My company may be relocating me to Japan with my wife and two young children (5 and 8). It isn't clear whether the company is setting up a KK or JV or in the beginning I'll be colocated in a MNC with whom we have very strong connections. I'm looking for help to try to get a better feel for some of the following topics. I'm sure there are lots of FTers that can help, and it would be very much appreciated, but in case y'all feel that it isn't the right place to discuss this perhaps you can point me to a similar forum where I can find more information. Far too much of what I've found so far is targetted at people looking to move to Japan and teach English and not at businesspeople.


1) How to figure out a reasonable salary for an expat in the Japanese market.

2) Information on the types of things I should make sure to nail down in an expat package.

3) What to expect socially. Do expats tend to run as a pack?

4) Japanese language course options.

5) Children education options.

6) Options for children with special needs (i.e. Poor, but existant English; disgraphia; speech therapy, etc)

7) Taxation issues

8) Spousal work permit issues

9) Medical research employment possibilities

10) I've read the posts on the Health Insurance issues. Great information. I'm wondering what types of packages do companies normally give in expat packages?

11) Anything I might be missing. This would be a first time for me relocating and the first time the company has relocated anyone to Asia.

I'm sure my questions are naive but any help will be appreciated.

Negotiating the ex-pat package ... wow ... nice!

There's a huge spectrum of foreigners in Tokyo. Some of us have "local hire" status with the same crummy standard-of-living as the guys who pump gas... and others are "utopia hills" 24-carat, bling-bling expats who dread the day that their company brings them back to Duluth and they return to a life without the gold plated jacuzzi, Filipina maid and tennis at the American Club.

My own status is closer to the guy who pumps gas ...

Your package will depend on a number of factors - how badly your company needs you in Japan, how gullible the company is (since this is a first time experience for them too), how much the company can afford, how well you position yourself and what your wife and family need to feel comfortable and enjoy life here. (The last is perhaps most important for your sanity and your ability to survive here).

There are some companies which could advise your company on:
- benefits that are offered to expats in Tokyo
- packages
- cost of living adjustment
- tax equalization
- healthcare
- education etc.
They have indexes which supposedly take account of the skills etc. you have and the needs of expats in this city...
Mercer Human Resources - http://www.mercerhr.com/
AirInc - http://www.air-inc.com/contact.html
(Disclosure - I have a buddy at Airinc)

If you find that your company is not coming up with the package that you need -- then it might be worth telling your company to consult one of those companies. (OTOH, if your company opens the wallet wide, then you might want to avoid providing a reality check).

Regarding expat life - it also varies widely. Some folks never stray far from the familiar neighbouhoods and groups of expats. Others go as far as to shun all contact with hairy barbarians ...

I believe you are in Tokyo now (or soon)? Perhaps you should try making contact with the Tokyo American club - I'm sure that there are folks there who would chat informally with you to give you a picture of the expat scene. (i.e. the folks who don't go native).

Thanks for the great info! I am in Tokyo now, and up much too late. Not sure i'll have time to make contact this time but perhaps on another trip. I tend to prefer to go native rather than run with the packs but I'm not sure how possible this is in Tokyo.

There are several on-line groups and forums dedicated to expat issues. One that I know of is: http://www.alloexpat.com/japan_expat_forum/ . You might want to browse that board to see if it answers some of your questions. There are several others. Just google expatriate Japan.

You might also want to check out The Japan Times Online. It is a daily newpaper that is in English and oriented to the English-speaking community in Japan. I particularly like the comics and the "Community" section. They have several advertising features on subjects like language schools and serviced apartments that might be of interest to you.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/

JR

Correct me if I'm wrong, if your spouse is on a dependent visa then they cannot work unless they apply "for permission to engage in other activies than specified on their visa" (or some long title like that) I have a copy of it around somewhere, which will then allow them to work part-time only.

Another option is if they meet the requirements (ie bachelors degree or other equivalent qualifications) they can go for a full work-visa.

