Foreigners in Japan
Provinces | Total number of asians | ![]() Cambodia |
![]() China |
![]() Indonesia |
![]() Korea |
![]() Myanmar |
![]() Mongolia |
![]() Nepal |
![]() Philippines |
![]() Thailand |
![]() Vietnam |
Tokyo | 495.278 | 804 | 218.975 | 4.884 | 94.644 | 10.578 | 2.814 | 27.598 | 33.862 | 8.382 | 36.914 |
Saitama | 160.737 | 353 | 70.384 | 2.935 | 15.960 | 1.223 | 1.194 | 6.282 | 20.410 | 3.323 | 22.912 |
Chiba | 140.294 | 386 | 52.492 | 2.429 | 15.995 | 1.161 | 1.567 | 6.801 | 19.263 | 5.789 | 18.267 |
Kanagawa | 182.641 | 2.091 | 70.506 | 3.425 | 28.259 | 952 | 975 | 6.425 | 22.629 | 4.557 | 20.225 |
Aichi | 182.684 | 908 | 49.159 | 6.332 | 30.010 | 1.388 | 646 | 9.093 | 37.346 | 3.260 | 31.614 |
Ibaraki | 55.279 | 876 | 13.024 | 3.721 | 4.312 | 415 | 290 | 1.337 | 10.295 | 4.760 | 7.667 |
Fukuoka | 71.413 | 297 | 20.580 | 1.410 | 15.617 | 741 | 241 | 6.379 | 5.355 | 822 | 14.712 |
Osaka | 223.982 | 277 | 63.315 | 3.164 | 100.430 | 797 | 283 | 3.053 | 8.471 | 2.474 | 25.641 |
Hyogo | 99.406 | 246 | 23.670 | 1.454 | 39.432 | 518 | 176 | 1.595 | 4.847 | 936 | 18.314 |
Hiroshima | 46.915 | 260 | 14.417 | 1.751 | 7.507 | 298 | 121 | 410 | 7.461 | 1.108 | 11.127 |
1.658.629 | 12.174 | 764.720 | 56.346 | 449.634 | 26.456 | 10.987 | 88.951 | 271.289 | 52.323 | 330.835 |
※ Informations from December, 2018.
http://www.moj.go.jp/housei/toukei/toukei_ichiran_touroku.html
Etiquette at Work
Working style in Japan
1. Punctuality
Mentioning Japan on time is definitely an indispensable rule in Japanese working style. From the time the train runs, to the time to go to work, to meet customers, it’s not uncommon for Japanese people to arrive on time or 5 minutes earlier to prepare. This is a way to show respect and respect for the other person.
2. Give a business card
Giving business cards is absolutely indispensable in the working style in Japan. When handing out a business card, turn the card toward the opponent to make sure the recipient can read it correctly. Take care of the card with both hands, raising it near the opponent’s chest to show respect.
Receiving a business card also received with two hands and with eyes to show thanks, put the opponent’s business card in the appropriate position, respectfully on the table immediately after sitting down to talk.
3. Appearance
- The Japanese are very formal. So in the company, pay attention to show your image well through the clothes you wear.
- Clothes: keep clothes clean, tidy, suitable for body size;
- Shoes: shoes are also Japanese attention, so keep your shoes clean, suitable for foot size, with the working environment;
- Hair style: hair style is an important part to impress your face to the other person. Especially in business, pay attention to hair style, hair color, dandruff. So keep your hair healthy and clean before you come to the company;
- Bad breath: after eating foods with a strong smell such as fish, garlic, etc. attention should be paid to make mouth fragrant before meeting customers.
4. Hourensou culture (reporting – informing – consulting)
At work, the Japanese always put high responsibility. So even a slight mistake will evaluate your ability and quality of work. The decision alone not to accept the above opinion is difficult to accept in Japan even if it is the right solution So please ensure the principles of the Japanese company: before making any decision, you need to report it to the person in charge of you first, contact the people involved, and discuss together to find an appropriate plan. This is both to ensure your personal error and to show your collective respect.
