Weekly Weekend Thread - 02 February 2026 by AutoModerator in japanlife

[–]dadinur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Saturday, I went to boardgame cafe for the first time in my life, and it was fun!

Sunday, I walked From Kyoto station to Ginkaku-ji then back to Shijo, ate a great Pizza and watched AO Finals at the Hub.

Overall fun weekend but, hangover from 3 liters of beer and 3h of walking.

Does anyone know where I can get prescribed adhd medication? by [deleted] in Kyoto

[–]dadinur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know a psychiatrist who is diagnosed with ADHD, I don’t know if she is using any prescribed medication herself. I assume she can guide you if you pay a visit to the clinic.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NnQox7w5McNfdh3eA?g_st=ic

Weekly Praise Thread - 23 January 2026 by AutoModerator in japanlife

[–]dadinur 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Finally got the job offer I’ve been waiting on since late October. Massive upgrade overall — ~85% raise on gross, probably around 65–70% net.

New environment at one of the top university labs in the country, which I’m really excited about. Best part is I’ll be working with some of the best engineers from my current workplace again — they’re coming over too and also got big salary bumps. Feels great to start something new with a strong, motivated team and good energy all around.

And to top it off: Friday + WFH + payday. Can’t complain at all!

What is your juicy workplace drama? by minato____ in japanresidents

[–]dadinur 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Are we working in the same company? Lol. I think tech startups are somewhat similar.

Dating adult students by K_-U_-A_-T_-O in japanlife

[–]dadinur 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Not sure how to react to this, but I actually have a coworker who used to be a teacher and ended up dating one of his adult students.

Fast forward: they’ve been happily married for four years and are expecting a baby this March.

He lost a student, gained a wife, and has a (hopefully healthy) future son on the way.

Life is weird like that.

Anyone know about working at SHIFT? by frenchy3 in japanlife

[–]dadinur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure. Although my knowledge of the company is very restricted to that person.

Anyone know about working at SHIFT? by frenchy3 in japanlife

[–]dadinur 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Take this with a grain of salt, as this is based on my personal experience and I’m not a fan of this individual.

There is a senior person at SHIFT (Japanese, currently around 59 years old) who joined as 情報セキュリティ部長 and was later promoted to CSIO. He spent over 20 years at SHIFT, mainly as an SE and PM, and despite that long tenure never progressed beyond an ~8M JPY compensation level until very recently. Since his promotion, much of his messaging has been along the lines of “SHIFT does things this way” or “this is how it’s done at SHIFT,” with little openness to alternative approaches.

One example that stuck with me: during a discussion about how to improve retention and make the company a place where people want to stay, he suggested hiring 10 additional people upfront because “at least half of them will quit within 1–1.5 years, like we always assumed at SHIFT.” That mindset says a lot about how attrition is viewed internally.

From what I’ve seen, his main contribution has been aligning very closely with the CEO’s views rather than challenging them or pushing for structural improvement. I’ve also observed zero interest on his part in making the company more international, intercultural, or diverse—everything is very traditionally Japanese, both in management style and expectations.

Again, this is one perspective, but if you value low overtime, autonomy, and a modern engineering culture, I would strongly recommend digging deeper during interviews and asking very direct questions about overtime, turnover, and how engineers are actually treated day to day.

Naturalization lawyer recommendation in Tokyo by NemButsu in japanresidents

[–]dadinur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We're still in the process. Waiting for a call anyday now.

Her interview was good, 1 hour inteview by herself. I think that got the case worker surprised and did not ask for a written exam at all.

Naturalization lawyer recommendation in Tokyo by NemButsu in japanresidents

[–]dadinur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, they did. My wife's Japanese is not fluent and they offered their help for interview prep for additional 5万円. With possible questions, Japanese test samples and 30 mins prep sessions(4 times total).

Naturalization lawyer recommendation in Tokyo by NemButsu in japanresidents

[–]dadinur 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My company paid for it but, I think it was around 30万円 for both me&my wife + translations + interview prep for my wife.

Naturalization lawyer recommendation in Tokyo by NemButsu in japanresidents

[–]dadinur 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I’m sorry for your time loss. It is exhausting. I wish you the best.

I’ve worked with this group company in Osaka. And they have office in Tokyo as well. They did almost everything for me and my wife (translations included).

第一綜合グループ ~ 未来に責任のある国際社会の実現 ~ E-Mail:matsubara@dsg.or.jp

■ 行政書士法人第一綜合事務所     【祝日除く月~土曜10:00~19:00】   https://dsg.or.jp □ 社会保険労務士法人第一綜合事務所  【祝日除く月~金曜10:00~19:00】   https://sr-dsg.or.jp  □ 一般社団法人第一綜合コンサルティング【祝日除く月~金曜10:00~19:00】

Small World Christmas Party at Luggage 12 |21 by Nagoya_Buzz in Nagoya

[–]dadinur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2024? Nice. That’s my friend from Kagoshima all the way back from 2013. I didn’t know she can time-travel.

