Climate and Geography. Cost of Living and Transportation. Visa, Passport, Language, and Currency Information. Lifestyle, Sports, and Attractions

Transcription

1 SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO WELCOME TO TOKYO, JAPAN Tokyo, Japan's capita city, was known as Edo unti Greater Tokyo is the word's most popuous metropoitan area and is the center of Japanese cuture, finance, and government. A busting cosmopoitan city, Tokyo is aso a major transportation hub and a word economic and industria center. The city boasts a arge number of word-cass institutions of higher education, the highest concentration of universities in Japan. Tokyo mixes the utramodern and the traditiona, from neon-it skyscrapers and trendy fashions to historic tempes and beautifu pubic gardens. Contents Cimate and Geography 02 Cost of Living and Transportation 03 Visa, Passport, Language, and Currency Information 04 Lifestye, Sports, and Attractions 05 Cuture, Shopping, and Dining 06 Schoos and Education 07 GLOBAL MOBILITY SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO 01

2 CLIMATE Mainand Tokyo ies in the humid subtropica cimate zone with warm humid summers and generay coo winters with cod spes. The region, ike much of Japan, experiences a one-month seasona ag, with the warmest month being August, and the cooest month being January. Annua rainfa averages neary 60 inches (1,530 mm), with wetter summers and drier winters. Snowfa is sporadic, but does occur amost annuay. Tokyo's offshore territories' cimates vary significanty from the city. Many have a tropica savanna cimate and experience more typhoons than Mainand Tokyo. Tokyo Cimate Graph 120 o F 48.9 o c 100 o F 37.8 o c 80 o F 27.7 o c 60 o F 15.6 o c 40 o F 4.4 o c 12 in mm 10 in mm 8 in mm 6 in mm 4 in mm Average High/Low Temperatures Low / High January 34 o F (1 o C) / 49 o F (10 o C) 20 o F -6.7 o c JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 2 in mm Juy 71 o F (22 o C) / 85 o F (29 o C) High Temp Low Temp Precipitation Average Precipitation Rain 60 in. (1,529 mm) Snow 4 in. (110 mm) GEOGRAPHY Tokyo is the argest city in Japan in terms of popuation and area. Tokyo is ocated roughy in the midde of the Japanese archipeago facing the Pacific Ocean. Tokyo is on the Kanto pain. On its eastern border is Tokyo Bay. The far western portion of Tokyo is mountainous and unsuitabe for urbanization. The highest mountain in Tokyo, Mount Kumotori, is 6,617 ft. (2,017 m) high. Tokyo aso has numerous outying isands, many of which are vocanic, that extend as far as 1,150 mi. (1,850 km) from the center of the city. GLOBAL MOBILITY SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO 02

3 COST OF LIVING Just ike any arge city, Tokyo has an array of different neighborhoods that range from very poor to very expensive. The "downtown" area of Tokyo is very expensive, and has very few detached homes. As with most cities in the United States, generay, the further one moves from the city center, the more affordabe property becomes. Most singe-famiy, detached dweings can be found in the far western wards. Living costs in Tokyo do depend on your ocation, empoyment, and other circumstances. Beow are the median home purchase price and median monthy rent for the city of Tokyo. Rea Estate Costs* Median Detached Home Price 33,700,000 Approx. $299,391 USD* Median Condo Price (650 ft 2 ) 99,465,526 Approx. $909,224 USD* Median Monthy Rent (3 BDRM) 292,200 Approx. $2,671 USD* *Based on exchange rate at the time of pubishing. Sources: both accessed 06/07/2017 TRANSPORTATION Tokyo, as the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, is Japan's argest domestic and internationa hub for rai, ground, and air transportation. Pubic transportation within Tokyo is dominated by an extensive network of cean and efficient trains and subways run by a variety of operators, with buses, monorais and trams paying a secondary feeder roe. Airports Haneda (aka Tokyo Internationa) Airport (HND) Narita Internationa Airport (NRT) Rais and Roads Rai is the primary mode of transportation in Tokyo, which has the most extensive urban raiway network in the word and an equay extensive network of surface ines. JR East operates Tokyo's argest raiway network, incuding the Yamanote Line oop that circes the center of downtown Tokyo. Expressways ink the capita to other points in the Greater Tokyo area, the Kantō region, and the isands of Kyushu and Shikoku. GLOBAL MOBILITY SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO 03 GLOBAL MOBILITY SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO 03

