Japanese expats living in Thailand

[snoop1130]

 

The fourth highest number of expats living in Thailand after the Americans, Chinese and Australians are the Japanese. The Japanese expat community have chosen Thailand for the following reasons: 1. No worries for language 2. Family can live together 3. Good weather – no winter 4. Golfer’s heaven 5. Japanese friendly 6. Good food 7 Low cost of living 8. Japanese senior citizens select Thailand as their second home 9. Buddhist country.

 

1. No worries for language
Most Japanese restaurants, cafés, and supermarkets have Japanese language support in writing and/or with translator service.

 

2. Family can live together
There are Japanese kindergartens and schools and international schools. Parents have many choices where to send their children. At all major private hospitals, there are Japanese doctors, translators and Japanese national insurance support desk.

 

3. Good weather – no winter
Every day is summer in Thailand, there is no winter. The average temperature is around 29 degrees. Japanese people love going to the beach to swim and relax with family and friends.

 

4. Golfer’s heaven
The Japanese love playing golf. There are 250 good golf courses around Thailand. Most golf courses are situated around Bangkok and the Pattaya area.

 

5. Japanese friendly nation
Thailand is very Japanese friendly. The best Japanese restaurants outside of Japan can be found in Bangkok. Both the Japanese and Thais are similar in that they uphold some time honoured traditions and understand each other’s respect for their royal families. After the Japanese government waived visas for Thai tourist, Japan has been the hottest tourist destination for Thai.

 

6. Tasty Thai food
The Japanese love Thai food. Both nations eat rice, lots of vegetables and fruit.

 

7. Low living cost
Most Thai likes to eat out, because it is cheaper than cooking at home. Food, transportation, clothes, houses are all much cheaper than in Japan.

 

8. Many elderly and retired Japanese have selected Thailand as their second home. After Malaysia, Thailand is the second most popular country for retirement. However, the Japanese who choose Thailand stay here far longer than in other countries.

 

9. Buddhist country
Thailand is Buddhist country. Around 70% of Japanese people are Buddhist. For Japanese to accept Thai Buddhist is not a problem.

 

Long history of Japanese migrations
Japanese migration started late16th century during Ayuthaya Kingdom period. By 1620, around the East side of Chao Phraya river, there were between 1,000 to 1,500 Japanese habitants. In Ayuthaya, according to the official recording of French King, Louis XIV’s diplomat, 600 Samurai lived there as the Thai Royal Court Guard. The most famous Samurai warrior who became King Songtham’s (1590-1628) advisor was General Nagamasa Yamada. After King Songtham’s death, he was assassinated by King Prasat Thong in Nakhon Si Thammarat in 1630. After General Nagamase Yamada’s death, King Prawat Thong ordered the destruction and burning of the Japanese village in Ayudhya.

 

Japanese Chamber of Commerce Bangkok (Established in 1954, Sep 27)
At the Japanese Chamber of Commerce Bangkok (JCC), there are 1,736 (2020, April) Japanese companies officially registered as JCC members. There are15 business category groups; Metal, Machinery, Textile, Agriculture and Fisheries Food, Financial Insurance, Transportation, Living Industry, Automobile, Tourism and Public Relations, Construction, Chemical, Electrical, Information and Communications, Distribution and Retail and Trading.

 

There are 22 committees; Public Relations, Japanese Language Supplementary Lesson School, Thai-Nichi Institute of Technology Committee, Thai Japanese Association School Management Support, General Affairs, Social Contribution Fund, Labour Relations, Editorial, Environmental, Human Resource Development, Investment Infrastructure Development, Small Medium Enterprise (SME) Support, Customs, IBC, Tax, Legal, GMS, EDC, FDC, Organisational Strengthening, Safety Measures, Economic Research Committees.

 

Japanese is one of the biggest investors in Thailand
In 2019, 2.49USD Billion USD were invested in Thailand by Japanese firms. This is 24.6% of the total foreign investment of 6.13 Billion USD.

 

However, as has been experienced by almost all investors during this pandemic, most Japanese firms saw a drop in revenues by almost half compared to previous years.  This, according to a 2020 survey conducted by the Japanese Trade Organisation (JETRO).

 

Full Story: https://expatlifeinthailand.com/travel-and-leisure/japanese-expats-living-in-thailand/

 

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[skatewash]

Fourth highest number of expats?  What about expats from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, UK, and India?  Where do your figures come from?

[mikebike]

46 minutes ago, skatewash said:

Fourth highest number of expats?  What about expats from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, UK, and India?  Where do your figures come from?

I think you are confusing migrant workers with expats. You DO know these are two different groups, Right?

[skatewash]

9 minutes ago, mikebike said:

I think you are confusing migrant workers with expats. You DO know these are two different groups, Right?

Interesting.  Still would like to know where the figures came from.  I expect most of the people coming from the UK are expats, wouldn't you?  There are twice as many Brits as Americans here.

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, skatewash said:

Fourth highest number of expats?  What about expats from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, UK, and India?  Where do your figures come from?

Right here. Very 1st sentence.

