Japan Portal

Welcome to Japan

While retaining its time-honoured culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the USA. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990's following 3 decades of unprecedented growth.

Japan's population is just over 127 million. Most Japanese reside in densely populated urban areas. Japan's capital city is Tokyo. The population of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area including the city, some of its suburbs and the surrounding area is approximately 12 million.

Northern Japan has warm summers but long, cold winters with heavy snow. Central Japan has hot, humid summers and short winters, and south-western Japan has long, hot, humid summers and mild winters.

Japan's rainy season usually starts in early June and ends in middle July except in the Hokkaido region.

5 or 6 typhoons pass over or near Japan every year from early August to early September, sometimes resulting in significant damage. Annual precipitation, which averages between 100 and 200 centimetres, is concentrated in the period between June and September.

Everyday Living in Japan

Your salary should be sufficient for living expenses in Japan. Whilst the cost of living in Japan is quite high, so too is your salary to offset these high costs.

Food

Japan has an endless supply of restaurants - both western and traditional Japanese style. In larger cities, it's common to wait up to 1 hour before being seated as eating out is a favourite pastime amongst the Japanese. Many restaurants have a row of seats outside for patrons to wait on.

Prices vary from ¥1,000 and up. For ¥1,000 you can go to a local Japanese restaurant and eat tonkatsu (fried pork), with unlimited helpings of rice, miso soup and shredded cabbage. In train stations, you can enjoy a bowl of noodles from ¥300 to ¥800, depending on the amount of ingredients you request. There are also many lunch-time buffets serving a wide variety of flavours from Indian to Thai to Italian. These are very good value at ¥1,000. Expect to pay around ¥2,000 for dinner in an average restaurant. Alcoholic beverages will cost around ¥500 per drink, and up to ¥900 in a nightclub.

Fast food is popular and can be found in all cities throughout Japan.

Supermarket's offer reasonable prices on processed foods such as pastas, sauces, breads etc. Fresh fruit and vegetables however are expensive. A tomato will cost ¥50 each, an apple ¥50, and a punnet of strawberries ¥300. Traditional Japanese fruit and vegetables will offer the biggest savings. A large Japanese white radish will cost about ¥200. Supermarkets and department stores open at 10am and close at 8pm.

A reasonable food budget if eating at home is ¥1,500 per day.

Water

Tap water is safe to drink, however many people drink chilled tea in the summer and hot coffee or tea in the winter. Japan has the highest ratio of vending machines in the world per square kilometre. A variety of coffees, teas, soups and soft drinks can be found. Expect to pay around ¥120 to ¥150 per drink.

Transportation

Japan has an efficient public transportation network, especially within metropolitan areas and between large cities. Japan's public transportation is characterised by its punctuality, its superb service, and the large crowds of people using it.

Trains are used by the majority of commuters as opposed to cars. Scooters are a popular means of getting from home to the local train station. No motorbike licence is needed for these, as a car licence is sufficient. Most passengers on Japanese trains are either reading, sleeping or using their mobile phones for sending messages. Talking on mobile phones inside trains is forbidden, except in the entrance sections of shinkansen (bullet train) and limited express trains. On many platforms, marks on the floor indicate where the doors of the arriving train will be located. Waiting passengers will line up behind those marks. Train drivers are trained to stop within centimetres.

Trains tend to start from about 5am and run until 12:45pm.

Buses in Tokyo, Osaka and some other large cities serve as a secondary means of public transportation, complementing the train and subway networks. In cities with less dense train networks like Kyoto, buses are the main means of public transportation. Major cities are furthermore, linked by highway and long distance buses.

Taxis are expensive to the average cost conscious traveller, and an unattractive alternative to the efficient public transportation system of Japan's larger cities. Two things to remember about Japanese taxis:

1. The rear doors of Japanese taxis open and close automatically. There is no need to touch them at all.
2. You are not supposed to tip taxi drivers, as the service is included in the price.

Driving in Japan is on the left side of the road with steering wheels on the right. The minimum legal age for driving is 18 years. Road signs and rules follow international standards.

New and used cars are relatively cheap to buy in the home country of Toyota, Honda and Nissan. However, owning and operating a car costs much money due to mandatory inspections (shaken) every 2 to 3 years, high parking costs in cities, and expensive tollways. A litre of gasoline costs roughly ¥100.

You can drive a car in Japan with an international driver's license for up to 1 year. Note that an international driver's license issued in some countries such as France, Germany and Switzerland, are not recognized by Japan. A national driver's license from these countries, together with a Japanese translation, will also be accepted for a duration of up to 1 year. Translations will need to be made at JAF - Japanese Automobile Federation.