Apart from Japanese colleagues and business partners the easisest way to get to know locals might be through common hobbies. But please remember that in Japan those are pursued with dedication and the same might be expected of you as well.

What I have also learned is that expats in country for a longish time might know a thing or two...

Isn't that the folks here on FT?

I'd second this, and add that the range of interests pursued within Tokyo is... unimaginable.

This might be good time for you and your family to learn Hawaiian dance, Alpine yodelling, Dutch lace making, Finnish folk songs, how to be a sommelier, how to tie obi for kimono... you name it, there's a group somewhere in Tokyo doing it.

If you speak a little Spanish, you may find this will give you some common ground if you (or your wife) decide to take up flamenco, Spanish cookery seems to very popular at the moment.


This web page gives information on volunteering.
http://www.insite-tokyo.com/column/stephanie/

You would think that the American Chamber of Commerce would be helpful but when I was setting up our KK here (now some 12 years ago), I checked them out and found there was little assistance they could provide that was not readily available by, say, a web search.

Unfortunately, Japan strikes me as a country that isn't very good for special needs children. As this sounds like a factor to you, I would STRONGLY suggest you make sure this situation can be resolved to your satisfaction before taking the relocation. This means taking the time in advance to see if there are providers you can work with and making the arrangements with those providers.

If by "medical research employment opportunities," you are referring to the possibility of finding meaningful professional employment for a spouse or SO, I suspect you again are likely to be disappointed. Japanese are not used to giving professional positions to foreigners. It happens, but not that often.

I don't mean to be negative -- after all I am writing this from a suite in the Park Hyatt Tokyo with (today) a splendid view of Mt Fuji. This is a wonderful place! But for anything out of the ordinrary in the local culture, you better have all your arrangements taken well understood and planned out in advance.

PM me or mail me and we can meet and chat a lot more over coffee than I have the energy to type here. If you are headed back to the US very soon, lets e-mail. If you have an hour to chat, lets meet. I would be happy to pioint you in the right direction on a number of these things.

Mike

I was in the New York Grill last night for drinks listing to some great jazz. I can imagine how hard it would be to be negative in that hotel!

Thanks for the advice. I am looking at this as a possibility some 4-6 months from now so I am definitely trying to do my homework and make sure all my i's are dotted and t's are crossed. I'll be back and forth for work regardless so I'll make sure to build in time to look for the service providers and get things clarified.

I don't have any advice, but I will wish you good luck. I hope you'll let the rest of us know how it goes. I'm under the impression that Japan is one of the hardest 'first world' countries to acclimate to and become accepted in, but maybe I'm wrong. I used to be real gung-ho about Japan, but after hearing some personal experiences from friends and coworkers it certainly doesn't sound like a very welcoming place to live. These weren't people who were dragged to Japan kicking and screaming; they were more than willing to give it a real try and then found the schooling tedious, the work environment stressful, and the prevailing culture to be surprisingly closed to those who don't look and act Japanese. Conformity and discrimination are not the sort of things that are easily understood and accepted by folks who lived most of their lives being taught to go their own way and accept all others as equals.

Yea, you hear that a lot. However, I've concluded that it is a load of crap, and a function of the difference more than any specific issue with it being "better" or "worse". Just different. Once you come to grips with that, the sound of one hand clapping when the tree falls on the bear in the woods will all make sense.

Can you provide any more information? I didn't just wake up one day and assume that Japan can be a hard place to integrate into; I read about Japan, listened to folks who had lived there to study or to work, and even visited Tokyo myself before coming to any actual conclusions. If it's truly a "load of crap" then perhaps you can explain how Japan has managed to maintain a greater than 98% native population. If Japanese culture was easy to integrate into then why have so few been successful at it? Rather than just challenging my contention I would appreciate it if you could provide some examples and explanations of how you came to your conclusions. If I'm wrong, so be it, but just telling me that I'm wrong isn't going to shed any light on the subject.

Count me as one who agrees with this. I have lived in Japan for 11 years and have loved every minute of it. It has been absolutely nothing like all the negative stuff I heard before I came here.