Japan Hands Down

[Berkshire]

I love Japan . Good luck Mate

thanks

Hey daftdude, good luck. And I sincerely mean that. You've now converted from a "farang" to a "gaijin." Is there a difference? Not really. But I hope that you find your utopia. And more importantly, please report back to the other misfits here in Thailand the wonders of Japan so that more will join you there and leave Thailand for good. Everybody wins.

Note: I've lived in Japan. Many pluses, but many minuses as well, as you will find out. Just like Thailand, visiting there and actually living there is not the same. It all boils down to what's important to you. And as someone already mentioned, do join a ThaiVisa-type forum in Japan as you'll be whining/whinging there just like you have here. It may take you several months/years to see Japan for what it is. But you will.

[Sing_Sling]

I left my blackberry in a Thai taxi a few months ago. Called it a few minutes later and the taxi driver had already removed the sim card and claimed it as his own

He removed the sim and your call still went through?

I was working in Japan when I met my wife, who was also an expat there . . . we love the place, the food, the countryside, the people . . . and it has seasons and lots of snow if you want it.

Favourite place in Asia, perhaps favourite overall

Good luck, mate

[phuturatica]

All the best!

[daftpunker]

I left my blackberry in a Thai taxi a few months ago. Called it a few minutes later and the taxi driver had already removed the sim card and claimed it as his own

He removed the sim and your call still went through?

I was working in Japan when I met my wife, who was also an expat there . . . we love the place, the food, the countryside, the people . . . and it has seasons and lots of snow if you want it.

Favourite place in Asia, perhaps favourite overall

Good luck, mate

thanks

[daftpunker]

All the best!

thanks and ive al;ways wondered do you look like the girl in your profile pic?

[Max2010]

All the best!

I love both Thailand and vacationed there numerous times. I live in Japan for few years now. Feel free to PM me if you need any advice.

It is not true that all foreigners are dishonest. I have found cellphones and bags in the train and gave them to the policemen over the years. Even though it is a custom to expect finder's money, I've never accepted it.

Good advice to keep your alien card with you at all times, otherwise 200,000 yen fine.

Immigration in Japanese airports will be a breeze once oyu are a resident. They have a dedicated line for foreign residents and it usually takes no more than 10-15 minutes to go through the process. If you are working here, you should get your alien card at the airport and now address changes and work changes must eb reported to immigration office near you and not at the municipal towns you live in.

In terms of radiation exposure, I would not worry about it. If the Europeans survived Chernobyl radiation, Japan will survive this as well. I never found the need to leave Japan during the accident and have no reason to leave now. I love this place very much. It . has its minuses ofcourse. But overall, nice place to live; clean, quiet, and efficient. Do not expect neighbours to knock at your door for a chit-chat. Most socialization is done outside in the restaurants. If you are a social person, you will find Japanese life very depressing very quickly. I highly recommend you to get a satellite English TV. For 4000 yen a month you will get all the major channels, BBC, CNN etc and movie channels. The best company is Sky Perfect. When you buy the dish at the electronic store, they bring a technician to set it up for a fee and then you deduct this fee from your subsciption fees.

Food is not very expensive. It all depends on how well you want to live, whether you are in Tokyo, London, Bangkok or New York. Llocal supermarkets has reasonable prices and since you earn in Yen and Japan imports most food products, your grocery bills will be lower than you expect. I can feed a family of four for 10,000 yen a week, same as in Canada or USA, where we lived.

As a foreigner, most banks will not issue you with a credit card. I don't know the reason behind it. You get an automatic decline letter, just find a foreign bank like Citibank and write them a bitchy letter and before you know it, they will call and apologise and issue you a a card after you send them work info. Japanese banks will simply ignore you. Unlike other countries, we pay fees to be a cardholder. You will need to make a stamp of your name (Hanko), this is used in official documents, parcel deliveries and bank books as your signature. One is for unimportant things and one is for serious matter (must be registered) such as mortgages. If you qualify for a mortgage, it is cheap in Japan. For a 75 sq meter, 3 bedroom, you pay no more than 70,000 yen a month and get generous tax deductables though most properties do not increase in value over time due to cronic deflation.