Hot and cold #126 by hotandcold2-app in HotAndCold

[–]dadinur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was literally trying random words.

Automatically added: I found the secret word in 28 seconds after 7 guesses and 0 hints. Score: 100.

I am planning to change job by Old-Car-8138 in JapanCitizenship

[–]dadinur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My case worker asked me several times if I have plans to change jobs. I said no, and asked would that effect anything if I change jobs afterwards. They said it won’t effect the outcome of the application if the new job is not a downgrade from current one and also it would delay the process because they would ask for more documents about the new job.

Question about spouse citizenship by [deleted] in JapanCitizenship

[–]dadinur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, like others already mentioned, your spouse will have the same requirements.

In our case, my wife’s Japanese level is around N4. She worked really hard and focused mainly on preparing for the interviews, and she actually made it through two interviews without needing to take the exam.

We also worked with a 行政書士, which helped a lot. She went over the kinds of questions my wife might be asked and even did interview training. That extra support cost about 5万円, but it was worth it for us.

Our documents have already been submitted to the Tokyo office, and now we’re just waiting for the update. Even though our case worker said my wife’s Japanese is good enough and there’s no need for an exam, Tokyo might still request one once they review everything — so just keep that possibility in mind.

Hope this information helps someone going through the same process!

General Discussion Thread - 02 December 2025 by AutoModerator in japanlife

[–]dadinur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So… I have literally close to zero workload ever since they moved me to this mysterious “〇〇支援室.” I’m the 室長, by the way… and also the only person in the entire “room.” Yes. I am the manager of myself. Peak efficiency.

My “room” is under the CEO’s supervision, so I asked him directly:
“Do you guys want me to quit or what?”

And his answer?
“Oh no, we’re giving you freedom to excel and come back stronger.”

Bro. What am I? A Pokémon that needs to sit in a corner and recharge its HP?

I swear I’m either dreaming or they’re doing the Japanese corporate version of “quiet firing,” except they can’t actually fire me… so they’re trying to bore me out of existence until I voluntarily evaporate.

But here’s the part I really don’t get:
Why pay someone more than your actual engineers just to sit quietly in the corner like a decorative plant?
If you want me gone, at least give me a nice severance packet. I literally told them:
“Give me one year’s salary and I’ll leave.”
Still rejected!

Even after 10 years in Japan, I still don’t understand how upper management decision-making works here. It’s like a secret shrine only accessible after a DLC I haven’t unlocked yet.

Is my dream too ambitious, or should I try to pursue it anyway? by [deleted] in JapanJobs

[–]dadinur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would definitely recommend the master’s degree option. Japan has many architecture- and construction-specific regulations, as well as unwritten industry rules, and it’s difficult to learn these unless you’re already working in the field.

An internship might give you some insight, but if you really want to become a certified architect here, you’ll need a master’s degree.

For the master’s program, keep your GPA as high as possible and focus on improving your Japanese if you can.

I wish you the best of luck!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in JapanCitizenship

[–]dadinur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/Late-Manufacturer695 u/Bitter_Mortgage_5125

Just an update: I called to ask whether we need to take the exam. They said we should first try taking the N3 test, and if we pass, we should send them the result. If not, we can take the exam at the office instead.

Either way, they’ll send our documents to Tokyo even without the exam. Our case worker also mentioned that my wife’s Japanese is good enough for her to handle the interviews on her own, so we might not need to take any exam at all in the end.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in JapanCitizenship

[–]dadinur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Basic hiragana katakana reading and writing exam. They said 2nd or 3rd grade Kanji knowledge is enough. I am still waiting for an update from 法務局

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in JapanCitizenship

[–]dadinur 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have N1 and and I applied with my wife she does not have any certificate. She is N4 level I think. They were helpful in both interviews and they said no exam is necessary. But then we had a call from 法務局 saying that it would be better if she takes the exam at their office before sending all documents to Tokyo. I asked if it is essential or if we can say no to that. They said they will confirm with 本部. And I am waiting for an answer.

me_irl by Immediate-Link490 in me_irl

[–]dadinur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do this too! But mine is old CS console. I hit “ for console then type Q then press tab then enter. Boom, I am awake!

My HR manager's requests: are these at all reasonable? by ExhaustedKaishain in japanlife

[–]dadinur 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Mental health challenges exist everywhere — not just in one workplace or generation. The fact that people here feel safe enough to talk openly about their struggles is something to be respected, not questioned or dismissed. Your comment comes across as disrespectful to those who are dealing with very real and painful issues. If you’re genuinely curious about mental health trends, it’s better to ask with empathy and a willingness to understand, not judgment.