4 VISA AUTHORIZATION REQUIREMENTS BUSINESS VISITOR Permitted Activities Business visitors must generay imit their activities to the foowing: Market research Business iaison or consutation Signing a contract Providing after-sae service for imported machinery Inspecting or visiting pants, trade fairs, etc. Expanatory meetings Type of Business Visas Certain nationas may enter Japan without need of a business visa (visa-exempt nationas). A other nationas wi require a temporary visit visa (business). Basic Requirements 1. Intention of a genuine visit for business and not for paid empoyment 2. Vaid passport 3. Evidence that there are no restrictions on his or her traveing to Japan 4. No intention to permanenty reside in Japan 5. A ticket for onward trave from Japan 6. Proof of funds EMPLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION Basic Requirements The principe visa category for temporary empoyment in Japan is the Work Visa. This is a category for empoyers to sponsor approved skied workers to work in Japan on a temporary basis. Process Overview The process for obtaining a Work Visa is as foows: 1. Certificate of Eigibiity (COE) fied with the Immigration Bureau in Japan 2. Entry Visa appication fied at the Japanese Consuate Genera abroad 3. Landing Permission & Issuance of Zairyu Card immediatey upon arriva in Japan the empoyee and accompanying dependents wi be required to present their passports and COEs. They wi be granted Landing Permissions, which wi serve as their work and residence visas. In addition, depending on their point of entry, some empoyees and dependents wi receive their Zairyu Card immediatey upon arriva and some wi receive their Zairyu Cards within 5-7 days from the Immigration Bureau 4. Registration of Residence must be competed within 14 days of arriva in Japan *This summary is intended for informationa purposes ony and is TOKYO NO JIJITSU (TOKYO FACTS) Language There is ony one officia anguage in Japan Japanese (nihongo). Japan is the ony country in the word to have Japanese as its officia working anguage for its Japanese companies. Many Japanese are abe to understand Engish, as Engish is taught in schoos as part of Japan's compusory education. Despite this, many foreigners wi discover that the Japanese are sedom motivated to speak Engish outside the business context. Currency The currency in use in Tokyo is the Yen. The usua methods of payment in Tokyo are cash and EC-cards (bank cards). Payment with EC cards or credit cards may require an additiona form of identification. The exchange rate (at time of pubishing) is $1 USD = $ Yen. not an authorized guide on how to obtain work authorization GLOBAL MOBILITY SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO 04

5 SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT Tokyo is a sprawing, densey popuated city packed fu of nightife spots, restaurants, museums, entertainment venues, shopping mas and many other attractions. The city offers a vibrant, unique and sociabe ifestye, with penty of annua events and festivas. When going out at night, bring your best singing voice because karaoke is amost ike a reigion. In the daytime, Tokyo's many parks, booming with cherry bossoms and other beautifu fowers, offer a peacefu retreat from the fast pace of the city. SPORTS Pro Teams F.C. Tokyo (Soccer) Hitachi SunRockers (Basketba) Japan Sumo Association (Wresting) Tokyo Exceence (Basketba) Tokyo Verdy 1969 (Soccer) Tokyo Yakut Swaows (Baseba) Toyota Avark Tokyo (Basketba) Yomiuri Giants (Baseba) Major Venues Ajinomoto Stadium Meiji-Jingu Stadium Nationa (Oympic ) Stadium Ryogoku Kokugikan Arena Tokyo Dome OUTDOORS & ADVENTURE Parks and Gardens Fun Things to Do Widife Attractions Beautifu Tempes Hamarikyu Gardens Fuji-Q Highands Epson Shinagawa Aqua Stadium Meiji Jingu Shrine Rinshi No Mori Park Namco Namjatown Inokashira Park Zoo Nezu Shrine Shiba Park One Piece Tower Sunshine Aquarium Sensoji Tempe Shinjuko Gyoen Gardens Tokyo Disneyand Tama Zoo Tennoji Tempe Ueno Onshi Park Tokyo Dome City Tokyo Sea Life Park Yushima Seido Tempe Yoyogi Park Tokyo Joypois Ueno Zoo GLOBAL MOBILITY SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO 05

