Never been to Japan. Advice please!

Hi,

I have been offered a job in Tokyo and am considering a move in two months. I have never been to Japan and so I do not know what to expect. I'd be grateful if someone could provide me answers on the following questions:

1) I am 27, of Chinese descent, but have been in Australia since I was 5 years old. I cannot speak Japanese. Would Japan be a good/enjoyable place for me to live?

2) I do not know anyone in Japan. Is it easy to make friends considering that I do not understand Japanese, and am Chinese (I have heard that there is some tension between Chinese and Japanese)?

3) I have been offered 11 Mill Yen per year before tax. Is this enough for a single person to live comfortably in Tokyo? I would want to live reasonably close to work, which is somewhere in the Minato district of Tokyo. I would also be eating out pretty much all the time as I cannot cook. I have heard that Tokyo is an expensive place to live, particularly for rental. How much could I expect to pay for an apartment in the city? Will I have enough for entertainment? How much will I be able to save?

4) I have been told that I would probably work until late, likely to be averaging 10pm each day. Is there a good night life in Japan, or should I expect a sleeping city by 10pm?

Thankyou in advance

That is a very good salary here- it is more than 3 times what your average English teacher earns.

You should be able to afford a place in Minato ward somewhere- you are looking at 200,000 yen a month plus for such an expensive area but it seems you will be able to afford it. You should be fine eating out all the time as well, although again that is an expensive area and you would spend at least 5 thousand yen a day on eating out unless you stuck to the cheap chain noodle shops etc.

Tokyo has a very vibrant night life and Minato-ku is one of the centres of it- Roppongi is right there, although not everyone likes the atmosphere.

Whether or not you will be able to save is entirely up to you- with a high rent, always eating out and an interest in the nightlife it would be quite possible to blow all that money. If you are a bit conservative with your money, eat at cheaper places and only go out a couple of nights a week, you should be able to save, yes.

People are very unlikely to judge you by your Chinese heritage. The ill-feeling is more on the Chinese side than the Japanese, as it was the Chinese who were invaded and occupied before WW2- I don't really want to get into that here though!

I know a lot of people who are ethnically Chinese working here- they say Japanese people get confused initially when they can't respond to questions in Japanese but they soon figure it out and treat them like any other foreigner- i.e. usually polite and friendly. You should be fine.

Thankyou, Sira. Your advice makes me more comfortable with making the move to Japan. Cheers