The First few Weeks in Tokyo

Paperwork and lots of paperwork


People underestimate the amount of mundane but essential work that's needed when you move to a new place. Which is why I think, short assignments and Business trips are way better options to experience new places than transferring there. But then, you miss out on the joys of day to day nuances and challenges.


Residency permit
What was formerly known as the "Alien Registration System", has now been revamped (and remarketed) as the new Residency Management System, which is definitely more welcoming to foreign workers. I was completely blown away on receiving my residency card on arrival, at the immigration counter at the Haneda airport. I thought I might have to queue up for hours at the Japan Immigration Office after arrival. It took them just 3 mins!
However, I later realized, I still had to register my address at the local municipal office to make the card valid.

Housing
This is tricky, especially if you are a foreigner. I had done a lot of research before moving on possible options, pricing, nuances etc. Typically you rely on an agent to find a house. The initial payout includes a deposit - 1 or 2 months of rent, key money - a non-refundable gift to the landlord, initial maintenance fees for cleaning and fixing the premise and the first month rent. You also need a guarantor which the agency can act, on a certain payment. And some of these terms can be negotiated.
My company, which is definitely more generous than other places acts as a guarantor and arranges an english speaking agent to help us find a house. The only issue was, I wasn't too keen on signing a 2 year lease. And houses that agents typically show foreigners are over priced and expensive.

Enter Sakura house. Their ad kept following me wherever I went (Thanks Google Remarketing Ads). I  managed to found an apartments pretty close to work, within my budget. The apartment was a small studio ~18 sqft, fully furnished with shared bathrooms and washing machines. They were extremely foreigner friendly. Their reps spoke in international languages, their terms were simple and best of all, just 1 month move out notice. I would love to move into a bigger house, but this would do for a few months. I'll discuss Housing economics in more detail some other time but this was the most optimized location-pricing option I could find. So I took it.

Address Registration
You residence card is not valid unless it has your address verified and stamped by the local municipal office. In my case, Minato-ku. Like everywhere in Tokyo, administrative offices are really nice to Foreigners. They gave me a form (all in Japanese), told me to what to write, and promptly completed the process.

Re-entry permit
Once upon a time (till 6 months back), you needed a reentry permit to leave and re-enter Japan. With the new residency management system, you can re-enter the country anytime, as long as the duration of your departure is within a duration of 12 months. Had I know that I wouldn't have made the arduous journey all the way to the immigration office in Konan, Shinagawa.
A journey which familiarized me with Tokyo's wide network of public transport system. I took the metro, JR and a bus. And fair bit of walking.


Bank account
It took me 3 visits to the Citibank branch in Hiroo branch to get an account opened. But usually, if you have a residency permit stamped with your address, you should be fine. You could go to local Japanse banks but Citi has english speaking service reps. Though supremely polite, the process of opening an account and applying for a credit card took close to an hour to finish. My credit card would reach me later, in a months time, delivered to me personally, strictly onto my residential address.

Citibank Singapore was my first job after college. I am used to their super efficient service. Bank Account under 15 mins, and Credit card issued under 30 mins. So I had all the rights to be frustrated.

A tip on choosing the right bank. Mitsubishi, Mizuho and Mitsui are the largest local banks here with the widest branch and ATM network. Your employer might have special tie up with some of these, in my case Citibank, which gives you waiver on ATM usage, minimum balance, bank transfers etc. Citi is more foreigner friendly. They have tie ups with other banks and convenient stores for ATM usage, however there may be additional charges. So do read through the details. Also, I was frustrated that I could not link my Singapore account with my Japan account. Wonder if it works in HSBC?

My salary and relocation bonus would reach me, a month later, in Japanese yen, into my Citi Account :)

Initial impressions of Tokyo

Having lived in Singapore, for so many years, I'll inadvertently end up comparing it with Tokyo. It's been more than a month and there are things I absolutely love about Tokyo, and few things that I am amused and often confused.

Positives:
Extremely Polite people. People here are super nice. I was initially confused. What incentive do Japanese have in being so nice to people, especially Foreigners? And the answer probably lies in their culture and the traumas of the war. Japanese value simple things in life. Be it good food, nature, weather, festivals. I find this quite fascinating.

People in Singapore, unfortunately, have gotten quite impatient and rude recently. I understand the frustration locals have in Singapore, with rapid immigration, competition for the best jobs and the crowding of pubic spaces, but it pains me when people lose the basic courtesy of respecting each other. And life in Singapore seems quite materialistic with people hardly having any time to value the small things in life in general.

I can't describe how much I missed having seasons Tokyo apparently has all seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. I don't like winters but I do love snow!

On the Fence:
Tokyo has a soul, and you don't need to search that deep.
Singaporeans might slander at me for calling this one out. Beneath all the modern efficiency, I think Singapore lacks a certain soul. On hand I admire the rational behavior and the focus on efficiency, productivity and desire to be the best. However, as I mentioned earlier, life felt quite empty and shallow in Singapore. Having said that, I wish Japan was as modern and efficient as Singapore. I hate queuing up in long lines, filling piles of documents for simple things like opening a bank account, remitting money, filing taxes etc.

