Job Discussion Forums

mhard1 · Joined: 09 Dec 2009 Posts: 54 Location: Japan

Hey guys. I am currently working in a satellite city to Tokyo, about 1.5 hours away. I am considering in the future to move to and work in Tokyo. However, every time i visit there for a weekend, I leave feeling overwhelmed by the pace. My question then is, anyone who has or currently works in Tokyo, especially if you worked in a smaller area before that, did you feel that same overwhelmed feeling. If so, how long did it take you to get used to it?

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

It didn't take much time as even though I grew up in suburbs, I lived in Hong Kong and Taipei before moving here. Tokyo is slow compared to HK (in HK most people run, not just hurry like Tokyo). Taipei is chaotic (or at least was when I ws living there, pre-subway with all the construction going on, part of the elevated line going to the zoo was opened just before I left), so the pace there was faster in a sense (or seemed like it).

As to living in a smaller area, yes much. At one time I was living in a town of 1200, so It was quite a bit smaller than Tokyo Cool

. Getting used to the transport system and the fact that you are rarely alone for long in most areas of the city regardless of the time takes some getting used to. But the pace, at least for me, was adjusting to people moving slower than I was at the time I arrived. I have slowed down since then due to a combo called marriage and middle age Laughing

, so now it seems okay.

mitsui · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 1562 Location: Kawasaki

after working here for 9 years I am still not used to it.
I have a Japanese wife, and most jobs are around Tokyo.

pnksweater · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 173 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I was there for 2.5 years, and while it stopped being overwhelming after a few weeks, I still loathed the crowded trains, umbrella pokes in the eyes and cigarette burns in my clothes. It's the main reason I'm waffling on reapplying to my old uni job.

Imseriouslylost · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 123 Location: Tokyo

seklarwia

Imseriouslylost · Joined: 09 Nov 2009 Posts: 123 Location: Tokyo

seklarwia · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:38 am Post subject:

When I say locals, I mean Chinese who are living and working there.

There are people from the poorer parts in any decent size cities in China. My city had more than a few, many of whom set up in what my students called 'the village', which was a favela of sorts across from my uni on the eastern outskirts. It was a great place to hang out with the locals/immigrants, eat food that would probably give you runs for the week and drink huangjo until the wee hours. They were not the criminals you find in the Shanghai. And when I arrived Beijing, the city was filled with construction workers from poorer areas who were living on bridges, on roadsides, etc. The campus were I was residing was being revamped, because being just down road from the Birds Nest and olympic pool it was going to be housing some of the reps. The workers were living outside our apartments and sleeping on sheets of cardboard... they were great guys that we enjoyed beers with. It wasn't the people from poorer parts that I was having issues with most of the time even in the big cities.

I wasn't in the touristy bits of Shanghai or anywhere alone the river fronts much. I was there for business purposes. And I spent most of my time fighting with shop owners, threatening to take taxi receipts to the police, etc each time I was there. I'd never been pick pocketed or handed any funny money, thankfully.