55% taxes and seniority-based wages: Singaporean opens up about realities of living and working in Japan for 10 years
PHOTO: Screengrab/Lemon8/pea_81
PUBLISHED ONAugust 02, 2023 7:00 AMByVenkat Gunasellan Working overseas can be daunting – a new place, new people and new culture. For Pea, she took the plunge when she was 24.
She took to Lemon8 last Thursday (July 27) to document her decade-long career and living experience abroad and the things she learned along the way.
Having graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Studies and International Relations, and obtained an N2 proficiency level in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), Pea moved to Japan in 2013 through the Japan Exchange and Teaching programme.
Throughout the decade, she has worn several hats in different prefectures across Japan. She first started out in Toyohashi, a city in Aichi Prefecture, where she worked as a coordinator for international relations in the local city hall.
She then moved to Osaka to work in the international business division of a Japanese cafe, followed by a stint in Tokyo where she worked in social media and influencer marketing for a Singapore advertising agency.
Fast forward to now, she is working for an American tech company, as part of the product development team.
The realities of living in Japan
In the post, she revealed the things she wished she knew before living in Japan. First being the cost of living.
Apart from fixed expenses like rent and bills, one thing people forget is taxes. Pea noted that in Japan, "almost 30 to 50 per cent of your monthly pay will go into taxes". According to a report in 2021, Japan ranks in top five for countries with the highest personal income tax rates, coming in at 55.97 per cent.
She also mentioned that she spent close to $50,000 in total for five years on rent.
In Japan, career progression is a little different from Singapore. As Pea mentioned, companies in Japan "adopt the system of seniority-based wages".
All that to say salary increments are given according to how long you've been in the company as opposed to one's experience.
"The path to financial independence for us living in Japan can be far longer than our peers in Singapore," Pea mentioned.
Last but not least, one thing that Pea wished she knew is how social norms in Japan are different from Singapore, like the way the former deals with waste disposal.
"You will usually be required to sort out your garbage in at least three to four categories depending on how strict your apartment management or your city is. And that is just one single part of life that we often take for granted back home," Pea explained.
Despite the different way of life in Japan, Pea feels that her quality of life is much more fulfilling there, as she can easily access one-of-a-kind nature spots as well as being able to ski and hike.
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