Russian Daniil Morozov moved to Japan knowing only English. In an interview, Morozov told how Tokyo differs from Moscow, whether it is worth leaving for Japan, and how he got a job in one of the largest IT companies in the world, and then left for a startup.

Moving to Japan

—What company do you work for?

— I work at PayPay as a senior backend developer, processing transactions in the system. Often confused with PayPal, but it is a completely separate company. It's technically a start-up, three years old, the child of two big tech companies here in Japan, Yahoo (in Japan, the Yahoo brand is the mainstay of SoftBank's internet business - ) and SoftBank (a huge Japanese holding company operating in telecommunications, marketing and finance - ).

This is a startup in spirit, but with very solid investments, not even round investments, but direct financial support from two companies. I got a job there relatively recently, the fourth month I work there.

PayPay is a payment system based on QR codes, much like China's WeChat. That is, it is a fintech project. And such payments are gradually becoming popular throughout Japan, since cashless payments are still a little tight here. And with this system, both sellers and users are quite comfortable.

Where did you work in Japan before?

- Before that, I worked in Japan at Rakuten (a Japanese e-commerce company headquartered in Tokyo, owns the Viber messenger, invested in the Ozon marketplace -). He worked there for over two years. They brought me directly from Russia shortly after they made the offer.

How was the recruitment process?

— Personally, my process was quite exclusive. Rakuten already knows the way to Russia and has been hiring Russian-speaking specialists for years. And it’s usually done like this: first, video answers to questions sent to you, then a live online interview, that is, an interview. And here are some of the steps you go through. They can refuse at any time for no reason.

In my case, it was lucky that Rakuten had an exit express interview. Then, during one weekend, they invited about 60 developers, and we all went through all the stages of the interview at the same time.

And if everything works out, you will immediately receive an offer, on the same evening. Give them time to think, about a week.

This event was held in Moscow, I arrived there from St. Petersburg. I got paid to travel. I arrived, had an interview and received an offer the same evening. Of course, then there was the process of relocation and visa preparation. And a lot depends on the company.

— Do you have a work visa?

— Yes, I have a working visa for five years. And she has nothing to do with her employer. That is, formally, I could come and immediately quit my job in order to look for a job elsewhere.

Unlike many visas in the US, which tie you to a particular company for a couple of years, there is no such thing in Japanese law. And you can do whatever you want with your visa and look for work as many times as you like. This is specific to Japanese labor law.

How long did the moving process take?

— I arrived in Japan on November 28, 2018, and accepted the offer at the end of September. That is, roughly from October to mid-November, I was engaged in all sorts of documents and obtaining a visa. And the visa ate most of the time, about a month and was done. Sent a package of documents.

As a result, I received a certificate of professional suitability - Certificate of Eligibility. You go with him to the Japanese embassy and ask for a visa to enter. Then you give the certificate at the immigration office and they give you a special resident card. The Resident Card (zairyu) is your main document in Japan. With this card you can fly in and out of Japan.

So the proposal originally came from Rakuten? Have you ever looked for a job in Japan?

— I was in Japan as a tourist in the spring of 2017. Even then I thought about living there. But these were more fantasies on the topic, he did not take any steps himself. And by a lucky chance, it turned out that my friend from a previous job received a message from a recruiter on LinkedIn (a social network of professionals for job search, blocked in Russia since 2016 for refusing to store data of Russian users within the country -). And my friend recommended me, he knew that Japan was interesting to me.

And we worked with the recruiter for about a year. I didn’t pay him anything, and I didn’t have to, he was looking for various options for me to work. They earn on commissions for hiring from the companies themselves after a certain time after employment.

At first, Rakuten didn't accept me. These were just online interviews. Maybe I didn’t show myself very well or didn’t say enough, because technically the interviews are not that difficult. They asked what I do, what projects.

But then we saw each other live and explained everything to them more actively. They probably liked me better that way.

