A Practical Guide to Working as a Scientist in Japan

Robert W. Ridge

Electronic version.
Please do not alter the content.
You are welcome to make a hard copy.

Dr Robert W. Ridge
Plant-Microbe Interactions Group
Research School of Biological Sciences
Australian National University
PO Box 475, Canberra City, ACT 2601, Australia

From September 1993:

Assoc. Prof. Robert W. Ridge
Department of Biology
Division of Natural Sciences
International Christian University
10-2, Osawa 3-chome
Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181, Japan

Table of Contents
Prologue 2
Acknowledgments 2
Introduction 3
Arriving and Settling In 3
Arriving 3
Accommodation 3
Signing on 4
Hanko 4
Meishi 4
Alien Registration 4
Local information 4
Special services for the foreign tourist 5
Health insurance (kenko hokken) 5
Officials 5
Driving and driving licence (menkyosho) 6
Salary 6
Return of expenses 6
Structure of Academic Institutions 7
State universities 7
Private universities 8
State research institutes 8
PERI, RCIUMO and OBI 8
Comparison to industry 9
Students 9
RIKEN 10
of Basic Research 10
Working in the Laboratory 11
Welcome party 11
Interactions with colleagues 11
Joining in 12
Friendships 12
Koza 12
How do Japanese scientists think? 13
Students learn 13
Women 13
The checking of manuscripts 13
There is no such thing as technical support 14
Conferences 15
Laboratory supplies 15
Health and safety 15
Mini Essay: Cake and Cockroaches in a Japanese Laboratory 16
Omiyage (souvenir 17
Working hours 17
Dress 17
Getting and Managing a Research Grant 18
Mini Essay: Research in Arrears 18
Interactions with Administrative Staff 19
Everyday life, Culture and Language 20
Gifts 20
The Japanese home 20
Food 20
Flea markets 21
Shopping hours 22
The Japanese Co-operative 22
Eating out 22
Commuting 22
Cycling 23
Schools 23
The electronically amplified voice 23
A passive people 23
Body language 24
Banking and money 24
Using the telephone 24
Gas, electricity and toyu 25
Rubbish and recycling 25
Things people don't do in public 25
Public baths 25
Smoking 25
Getting around 25
Getting around locally 26
The police 26
Dates and the Emperor system 26
The weather 26
Earthquakes 27
Language 28
Getting to grips with the basics 28
Understanding Japanese pronunciation of English 28
Teaching English 29
University-related words 29
Words for hello, goodbye etc at work 29
Appendix of Useful Information 30
Epilogue 33
Index 33

Prologue

This small handbook is a personal view of how to cope with academic life and life in general in Japan. As you will see, much of it is drawn from my own experiences. I hope that this handbook will serve as a guide to senior postgraduates, post-doctoral fellows, and visiting fellows to Japan, so that their first few weeks are not as traumatic as they might otherwise be. It is not intended to be useful for undergraduates, who have different kinds of time-scales and problems than established academics. The handbook is also not intended to replace any of the good travel guides, and I thoroughly recommend that you purchase one of these well before you leave for Japan.
I entreat you to read three publications. The first is a book by Robert Christopher called 'The Japanese Mind' (1983, Linden Press/Simon & Schuster, New York) which, although almost ten years old, is still very relevant to today's Japan. It is interesting to read how well Robert Christopher has predicted the events of the 1980's. The second is a very practical book produced by the Science and Technology Action Group, British Chamber of Commerce in Japan (BCCJ) called 'Gaijin Scientist' (1990). This book is not readily obtainable, but you may find copies available from your own countries' overseas exchange organisers, such as the Royal Society in the UK, or the Australian Academy of Science, or you can write to the BCCJ (address in the Appendix). The book has a comprehensive list of sponsors, fellowships and useful addresses. There are comments by different scientist's experiences of Japan, especially on research environment and quality of research. There is also a useful but brief section on everyday life. The third publication is an article by Tatsuo Motokawa called 'Sushi Science and Hamburger Science' (Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 32:489-504, 1989). His ideas provide an interesting basis for comparing the differences in thinking of Westerners and Japanese.
I have been to Japan seven times over the last eleven years. From 1987-90 I was Foreign Professor at the University of Tsukuba (in Ibaraki, 70km north east of Tokyo) teaching cell biology to both undergraduates and postgraduates. During these years I visited around twenty laboratories in different parts of Japan and at different kinds of institutions. From this and interactions with many Japanese researchers from different disciplines, I hope I can give you a fair idea of what you may expect when you go to your research laboratory.
I have tried to organise the booklet so that any particular section can be read independently of the others, so you may find a small amount of repetition in one or two places.