You will however pay high taxes as a resident. Municipal taxes run about 200,000 yen a year per adult depending on municipalities. Many foreigners used to ignore paying this tax but now if you don't pay your taxes, you can't renew your visa. Same if you have no health insurance. Most people commute by train and companies often pay transportation costs. You can't buy a car without showing proof of car park ownership. Car taxes run about 50,000 yen a year ($30,000 car value) depending on the value of a car and 50,000 yen to check for pollution every 2 years or so. You can buy a small brand new car for 10,000 USD. Japan has little market for second hand cars, and since many people commute by train, you will find very cheap second-hand cars with little mileage sold next to nothing in the local internet car dealerships

Get national health insurance. Company might offer health insurance but it is not as good. National insurance run about 10,000 yen a month, depending on your income but it covers everything including dental. You pay 30% of the bill. I pay 2000 yen to clean my teeth but it is not as thorough as in Canada or USA. All taxes are paid up quarterly, you don't have to pay up all upfront.

Welcome to Japan.

[daftpunker]

All the best!

I love both Thailand and vacationed there numerous times. I live in Japan for few years now. Feel free to PM me if you need any advice.

It is not true that all foreigners are dishonest. I have found cellphones and bags in the train and gave them to the policemen over the years. Even though it is a custom to expect finder's money, I've never accepted it.

Good advice to keep your alien card with you at all times, otherwise 200,000 yen fine.

Immigration in Japanese airports will be a breeze once oyu are a resident. They have a dedicated line for foreign residents and it usually takes no more than 10-15 minutes to go through the process. If you are working here, you should get your alien card at the airport and now address changes and work changes must eb reported to immigration office near you and not at the municipal towns you live in.

In terms of radiation exposure, I would not worry about it. If the Europeans survived Chernobyl radiation, Japan will survive this as well. I never found the need to leave Japan during the accident and have no reason to leave now. I love this place very much. It . has its minuses ofcourse. But overall, nice place to live; clean, quiet, and efficient. Do not expect neighbours to knock at your door for a chit-chat. Most socialization is done outside in the restaurants. If you are a social person, you will find Japanese life very depressing very quickly. I highly recommend you to get a satellite English TV. For 4000 yen a month you will get all the major channels, BBC, CNN etc and movie channels. The best company is Sky Perfect. When you buy the dish at the electronic store, they bring a technician to set it up for a fee and then you deduct this fee from your subsciption fees.

Food is not very expensive. It all depends on how well you want to live, whether you are in Tokyo, London, Bangkok or New York. Llocal supermarkets has reasonable prices and since you earn in Yen and Japan imports most food products, your grocery bills will be lower than you expect. I can feed a family of four for 10,000 yen a week, same as in Canada or USA, where we lived.

As a foreigner, most banks will not issue you with a credit card. I don't know the reason behind it. You get an automatic decline letter, just find a foreign bank like Citibank and write them a bitchy letter and before you know it, they will call and apologise and issue you a a card after you send them work info. Japanese banks will simply ignore you. Unlike other countries, we pay fees to be a cardholder. You will need to make a stamp of your name (Hanko), this is used in official documents, parcel deliveries and bank books as your signature. One is for unimportant things and one is for serious matter (must be registered) such as mortgages. If you qualify for a mortgage, it is cheap in Japan. For a 75 sq meter, 3 bedroom, you pay no more than 70,000 yen a month and get generous tax deductables though most properties do not increase in value over time due to cronic deflation.

You will however pay high taxes as a resident. Municipal taxes run about 200,000 yen a year per adult depending on municipalities. Many foreigners used to ignore paying this tax but now if you don't pay your taxes, you can't renew your visa. Same if you have no health insurance. Most people commute by train and companies often pay transportation costs. You can't buy a car without showing proof of car park ownership. Car taxes run about 50,000 yen a year ($30,000 car value) depending on the value of a car and 50,000 yen to check for pollution every 2 years or so. You can buy a small brand new car for 10,000 USD. Japan has little market for second hand cars, and since many people commute by train, you will find very cheap second-hand cars with little mileage sold next to nothing in the local internet car dealerships

Get national health insurance. Company might offer health insurance but it is not as good. National insurance run about 10,000 yen a month, depending on your income but it covers everything including dental. You pay 30% of the bill. I pay 2000 yen to clean my teeth but it is not as thorough as in Canada or USA. All taxes are paid up quarterly, you don't have to pay up all upfront.

Welcome to Japan.

Thank you very much for all that info its very helpful.