Salary and housing rent in Japan

—How does Japan treat Russian tech companies?- I mentioned Yandex when I was interviewing. Some recognized. That is, they know about its existence. But I don't think about the fact that JetBrains and all its products are a Russian company. Or Nginx, for example, is also the development of Russian hands. Now no one pays attention to it. VK, which is the former Mail, they also know if they are interested in international companies.

— How much are Russian IT specialists in demand in Japan?

— I think that this is still an unplowed field. This should include Kazakhstan and Ukraine as well.

The reason is that there is India and Vietnam. From time immemorial, they have been an outsourcing territory for the Japanese. They attract local talent from these two countries and to themselves.

Indians de facto speak some kind of English, this is their second language. And if here you want to hire someone who speaks English, then the choice automatically falls on India or Vietnam. No one tries to figure out if Russian-speaking employees speak English well.

And the demand is low precisely because they know little about us. In addition, Russian specialists are now a little more expensive than Indians. The Russian market itself is now overheated, I heard about fantastic amounts for developers. We have less motivation to leave with the money offered in Japan.

- Since salaries were mentioned, how much does a Russian developer get in Japan?

- It is necessary to tell about taxes at once. Subtract about 30% from your salary.

For a senior developer, a good salary is 10 million yen (6.6 million rubles at the current exchange rate) per year before taxes. It makes sense to move on this salary: enough to live alone and even with your family. Below this amount, for a senior developer (senior), life in Japan may seem like downshifting compared to life in Russia.

In a year, 7 million yen (4.6 million rubles at the current exchange rate) will be on hand. This is approximately 584 thousand yen per month (about 385 thousand rubles at the current exchange rate).

- How much does it cost to rent a house?

“There’s a good spread here in Tokyo.

For example, if you are officially not in Tokyo, but very close, then you can afford housing for 80 thousand yen (52.6 thousand rubles at the current exchange rate). It will be a normal apartment, this is suitable for two. But in the center of Tokyo, of course, the rent will be about 150-200 thousand yen (99-131.5 thousand rubles at the current exchange rate).

Rent is the biggest expense here. And the formula for me is quite standard - no more than a third of the salary should be given for rent. Everything else is much easier to control. Transport and communication costs are not so gigantic: I pay about 5 thousand yen (3.3 thousand rubles) for communication and about 15 thousand (9.9 thousand rubles) for travel.

Almost all companies pay for travel to and from work, all have different limits, starting from 30 thousand yen (19.8 thousand rubles) per month. I know a person who was compensated for 90,000 yen a month for travel so that he could ride a shinkansen (high-speed train -) every day from a neighboring city to Tokyo.

Do you earn more or less than 10 million yen a year?

- In my case it is more. But the taxes are getting higher. There is a progressive tax scale. But for Japan, I don't make very big money. In Japanese IT, there are employees of investment banks, and these are different heights, but yes, my salary is much higher than the average Japanese salary.

- How true are the stories about the difficulties with renting in Japan?

- There is a reykin - a one-time payment to the landlord at the conclusion of the contract. This is such a gift. It is usually done if you are not renting from a company, but from a specific landlord. But even this is slowly disappearing, because more foreigners are complaining about it. And in order to be popular in the market, reykins are starting to clean up.

I've heard great stories about foreigners being discriminated against. And it is true. You will not be allowed into 70% of the housing on the market, simply because you are a foreigner. It doesn't matter if you earn well and how long you have lived here. You need to find a guarantor, he must be Japanese. That is, there are plenty of their own jokes.

I think with horror about finding an apartment on my own.

The difference between Russia and Japan

—How much does life in Tokyo differ from Moscow?

Life in Tokyo is dynamic. But here, surprisingly, the atmosphere is not so hipster compared to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Tokyo is divided into districts, and each has its own contingent. But there are no places that make it unambiguously comfortable for young people, and I still consider myself one of them, I'm 30 years old.

It seemed to me that Tokyo is still quite refined. Everything is pretty much the same everywhere. More Michelin restaurants, solid bars. But it all seems the same. And everywhere the same people, about the same service.