Acknowledgments

I have sent drafts of this handbook to many scientists who have also had experience of Japan, and I thank particularly Mary Beilby, Mark Bowden, Andre Le Jeune, Kevin Judd, Lindsay Richards, Maurice Venning and Vicki Wadley for their many helpful suggestions.
I also thank the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) for its encouragement and assistance in the production of this small book, which will be provided to the participants of the AAS Japan Exchange Program. In particular I would like to thank Bonnie Bauld of the AAS, whose enthusiasm knows no bounds.

Introduction

If any country can be called enigmatic, Japan is so. When you walk down an ordinary street in Tokyo, it is hard to imagine (except for the signs) that you are not in any ordinary Western country in Europe. But there the similarity ends. Beneath this facade is a very complex and ancient culture that I am still discovering, and hopefully will for the rest of my life. Culture in Japan pervades all aspects of life. The honorifics that Japanese people use so naturally in speech are but one reflection of their vast cultural heritage, a heritage all too easily missed by the foreigner, hidden as it is beneath the modern exterior that the Japanese show to each other and the world.
The Japanese are generally very kind, exceptionally generous, gentle, fun-loving, unassuming, bright and considerate. It may seem that they are a bit unaware of the stranger in the street, but if you meet or are introduced, they open up as a flower in Spring. I entreat you to delve as deeply as you can into the Japanese way of life. You may never be able to understand how they think, but a glimpse into their inner being is richly rewarding indeed. Please learn as much of the language as you can, because this is a very valuable aid in interacting on your travels and making friendships. A little language goes a long way in Japan.

Arriving and Settling In

Arriving
I advise that you try to arrange for someone to meet you at the airport. This will make life very easy at the beginning as you won't have to find your own way around initially. But if you are not so lucky you may have to find your own way to your university or institution. At Narita Airport catching a 'Limousine' (which is a large bus) to Tokyo station is relatively easy. There are large signs in English and many of the staff at the airport can speak simple English. If you are very apprehensive, try to push your host professor to come and meet you, or at least to send one of his students! As the street system in Japan is difficult, people there are very used to meeting someone to take them to their institution or wherever. Don't feel shy to ask. At the very least your host should provide comprehensive instructions on how to get to the institution.

Accommodation
For most of you, especially on short term stays, the university or institution will have arranged your accommodation beforehand. My guess is that most of you will be supplied with a furnished apartment fairly close to work, though I can't guarantee it. If they have arranged only an unfurnished apartment then push very, very hard for a furnished one. If you are staying even one year, it is quite untenable to be offered unfurnished accommodation. There are few second-hand markets as there are in other countries, so you cannot buy cheaply and you cannot easily sell when you leave, and the language barrier doesn't help. You may end up with quite a financial burden. If you cannot get satisfaction over this from your host sponsor, approach your home country organiser for help. This is a very important thing to get right before you leave for Japan.
If you are going to Tokyo, expect accommodation problems for long term fellowships (over three months). I have seen some advertised post-doctoral fellowships that supply apartments except in Tokyo. The reason is that any kind of accommodation in Tokyo is expensive and very hard to find, especially for the short term. Another reason is that in Japan there is a 'thank-you' money system for the landlord. This means that when moving into an apartment (especially Tokyo) you must pay one month's rent as a fee to the agent, one month's rent as a deposit, one or two month's rent in advance, and possibly three month's rent to the landlord as a non-returnable 'thank-you' for letting the apartment. If the rent is Y150,000 (about A$1,500) per month for a two-bedroom apartment then you are in for a considerable amount of money up front just to move in. In the Kansai region (centred on Osaka) you may be asked for up to 18 months rent as a deposit! This is why Japanese people move into apartments with the long term in mind and also change addresses rarely. It is an invidious system but there is nothing we can do about it.
If you go to Tsukuba, either to the university or one of the institutes, and you have a family, you may well be supplied with a three-bedroom house at reasonable rent.
Generally, accommodation is small, especially in a big city, but it is great at making you use your space effectively. Space is at a premium in Japan, and you will have to get used to it.