5. Reciprocal telephone and e-mail
- Listen to the phone: listen with a friendly attitude, listen after 3 times the bell, say your company name clearly;
- Be polite and correct in the answers;
- Always carry a notebook with you, not wasting time;
- Voice: answer the phone clearly and accurately;
- End the phone: do not hang up but wait for the opponent to hang up first.
6. Say thanks and sorry
Thanks and sorry to hear a lot in Japan even though the speakers were not wrong. That makes the listener feel more comfortable to continue the story. And that is also one of the salient traits of Japanese people: always think of the opponent’s feelings first.
The working culture in Japan has some points that are worth studying, and there are some points that are a bit rigid so study the culture of your country selectively. There are also many other workplace cultures, so please experience and feel the different ways the Japanese company works.
Advantages and Disadvantages of living in Japan
JLPT
Japanese language assessment
Japanese language proficiency is assessed on 5 levels of N5 to N1 from easy to difficult. N5 and N4 are tests for basic Japanese comprehension. N1, N2 are for checking Japanese language proficiency in real situation. N3 is a bridging level between N1/N2 and N4/N5.
The N5 through N1 exams are assessed through Listening, Reading, Grammar and Vocabulary skills. As follows:
Level | How to verify the capacity |
N1 | Read: – Can read types of commentary on diverse topics, read complexly written and theoretically complex texts, understand the structure and content of documents. – Can read articles with in-depth content on a variety of topics, understand stories and express ideas. Listen: – Can understand details of the story, the relationship between characters when listening to lectures, news, conversations in diverse situations. |
N2 | Read: – Read paragraphs with clear topics, understand the content of articles, magazines, explanations, simple comments … on a variety of topics. – Can read articles on general topics, understand the story’s content and expressive intent. Listen: – Can understand everyday situations, natural speech in diverse situations such as conversations, news, content understanding, relationships between characters, grasp the main idea. |
N3 | Read: – Reading comprehension of specific content, daily issues – Understand the information from the newspaper title – Can understand difficult sentences in everyday situations if spoken differently Listen: – Can hear and understand specific content of stories, relationships between characters in everyday conversation |
N4 | Read: – Can understand the commonly used sentences with basic vocabulary, kanji Listen: – Can listen and understand content of conversation everyday if spoken slowly |
N5 | Read: – Can understand fixed phrases, sentences, paragraphs written in Hiragana, Katakana, basic syllables daily Listen: – Can hear essential information in short conversations, speak slowly in everyday situations such as classrooms, surrounding life |
Japanese Wages
JAPAN MINIMUM WAGE 2019
Prefectures | Minimum Wage【円】 | Effective date | |
2019 | (2018) | ||
Ibaraki 茨城 | 849 | (822) | 01/10/2019 |
Saitama埼玉 | 926 | (898) | 01/10/2019 |
Chiba 千葉 | 923 | (895) | 01/10/2019 |
Tokyo東京 | 1,013 | (985) | 01/10/2019 |
Kanagawa神奈川 | 1,011 | (983) | 01/10/2019 |
Aichi 愛知 | 926 | (898) | 01/10/2019 |
Osaka 大阪 | 964 | (936) | 01/10/2019 |
Hyogo兵庫 | 899 | (871) | 01/10/2019 |
Hiroshima 広島 | 871 | (844) | 01/10/2019 |
Fukuoka福岡 | 841 | (814) | 01/10/2019 |
National average | 901 | (874) | - |
Source Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (2019)
Cost of living
Japan is considered one of the most expensive countries in the world and Tokyo is probably the planet city with the highest prices.
However, if you live on the outskirts of big cities, adapting to the traditional Japanese lifestyle and not overindulging the food or products of your home country, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you can save.
Based on some research, we found that the average cost of living in Japan, may vary between ¥97,000~¥129,000 per month, according to each person’s lifestyle.
If you make some adjustments you can live a comfortable life according to your goals.
- In the Others category is included clothing and personal care, going out and entertainment.
- Values may vary by region.
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