41–50 of 224 posts
You don't make up for a missing ecosystem of investment by tweaking the visa rules. Japan getting things wrong again.
Wait, what are the benefits apart from 'we let you stay here and do your business and here are some lawyers and maybe a good word here and there'? This is absurd.
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This is pure exoticization. Japan is fairly safe in certain ways - you’re not at risk of getting shot like in the US, sure. But the police and justice system is very dysfunctional, with crime statistics being under reported, and many murder cases being tossed aside as “suicides” or “heart attacks”. Even without taking this into account, crime rates in Japan are comparable to those of safe European countries. And this…
Do you have any references for the above claims?
For sexual assault/corruption/etc, it’s honestly common knowledge at this point. Googling “Japan underreported crime” will give you plenty of results from a variety of sources.
Additional insight comes from having a few close Japanese female friends who have opened up to me over the years.
If you’re trying to cure yourself of the “Japan is a magical place” myth, I highly recommend “Making Common Sense of Japan”, written by an economist. It’s from 1989, so the data is dated, but most of it still holds to day, and the analytical frameworks it builds are just as relevant.
There was a blog post written on the subject that I saw on HN a long time ago that I will try to dig up, and will update if I find it.
I can see why these things make sense to legislators and policymakers - but in all pragmatic reality, I'm weary of it actually working. 1) Most startups fail. What happens then? What is the path? Many folks will come from 2cnd-tier economic nations, and don't want to go back. It gets complicated. 2) Investment requirements are easily provided for by people who want to 'buy citizenship' and it's easy enough to hire a…
Just take the risk and eat the cost. Sometimes investments don't work out. You hope the ones that do make up for it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is pure exoticization. Japan is fairly safe in certain ways - you’re not at risk of getting shot like in the US, sure. But the police and justice system is very dysfunctional, with crime statistics being under reported, and many murder cases being tossed aside as “suicides” or “heart attacks”. Even without taking this into account, crime rates in Japan are comparable to those of safe European countries. And this…
There is a grain of truth to the statement though. I’m just leaving Tokyo to come back to the US. I was pretty amazed at many things. People leave their purses on the table as they go to restroom. They leave their bikes parked with no lock. I didn’t see anybody jay walk, even across narrow streets where the crosswalks were spaced several blocks apart. That is not to say there aren’t lots of problems along other dimen…
But with all that said, I have friends who’ve had shit stolen in Tokyo, or been assaulted by a drunk guy, etc.
So I stand by my original point - saying that Japanese people are “the most honest and courteous in the world” is naïveté at best, and exoticization at worst.
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Try opening a business bank account in Japan. Or any bank account for that matter. Be prepared to start every handwritten form over if you make even the slightest error, and I hope you’ve been practicing your kanji. No credit cards or foreign transfers until you’ve got a few years in your business. Capital requirements. It’s a whole different ballgame, for better or worse.
Shinsei was easy to work with (for a business account), have English language online banking and telephone support. Never had an issue with foreign transfers. Does help to have a Japanese friend who can help when opening the account, etc, and it’s important to find accounting and legal help that speak English.
Initially you might have some trouble with the Address/Phone Number/Bank Account requirements, because they're almost all required at nearly the exact same time, making some weird pseudo requirement stalemate but here's what you do:
1. Get a place to live (likely through some online agency before you get to japan -- you're gonna pay a premium)
2. Register with your local ward office, get your foreigner card, which will have your address on the back and your face on the front
3. Get a phone at UQ Mobile (or whichever carrier will give you one, more choices if you have a longer VISA), IIRC the only real hard requirement is a credit card.
4. Get a bank account (phone required)
NOTE: some places will even let you pay for your apartment with a credit card
Oh BTW when I did this, I avoided the requirement stalemate by staying with a friend (thus I had a place to "live" at) when I arrived, and a phone number I could use (friend's phone number). It is possible to secure a place to live before you get to japan, there are sites that cater to foreigners for this purpose and will get you set up almost completely before you arrive so you just sign some paperwork when you arrive and have a place to live.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Try opening a business bank account in Japan. Or any bank account for that matter. Be prepared to start every handwritten form over if you make even the slightest error, and I hope you’ve been practicing your kanji. No credit cards or foreign transfers until you’ve got a few years in your business. Capital requirements. It’s a whole different ballgame, for better or worse.
Shinsei was easy to work with (for a business account), have English language online banking and telephone support. Never had an issue with foreign transfers. Does help to have a Japanese friend who can help when opening the account, etc, and it’s important to find accounting and legal help that speak English.
Rakuten Bank is the best for startups I think, but you still need a Japanese speaking person in the company.
Same story as always: you take the risk, invest your time and break up your life. If it works you are welcome to stay. If it doesn't work you get cut loose and you likely will take years to recover whereas the other side hasn't risked a thing. These kind of propositions only make sense if you have nothing to lose.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's quite a roundabout way of saying "foreigners are criminals"... Seriously, I'm extremely deferential to the local customs when I'm abroad. But I felt being pushed into a subway car during rush hour to be quite "harsh and rowdy". Not to mentioned the drunk guys who spit in my faced an laughed.
Over the last 15 years I've spent roughly 6 months in Japan, and have never encountered anything other than respect and courtesy, especially if you make an effort to speak the language and respect the cultural customs. I've spent roughly the same amount of time in San Francisco in those years, and I've seen hundreds of cars with shattered windows, dozens of people shitting on the sidewalk, been harassed by crazy peop…