Some useful tips for Expats on Filing Taxes in Tokyo

Filing Taxes in Japan is an excruciating experience. Not that the rules are that complicated, but it's amazing that the entire process, including the forms and instructions are completely in Japanese. Despite my affinity to numbers and sufficient accounting expertise, I have never found myself so confused, dazed and lost, in my life :)

Understandably so, since only 1.5% of the population (~2.03 million) is foreigners. And I am guessing 2/3rd of them are quite capable of reading and writing in Japanese (kanji and kana).

For the rest of us, it's quite a struggle. And I wish the tax office was a bit more considerate, especially when immigration is crucial for a country like Japan, where the workforce is shrinking.

The first time when you step into your local tax office, it's an alienating experience. There are no signs or instructions in English. Nice thing about Japan is, that people are really nice. The friendly staff escorted me to a tax consultant, Nozaki-san, an elderly gentleman, the only person in the entire office, who could speak English. It took us 10-15 mins to establish the baseline expectation of our communication abilities, and another 30-40 to review and complete my forms. Then he filled up my payment slip and guided me to the cashier to pay my taxes. I am glad Japan uses the same number system!

Anyways, meanwhile, here are some tips based on this experience:

Socializing in Tokyo, an Introverted foreigner's guide

Scene from Lost in Translation

I was initially planning on writing a post on 'How to spend your idle time in Tokyo', but realized this post might be more useful for foreigners like me, or ones planning to move here.

Tokyo can be pretty lonely if you are a foreigner, and more so if you are an introvert. It's pretty much true anywhere, when you are moving to a new country. You have to build new social connections from scratch. When you were young, it was a lot easier. You constantly met new people in Schools, classes, clubs, lan gaming parties. As you grow older, it gets harder to meet people outside work.

However in addition, in Japan, the language and to some extent the unique culture, often makes it harder to meet and interact with new people. If you are outgoing and comfortable with meeting totally random strangers, you could start with having conversations with people in coffee shops, trains and bars. For the rest of us, it's quite a daunting task to step out of our comfort zones.

Another Tokyo scene from Lost in Translation

Japan also has quite a few unique extended weekends, and planning a backpacking trip each time, out of Tokyo, gets frustrating. It gets even harder during long breaks like New Year and Golden Week holidays, when locals go home to meet their families. Which means, you'll end up with days of nothing interesting to do, if you don't know people around. But if you enjoy the quiet solitude, Tokyo has this incredible zen feeling, I have never experienced before. You feel truly invisible and free, walking amongst crowded cross streets, as if the world doesn't really care you existed.

All right, back to the post before my thoughts drift away. Here are few tips which I have found quite effective

Finding Indian food in Tokyo and My Top list

Finding Indian food isn't hard in Tokyo, but finding one that you like, could be daunting. Before we begin, let me clarify what I mean by Indian food.

New Year Resolution : To Write More

I started this blog to log my experience living in Japan, in a hope that foreigners like me, who are contemplating moving here for work, school or just an adventure, know how it is to live here. Unfortunately, due to lack of time, and motivation, this blog has languished over the year. I will try to backdraft some posts with past memories, along with another attempt to keep this blog updated. Thanks!

Fall in Tokyo

Fuji Tozan - Day trip to Fuji-san

First Sakura in Tokyo