I don't want to complain, but this is a statement of fact. This does not mean that the city is boring. In it you can find your social circle and in many ways even more interesting than Moscow. There are many more foreigners here, you don’t have to try too hard. There are compatriots and English-speaking people.

Subtleties of life

— What language do you use more often in Japan?— I speak much more English here than Japanese. All interviews were also in English. And communication outside of work on it mostly.

— How does work in Japan differ from work in Russian companies?

— It should be emphasized that I worked in two companies focused on the Western approach. The same Rakuten is a giant company with 10 thousand people in the main office alone. And there are many departments, and each has its own atmosphere. There was no harsh, conservative atmosphere on my teams. I wouldn't be able to stand it.

All sorts of horrors about working in Japanese companies did not turn out to be a reality. And I did not notice a big difference with the Russian approach.

- And all the classic horrors about constant overwork and sitting at the workplace until the boss leaves?

- What you are describing, of course, is, but I have not been to such companies. Sometimes, it happens, I hear a crazy story from the corner of my ear from someone.

For example, my friend worked in a small Japanese company in the IT department. She sat at one large table with the boss and his assistant, but she was higher in status than her friend. And to discuss it, she wanted to turn to the boss from the chair. But the assistant immediately asked her to bypass from the side and contact directly, since you can’t look at the boss’s screen. That's such nonsense. This is not a rule, but it occurred to a person - no matter how something happened.

There is also the fact that a former colleague worked at Honda as a computer engineer. And you know what? They didn't have internet at their workplaces. They stupidly gave a book, like a guide to C ++, and told to work. Well, they sat and worked. Such crazy things exist in some companies.

But we must understand that they will not accept us there, including because of insufficient knowledge of Japanese. And we won't go there. This is a parallel universe for us.

Do you only know the most basic phrases in Japanese?

— I can hold a simple conversation in Japanese, not just common phrases in shops and restaurants. I am now studying, studying with my Japanese-speaking Russian friend, we have Zoom classes twice a week. My Japanese is growing, I want to speak fluently. That is, my language is not for work. Three years in the country, it's a bit embarrassing not knowing the language.

Is it true that in Japan it is rare to find a person who speaks and understands English?

“This is not a problem within the company. But it's hard on the street. If you approach a random person and ask something in English, he may try to answer. Chances as in Russia approximately, even less. There are stories that the Japanese run away from foreigners when they don’t know what to say, but I didn’t have that.

Returning home?

— Are there any plans for a family inside Japan?

- Here it is possible without knowing Japanese. There are English-speaking Japanese women, you will get to know each other and you will live wonderfully. But I don't have specific plans for that right now. I have little idea of ​​creating a family with a Japanese woman. I will look towards Russian-speaking compatriots, or girls from the west.

— Your work visa expires in November 2023. Will you extend? Or will you go to Russia?

— I have a desire to turn the visa into a residence permit. There is such an opportunity here. And with this permanent residence, I will be able to think more flexibly about what to do next. It will allow you to purchase an apartment on almost the same grounds as a citizen of Japan. I can eventually leave Japan and return almost whenever I want. However, I have little idea that I'm here forever. It would be too hasty to say so.

— Should Russian IT-specialists leave for Japan if they are offered?

- Japan is a specific country, especially for those who travel from the western part of Russia. We must prepare for the fact that it will be difficult to go home. It will turn out only 1-2 times a year maximum. Yes, long flights.

There are fewer vacations and no sick days as such. For example, if you get sick for a couple of days, then you take vacation pay. Vacation starts with 10 working days a year in the first year and is added by 2 days each year until it reaches 20. If you change jobs, the number of vacation days is again reset to 10. This is compensated by an increasing number of national holidays, almost like in Russia.

There are quite a few different IT companies in Tokyo, including those from FAANG (an acronym for Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google - ), investment banks, start-ups, and international and local corporations. Work in FAANG, as well as in other international companies, potentially provides an opportunity for relocation to other countries.

You have to be prepared that in Japanese IT you will not earn much more than the rest of the country's population. I had quite a lot of experience. To move here - you need to have a solid luggage. And with it, in Russia you can earn better than in Japan.

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