For Westerners coming to Japan for the first time, the biggest concerns are usually finding a job and accommodation, and getting a visa. But once you're here, a myriad of smaller concerns start to pop up, one of the most important of which is food. If you don't get the right energy source, you'll...

Yes, you read that title right, today's topic is not politically correct, but it is a reality... Japan is known as a nation of workaholics. Regardless of what you think about their productivity, the fact is that most people are expected to stay in the office from 9am to around 8pm, and even after that they are often arm-twisted in to going drinking with colleagues and/or the boss. This means that there isn't...

Today we start a series of stories on people who have found jobs in Japan and how they found them. In doing so, I hope that the experiences of others will help guide readers in figuring out how to get started in Japan. LM is 25 and hails from New Zealand. Ever since coming to Japan on a family vacation at the age of 14, she has had a burning desire to get back and discover the culture and people more fully. For that reason, she spent...

Some things are seldom talked about in the official press, but I'm a strong believer in information wanting to be free, so here goes. Today we discuss the thorny topic of how to end your employment with a company. One of the really good things about Japanese bureaucracy is that even as a foreigner, once you are legally working here, in the eyes of the law you are considered equal when it comes to benefits...