Signing on
If you have a long term fellowship, such as a post-doctoral fellowship, one of your first tasks will naturally be to sign on so that you can get paid. Make sure you go with someone from the laboratory because usually the administrative staff can't speak English, unless you are very lucky. The administration may provide a seal (hanko) with your surname so that they can 'clock-in' for you every day, or they will ask you to provide one. Your professor will help. Every university has slightly different rules, but if you go to work at a private university they may ask you to sign on and off every day. My advice is, even if you don't like it, do whatever your professor advises you to do. However, there is every chance that you will not need to do all that.

Hanko
The seal is used in all aspects of Japanese life, but as a foreigner your signature is accepted in many situations. They should cost around Y3500, which is expensive, but a foreigner can't buy one off the shelf. You can use it for banking (though they will accept a signature from foreigners) and if you teach you must use it for approval of student changes and to show that the copy of the exam results is bona fide. And of course, you will need it for your research grant application forms. I have put my seal on the title page of the booklet as an example, and if you know Katakana, you will be able to read it. Even if you use the hanko rarely, it is a very nice and personal souvenir from Japan, you can almost guarantee that it will be unique.

Meishi (business card)
Most academics aren't used to having business cards, but in all walks of life in Japan they are an essential introduction, and you will see these small cards being exchanged in many situations. For both short term and long term visitors they are very useful, as they can explain a lot about the giver without words being said. Always present the card so that the print is the correct way up for the receiver. You can get bilingual cards (Japanese on the reverse side) done quite quickly at local printers for about Y3,000 for 200 cards, but prices will vary!

Alien Registration
For many, one of the biggest pains of life as a foreigner in Japan is the Alien Registration. It wouldn't be so bad if the government didn't insist on a fingerprint (right index finger only) as verification; many foreigners feel as though they are treated as criminals. It is now a small card with photo and fingerprint, and you are supposed to carry it with you at all times. The Alien Registration is only necessary for those staying longer than three months. You must register at your local council offices within 90 days of entry, so its not an urgent thing. In a way it is quite interesting to see the bureaucrats at work in another country. You will need your passport, as well as proof of address and proof of employment, which your professor will help organise (are you beginning to realise that not only are you as helpless as a lost child, but you are in constant need of a baby sitter?). You must relinquish your Alien Registration card at passport control when you leave Japan.

Local information
Many Japanese City and Ward offices now have free bilingual guidebooks of the local town. These are extremely useful for foreigners because they abound with information on local public utilities such as gas, water, electricity (100V in Japan), what to do in an earthquake, transportation, education facilities, local clubs, sightseeing, public institutions (eg library), doctors and other medical facilities, and so on.

Special services for the foreign tourist
The Japan National Tourist Organisation (JNTO) offers a number of free services specially created to make a stay in Japan more interesting and rewarding. JNTO maintains three Tourist Information Centres (TICs): one at the New Tokyo International Airport (Narita), one in central Tokyo (see the Appendix for address) and one in Kyoto. They offer a wide range of English language tourist information on Japan, including current events and free maps and brochures.
For a closer look at home life, JNTO has organised a Home Visit System. Through this program it is possible to visit a Japanese family free of charge in any of 19 cities around Japan.
The Japan Travel-Phone Service provides information for foreign visitors having difficulty in communicating or who need information on places they want to see. This service is available from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm every day of the year.
Finally, the Explore Japanese Culture System provides visitors with information on facilities in 54 Japanese cities where the visitor can experience the excitement of Japanese cultural activities and events. A list of facilities is available at JNTO's overseas offices and at TIC and 'i' (information) offices in Japan. See the Appendix for telephone numbers.

