working in japan

[georgeb]

A question for all the people working in Japan.
Can anyone give me a rough estimate of how much I will lose in stoppages from salary in Japan? For example if I earn 8,000,000 yen gross, how much can I actually expect to take home?

[thomas]

Hi George, welcome to the board!

Just wait till Moyashi, Maciamo or some other of our J-residents drop by, I'm sure they can assist you.

[moyashi]

possibly around 10% but the amount your talking it might go a bit more.

Is this a 1 off job or a year thing? If a year thing you got possibly other month deductions.

[georgeb]

Thanks for the reply.
The job in question is a one year posting from my company in Europe.

[moyashi]

hmm ... can your accounting staff help out?

There might be some differences since your salary might not be based in Japan but rather from your home company in Europe.

[Maciamo]

Depends on where you stay, what you eat (if you cook yourself or eat out) and how much money you spend on leisures, clothes, etc. 8 millions yen is a very good salary, even for Tokyo. Language teachers (a big portion of the Westerners working in Japan) usually get 3 millions a year. Still, some can save up to half of their salary. The cheapest accommodation you'll get is about 50.000yen/month in a gaijin house or weekly mansion. I think it's more reasonable to count on 100.000/month + food and extras. I spend about 30000yen/month on food. So I think you'd be able to go back home with roughly 6 millions yen on 8 if you are careful without being stingy. Not bad at all. ;)

[Maciamo]

Georgeb, don't tell me your company is SAP ? That's the only German company I know quite well in Tokyo - but we never know as it is recruiting all the time and the staff tends to move a lot there.

[georgeb]

Thanks for the info, now I have something to work on.
I'll be bringing my wife so she will amuse herself spending the extra 6million!
No, I work for a much smaller company than SAP which means they don't have much of an idea for sending people overseas.
Again, thanks for the help.

[grza]

If you need anyone to show you round...
You're paying by the way. 8,000,000? I gotta get a proper job...

[moyashi]

grza, that's yen ... so drop 2 digits. Still around US $78,000 isn't too shabby. I think I'll join you in the proper job search ;)

[samuraitora]

LOL...look for the highest salary you can moyashi, expecially with the bambino on the way

[georgeb]

okay guys (girls), don't get excited i haven't got the cash yet. if it's way above norm then it's unlikely i will get it either.
i was just after some ideas on how much i should be aiming for. anyway, seeing as i'm here, it looks like i'll be in a place called Mito(?), does anybody know the place?

[samuraitora]

Mito sounds familiar.
Mito wa doko desu ka.
Where is Mito?

[thomas]

It's located in Ibaraki Prefecture

=> http://www.japanreference.com/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=2074 (J/E)

Related links:

http://www.japanreference.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?bool=and&query=mito (disregard the Sumitomo links)

[samuraitora]

arigatou thomassan

[grza]

grza, that's yen ...

Yeah, I knew that!
Suppose that makes my excitement at such a high figure look even more pathetic...

[samuraitora]

LOL...everything is perspective there grza.
at times $10. can be a hell of a lot of money, ya know?

[grza]

Too right.

Anyway, the dollar signs ringing up in my eyes made me miss the part of the thread about the original poster going to Mito: the first time I went to Japan I worked in Mito for half the week so I know it as much as any other place in Japan.

It's pretty small-medium standard Japanese town. There's a small gaijin bar called New York Station (I always assumed after that Velvet Underground song) near the station, which I liked sometimes but which is obviously subject to its fair share of dickheads. The bar I went to most was called "Orange People", nothing special but noteable for its "Go-Go Dutchman's Bowl" menu option. For some reason I remember that as featuring sausages and pineapple...that can't be right....

Do you know where you'll be living? Is it in Mito or one of the nearby stations.?

There is a very good express train (Fresh Hitachi/Super Hitachi one of which stops less than the other, can't remember which) into Ueno station in northern Tokyo which takes about an hour. The non-express train however is very very bad, by Japanese standards anyway. The Jouban line. Definitely the oldest trains of any line I've seen in Japan (I suppose there are worse, undersubscribed, ones in the countryside like those ones you see on late night NHK clips which still have coal-burning fires to heat them) and the only one I've known to stop because of rain.

I can highly recommend the kitsune soba you can buy on the platform at Mito station.

OK, I have to stop writing now, I've been overcome by an attack of natsukashii.....梅干し食いてーべ！

[samuraitora]

wow "grza"...that is a lot of info for being there about a half week.

Great that you shared though...thank you

[grza]

That would be a lot of information for half a week!

I said half the week!

I was there for about a year altogether.