 

Japanese migration to Thailand - Wikipedia

[skatewash]

20 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Right here. Very 1st sentence.

 

Japanese migration to Thailand - Wikipedia

 

Quote

As of 2018, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that Thailand has the fourth highest number of Japanese expatriates in the world after the United States, China and Australia

from Japanese migration to Thailand - Wikipedia

That means that there are more Japanese expats in the United States, China, or Australia, than there are in Thailand.  In other words, it's talking about which countries Japanese expats live in and making the claim that of all the countries in the world Thailand has the fourth largest number living there.

 

Quote

The fourth highest number of expats living in Thailand after the Americans, Chinese and Australians are the Japanese. 

-- from the OP

That means that there are more American, Chinese, or Australian expats living in Thailand than there are Japanese.  In other words, it claims that except for the Americans, Chinese, and Australians, there are more Japanese expats in Thailand than expats from any other country.  I'm questioning that claim.  The latest data I found which is from 10 years ago seemed to indicate there were more UK expats than Japanese (Institute for Population and Social Research - Mahidol University).  It certainly could have changed over those 10 years.  I'm just interested in where the more recent data is coming from.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Thailand#Expatriates

 

[Maybole]

Golf in Japan is hideously expensive.

I recall helping a couple of Japanese acquaintances fly from Bahrain to Scotland in the 1980s for a 2 week golfing holiday. They stayed in a modest Bed and Breakfast of my recommendation, and liked it, and with the help of a friends of mine played Turnberry (pre Trump), Troon, Prestwick Old and Barrasie. All were championship, even Open courses at that time. In between they played on several Ayrshire municipal courses. The score cards were worth huge prestige back in Japan. The whole trip cost less than a years subscription to a minor club in Japan.

[scorecard]

From the article:  "The fourth highest number of expats living in Thailand after the Americans, Chinese and Australians ..."

 

What happened to the UK contingent?

[scorecard]

9 hours ago, skatewash said:

Fourth highest number of expats?  What about expats from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, UK, and India?  Where do your figures come from?

 

Inaccuracies in some previous reports from this poster.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

10. The Karaoke Bars.

[Peterw42]

.

Edited March 27, 2021 by Peterw42

[Peterw42]

The OP is poorly written and quoted. The numbers refer to "where" Japanese expats live in the world, not their numbers relative to overall Thai expat population.

Thailand is 4th on the list for where Japanese expats choose to live, not how many Japanese expats live in Thailand compared to expats from other countries.

Edited March 27, 2021 by Peterw42

[sandyf]

13 hours ago, skatewash said:

Interesting.  Still would like to know where the figures came from.  I expect most of the people coming from the UK are expats, wouldn't you?  There are twice as many Brits as Americans here.

Have you ever been to Sri Ratcha?

Most major cities have a "Chinatown", Sri Ratcha has a "Japantown", many of the venues in that area have signs on the door "Japanese Only".

I have yet to come across anywhere in Thailand that has a "Brittown".

[skatewash]

3 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Have you ever been to Sri Ratcha?

Most major cities have a "Chinatown", Sri Ratcha has a "Japantown", many of the venues in that area have signs on the door "Japanese Only".

I have yet to come across anywhere in Thailand that has a "Brittown".

Interesting.  Of course, because one group may be concentrated in a single area does not in itself mean that that group is more numerous than other groups which may be more widely dispersed.

The only data I've found is 10 years out of date:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Thailand#Expatriates

As explained earlier in this thread it appears the OP has confused Thailand with being the 4th most popular destination for Japanese expats with Japan being the 4th most common origin of expats in Thailand.  Those two things are not the same.

[Tom89]

I live in Phayao. The woman at immigration told me Japanese are the largest foreign community here. Most of them seem to live in Chun.

[NCC1701A]

Japanese men have Bangkok wired. 

 

White farang not know. 

[Toosetinmyways]

 

In my condo in Bangkok 50 % of residents are Japanese. I am the only Westerner. The rest are Thai.

There is a well known Japanese restaurant at the end of the soi. On weekdays lunch time and Saturday and Sunday nights it is packed. Nearly everyone comes in a car with a driver, so obviously working in Thailand.

 

[shackleton]

16 hours ago, skatewash said:

Interesting.  Still would like to know where the figures came from.  I expect most of the people coming from the UK are expats, wouldn't you?  There are twice as many Brits as Americans here.

Probably getting confused with the number of Brit expats in Chon Buri and Pattaya running bars restaurants plus including  the retired ect 

[berrec]

4. Golfer’s heaven
The Japanese love playing golf. There are 250 good golf courses around Thailand. Most golf courses are situated around Bangkok and the Pattaya area.
 

