Anyone in Japan?

[yibun]

Considering a potential offer near Tokyo. My DC will have started Year 8 by the time we'd need to move. We already live abroad in Asia with my DC in international school. I'm leaning to no. Japan just seems so daunting and foreigner unfriendly. I've visited as a toursit a couple of times and I like the country but not sure I can see myself living there.
Any one have any insights as to what life is really like?

The exchange rate is favourable. The attitude towards foreigners in lots of areas seems increasingly hostile. The work life balance can be absurd and not easy to avoid without huge cultural faux pas, as can making friends with anyone except other incomers.

There are entrenched bullying issues in Japanese schools, but international schools would presumably be different. I guess it depends on where, exactly? Eg
Tokyo would be very different to somewhere more relaxed like Osaka, or full of Americans like Okinawa, or a more rural place full.of older people. Knowing/learning the language would be important.

Ultimately, if you feel like it's a no, I wouldn't ignore that feeling, unless it's only for a block of time and you have plans elsewhere. Also what is the pay like, any decent employment benefits etc.

I lived there on my own working as a teacher, a long time ago now and not I. Tokyo. But there is a big expat community, it’s a fascinating country to live in, I found it friendly, and still friendly when I went back on holiday more recently.

the food is excellent, very healthy, accommodation can be expensive and small, international schools had a good reputation,travel is easy and cheap. It’s incredibly safe, like really really safe. I know a few people who have children working out there who love it.

It would be in my organziation, would have expat benefits and relocation package. The working culture would be affected by the local culture, but it's international and in English so wouldn't be too Japanese in that sense (although I find that inevitably local working practices affect what happens in the office) While it's a promotion, the pay is only marginally better but the cost of living a lot more compared to where we are. Also have pets and it seems really hard to move them.

I'm attracted to the safety and cleanliness of Japan. Also find the culture very interesting.

But the tiny apartments, language barrier, cultural differences put me off.
Also where I'd be working would be to east of Tokyo but the international schools are in central/west Tokyo so it looks like i'd have a heck of a commute. Japanese school not an option at this age.

There's a certain beauty in tiny apartment living, reducing life down to the essentials. But long term, that can be tedious. Especially with pets. Could you negotiate a better deal to help with the increased costs of living there?

How are the summers where you are now, the summers in Japan are ever increasingly humid and brutal, but if you are in a place with milder summers, I would also research the impact of Japanese summer on every aspect of life in Tokyo :-) It isn't a reason not to go, but it is truly brutal on a commute etc.

Personally I would probably go for it anyway if your family are up for it, it's something new, and it really is beautiful, and stuffed with interesting food and places to visit (again, as long as the work/life balance can be maintained to your advantage...) There are lots of online expat groups to help navigate pitfalls and show you what to expect, on FB and so on.

Lived and worked in Tokyo for 10 years and would definitely go back. Happy to answer any questions that I can.
Is it a local contract or an expat one? (Latter would include housing allowance, school fees, medical insurance, maybe a home leave trip.)
Larger (by Japanese standards) houses, apartments are available, but come at a price. Obviously with children in an international school your choice of area will depend on school location / bus routes.
Everyone we knew with children while we were there had a good time (Brits, Americans, others).
Summers are tough - heat and humidity - leading many expat families to leave for much of the school summer holiday. Earthquakes you get used to - feeling a small one every month or two is not unusual. I was there for the tsunami and Fukushima - which while a good distance from Tokyo was more impactful. Rainy season and typhoons are manageable.
Food is amazing - we think it is the best country in the world to eat out - combination of seasonality, service and artisan culture. You can get pretty much any cuisine you fancy in Tokyo.
We enjoyed travelling around Japan (though regrettably the rail pass is not available to residents). Getting out of the city and into smaller towns and the mountains is great - a little bit of Japanese goes a long way. Being able to head out of the city for ski weekends etc. is something that’s much harder in other parts of Asia. Learning to speak a bit of Japanese is not too hard, pronunciation is regular, and once you get your head round the grammar / word-order it’s not too bad. Reading and writing (kanji), and getting to grip with the politeness levels is more challenging - but not required for day to day life unless you are in a more domestic organisation.
From a work culture perspective it depends a lot on the organisation you are going with / into. But, assuming that you are going into a reasonably international organisation at a reasonably senior level, I think you will find it fine. A bit of cultural sympathy, listening carefully, understanding that the Japanese will never (very rarely) give a direct “no” (and “that would be very difficult” means ‘not until hell freezes over’), and asking lots of open questions goes a long way.
The only other thing I would say, is if this is potentially a long-term move, the other thing you have to appreciate is you will never be Japanese - even if you get fluent in the language - full integration is between hard and impossible. In day-to-day life that will not affect you much, if at all, but I know people who have got to 10/20 years in Japan, language and cultural fluency, and decided that they can no longer cope with still being treated as an outside (at a deeper level).

Sorry missed your most recent post before I wrote that screed. Working to the East of Tokyo with children in international schools will be more challenging. A bit depends on where / how far East - if out nearer Narita it would probably be a “no” from me.
That said, I regularly commuted from Shibuya across Tokyo towards Oshiage and it wasn’t too bad. If your work is on one of the East-West lines that run through the centre it might be manageable. I wouldn’t have wanted to do a commute that involved two or three changes.
I’m also not sure how far East the international school bus routes run (and then how long they take) - both would bear more research. Also worth being aware that you quite regularly see quite young Japanese children commuting on their own on public transport across the city. It’s that safe.

I turned it down.
Spent a few days giving it a lot fo thought and just couldn't make it work in my head.
Not quite as far out as the airport - more like 50km from central Tokyo but i couldn't figure out how we could do it without a crazily long commute for either me or my DC as all the good international schools seem to be towards the west.
I was very attracted to the safety and cleanliness of Japan but not enough for other quality of life factors.