I am wanting to move to Japan for a couple years, I am planning on bringing my car plan ticket and 10k dollars to help me get started in my new life. I love Japan and have had 2 friends I have known live there before and now i finally want to go. I was thinking I would teach English, I am currently taking Japanese courses to help with this whole adventure.
I was wanting to bring my car, 10k cash, and i think my friend is coming with me, and other personal effects like laptop etc.
Is there anything I should know before I go ?
2007-10-23 17:26:06 · 5 answers · asked by YO Y 2 in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ Japan
It's very good that you are taking language courses ahead of time.
I don't know how to even begin to answer your question.
Here's a start:
http://japundit.com/
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/
http://www.japanprobe.com/
http://metropolis.co.jp/
http://www.tokyotimes.org/
http://www.newsonjapan.com/
http://www.japan-guide.com/
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/
One more thing, it is very difficult to get a job (a proper job that provides you with a visa) here as a foreigner without a four-year university degree. I would discourage you from moving here if you don't have one and suggest bringing your diploma with you if you do. Any employer will ask to see it before they hire you.
I expect getting your car over here will be a challenge. If you are living in Tokyo you may not need it anyway because public transportation is very good.
Good luck!
2007-10-23 18:41:03 · answer #1 · answered by Buddha-rama 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Sell the car you have now, and buy a second-hand one in Japan. Good used cars is one thing Japan has plenty of. If you plan to stay for say..two years then look for a car that has two years to go on it's inspection-"shaken". You should be able to get something suitable in the region of 300000 yen. If you want to import your own car it will be a hassle. A 20 foot container from Seattle to Yokohama would be about 2000 dollars at least, RO/RO would be more. You would need a carnet most likely, so you would need to pay a customs broker to handle that. I'm not even going to get into registering a personal import car in Japan. I'm quite sure it would be a tremendous pain in the butt. As far as your license goes an International Drivers Permit is good for your first six months in Japan, then you would need to get a Japanese license. Hang on to as much of your 10K as you can, for example if you can find a job that will pay for your plane ticket or apartment deposit then do so. If you have to pay a deposit and key money on an apartment, then it may take a good chunk of that 10K just to get in the front door.
2007-10-24 02:11:39 · answer #2 · answered by michinoku2001 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You should realize what you're getting yourself into, as it may NOT be possible. Shipping a car to Japan will cost you thousands of dollars, if you're allowed to ship it at all. Be aware that cars there have the steering wheel on the right hand side, and you'll be driving on the left hand side. You'll also need to have an international drivers license. You want to bring your friend too ? Well, both of you will need to have a work visa BEFORE you even get there. And to get the work visa you must have a solid job offer first. To teach English you need a four year degree. Sorry, it's not like moving from New York to LA. You just can't move there and say "here I am". I'd suggest going to Japan on a tourist visa for a few weeks.
2007-10-24 03:31:42 · answer #3 · answered by Vinegar Taster 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Well where your going to live, you should also when you choose a apartment you can download google earth and look around your surroundings it will help you find many important things things are different at first it may be hard but later it will be the time of your life
Hope this helped^_^
2007-10-24 04:11:17 · answer #4 · answered by ozzy 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
it is good for you to know their history, common customs and traditional practices. maybe it could help you to fit in more readily in their society.
2007-10-23 17:39:50 · answer #5 · answered by Olan 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