Health insurance (kenko hokken) and medicine
You will have to pay insurance to the local city council. In your first year especially it will be cheap because it is rated according to your previous year's income, which you haven't had in Japan. You must get help from your professor to sort this out; it is very important to get this done as soon as possible. It is also possible to arrange health insurance through your sponsoring organisation before you leave for Japan.
All doctors and dentists in Japan have 'Western' style training, and are highly competent. It is not difficult to find a female doctor. At the dentist's, doctor's or the hospital, you will have to pay immediately after treatment. You should have your insurance card (hokken sho) with you, and you will pay about 30% of the bill. However, the charges are not as high as in other countries and much lower than in the USA for example. The charges will include the cost of a prescription. Thus, after that there is nothing you can claim for or need pay for. Even the smallest local general practitioner has a dispensary, so usually you will not need to go elsewhere for your prescription. Some items for dentistry are not covered by the local insurance.
Usually if you go to the doctor for some complaint, you will get a pretty good check over as well. Recommended periods of rest or stays in hospital are usually longer than would be the case in the 'West'. When you go to the doctor's surgery, no matter what your complaint, a nurse will take your temperature and pulse, and possibly your blood pressure. On all the visits to my local doctor I felt very well treated and in good hands. When I once suffered badly from diarrhoea, the local doctor gently insisted on two bottles of saline there and then, administered intravenously by a nurse. Most doctor's surgeries are open six days per week, with a mid-week day as holiday.
You do not need a referral from an ordinary doctor to go to a specialist, though of course they will help you to find who you need.
It is difficult to get the contraceptive pill in Japan, and some over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol are hard to obtain. If you get mild diarrhoea or have a bout of vomiting, I thoroughly recommend Seirogan, which you can buy from any chemist. They are small brown balls, one third creosote, the rest herbs, and work very well. They are very popular in Japan; I have used them a number of times over the last few years and can vouch for their effectiveness. I should say that it is very unlikely you will get sick from the food, as the hygiene standards in Japan are very high, and of course the water is drinkable everywhere.
Universities and companies have comprehensive health checks for all staff once a year. The checks usually include a chest X-ray (called Rent-o-jen, after Ršntgen) which you can decline.

Officials
The first golden rule to remember in Japan is that officials never bend the rules. The second golden rule is to remember that no matter how much fuss you cause because it all seems so stupid, it won't make any difference, and it is much easier in the end to just wait patiently. In other countries the officials can be far worse, and at least in Japan they get it done correctly without too much hassle. Very often they can be very pleasant and try their best in their unbending way. One of the times I went to Tokyo to renew my visa (an all day job) I had forgotten a vital piece of paper. The gentleman realised that I had come a long way and had waited in a queue for two hours, and went to the trouble of telephoning my university for confirmation. Although he was able to give me only a one-year visa rather than two years, I felt grateful and happy that he had gone to some trouble. Some other officials I'm sure would have made me travel back to Tsukuba to retrieve the document.

Driving and driving licence (menkyosho)
The Japanese drive on the left, and basic road rules are the same as in the UK and Australia, for example. In many parts of Japan the roads are very narrow, often without footpaths. Tokyo is especially full of very narrow roads. Much of Tokyo has speed limits of 40 kph, but with high traffic volume and narrow roads, I can't imagine that it is possible to go even that fast. Japan has expressways (speed limit 100 kph), but they are all tolled and very expensive. For example, to go to Tsukuba from central Tokyo costs Y600 on the Shuto Expressway, and then another Y1,500 on the Joban Expressway. That is about Aust$21 to travel just 60km!! Unfortunately, however, alternative roads are very slow, as there are no really good A-class road equivalents in Japan, just expressways and C-class roads. In small roads, look out for cyclists on the wrong side of the road; an especially dangerous practice by Japanese cyclists is swinging out to get around a parked car when cycling on the wrong side, straight into oncoming traffic! They also often come into the road from a side street without looking.
In some areas, especially Ibaraki, the drivers are maniacs, and they only stop at a red light when the traffic is moving on the green the other way. In Tokyo, driving is better, but then you don't really need to drive because of the superb train system. On a trip to Nara, I found the drivers were very good. On the expressways, some truck drivers can be very stupid, mucking about because they are bored with driving. I have often seen them driving at high speed one metre behind a car, swinging wildly from side to side.
You can use an international driving licence for up to one year in Japan; you can't use a home country licence as you can in the USA. This means a trip to the licence bureau, and if you are in a country town it will probably be centralised somewhere, inconveniently in another town two hours away by train. You can do nothing but grin and bear it and take the day off. No-one will mind, they've all been through it. One of the things that impressed me most about the ordinary Japanese is how they are so enduring of officialdom. Anyway, you will need to take your passport and your home country licence (and everything you can think of, including your Alien Registration) and sit through a two hour lecture on car accidents (and a few grisly slides) and not understand a word. But that doesn't matter as long as you do it.

