Move now or later in career when JPY is better? Japanese-American considering FAANG opportunity

[maty55]

@coolbair My guess is the "hedonistic treadmill" is the reason you feel discontent content with what you've got, as is comparison to peers.

If you actually don't know how families deal with less resources I would suggest checking out r/povertyfinance to get ideas on how to simulate alternative lifestyles in the extreme—in excel or maybe even testing it out on your own for a month—before looking at whether you are truly benefiting from your own expenditures and current lifestyle patterns.

(If I had an inflation-adjusted 4K USD post tax coming in every month I would try to never work again and could easily feed and entertain a family of 4 or 5 almost anywhere in Japan with the necessary adjustments based on the location.)

 

[coolbair]

@maty55 Haha. You I obviously haven't met my wife, and perhaps don't even have a Japanese wife.

No way 4k after tax is covering EVERYTHING in a family of 5.

Trust me, if it would, there's no way in hell that I would be a sardine on a 4 hr a day commute taking corporate slong day after day

 

[coolbair]

@maty55 Also, I try to save at least 3k a month for retirement.

This the min to have a shot of not working until you die.

 

[coolbair]

@dotk3033 I make 20M here and have 3 daughters and Japanese housewife.

I live in far west Tokyo and the money still does not go far.

People saying that you can live a decent life on less than 14M here and support a family on a single income are mad.

Now for a single person, sure 8M is prob ok.

 

[dotk3033]

@coolbair 8M? Do you know a lot of people are living like this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/teachinginjapan/comments/17dktos/_/k5xe0kz

 

[coolbair]

@dotk3033 Also, for perspective, I was in many ways happier here in my late 20's making significantly less (though without wife and kids to provide for) than I am now.

Most of my money goes to my wife and kids.

 

[coolbair]

@dotk3033 So I read, and it makes zero sense to me. I can hardly stand it here knowing that I am making my wife happy with my income.

I always said that Japan is great if your wealthy or vacationing, but is horrible to work here.

There is very low quality of life IMO.

Too much traffic to do anything without wasting half a day.

Want to play pickle ball for free, good luck.

Want to golf without re-mortgaging your home..good luck

Want to swim laps, good luck, especially with tattoos (you criminal).

There is good food, safety, cleanliness and snowboarding here, the later almost killed me 2 years ago, so sady is off the lait for me.

If I made 2M a year here I would hit a chuocide in a heartbeat

 

[jeremiah50]

@coolbair Too much traffic is kind of an odd complaint considering how many places you can live in Japan and never bother having a car.

Will never forget how before I lived there, I went to visit my friend in a tiny mountain town. Train from the airport to Nagoya followed by local train and I was there. In the US there are massive swaths of the country where that would be impossible.

 

[coolbair]

@jeremiah50 It's true so long as what your after is near the station. Also, the train is not always cheap such as shinkansen to gazo or Nagano and difficult to travel with young kids, dog or gear.

Don't get me wrong, there are very amazing aspects of Japan, but it is also extremely painfully restrictive in many ways.

 

[coolbair]

@dotk3033 Also keep in mind that I am a mid-career 39 year old with 2 masters, tons of experience and certs and not a.18 year old alt teacher.

If I was younger it would be much different, since I made about 3$ an hour deployed to the middle east when I was 24 years old slaving away at aircraft maintenance 14 hours a day 6.5 days a week in the 140 degree desert. Everything is relative.

 

[howeryall]

@dotk3033 Low salary tax vs high salary tax is a major concern.

While I won't lie, 15M sounds great, however, their actual takehome is a lot lower.

8M is supposed to be the sweet spot.

 

[mollyg]

@gingermarie Yeah, I made like half that for a few years in my 20s here and lived very well. Lived alone in a central Tokyo apartment, went out multiple nights per week etc and still saved money. In terms of finding a partner, assuming you're even moderately socially active, guys and girls both Japanese and non-Japanese (and everything in between) will probably be falling all over themselves to hang out with you. I've met plenty of FAANG people here in Tokyo and while the communities tend to be a bit insular, there will be plenty of opportunities to get outside that bubble should you want to.

 

[simondarok]

@gingermarie Everyone has their own way of thinking about things but I ended up taking a pay cut to move here last year and I don’t regret it. I was moving from Singapore (British originally) and whilst my Japanese is very basic - I’m happier here, and wish I had the opportunity (or determination) to move here sooner than I did.

You can always earn more money but I think we forget why we’re working and wanting a strong career most of the time. For me it’s to live a happy and comfortable life outside of work.

 

[tes1234]

@gingermarie Be clear about what you really want out of a move. I would have said to go have fun and enjoy an adventure and gain some international experience if that's important to you. You can have a great quality of life - Japan is a phenomenal place for that. But you ended by focusing quite a bit on finances. If that is your primary focus, Japan is not a great place for that. Not just the yen, but career opportunities at FAANGs are limited. Tokyo is no longer a regional hub, with most regional roles having moved to Singapore over the last decade. Salaries are lower in Japan, yen is weak, 401k type savings accounts are basically non-existent, investment opportunities lower, and taxes are even higher than the US. So just know all of that going in

 

[s0va]

@gingermarie I work for a US tech company here equity is USD and salary is yen. Moved from Silicon Valley.

If you're worried about the yen weakness with regards to being able to travel back that should not be a concern. You have a few things going in your favor.

1. If you have equity you have a dollar hedge. If the yen weakens your equity gains more power. If the yen strengthens your salary gains power. It helps even out concerns about exchange rates.
2. Your biggest expense will be rent, and that's paid in yen, and those things are a lot cheaper here. If you're not matching your rent in the US you will save a considerable amount of money, enough to afford multiple plane tickets. Example: If you were spending $2K or $3K in the US and get a 15万 place, a $1000+ difference in rent per month is $12000. Travel is a lot less frequent than rent.

The weakness in yen is if you're really already concerned about long term retirement in the US.. but honestly it's impossible to project that far in your 20s to make a life limiting decision.

Edit: you may also never know if your company goes on a transfer freeze..that happened to some FAANGs earlier this year and you won't know when you might get another opportunity.

 

[lady24_q]

@gingermarie I don’t think you’ll ever regret doing something with your heart, instead of a purely financial decision. Worst case, if you don’t think it’s the right move you’re not stuck with it.

 

[indopanda]

@gingermarie If you could predict the currency markets, you would not need a job, lol.

 

[atpollard]

@gingermarie FAANG set salary bands in dollars with regional reductions, usually 30% for Japan. The 15M is very high for marketing with 5 years experience. The cheap yen is to your benefit.

That's a great life in Japan. Cost of living is waaaay lower than you are used to. I would say run, don't walk, to this opportunity.

I hire in tech professionally in Tokyo, including for FAANG. Hit me up if you want any advice.

 

[victorinchrist]

@gingermarie As other posters have mentioned - it’s definitely a top tier salary in Japan compared to the US where it’s just okay at best in a HCOL.

One thing I’ll say as someone who’s considered the move (I opted to stay in the US until I reach my FIRE number) is that career growth in Japan is much more muted. Not saying everyone is optimizing for that (I am) but something to consider if you care.

If you don’t then I think it’s worth the move. Nobody can predict what the yen will do. It’s just part of the risk consideration here.

I’m guessing you’re L4? IIRC FAANG L5 comp is closer to 20-30m

 

[amandaoconnor]

@gingermarie Please take me with you to Japan if you go. I know you can't /won't, but it had to be said.

Do you have close family and friends in Japan? Family helps too, but in many situations some people need to be alone for a bit and 'start over' as someone said on here.

I was looking to work and live in Japan many years ago but it didn't go through.