LIVING IN JAPAN

Living in Japan as an expat offers life in a fascinating country that combines the busy, modern and exciting cities of places like Tokyo and Osaka with the historical and traditional rural countrysides of places such as Kyoto and Matsumoto. Japan’s economy has experienced serious difficulties in past years and it remains in a state of transition. The standard of living in Japan is generally high and good health care and educational facilities are in place. The culture is very unique and living here presents a fascinating experience for expats.
As an expat destination Japan offers a true opportunity to experience a completely different way of life from that which you are familiar. There are currently around 2 million expats living in Japan with an estimated 75% of these being from neighboring asian countries.
Japan has a very distinct and unique culture and this can prove difficult for westerners to understand. That said, the Japanese people, especially the youth, do embrace western cultures and trends and generally receive westerners positively. Language and communication can be difficult, especially in the rural areas, but English-speaking doctors and international schools are available in the bigger cities.

Language
Japan has only one official language- Japanese. In cities such as Tokyo a large amount of the population are able to speak English.

Climate
Japan has four seasons which are categorized by cold winters and hot summers (up to 40 degrees centigrade).