Moving To Japan After College

Hi guys. I am sure this has been asked a million times, but I figured I would ask as it pertains to my own situation.

I am a College student(originally from Bosnia, now leaving in AZ) right now graduating with an associates in a few weeks. I plan to keep going till I have my masters though. My focous is Networking (associates) Information Security (Bachelors) and Technical Project Mangement(Master's). I did quite a bit of research on everything but I would like to ask about IT industry specifically in cities like Yokohama, since thats where I plan to live, Osaka is a possibility too. I hope to speak Japanese somewhat profficientlly by the time I move. What should I expect, as far as work, and to a lesser extent salary expectations? Lastly, how difficult will it be for me to stay there as far as visas are concerned. I found some info on it but nothing in much detail. Any other general tips are appreciated too.

Thanks guys

If you can commute to Tokyo (only about 30 mins from Yokohama) you will expand your job opportunities by about 100.) It sounds like you will be well qualified. One challenge will be that most companies prefer to interview with people who are already in Japan, so you might need to come here without a job already set up.

As there are plenty of foreigners here who don't speak much Japanese working for international companies in IT (most of my husband's colleagues don't speak much Japanese) don't worry too much about your Japanese level affecting your chances of getting a job. Obviously the more you speak and read the easier your life will be outside work though.

Ah ok. Yea I've generally heared Tokyo is the place for that sort of work but it seems like living there is beyond expensive though.

I was wondering about the difficulties of applying for a job there without actually living there. One solution I had for that issue is that I plan to move with quite a bit of money saved up that would allow me to live without worrying about work for about 6 months at least. I am hoping that it won't take me that long to find work though.

Thank you for the info =)

Yokohama isn't that much different to Tokyo in terms of expenses (I have lived in both)- you havr to be right out in the country before rents become very cheap. Like any city, as far as rents go Tokyo has expensive areas and cheaper areas. Working in IT you should be making plenty to live in a reasonable sized apartment (by Tokyo standards) in the suburbs.

Food and transportation aren't that much more expensive in Tokyo than anywhere else, and most people find that Japan is much cheaper than they thought. Depending where you are from it may actually be cheaper- I find the UK and much of Europe horrendously expensive compared to Japan for example, and New York is also pricey.

As for staying here, the usual tourist permit is 90 days and theoretically you are not allowed to look for work on a tourist visa. Of course people do it, but don't tell the Immigration officers that is what you plan to do.

Thanks for the tip. Is the IT scene outside of Tokyo reall that much worse ?

I mentioned Yokohama mainly because its more appealing to me as a place to live, opposed to Tokyo. Of course if the right job offers come in, and I end up living in Tokyo, I won't have a problem with it either but just thought id clarify. Good to hear that expenses aren't a huge concern and that overpricing is a bit blown out of proportion on the net.

So granted Tourist Visa is 90 days, and I can't use it to look for work. How do I obtain a work visa? Do I have to first have a secured job, or just secured way to pay my living expenses? This is where I see myself running into difficulties, how to apply for work without living there...etc

Thanks for all the info so far guys :) Been much help.

Alen,

So granted Tourist Visa is 90 days, and I can't use it to look for work. How do I obtain a work visa?

As far as I know, there is no problem with looking for work while on a tourist visa - although it is probably not a good idea to tell the people at Narita Airport that your purpose of visiting is to look for work rather than sightseeing.

As far as I know, there is no problem with looking for work while on a tourist visa - although it is probably not a good idea to tell the people at Narita Airport that your purpose of visiting is to look for work rather than sightseeing.

Right. So I can still look etc as long as I keep it on the down-low. Do wonder If I might end up in an awkward situation during an interview or something if they ask if i got a work visa or something =/

There are plenty of IT jobs outside Tokyo, but in Japanese companies- you have little chance of being hired over a Japanese national by one of these companies, even if your Japanese is good. Spoken Japanese is one thing, written Japanese is quite another, as you may already have found out for yourself. It takes years of study to be able to read at the level you would need to be able to cope in an all-Japanese work environment.

This limits you to "gaishikei" (foreign) companies whose working language is English, which are almost all headquartered in Tokyo. Of course many have offices in Osaka too, but Osaka is another big sprawling concrete city.

One way that a lot of people I know in IT have started up here is to get jobs teaching English, which used to be easy to find, and then look for IT jobs- being in Japan with valid visas gave them a big advantage. As the largest English school has just collapsed leaving thousands of foreigners out of work though, for the next 6 months or more that won't be an easy option.

As Dave said, you can look for jobs here on a tourist visa, but you don't want to give Immigration the slightest indication that that is what you will be doing- this includes having a good excuse for carrying suits and ties in your luggage, if it happens to be searched (possible). You can probably get away with one visa run to Korea or Taiwan and come back in for another 90 days, but that would probably be the limit- Immigration can start to get suspicious.

Thanks for the response Sira. It doesn't sound to me like its worth risking it, to look for work on a tourist Visa. As far as teaching English, I have little interest in that and English is my second language as well actually, even though I am fluent. Also, it does seem like there is a major influx of English teachers as it is, so it might not be an easy route either. I suppose I will have to cross that bridge when I get to it. I was hoping to be able to save enough money to live for 6 months without work, in which time I hope to be able to find something, but staying for that amount of time I suppose isn't easy without a work visa.

Osaka was one of the places I was considering, but I don't know...in the end it will depend on where I find work, so its somewhat irrelevant at the moment. Hmm...I need to do some researching on work visas it seems, otherwise I am stuck. Granted its still a long while before i move, I want to be prepared.