6 SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO SHOPPING & DINING Tastes of Tokyo Not Just the Word's Largest Fish Market What do you get when you combine access to an ocean There is a reason that Tokyo is known as one of the word's of fresh seafood with Japanese fair for perfect, yet exotic, shopping meccas. From vendor carts to street side boutiques presentation? Some of the best dining in the word! Cuisine to massive shopping centers, Tokyo is a shopper's paradise. in Tokyo is internationay accaimed. When Michein The city offers numerous vibrant and trendsetting districts reeased their first guide for fine dining in Tokyo, the city was in which you can find everything incuding high-end to the awarded 191 stars in tota, or about twice as many as Tokyo's offbeat, as we as subcuture favorites to traditiona crafts nearest competitor, Paris. Of the eight top-rated restaurants, and vintage wares. The Ginza district is Tokyo's most upscae three offer traditiona Japanese fine dining, two are sushi shopping area, whie Harajuku offers the hottest fads in houses and three serve French cuisine. fashion and is the center for Japanese youth cuture. ART & CULTURE Tokyo is a city of cuture and stye both traditiona Japanese cuture, epitomized by haiku poetry, kimono, ukiyo-e wood-bock prints, Kabuki theater, Noh drama, tea ceremony and Zen stone gardens, as we as more modern cutura trends represented by anime, cospay, manga, and video games. Museums & Gaeries Theaters Asakura Scupture Museum Kabuki-za Theater Edo-Tokyo Museum Nationa Noh Theater Hara Museum of Contemporary Art Nationa Theatre of Japan Mori Art Museum New Nationa Theatre Tokyo Nationa Art Center Shinbashi Enbujo Theater Nationa Museum of Modern Art Tokyo Metropoitan Theatre Nationa Museum of Nature and Science Tokyo Theatre Orb Samurai Museum Sumo Museum Tokyo Nationa Museum GLOBAL MOBILITY SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO 06

7 EDUCATION IN TOKYO Parents of very young expat chidren might consider sending their chidren to oca Japanese schoos, which are free even for foreign chidren. The advantages of these schoos are that chidren wi earn Japanese and wi integrate into oca society more easiy. Sti, this is usuay ony an option for consideration if one is panning on moving to Japan for an extended period of time. The Japanese schoo system has a we-deserved reputation for being strenuous, and expat parents might find the performance pressure paced on young chidren a bit daunting. If factoring in after-schoo activities and near-obigatory essons at jukus (cram schoos) chidren coud face a 12-hour day, with homework sti waiting to be done ater. Most expats send their chidren to internationa schoos in Tokyo, which is a more expensive option than Japanese schoos. This is mosty due to the fact that internationa schoos are better equipped to dea with the needs of foreign students and aow them to continue studying the same curricuum as they did back home, which subsequenty eases the transition into ife in a new country. The majority of schoos cater specificay to kindergarten, eementary and midde grades, as high schoo is considered optiona in Japan, but a few schoos do go up to Grade 12. Many schoos use an American-based curricuum, whie some utiize the British or Canadian system and are taught in Engish or other non-japanese anguages ike French, German, or Chinese. Notabe Coeges & Universities Chuo University Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan Keio University Minato, Tokyo, Japan Meiji University Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan University of Tokyo Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan Waseda University Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan CONNECT WITH GMS Founded in 1987, Goba Mobiity Soutions (GMS) is a goba corporate reocation services company that speciaizes in workforce mobiity. The company s corporate reocation services incude goba assignment management, domestic reocation management, and a range of pre-decision soutions. GMS is a perennia winner of the HRO Today Baker s Dozen customer satisfaction surveys, being named a top reocation provider for the ast four years in a row. Onine Resources Phone & Emai LinkedIn: Goba Mobiity Soutions info@gmsmobiity.com Baker s Dozen Customer Satisfaction Ratings RELOCATION 2017 Winner GLOBAL MOBILITY SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT ON TOKYO 07