for the advice! Yeah I should have known to not trust the internet completely, especially with all the negativity. I’ll definitely start learning Japanese asap as many of you echo the same advice about learning Japanese.

   Thanks!

9. Assuming asian means East-Asian, most people aren’t going to even tell that you’re gaijin until you open your mouth, and for the most part you’re not going to be talking to very many racist dickbags. In Tokyo, you’re probably more likely to be tired from answering questions about life outside the US than you are to meet someone with an attitude against gaijin (though if you don’t know the language, that’s another pretty avoidable problem).

10. If you’re not a completely helpless person, you don’t need a service to help you settle in. There’s lots of info online about the basics, and Tokyo is pretty foreigner-friendly compared to the rest of the country. I doubt you’ll need the kind of hand holding that the “clueless gaijin” services offer (ie: how to find cream cheese at the grocery store, what is Japanese money, how to ride the train etc.)

    Opening a bank account: Easy. Look on this sub and /r/japanlife if you have troubles. SMBC Prestia has English support. Sony Bank does as well, I believe.

    Getting a phone: Stupidly easy. Again, this sub, /r/japanlife and tons of websites have the basics. Just figure out how much data you want/need and go from there.

    Registering at your ward: Easy, especially if you’re in a foreigner-heavy neighborhood like Minato. There will be English forms available because “Tokyo.”