Advantages and disadvantages of working in Tokyo

Many Japanese people come to Tokyo to study at universities or work for companies.

The Kanto region, including Tokyo, is home to a large number of foreign residents, making it an easy place for foreigners to live and make friends.

In addition, Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, is home to the headquarters of many large corporations, so there are many jobs available.

There are many advantages to living in Tokyo, where there are many jobs, convenient transportation, and everything is available, but there are also many disadvantages.

On the other hand, there are many advantages to working in rural areas.

The number of Japanese people leaving Tokyo for more rural areas is increasing, and this has become a current trend.

In fact, there are more jobs in rural areas than in Tokyo, and the employment and career change rates are also higher in rural areas.

Also, the low cost of living makes it easy to save money.

In this article, we will discuss the advantages of working in a regional area rather than in Tokyo, so if you are interested in working in Japan in the future, please read this article through to the end.

 

The advantages of working in a rural area

 

Let’s take a closer look at the disadvantages of working in Tokyo and the advantages of working in rural areas.

① Ease of finding work

Disadvantage of working in Tokyo
Tokyo has many job seekers and it is difficult to find a job.

While it is true that there are many jobs available in Tokyo, most Japanese people come to Tokyo to get a work.

When not only Japanese but also foreigners are looking for jobs in Tokyo, there is a competition for jobs, and the job offer rate drops.

When not only Japanese nationals but also foreigners are looking for jobs in Tokyo, this leads to a greater number of job offers, which in turn lowers the job offer rate.

This is because Japanese companies in Japan basically employ Japanese nationals.

Unfortunately, the number of jobs available for foreigners are only 20-30% of the total number of jobs available.

It is necessary to compete with other foreign nationals for 20-30% of the positions.

If you have an N1, have a long work experience, and are highly skilled, you may be able to find a job in Tokyo.

 

Advantages of Working in Local Regions
There are many jobs in the local area, and you can find a job easliy.

You will have more chances to find a good job if you look for a job in a rural area.

This is because many people are looking for work in the Kanto region, and the regions are short of labor, and there is a constant search for human resources.

In order to recruit as many good candidates as possible, companies in regional areas skip the document screening process and meet all applicants in person, so the hurdles to receiving a job offer are lower in regional areas than in Tokyo.

Why don’t you try to find a job in a local area where there are few job seekers?

 

② Low prices

Disadvantages of working in Tokyo
Prices are very high in Tokyo.

A room with a rent of 50,000 yen in a rural area will cost more than 100,000 yen if you rent a room with the same layout in Tokyo.

Everything is priced higher than in the local area, not only the rooms but also the meals in the restaurants.

Please keep in mind that the cost of living in Tokyo is two or three times higher than in the local area.

 

Advantages of working in a rural area
Low cost of living and saving a lot of money

On the other hand, if you live in a rural area, you can save a lot of money on living expenses such as rent, parking, and other living expenses.

In rural areas, salaries may be lower than working in Tokyo, but the cost of living is lower, so expenses can be kept in check.

Conversely, working in Tokyo may be more expensive in terms of salary, but the cost of living is higher and there are more expenses, so the end result will be the same.

 

③ Commuting time

Disadvantages of working in Tokyo
Standing for 2 hours in a crowded train

Tokyo is an office town, so people who work in Tokyo do not live in Tokyo, but generally live in the suburbs of Tokyo or in other prefectures such as Kanagawa, Chiba, or Saitama.

It is true that rent is cheaper outside of Tokyo, but if your home is located in Kanagawa Prefecture and you commute to the Tokyo office, it will take 2 hours one way and 4 hours round trip by train.

If the company starts at 9:00 a.m., you have to leave home around 6:00 a.m.

Especially during the morning rush hour, the train is very crowded, and riding a crowded train for two hours can cause physical problems and stress on the commuter.

It is quite a waste of commuting time.

 

Advantages of Working in Local Regions
Even in the morning rush hour, you can sit in the train car.

In the case of train commuting in rural areas, trains are much less crowded than in Tokyo.

In the case of commuters who drive to work, there is less traffic congestion and commuting is smoother.

Since commuters can sit on the train and commute to work, they can use their time effectively by reading books or watching YouTube videos.

Since the cost of living is low, renting a house near the company’s office can shorten the commuting time to 5 minutes, eliminating the stress of commuting.

 

④ Whether people are friendly or not

Disadvantages of working in Tokyo
Some might be not frendly.

Everyone who works in Tokyo is very busy.

The speed at which they walk is fast, and I get the impression that they are tense, as if they are pressed for time.

Not all of them, but those who work in Tokyo are busy.

 

Advantages of working in a rural area
Friendly people.

The people who work in the local area are all friendly and very helpful.

If you have any problems, such as getting lost because you do not understand Japanese, they will be there to help you.

In addition, local communities have their own communities, where you can easily participate in various events such as BBQs.

There are many exchange activities, so you will be able to make many Japanese friends and acquaintances.

Of course, not all people are friendly, and not all workers in Tokyo are cold.

Friendly or not, it depends on the person.

 

⑤ Frequency of using Japanese

Disadvantages of working in Tokyo
Many foreigners living in Tokyo, so few chances to speak Japanese.

Tokyo is home to many foreign residents and communities in their countries.

If they have any problems, they can ask their friends for help, so they don’t have to use Japanese very often.

Since they have many friends, they hang out with other foreigners on weekends, so they can’t help but speak in their own native language.

The only opportunities to speak Japanese are in limited situations, such as at the workplace, shopping, etc.

The only way to improve your Japanese level is to create an environment where you can use Japanese on your own.

 

Advantages of working in a rural area
Few foreigners living in a rural area so they have to use Japanese a lot.

Since there are not many foreigners working in rural areas, everything must be done in Japanese.

The environment for using Japanese is very good, with only one foreigner at work, for example.

Compared to Tokyo, there are fewer foreigners from the same country, so you can make friends with foreigners from different countries and many Japanese friends, so you are not lonely at all.

 

Summary

 

So far, we have introduced the disadvantages of working in Tokyo and the advantages of working in regional areas.

The advantages of working in rural areas can be summarized as

 

There are many more jobs in rural areas, and it is easier to find one.

In rural areas, the cost of living is cheaper, so you can save money.

Local areas are easier to commute to work, so you can use your time more efficiently.

You can make many more Japanese friends in a regional area.

In regional areas, there are fewer foreigners, so Japanese language skills are improved.

 

Of course, there are many advantages to working in Tokyo.

Tokyo and the local areas are both part of Japan, so if you have a chance to work in either Tokyo or the other areas, please actively apply for the job.

When looking for a job, don’t limit your job search to the Kanto area only.

You may find a good opportunity.