[Berkshire]

All the best!

I love both Thailand and vacationed there numerous times. I live in Japan for few years now. Feel free to PM me if you need any advice.

It is not true that all foreigners are dishonest. I have found cellphones and bags in the train and gave them to the policemen over the years. Even though it is a custom to expect finder's money, I've never accepted it.

Good advice to keep your alien card with you at all times, otherwise 200,000 yen fine.

Immigration in Japanese airports will be a breeze once oyu are a resident. They have a dedicated line for foreign residents and it usually takes no more than 10-15 minutes to go through the process. If you are working here, you should get your alien card at the airport and now address changes and work changes must eb reported to immigration office near you and not at the municipal towns you live in.

In terms of radiation exposure, I would not worry about it. If the Europeans survived Chernobyl radiation, Japan will survive this as well. I never found the need to leave Japan during the accident and have no reason to leave now. I love this place very much. It . has its minuses ofcourse. But overall, nice place to live; clean, quiet, and efficient. Do not expect neighbours to knock at your door for a chit-chat. Most socialization is done outside in the restaurants. If you are a social person, you will find Japanese life very depressing very quickly. I highly recommend you to get a satellite English TV. For 4000 yen a month you will get all the major channels, BBC, CNN etc and movie channels. The best company is Sky Perfect. When you buy the dish at the electronic store, they bring a technician to set it up for a fee and then you deduct this fee from your subsciption fees.

Food is not very expensive. It all depends on how well you want to live, whether you are in Tokyo, London, Bangkok or New York. Llocal supermarkets has reasonable prices and since you earn in Yen and Japan imports most food products, your grocery bills will be lower than you expect. I can feed a family of four for 10,000 yen a week, same as in Canada or USA, where we lived.

As a foreigner, most banks will not issue you with a credit card. I don't know the reason behind it. You get an automatic decline letter, just find a foreign bank like Citibank and write them a bitchy letter and before you know it, they will call and apologise and issue you a a card after you send them work info. Japanese banks will simply ignore you. Unlike other countries, we pay fees to be a cardholder. You will need to make a stamp of your name (Hanko), this is used in official documents, parcel deliveries and bank books as your signature. One is for unimportant things and one is for serious matter (must be registered) such as mortgages. If you qualify for a mortgage, it is cheap in Japan. For a 75 sq meter, 3 bedroom, you pay no more than 70,000 yen a month and get generous tax deductables though most properties do not increase in value over time due to cronic deflation.

You will however pay high taxes as a resident. Municipal taxes run about 200,000 yen a year per adult depending on municipalities. Many foreigners used to ignore paying this tax but now if you don't pay your taxes, you can't renew your visa. Same if you have no health insurance. Most people commute by train and companies often pay transportation costs. You can't buy a car without showing proof of car park ownership. Car taxes run about 50,000 yen a year ($30,000 car value) depending on the value of a car and 50,000 yen to check for pollution every 2 years or so. You can buy a small brand new car for 10,000 USD. Japan has little market for second hand cars, and since many people commute by train, you will find very cheap second-hand cars with little mileage sold next to nothing in the local internet car dealerships

Get national health insurance. Company might offer health insurance but it is not as good. National insurance run about 10,000 yen a month, depending on your income but it covers everything including dental. You pay 30% of the bill. I pay 2000 yen to clean my teeth but it is not as thorough as in Canada or USA. All taxes are paid up quarterly, you don't have to pay up all upfront.

Welcome to Japan.

Boy, this brings back memories. I will say that restaurant food in Japan (particularly western cuisine) was pretty darn expensive when I was there. By the way, when I lived there some 15 years ago, the exchange rate to US$ was something like 135. It's now, what, 78? Do you find this to be a problem, or do you get paid appropriately in yen?

[daftpunker]

All the best!

I love both Thailand and vacationed there numerous times. I live in Japan for few years now. Feel free to PM me if you need any advice.

It is not true that all foreigners are dishonest. I have found cellphones and bags in the train and gave them to the policemen over the years. Even though it is a custom to expect finder's money, I've never accepted it.

Good advice to keep your alien card with you at all times, otherwise 200,000 yen fine.

Immigration in Japanese airports will be a breeze once oyu are a resident. They have a dedicated line for foreign residents and it usually takes no more than 10-15 minutes to go through the process. If you are working here, you should get your alien card at the airport and now address changes and work changes must eb reported to immigration office near you and not at the municipal towns you live in.

