Great points as always,
mjm.
I'm a Japan native but US citizen. Visa shouldn't be an issue due to my having immediate family members who're Japanese and reside in Jpn. I can't really go into too many details about the barriers beyond what I've already said. I'll just say that these barriers are strictly age/policy/culture-related, and these barriers seem to be significantly less in places like Singapore and even China. I can't remember if I've talked to Robert Walters. I've talked to many over the last few years. I'd have to go back over my emails.
I think most of xenophobia I see being expressed by Japanese on Japanese forums is directed towards Asian tourists/immigrants and types of people seeking refuge in Jpn. Caucasians are looked upon differently.
I think you are generally pro-Jpn on most topics (in very logical ways). So to hear you say that you'd favor US education over Jpn's is a strong statement. I don't think I can afford international school in Jpn, and I presume most international school grads end up doing university abroad like in US. So it seems to me that almost defeats a significant part of the purpose of moving to Jpn, as much of our reason for thinking about moving to Jpn is based on how we want our kids to grow up. Our kids are still young (<10yo). US education system just makes more sense overall, I can agree on that. It's just that, more than anything, we want our kids to grow up humble and considerate.
Originally Posted by
txflyer77
I've considered trying to work in Japan for a year or two. Unfortunately salaries in my field are optimistically a fifth of what they are back in the US.
I might try to swing some kind of short term assignment with an American company (3-6 month). That seems to be the only way that makes sense in my industry. Make American wages, deal with a corporate politics I understand (as opposed to within a Japanese corporation) and let them deal with visas and such.
It's possible within the Silicon Valley tech giants if you know the right managers.
I'm not in the tech industry unfortunately. For the same job, my salary in Jpn would be ~40% pay and I can't do the exact same job in Jpn anyways due to red tapes. For other related jobs that I could technically do (but haven't been able to find), the pay will be 1/4.