# 1 Year On



## pasturesnew

Well how time passes. Been living/working in Tokyo now since Oct 2010, lots has happened in that time, and Im pleased to say without hesitation I have enjoyed every moment (caveat March 2011)...

Any complaints = NO , still cant eat Nutto though ...
Points to note = really think thru where you want to live and the route into work, try out the train at peak times before signing the lease, most routes are jammed first thing and on the way home but if you time it right you may just avoid getting squashed....

Interesting point = I didnt know this until recently...apparently once you have 1 years service, if your position is terminated and you are made redundant the state/employer will cover 6 months salary (60% approx) , if you decide to leave your employer you will get 3 months salary....I also heard Employers try to avoid the redundancy angle and persuade you to leave so to pay out a smaller amount, that said it seems we the employee are rather well protected....

To add : the seemingly generous payouts are due to there being no social service payments, ie once the money is gone your really on your own.....


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## Joppa

pasturesnew said:


> To add : the seemingly generous payouts are due to there being no social service payments, ie once the money is gone your really on your own.....


There is seikatsu hogo, a kind of welfare payment for the very low paid or those with little money. It's not as generous as welfare benefits in UK, but acts as a final safety net. It's means-tested, and assets, savings, earnings potential etc are taken into account. The number of claimants has zoomed in recent years, reaching 2 million this year after the earthquake and tsunami. As a foreigner, you won't normally be eligible, until you attain permanent residency (eijusha) or special permission to stay (teijusha) - this is the same in UK. As for amounts, the maximum you get for a single person living in Tokyo is 137,400 yen/month., around double for a family with kids.


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## Rube

There was a lot of talk about cracking down on it as well since too many people were showing up to collect their money with rolexes.


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