Really, 250 golf courses 

[rickudon]

Getting comprehensive stats on expats in Thailand is difficult. Although there is thr table provided by Skatewash, the same Wikipedia source also contains this more modern snippet of information -

 

Quote

Research by Kasikorn Bank estimated that in 2016, there were 68,300 foreigners over 50 years old—the minimum age for a retirement visa—holding long-stay visas living in Thailand, a 9% increase over the preceding two years. In 2018, Thailand issued almost 80,000 retirement visas, an increase of 30% from 2014, with Britons accounting for the majority of the new visas.^[34]

In 2010 there were 27,357 Westerners living in the northeastern region, 90 percent living with Thai spouses, according to research by the College of Population Studies at Chulalongkorn University in 2017

Which does seem to suggest that the British may be the largest western contingent, and that a significant number of westerners live in Isaan - very few Japanese up here. I believe a census is due in Thailand (delayed by the Covid pandemic?) so maybe soon their will be better stats.

[EricTh]

I don't agree with points number 1 (language) , and partially agree with 6 (food).

 

Language:

I have some Japanese classmates before. Japanese just can't speak Thai correctly because the Japanese language is phonetically very simple compared to Thai. They also can't pronounce the tones because their language is toneless. I have trouble understanding their spoken Thai. 

 

I've never seen much Japanese writing in supermarkets or met any Japanese doctors before.

 

Food:

Japanese can't take spicy food like Tom Yum Gung.

 

Most of the food that Japanese are used to, are actually Chinese food such as porridge, fried rice, noodles etc. These aren't real Thai food but Chinese food brought in by the Thai Chinese migrants.

Edited March 27, 2021 by EricTh

[cmarshall]

Japanese people are not religious.  They may be nominal Buddhists, but other than for funerals, it's not important to them.  

[Captain Monday]

4 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

Japanese men have Bangkok wired. 

 

White farang not know. 

It is fantasy. I have been to the "Japanese only" places (invited by Japanese guys).

Same quality of gals the conversation in broken Japanese equivalent to "How long you stay Thailand" of a nana beer bar. Some of the pretties outside are sideline models. Probably require a steep monthly stipend.

[Bredbury Blue]

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The fourth highest number of expats living in Thailand after the Americans, Chinese and Australians are the Japanese. 

There was me thinking the Japanese were the highest number (could swear i've read *Immigration figures showing that, but i must be wrong).

 

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Japanese expat community have chosen Thailand for the following reasons:

 

I always thought that the Japanese expat community were here primarily because they were sent here by their Japanese companies for work. 

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by Bredbury Blue
*Thinking about it, i probably read Labour Department figures (on Work Permit holders) and not Immigration

[Bredbury Blue]

7 hours ago, sandyf said:

Have you ever been to Sri Ratcha?

Most major cities have a "Chinatown", Sri Ratcha has a "Japantown", many of the venues in that area have signs on the door "Japanese Only".

I have yet to come across anywhere in Thailand that has a "Brittown".

 

You beat me to it. Sri Racha is full of Japanese, they base themselves there and work at the Japanese factories in the area.  Sri Racha has a nice comfortable safe feeling about it, accommodation is good. We've stayed there for short breaks about 4 times in recent years rather than go to farlang towns/cities in Chonburi and Rayong (pss don't tell everyone this little tip, ok).

[Captain Monday]

14 minutes ago, Bredbury Blue said:

There was me thinking the Japanese were the highest number (could swear i've read *Immigration figures showing that, but i must be wrong).

 

 

I always thought that the Japanese expat community were here primarily because they were sent here by their Japanese companies for work. 

 

I heard they were largest in number. Even up North here in Lampoon there are some factories, you see Japanese guys in production uniforms at dinner at certain restaurants. There are retirees here too my building used to have many they seem to have disappeared mostly, maybe due to increasing prices, immigration hassles, and of course the  koronavirus. One Japanese lady I heard about got stuck in Cambodia so she just stays there, her friend tried to sell me her motorbike.  No way to return to Thailand without going back to her country and huge expense. A world gone mad.

[moontang]

In CM, Immigration used to hold special Saturday sessions for them to get their extensions, through the Japan Club or something, while we were queing at 4am in a dark, mosquito infested part of an out of the way mall.

[Captain Monday]

1 hour ago, moontang said:

In CM, Immigration used to hold special Saturday sessions for them to get their extensions, through the Japan Club or something, while we were queing at 4am in a dark, mosquito infested part of an out of the way mall.

When Foreigners were being sent back from BKK for coming too many times. Doubt it was free. Japanese are masters at ripping each other off.  I could give you some stories of California and Hawaii too.

 

So these people from the condo invited me to a floating lantern event a few years ago. I don't know them anymore the husband died and the old lady went back to Japan. They bought the tickets from some Japanese centered travel agency in Chiang Mai. I show up with them there are  buses completely filled with Japanese and I am getting dirty looks from the organizers and guides. We go out to some village turns out it is a public event and the Japanese people were getting ripped off for the tickets and buses there were plenty Farangs there too.

[moontang]

On their better days, the tour guides sell river tours for 6-700 THB and put them on a commuter ferry that costs 15 THB.  The Japanese had some clout in the North, though.  I think Japan Army HQ was in Lampang during WW2.

[Iron Tongue]

I knew this article was garbage as soon as it claimed the Japanese live in Thailand because of buddhism & 70% were buddhists.  The official Japanese number claims ~30% while social research points to ~20%.

 

Also failed to mention affordable health care.