Negatives:
Tokyo is expensive! What's interesting is that prices have stayed relative stagnant for years. Inflation is close to zero :)
I do struggle with language. It's not hard to get around, but it's definitely hard to make friends if you don't speak the local language.
My biggest gripe with Japan in general is that for a modern country, a lot of processes are still very manual and bureaucratic. You need to fill up forms, need piles of documents to get basic services like a bank account, electricity etc. In Singapore, your SingPass login and your CPF statement was enough, and almost everything could be done online.


I have been super critical of Singapore, but I still love Singapore. I need to live here longer to see my perception changes.

Getting Ready for the move

Pack the bags, and let's fly. Well not that easily...

It was my first big move since I had moved to Singapore. I quickly realized how painful the process was. Luckily I had well over a month to sort everything out before the move. I was definitely helped by the fact that I had no family to relocate.

1. Negotiated Salary: I hadn't truly realized then how expensive Tokyo is. When I got my new salary/ compensation package from HR, I quickly did some math based on anecdotal accounts on the internet.

Monthly Expenses:

Rent:  ~130k-150k yen

Utilities ~10k yen

Travel ~30k yen

Food ~Free (in office most days) + 30k yen (occasional weekday eat outs) + 40k yen (weekends)

Misc ~50k

Total Expenses: ~300k yen/month

Tax ~30% Income

My new salary wasn't too high. It let me save 15-20%, which would go into my MBA/savings fund. I was fairly satisfied as the cost to my company definitely went up with my move, but they were still willing to transfer me.

2. Packing and Relocation: I had accumulated a lot of junk in the last 8 years. I knew apartments in Tokyo were quite small. The movers quoted me upwards of $2500 SGD (!)  to move 6 cartons. Ridiculous! Though I had a relocation lump sum in my transfer contract, It would reach me a month after I moved. And $2500 for 6 cartons of junk was a waste of money. I threw out things that no one needed, donated my old clothes, passed my books and some gadgets to friends, sent off valuables I no longer needed to my parents in Inda through a friends, and carried everything else with me on the plane. I was finally left with 45 kgs. I eventually carried a backpack, 2 suitcases and my desktop PC on my economy class ticket, without paying a single extra fee :)

3 Subleasing and Apartment Hunting: By far the most painful step of my transfer. I had 9 months of lease left on my apartment that I shared with 2 other friends in Singapore. We had to find a tenant to replace me. All 3 of us spent countless hours looking for the right fit. 

It was equally hard to find an apartment in Tokyo remotely, in the right location and budget. Countless emails and hours of google later, I found Sakura House. Room wasn't too big but was affordable. The leasing staff spoke English and were expat friendly. And the best part, it was a 10 min walking distance from my office. Special shout out to the nice folks at Sakura House.

4. Closing Bank Accounts and Paying outstanding bills: Citibank Singapore is so efficient. I closed all my credit cards via phone. I still wanted to keep my savings account for which I needed a physical OTP device to replace the phone sms. I dropped by their branch in Shenton way and in 15 mins they issued me a device. I also activated my debit cards for international use via phone.

5. Applying for the work permit: It was probably the easiest part of the entire relocation. My company and their international relocation experts took care of most of the process. They applied for my "Certificate of Eligibility", which is a document endorsed by your company, which supports my work visa application. In 2 weeks, COE was issued and they posted it to my Singapore address. All I had to do was bring this official document to the Japanese Embassy and get a single-visit Visa to Japan. This would later be converted to a Residency permit when I would later reach the Haneda Airport.

6. Singapore Taxes: Taxes are painful, especially when you have to pay for 2 assessment years at once. In addition to really strange taxation policies on unvested company stocks. I was yet to finalize my 2011 taxes but since I had income earned in 2012, I had to clear that as well before I moved. This took a toll on my savings, but, well can't be helped.

5. GoodBye to Friends: Well the usual meetups and dinner with friends, announcing them of the move, wishing best of luck.

Prologue: How it began

Tokyo, the land of the rising sun, and the sense of adventure

When I was young, I remember reading a story from my Hindi textbook. It was an indian traveller's account of Japan. It was probably written in the late 80s. Back in those days, traveling oversees was hard, expensive and remarkably rare. He sailed across the oceans to reach the mystical world of Japan. Though I don't remember all the details, a few events are still etched deep in my mind. The fast trains, disciplined, hardworking and incredibly polite people and the remarkably modern and industrialized cities had left lasting impressions on the author. There was a particular encounter where he forgets his wallet in the train, only to have it returned back safely the next day.

Globalization, cheaper and more accessible air travel, internet and media may have lessened the sense of adventure that once existed, but nevertheless, my decision to move to Japan was driven by this fascination of knowing more about this country.

If it was just the curiosity of experiencing Japan, I could have just applied for a 3 month assignment at work. There were other pressing reasons.

I had outlived my stay in Singapore. A scholarship and the fascination of seeing the outside world had brought me from India, to the tiny island-country 8 years back. I liked everything about Singapore, its modern outlook, efficiency, convenience and the multi-cultural society. I had to move out before I became too complacent and comfortable. Moreover, I was still relatively young and single. Moving would never be this easy.

So when I was evaluating the next step in my career, It wasn't incredibly hard to turn down an opportunity to get transferred to Tokyo. And that's how the journey began.