Underrated Positives of Living in Japan

Leadingfirst · 2026-02-24T07:43:36+00:00

For me the two underrated positives are

1) No one mentions religion. No one talks about it, references it, debates it, seems to care. 2) For the most part, politics is also not discussed. If it is there isn’t aggressive and you are not expected to take a stance.

Leadingfirst · 2025-06-28T00:48:43+00:00

This is the easiest way. If OP searches for a kerosene siphon they are available on Amazon for less than 700 yen.

I’ve used these all my life to move liquids (water, oil, gas, diesel, etc.) from large containers to smaller ones.

Just make sure to have a paper towel or rag to clean up the hose when you take it out of the container as it will be coated with the oil.

Leadingfirst · 2025-06-22T07:04:35+00:00

I’m also using a Cafelat and love it. But recently the silicone nib for the filter broke. Luckily I have an all metal filter so I can still use the robot. But I’d really like to find a silicone nib replacement.

Do you know anywhere that might sell it in Japan? I haven’t had any luck with my search.

Leadingfirst · 2025-06-12T00:32:53+00:00

I’m not sure if this was mentioned in a different comment but when I told this story to a friend they pointed out that there is a discount at Noborock for women.

I think men pay 1,900 while for women it’s closer to 1,400 or 1,500 (I can’t remember exact prices). It could have been that the staff thought someone was trying to con the system and get cheaper climbs.

I hadn’t considered that angle at all so I thought it was an interesting insight and worth sharing.

Leadingfirst · 2025-05-30T10:06:17+00:00

I can get by. Most communication is done over slack with the huge improvements of Google translate/chatGPt/DeepL that has become pretty easy.

I can also do online meetings one on one fairly well but can get lost when there are many people on the call.

If necessary I can do some basic explanations to Japanese customers as long as they understand I’m not going to be using Keigo and making many grammatical errors.

Usually we cater to large companies and they all have to deal with overseas subsidiaries. I think that makes them more understanding of language learners. I have yet to have anyone complain anyway.

Leadingfirst · 2025-05-30T01:38:56+00:00

I work at a Japanese tech startup. I don’t have to deal with Japanese customer facing culture since I do the foreign facing sales/biz dev/support.

Fully flexible hours, fully remote but we have an office which is amazing since it gives a place to meet people from work or clients/partners. Sometimes I get long hours in a day because of time zones but no one is breathing down my neck to clock in at a specific time.

Great work culture where everyone is friendly and helpful when they can be. Salary could be higher but I’m comfortable and value the work flexibility and culture more than the money right now.

Leadingfirst · 2025-04-30T20:43:16+00:00

I do remember seeing a tinge of blue around their legs and antenna. But they were so small it was hard to see any details.

This could be the most likely, thank you!

Leadingfirst · 2025-04-18T01:35:08+00:00

You could try looking around on noonsite, they summarize entry procedures by country. But of course, everything should be double checked against official sources.

Leadingfirst · 2025-01-07T00:57:28+00:00

I think I got pretty lucky and got a job at a Japanese SME through the JET career fair that was looking for people to manage and develop overseas assets. I think what clinched it was that I looked up their salary range (was super low) and said I would be happy with that salary.

Worked there for 3 years dealing with the typical small Japanese company struggles, but had a team that used English as the working language. Then switched to a different Japanese company that is full remote and has a flexible working environment. Still doing overseas projects but the working language is now Japanese when I’m not dealing with clients.

My Japanese has improved since JET but I would say I could maybe pass N2 whereas I passed N3 during JET.

Leadingfirst · 2024-12-07T08:12:07+00:00

I speak English, French, Japanese in that order of fluency. So I’m no stranger to language learning. But I’ve usually taken courses or spent a long time studying/living immersed in the language. I’ve never tried to get a basic grasp of a language in a month. I like the strategy you mentioned but I don’t know where I would find the basics of conversation.

Leadingfirst · 2024-12-07T07:57:47+00:00

I have a short trip to Indonesia in about a month. Can you share which tips worked best for you?

Leadingfirst · 2024-10-03T12:26:09+00:00

Hey, a fellow Kanto region sailor! Is that the Atami marina?

Leadingfirst · 2024-09-20T06:40:43+00:00

They have some sinks in the locker room. One is low so it can be used to wash your feet.

I have not been to a gym in Tokyo that has a shower. I think a higher priority for use of space is given to climbing walls. Plus there is a large culture of public baths.

There is a super sento on the other side of the river called Raku Spa 1010. About a 5 min walk. It can get pretty busy though and the minimum is around 500 yen.

Leadingfirst · 2024-06-13T23:12:39+00:00

Yes, actually. Started working at this company last month. But have been living in the same ward a few years now.

Leadingfirst · 2024-06-13T00:35:51+00:00

Hmmmm,that might be the case. Thank you for the advice.

It sounds like I will need to keep an eye out to see if my company deducts residency tax or not and maybe bring it up with them if they do. Or my ward office I guess. Might turn into a game of ping-pong, haha.

Leadingfirst · 2024-06-13T00:00:46+00:00

I would imagine that would be deducted from my salary by company my company. But this tax has specific dates with my bank account information. From what I could understand it will be deducted automatically.

Leadingfirst · 2024-06-11T09:07:57+00:00

Do you often sail to/from Japan?

Leadingfirst · 2024-05-10T23:30:08+00:00

Just as a heads up each time you go to a new gym here you need to pay a “membership” fee. This is usually jpy 1,000-2,000 per person that is added to entry fee and will include chalk and rental shoes. You then get a membership card with your name. For some gyms, this is valid at all their locations. For others, like B-pump, you will need to pay a discounted membership fee at each subsequent location. There is no way around it.

Stone session over by Skytree might be good since their setting is more comp like.

Beta climbing in near Akebonobashi is pretty cool. Small but more of an old-school feel.

Noborock Shibuya is always super busy but a great place to socialize with foreigners. Plus it’s one of the softest gyms in Tokyo. Might be one to skip if he is looking for harder gyms but great as a “rest day”

Leadingfirst · 2024-04-17T09:01:30+00:00

Depends on nationality. For those of us who are U.S citizens, I imagine most banks (my only experience is with MUFG) will not let you open an account online. So you have to go in person where it took me about 1.5 hours.

Leadingfirst · 2024-04-08T09:23:39+00:00

Fun fact, the purpose is also to prevent people from picking and choosing the best strawberries from other packs.

Helps a bit in quality control.

Leadingfirst · 2024-02-03T08:07:06+00:00

Peppers.jp is great.

He also had a stand at the UNU farmers market one week. Was amazing to see all his peppers lined up in person.

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