In terms of radiation exposure, I would not worry about it. If the Europeans survived Chernobyl radiation, Japan will survive this as well. I never found the need to leave Japan during the accident and have no reason to leave now. I love this place very much. It . has its minuses ofcourse. But overall, nice place to live; clean, quiet, and efficient. Do not expect neighbours to knock at your door for a chit-chat. Most socialization is done outside in the restaurants. If you are a social person, you will find Japanese life very depressing very quickly. I highly recommend you to get a satellite English TV. For 4000 yen a month you will get all the major channels, BBC, CNN etc and movie channels. The best company is Sky Perfect. When you buy the dish at the electronic store, they bring a technician to set it up for a fee and then you deduct this fee from your subsciption fees.

Food is not very expensive. It all depends on how well you want to live, whether you are in Tokyo, London, Bangkok or New York. Llocal supermarkets has reasonable prices and since you earn in Yen and Japan imports most food products, your grocery bills will be lower than you expect. I can feed a family of four for 10,000 yen a week, same as in Canada or USA, where we lived.

As a foreigner, most banks will not issue you with a credit card. I don't know the reason behind it. You get an automatic decline letter, just find a foreign bank like Citibank and write them a bitchy letter and before you know it, they will call and apologise and issue you a a card after you send them work info. Japanese banks will simply ignore you. Unlike other countries, we pay fees to be a cardholder. You will need to make a stamp of your name (Hanko), this is used in official documents, parcel deliveries and bank books as your signature. One is for unimportant things and one is for serious matter (must be registered) such as mortgages. If you qualify for a mortgage, it is cheap in Japan. For a 75 sq meter, 3 bedroom, you pay no more than 70,000 yen a month and get generous tax deductables though most properties do not increase in value over time due to cronic deflation.

You will however pay high taxes as a resident. Municipal taxes run about 200,000 yen a year per adult depending on municipalities. Many foreigners used to ignore paying this tax but now if you don't pay your taxes, you can't renew your visa. Same if you have no health insurance. Most people commute by train and companies often pay transportation costs. You can't buy a car without showing proof of car park ownership. Car taxes run about 50,000 yen a year ($30,000 car value) depending on the value of a car and 50,000 yen to check for pollution every 2 years or so. You can buy a small brand new car for 10,000 USD. Japan has little market for second hand cars, and since many people commute by train, you will find very cheap second-hand cars with little mileage sold next to nothing in the local internet car dealerships

Get national health insurance. Company might offer health insurance but it is not as good. National insurance run about 10,000 yen a month, depending on your income but it covers everything including dental. You pay 30% of the bill. I pay 2000 yen to clean my teeth but it is not as thorough as in Canada or USA. All taxes are paid up quarterly, you don't have to pay up all upfront.

Welcome to Japan.

Boy, this brings back memories. I will say that restaurant food in Japan (particularly western cuisine) was pretty darn expensive when I was there. By the way, when I lived there some 15 years ago, the exchange rate to US$ was something like 135. It's now, what, 78? Do you find this to be a problem, or do you get paid appropriately in yen?

its not a problem

[bonobo]

Oh and be careful what you download from torrent sites, from October the 1st downloading copyright material can land you in Jail for 2 years, a 2million Yen fine, about 800,000 Baht. And you certainly don't want to go to a Japanese Jail.

You've got that right! I used to have to visit US Marines being held in Japanese jails, and those are places that are best avoided at all costs!

[Banzai99]

Oh and be careful what you download from torrent sites, from October the 1st downloading copyright material can land you in Jail for 2 years, a 2million Yen fine, about 800,000 Baht. And you certainly don't want to go to a Japanese Jail.

You've got that right! I used to have to visit US Marines being held in Japanese jails, and those are places that are best avoided at all costs!

Yep, I'm in Japan right now, today I went to softbank where I have had a prepaid mobile phone for a long time, I asked " Can I get a micro sim for my iPhone 4s with the same number that I have used for years, answer = No, when I had a 3GS that took full sized sim cards it was no problem to do a straight swap, Japan does have many good points, but, some rules are beyond belief.

