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Jobs in Japan?
Trak asks: "I've always been fascinated by Japanese culture and would love to spend a few years living there. Making a long story, short: my wife just left and I've got some savings, so I'm considering the move. I have a some jobs here in The States that I could rely on for telecommuting work, but I'd rather find a job there in The Land of the Rising Sun. Any advice on where to look and what to pursue? Any horror stories? I've done it all from System Admin to Programming to CTO, so I'm open to just about anything that's available, I just don't know where to begin looking. Thanks."
Japan is a very interesting place to live, and I personally love it there. One job that you could almost definitely get would be an English teacher, if all else fails or if you just need something to do until you can find a better job. As far as SysAdmin type work, Sony is HUGE in Japan, as is DoCoMo. If you could score a job with either of these companies, you'd be set. The other thing to remember about Japan is that company loyalty is highly valued, so don't count on skipping out on a job working for a company. You can do it, but it's looked down upon and you'll surely not want that.
http://www.escapeartist.com/japan/japan.htm
Escape Artist magazine is a resource for people seeking expatriate employment, or for a new place to live.
This site usually has many links to Japan based job opportunities.
http://www.1-allusjobs.com/default.asp
Hope that helps!
Knightfall
Reading between the lines -- the answer to the question you really want to ask is "Yeah, you will." Is Gas Panic still in business?
Seriously, though, getting a job there is a good idea. Getting paid in yen makes life there much more affordable, but more importantly, the workplace is such a central part of Japanese culture that you'll be missing out on an enormous amount by telecommuting. Also, when starting out, go someplace that has a sizeable foreign staff. They'll be a crucial lifeline for the first few months.
I did the bonehead English teacher route (in Nagoya) so can't advise about IT jobs but I did have a blast there.
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
I used to work in the Embassy in Tokyo -- I was an intern, but I know they have lots of work to do. It was a great job, and there are lots of nationals that work there, to help you get into the culture.
As a non-Japanese, you must have a proper visa to work in Japan. To get a visa, of course, you must already have a job. Basically this means you have to find some company that finds your talents worth going through a lot of government red tape, rather than just hiring a Japanese.
(Note: Yes, it's possible to work in Japan without a visa, but it usually involves "entertainment"-type jobs such as bar host(ess)ing, stripping, or English conversation teaching).
The English-language newspaper the Japan Times (they have a website, too) has a classified section every Monday. You might consider arriving on a Sunday night, picking up a Japan Times on Monday (they sell them at big bookstores and many larger train stations), and start calling around. I did this a couple of years ago, and got several interviews. Most places can probably interview you in Osaka or Tokyo, even if it's for a job is for elsewhere.
As I recall, programmers were the most in demand among IT workers. Unix admin skills seemed pretty highly valued as well.
One final piece of advice: be prepared to make multiple trips. You may get an interview, return home, and then then called back to Japan for a second interview (happened to me).
Anyway, I lived in Japan for over 3 years (Tokyo and Sapporo), mainly as a student, and found it a fascinating experience and a great place to live.
Hope this helps.
The people of Tokyo itself are extremely xenophobic, and there are many places where foreigners are "not allowed". I actually lived and worked in Tokyo for a while. I didn't notice any of this. What I did see was the look of shock that I didn't speak japanese. (ethnic chinese). However, I do have a lot of japanese friends and didn't find that there are any restrictions on places to go... I did get a more xenophonic feel when I was in Kyoto there. They seemed a bit more rude than anywhere else I've been in Japan. But if you're into strip clubs, or hostess bars, etc. Then yeah, they're some places that are Japanese only. I think the bigger problem for foreigners are: 1. Housing. Now that's the problem. It's hard, and it's costly. The deposits are really high for everyone. Places hard to get, not all owners want non japanese tenants. 2. Work visa. That's hard to come by. You either need to make about 2000 US dollars a month by doing business in japan, or need a work sponsor.
If you don't speak Japanese, don't expect that you can get an IT job easily. I went to the first Slashdot meetup in Tokyo and everyone was looking for a new job and having a tough time finding one. The foreign financials (i.e. Merrill Lynch, etc.) are good places to work but they all have budget problems right now. Most American firms have repatriated their R&D and localization so there's little demand there for English speakers or developers. Working as an IT specialist inside a Japanese corporation requires that you speak Japanese.
Japan does have a Finnish parliament member though: Marutei Tsurunen (né Martti Turunen).
I liked this from the article you linked:
"Tsurunen's candidacy aroused considerable media attention, and his relatively narrow defeats each time marked him out as a serious contender. It is perhaps hard for us to grasp the significance of his achievement, as most European countries, and this includes even relatively isolated and homogeneous Finland, are a good deal more multiculturally-inclined than Japan."
I must ask a few things. First how do you pronounce 'Fukuoka'? The first 4 letters seem to stick out..
FU KEW OH KA
Where does the 'small town' come from? I live in London, Ontario, Canada. It is what I consider a medium sized city of 330k people. So it is weird for me to see small town being 1 million people. I am thinking of going to a small city (90k ppl) when I move on.
Tokyo has over 50 million people living in it. I know the Atlas say something like 12, but that's becuase the city itself extends beyond it's own borders (Technically, Tokyo is no actually a "city", it's more like what we would refer to as maybe a county. It has lots of little cities inside it, but they have ONG since merged into one mass.)
So, when you are dealing with citties on that scale, 1m is peanuts.
"Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
The Japanese govt runs the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme which places foreigners in teaching and "Coordinator for International Relations" posts with Japanese universities, schools and organisations for a year. Salary, travel and accommodation is all arranged by the programme. My gf used to work for the company that ran it in the UK, and many of her colleagues had been on it and all loved it.