Re: [tlug] Embedded linux dev wanting to find work in Tokyo.. Seeking advice.

[Attila Kinali <attila@example.com>]

On Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:51:23 +0100
Jon Povey <jon@example.com> wrote:

> The idea of finding a multinational is one I'll look into, I have tended 
> to prefer small companies and steer away from the highly corporate after 
> an unpleasant exposure to things like mission statements and corporate 
> values in a previous job, but that was partly thanks to my role at the time.

Things, especially if it's cutural, are quite different in Japan.
I worked at a big, multinational company as an intern for half a
year and for the same company two years later again in Switzerland.
My impression was that the Japanese branch values mission statements
and corperate values higher, but doesn't let things get into the
way of the work. On the other hand, the Swiss branch was pretty much
laid back about corperate values (people here don't like these things),
but internal regulations were a nuisance with every step you took...

Also something interesting, while i don't know whether this is
common, i was paid by the day in Japan. Ie overtime didn't exist.
But it didn't matter whether i was working 4 hours or 12 hours a
day, as long as the work got done.

Taking off a few days now and then wasn't a problem for me,
(over the half year, i must have taken off three weeks)
but that might have been because of my special status as
a student.

Price wise, i can tell you, that Tokyo, even central Tokyo,
Shibuya and Shinjiku are cheaper than London, by far.
In 2004 it wasn't much of a problem to live with 100'000
to 150'000 yen/month in Tokyo itself. Of course, you'd have
to cut on everything, but you'd definitly not be starving.
Food is pretty cheap, the price level is the same, or even a bit
lower than in Germany. Depending on how well you know the
shops, it might be even cheaper to eat out than to cook
yourself. Accomodation needs to get used to. A "flat" means
usualy that you live in a single room, but those are pretty
cheap (i've seen "one room mansions" for as cheap as 30'000yen/month).

What is expensive in Tokyo is everything what i summerise under
"services". Ie everything like cell phones, banking, insurances,
commuting outside the main commuter routes,... but these are pretty
easy to control and not 100% necessary to survive.

What you will need to get used to is, if you need anything
to get done, you need to know the right person at the right
position to help you. Otherwise you'll might be stuck forever in
paperwork and bureaucracy, or people will just let your stuff
idle around and tell you outright lies on what problems they
have with it and why it hasn't been done yet. But if you
know one or two Japanese and ask them nicely, you can usualy
get around these things.

Oh yes, also something important to know is, that Japanese
are not easy to make friends with if you just walk up to them
and say "Hi!". You need someone to introduce you or some special
setting (ie like a tlug meeting or a Mozilla Party), but once
they know that you are just a normal guy, you can ask for quite
a lot of things... if you don't over do it and are always polite
by Japanese standards.


				Attila Kinali
-- 
The true CS students do not need to know how to program.
They learn how to abstract the process of programming to
the point of making programmers obsolete.
		-- Jabber in #holo