And yes Bonobo, a friend of mine was in Fuchu prison some years back, it's absolutely unbelievable the conditions people live in, most would prefer Thai jails, it's not that they live in squalour, it's just the super strict regime, you are told how to walk, how to sit, how to sleep in a certain position etc etc, and my friends main problem was the lack of speech, many times speech with fellow inmates is forbidden, you have so many minutes to eat, so many minutes to wash, and even then there are regulations as to how far up your arm you can wash, you have to sit in your cell a certain way etc etc..

The Japanese are like robots so it suits them, for a Gaijin, it's very difficult to adapt to that way, I'm sure the guys you visited were finding it difficult. Then again they were used to the Military, so maybe not so hard.

[WebBangkok]

I love Japan, its a very interesting place and the women there are great.

But both have there great points.

You know a place is great when you can buy ladies panties from a vending machine lol

I love the Japs, they are a great bunch of people

[daftpunker]

I love Japan, its a very interesting place and the women there are great.

But both have there great points.

You know a place is great when you can buy ladies panties from a vending machine lol

I love the Japs, they are a great bunch of people

ladies panties in a vending machine thats half the reason im going.

[Shot]

I love Japan, its a very interesting place and the women there are great.

But both have there great points.

You know a place is great when you can buy ladies panties from a vending machine lol

I love the Japs, they are a great bunch of people

ladies panties in a vending machine thats half the reason im going.

Are they new?

Sent from my GT-I8160L using Thaivisa Connect App

[daftpunker]

I love Japan, its a very interesting place and the women there are great.

But both have there great points.

You know a place is great when you can buy ladies panties from a vending machine lol

I love the Japs, they are a great bunch of people

ladies panties in a vending machine thats half the reason im going.

Are they new?

Sent from my GT-I8160L using Thaivisa Connect App

used i hope

[Vale Tudo]

Oh and be careful what you download from torrent sites, from October the 1st downloading copyright material can land you in Jail for 2 years, a 2million Yen fine, about 800,000 Baht. And you certainly don't want to go to a Japanese Jail.

You've got that right! I used to have to visit US Marines being held in Japanese jails, and those are places that are best avoided at all costs!

I saw the 'Locked Up Abroad' episode about the Magician from America,he lost it in the end due to the strict discipline inside Japanese prisons!

[chiangmaikelly]

Do they have horny men in Japan? Hmmm. Never met one in Thailand. Not a Farang at least No wonder all those Japanese men come to Thailand for vacation. They do look sad when they get on the plane back.

[TheWalkingMan]

I love Japan, its a very interesting place and the women there are great.

But both have there great points.

You know a place is great when you can buy ladies panties from a vending machine lol

I love the Japs, they are a great bunch of people

I saw this on television years ago... It was a video of a high school girl selling her panties and she said that she wore them for a few days so please buy them

Yep, I'm in Japan right now, today I went to softbank where I have had a prepaid mobile phone for a long time, I asked " Can I get a micro sim for my iPhone 4s with the same number that I have used for years, answer = No, when I had a 3GS that took full sized sim cards it was no problem to do a straight swap, Japan does have many good points, but, some rules are beyond belief.

And yes Bonobo, a friend of mine was in Fuchu prison some years back, it's absolutely unbelievable the conditions people live in, most would prefer Thai jails, it's not that they live in squalour, it's just the super strict regime, you are told how to walk, how to sit, how to sleep in a certain position etc etc, and my friends main problem was the lack of speech, many times speech with fellow inmates is forbidden, you have so many minutes to eat, so many minutes to wash, and even then there are regulations as to how far up your arm you can wash, you have to sit in your cell a certain way etc etc..

The Japanese are like robots so it suits them, for a Gaijin, it's very difficult to adapt to that way, I'm sure the guys you visited were finding it difficult. Then again they were used to the Military, so maybe not so hard.

I used to live about a 10 minute bike ride from the Fuchu prison and every year they would have a festival open to the public. There was no contact with the prisoners but the goods the prisoners made were on sale. They were selling some of the cruddiest men's shoes that I have ever seen and they were selling some very nice wooden furniture. The furniture was very expensive with prices of about USD 2k for a dresser The biggest sellers of the day... Soy Sauce and bread made by the prisoners. The stuff sold out so I could not buy any.

And yeah... the rules can drive you nuts.

Edited October 16, 2012 by TheWalkingMan

[farang000999]

jealous of you. i have to admit, Thailand always feels kind of crappy when you visit other 1st world asian countries.