So I'm a Japanese national that was born in Japan, but due to my parents' work situation ended up moving away from the country around early elementary school. I've stayed in various SEA countries when I was younger, and was made to go through a US university and get a Bachelor's degree there. Frankly speaking, my life had been a little chaotic and hectic and I feel massively unprepared for life and wanted some advice.
So my situation is basically that my parents' jobs have them move countries a lot, but since I'm no longer a child I cannot really stay with them under their visa anymore. Realistically, at this point it feels like my only practical choice would be to go back to Japan and get a job there. However, I haven't actually formally studied Japanese since the time I moved out, and while I can still hold a casual conversation it's at the level where the other party generally has to keep their vocabulary simple and I pretty much fall apart the moment any technical terminology enters the picture. My English is unquestionably superior at this point but I'm not sure what options that leaves me.
My parents have agreed to get an AirBnB for me for a few months in Japan while I sort my situation out, after which I'll basically be on my own. I guess what I want to ask is, what do I have to do once I'm back to Japan (I'm actually already here)? Although I've visited several times since then, it's been a long since I've actually lived here and I'm not sure what kind of documents or paperwork I would have to sort out, and what I would have to do to get a real address after my AirBnB is up. I've read a few posts here but a lot of them are from the perspective of foreigners entering Japan, what I mainly wanted to know is what a Japanese citizen would have to do after coming back after such a long period. I have very little perspective since I left when very young and would appreciate the insight. If it helps, while my own Japanese is incredibly rusty, my parents have agreed to speak on my behalf if I need to talk to someone for legal purposes or potential landlords etc since those kind of conversations are probably beyond me. Although I'd like to get through as much of this on my own if I can.
In addition, realistically speaking what are my options for a job? My initial thought was that I would work remotely here as a contractor, as from my understanding I could still work for an international company while living here if I was working as a contractor. The only real thing I have going for me is that I don't need to really worry about a work visa to stay here since I'm a citizen, and I'm not particular about work hours so I'm fine with working at midnight hours to accommodate other time zones.
That being said, I have a compsci bachelor's degree but from my understanding, between the time that I started the degree and this moment now, the degree has pretty much taken an incredible hit in usefulness and I'm not sure what I can do with it anymore. Due to AI and the sheer number of people in the field, it sounds like it's much harder to do much with it. I didn't do particularly amazing in school either with a 3.0 average since I was struggling a lot with simply getting used to the country at the time. So I'm not sure how realistic my idea is at this point or how long it'll take to find something in my field. What is the most realistic option for me if I wanted to find **anything** just to get me by for the time being while I figured something else for my actual field or a long-term job in general?
I apologize for the lengthy post but would appreciate any insights to my situation, which is uncommon enough that I couldn't really find answers by searching on my own. Thank you for any assistance and help.
by BlueBox300
6 comments
Welcome back to your home country! Its nice here, and the people are nice. But it takes a while getting used to.
First steps would be to go to your local kuyakusho, (city hall). They can be incredibly helpful depending on where you live. Once you have registered your address and health insurance/pension etc, then HelloWork is an option to find work.
The good thing is that there is soooo much work here you have come at a good time. The bad thing is wages are low. If you are happy with 1300 yen per hour you could find something pretty much straigjt away (hospo, combini etc).
But you probably want something better than that.
Register with recruiting sites, polish up your Linkedin profile. A compsci degree is still very handy.
Crank the hiragana/katakana and get into kamji. Read all the signs. There are so many signs, so it’s good practice.
Make friends. There are meet up/party sites to go to. Finding a girlfriend/boyfriend who is a local will help heaps. Or even just a group of mates. In the old days, finding a local gaijin bar and talking to patrons and the bar owner would get you heaps of information of what’s going on work wise locally. Not sure about these days.
You’ll be fine. Just remember that the aging population means that companies are desperate for staff. You just need to find somewhere that is the right fit. It sounds like you are young enough to skill up, so get into the AI game asap would be my advice.
All the best.
I’d recommend having a conversation with your parents on the limits of their financial support so you know what you’re working with. For example, Japanese apartments generally have very high move in fees (like 4-6 months rent). Are they willing to help you with those?
Combini jobs are pretty easy to get (look for signs in the shop that say they’re hiring) and will be very doable with your Japanese level. I recommend doing that for the first few months, both so you can get money coming in immediately and because it will be a good chance for you to get used to using Japanese in a low stakes professional setting. It’ll help you build your confidence and language skills before you move into interviewing for career track jobs
When you look for career track jobs, do look for international jobs, because earning in dollars is financially advantageous, but don’t bank on that plan working out. A lot of companies are reluctant to hire internationally because dealing with international taxes are a pain. They’d often rather only hire you if they have a branch in Japan, and then you’ll be paid in yen and it’ll just be a regular contracting job. Chances are you’ll have a better chance getting a Japan-based job (potentially for a foreign firm) than an US etc based remote job
As another comment mentioned, go to your local city hall and they’ll sort you out paperwork wise. One of the big things you’ll need is a [My Number Card](https://www.smileswallet.com/japan/my-number-card-online-application/).
Don’t sleep on the online explainers aimed at foreigners. A lot of the information will apply to you as well. Cultural expectations around resumes and interviews are a lot different from the US (which is what I’m assuming you’re most familiar with from college), so do look up explainers for foreigners to help you prepare correctly
From a linguistic standpoint, Google Translate actually has really good handwriting recognition software and is good for drawing in unknown kanji you see in the wild. It’s not as good for actually translating though, so I’d recommend jisho.com for an actual dictionary
I would agree with the other poster that I think you need to discuss this with your parents a bit more, and I’m surprised this situation wasn’t discussed or planned for even more. Did they really just give you some money and send you over to Japan by yourself? Your post below makes it sound like you’re already here and haven’t even registered basic things at your local municipal office. The crux of your “moving questions” are fairly administrative, so I think those have been handled.
As for your other questions, I don’t think those are really “moving questions,” especially if you’re a citizen and already here. Was there a reason you didn’t use your university resources to secure employment/a visa overseas? Were you not securing internships and actively going through recruiment? I assume you just recently graduated, but again I don’t understand how you or your parents during your collegiate career didn’t have a plan for what came after. Your situation itself is not abnormal at all. I’ve seen it everyday for two decades in my career across three continents, and my own children who have basically grown up in the same situation as you. But there are very clear avenues for those types of children/lifestyles when it comes to education and and career paths.
Again, I’m not sure how much this topic is “on-topic” but I highly suggest figuring things out with your family.
Stop sweating the smaller details and using them as an excuse to sit and do nothing. (Aka “analysis paralysis”)
Get up right now, go to the closest ward/city office that contains your AirBNB and ask them what to do.
If you’re more comfortable with English as for an interpreter. Bring your Japanese passport so they don’t mistake you for a foreigner.
They will help you get registered, find government subsidized housing, find hello work (unemployment office) and get all the applications and whatnot for pension exemptions and NHI.
Sitting around feeling overwhelmed and asking Reddit is not what you should be doing.
Get up and go. Their entire job is to help. Receive help.
Good luck!
Since both of your parents are Japanese, do you not have any family members that you can contact for support?
Hello! We kinda share similarities. I left Japan after primary school. And completed compsci degree from one of the SEA universities. Somehow I landed a job in Japan.
In regard to your question
> realistically speaking what are my options for a job?
Based on your background, Software Engineering or AI Engineering positions are most likely your match. If you started a job hunting on LinkedIn, you would be connected to head hunters, they help you find a jobs that matches your skills. I found their interview training very helpful. Also, having personal projects would be great.
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