[samuraitora]

OH!!! sorry...I misunderstood

[georgeb]

Brilliant thanks, I also thought you had an action packed half a week.
Where are you living these days?

[moyashi]

ugh I thought the same ... lolollololo

haha, I'm one of the group now :)

[grza]

Wow, I'm gonna have to brush up on my English...

Now I'm living in the (very) outskirts of Tokyo.

I think Mito is a pretty good place to live, though (if you can afford to avoid using the slow trains for long journeys).
Mito is in Ibaraki prefecture as someone posted earlier on. For some reason Japanese people usually laugh when I tell them I lived in Ibaraki when I first came here....don't let that put you off though.

[samuraitora]

@grza
What do you mean. You do not need to brush up on your english...You speak very well

[moyashi]

hmmm, grza has the Union Jack flag under his posts ... I wonder if his comment was a joke :)

[samuraitora]

sorry...sometimes reading can be a little difficult to sense the sarcasm

[moyashi]

:) I was guessing though !!! lol ... I'm not too sure which way to take it either :)

[georgeb]

Originally posted by grza
For some reason Japanese people usually laugh when I tell them I lived in Ibaraki when I first came here....don't let that put you off though.

Laugh? why do they laugh?
I'm actually from Wales so am used to abit of abuse.

Okay, more questions. It is now looking very likley that we will be living in Mito next year, I need to make some enquiries about somewhere to live. Are there agencies in Japan who will find accomodation? Does anybody know any in the Mito area (long shot I know)?

Now, is it common to get fully furnished flats out in Japan, or should we be preparing to ship stuff from here?

Other questions
Why is this guy flicking the "V"s at everyone??:clap:
and this guy is making an even worse sign!:cool:

Thanks for the help

[samuraitora]

@and this guy is making an even worse sign!
I think it is a "thumbs up", and even if it isn't, flipping the bird in Japan means something totally different than elsewhere.

I don't remember what though

[thomas]

Originally posted by georgeb
and this guy is making an even worse sign!:cool:

Honi soit qui mal y pense!
:)

It's definitely a thumb.

[moyashi]

The "V" sign means peace or victory.
It's a typical pose for taking pictures too. It doesn't have much of a meaning that waving your hand as in saying "hi" or "bye"

It's a thumbs up for sure ... no thumb in a fist poster so deduction is just that. "good"

@ the bird
hmmm, if it's not the bird ... you rotate it but then it becomes a sexual gesture.
If gaijin shows it too a Japanese, the Japanese fella will probably understand pretty quickly. Interesting is that I haven't seen too many Japanese use it.

Although, there was a show where they would have a Japanese guy run up to a gaijin and poke the bird at him. Lot's of the gaijin thought the Japanese guy was a freak but then "F_ck you, F_ck you" was repeated enough that the Japanese guy got clobbered a few times.

lololo ....

[samuraitora]

I have heard that Japanese television can be a little weird

[moyashi]

umm, yeah, it can get really out rageous with all the TV talent comedians trying to make a name for themselves.

Children please don't do this.

Flip your bicycle upside down and spin the pedals reallllly fast so the rear tire is spinning really fast. Drop your pants and try to stop the tire with your buddocks. Lol ... I've heard of rug burns, tire marks and what not ... but that was just too funny.

[samuraitora]

That sounds great...LOL
American TV is sooo docile

[georgeb]

Okay, I guess this is for grza as he has lived in Mito. The end of the year is approaching, I need somewhere to live.
My company is going to sort out accomadation but I want to make sure its not in some slum.
Can you recommend any particular areas or any area to be wary of?

[moyashi]

Slums? Not really. Although if you go to the realtor alone they'll show you all the places that no Japanese would normally live in.

You'll need to set yourself up with a rock solid guarantor. OR NO house. Some places will allow friends and what not but ... you'll be living in run down shacks.

Prepare up to 6 months of deposit. Bribe money for the realtor. And about $300 for housing insurance. Sapporo is 2 months for deposit and 1 month for the payoff (introduction fee) to the realtor. Osaka was like 6 the last time I saw. This type of cash isn't normally negotiable since the landlord and realtor are doing you FAVORS by letting you live there.

Also, contracts normally run 1-2 years. (Sapporo is 2 years in general) IF you leave during the contract you LOOSE the deposit automatically for breaking the contract.

Once you move DON'T expect your deposit to come back since it's under $1,000. landlords run off with the money since small claims court basically would be a higher risk. THOUGH this works in your benefit too if you damage the room for under $1,000 and your guarantor is a Yakuza or isn't to be found the landloard will write off the lose.

So, you got lot's more to worry than being in a slum.

Good luck