Foreigners who reside in Japan for more than 1 year and wish to continue driving, must convert their driver's license into a Japanese license by taking an eye exam, and possibly a practical exam. A translation will also be required of your local licence at JAF.

Below is a guideline on costs for public transportation.

TYPE	PRICE
Bus	¥220 for approx. 10 minutes.
Train	¥150 for the next stop. ¥270 for approx. 25 minutes.
Taxi	¥660 per zone. Approx 6 minutes.

Garbage and Recycling

In Japan, the rules for disposing of garbage are quite strict. Each neighbourhood has its own pick-up schedule which is usually posted in the neighbourhood at the designated disposal sites. If garbage is put out on the wrong day, or if types of garbage are mixed, the collectors will most probably refuse to pick it up. Knowing how to read the kanji characters for the days of the week is helpful, as the different types are collected on the same day each week.

SEPARATING GARBAGE

There are 3 main types of garbage which must be separated completely from each other:

• Burnable - Household trash such as paper, diapers, clothes, food stuffs etc.
• Non-Burnable - Metal, glass, china, rubber, plastic packages or wrappings etc.
• Recyclables - Cans, bottles, newspapers.

Cost of Living

If you can 'go local' and eat local foods and noodles, your food cost should not exceed ¥1,500 a day. On the other hand, you can spend a lot more if you decide to go to fancy restaurants and western watering holes.

Money Matters

Currency used in Japan is the Japanese Yen (¥). Coin denominations are ¥1, ¥5, ¥10, ¥50, ¥100 and ¥500 and notes come in ¥1000, ¥2000, ¥5000 and ¥10,000. Many ATM's will handle foreign ATM cards. Look for machines that advertise Cirrus, Plus, Star, Maestro, Interlink, Accel, etc. Most International credit cards are accepted everywhere.

See our home page for a link to a foreign currency exchange calculator. Listed under RESOURCES.

Opening a Bank Account

You may open a local currency account or a foreign currency account at major banks. You will need your passport and an Aliens Registration Card. Without this, you wont be able to open an account. As a tourist, you can still apply for an Alien Registration Card at your local city office.

As a foreigner, you can sign your name instead of using a 'hanko' as the locals do. Your ATM card will be issued on the spot.

Suggested Reputable Banks

• Sumitomo Mitsui Bank
• Citibank Japan (offers English speaking staff and application forms)
• UFJ Bank

Tipping

There is no need for tipping in restaurants or for taxis and other services.

Shopping

Convenience stores such as 7-11 are almost on every street corner and are all open 24 hours in Japan. You can get snacks, microwave popcorn, sushi, basic toiletries and lots of different kinds of beverages.

Clothing is generally expensive, and you may have difficulty finding large sizes, especially for shoes and jeans. You should have some good shoes when you arrive. Department stores in cities have eye-popping prices for fancy imported clothes and jewellery. Suburbia shopping centres usually offer better prices. Japan is a leading country in electronic goods, and you can get some real bargains with the latest technology.

Health Care

Health services in Japan are excellent and amongst some of the best in the world. Dental work however is very expensive.

Whilst medical care in Japan is good, English-speaking physicians and medical facilities that cater to foreigner's expectations are expensive and not very widespread.

Health Examination

English teachers are not required to have a health examination in Japan.

Health Insurance

Health insurance is one of the greatest concerns for foreigners living and working in Japan. All residents of Japan are required to be enrolled in a Japanese insurance program.

Some points to keep in mind:

1. Health insurance is mandatory when living in Japan for 1 year or longer.
2. Contrary to popular rumours circulating among the foreign community, foreigners are not automatically covered by National Health Insurance.
3. As National Health Insurance premiums are based on your previous year's income, the first year of coverage is relatively cheap.

The 2 main types of Health Insurance are:

• Social Insurance "Kenko Hoken" - For company employees.
• National Health Insurance "Kokumin-Kenko Hoken" - For students and the self-employed. The National Health Insurance is often used by foreigners. Premiums are based on taxable income, with the actual fees calculated using your previous years resident's tax filing.

Other types include Mutual Aid Associations "Kyosai Kumiai", which covers most public service and private school employees.

Under Japanese insurance, you are generally required to pay about 30% of the medical expenses incurred.

Many foreigners opt to take out insurance policies offered by foreign companies in Japan or by those located back in their home country. Please check the legitimacy of such healthcare products beforehand such as:

1. Underwriter of the product
2. Standard and Poor's rating
3. Emergency Assistance company
4. Representative company of the product

The above 4 checkpoints should be listed on the company's website, otherwise request to receive it in writing.