Salary
Usually the salary is quite enough to live on and save money for trips. You should also get an accommodation allowance if you aren't in university housing (which is usually cheap). I can't imagine that any researcher in Japan will need to worry about covering their costs. In addition, for the first two years you won't be taxed. If you are taxed, then go with your professor to the administration and sort it out; there may have been a form not completed. There are taxation treaties between Japan and many countries, and you are not taxed in the 'host' country while you still may have tax liabilities in your home country. If you are worried about the implications of this then consult your taxation office before you go.

Return of expenses
If you paid for your airfare and shipped goods and there was an agreement to pay for these expenses, which there usually is, don't expect the return of this money too quickly. You may have to wait as long as two or three months. It is rather long I know but you can't hurry them up. If its a consolation, they will be very generous with the exchange rates and there is a good chance you will be paid much to your advantage. As another rule in Japan, it usually comes good, but in time.
Short term fellows should expect re-imbursement within the duration of their stay.

Structure of Academic Institutions
(a very basic summary)

State universities
By far the majority of large universities are state-run. They are not quasi-autonomous organisations as in the West, but are run a little like subsidiaries of a major corporation, although the Ministry of Education (Monbusho) would be the first to say that the state universities are very independent. Many directives come from Monbusho in Tokyo. All courses are approved by Monbusho, and once the teaching structure is set, it is very difficult to change. I once had some rather large tutorial groups and asked my Dean if I could split some of them into two to give the students a fairer deal. He sighed and said in a rather resigned manner that it would need approval from Monbusho and would take around three years! In other words, kindly forget about it and battle on. Thus, the regulations are very rigid, and no matter how silly they often seem, there is little that can be done in the short term. Be reassured that Japanese academics hate this system too. However, Monbusho's rationale in all this is that it maintains standards, which are very high. I have heard that from 1991 the role of Monbusho started to change, as they are gradually transferring the responsibility for curriculum planning to individual universities. This has apparently already occurred in Tokyo and Kyoto Universities (Japanese equivalent of Oxford and Cambridge).
The head of the university is the President (gakucho) and there are several Vice-Presidents responsible for different areas of university administration. Otherwise, administrative staff are non-academic, as one would expect. There is a very high ratio of administrative staff to academics; at Tsukuba it was close to 1:1. This reflects the large number of students there and consequent enormous amount of paper work generated. In the state system, staff are rotated frequently, often being sent to another university altogether. The two secretarial staff at our department were rotated every two years alternately, so that we had one new staff member every year. This can be refreshing but also frustrating, especially with the main administration area, where you have staff constantly learning the job. Some professors complain that they have to explain the same problem to a new person every year and usually end up knowing more about that bit of administration than anyone else. Otherwise, the structure of the various departments can be quite similar to Western style, with a Head of Department, Dean of Students, Dean of Postgraduates and so on. These leaders are also rotated often, usually having only a two-year tenure.
Funding of state universities is a disgrace, especially for research. Although many laboratory facilities are average, I was deeply shocked when I visited Tokyo University in 1987. The biology laboratories were filthy, under-lit, cramped, and students had postage stamp-sized areas on the bench to work on. The corridors were full of old equipment that was not allowed to be thrown out (the power of the administration). Academics appeared to be resigned to the situation, and the morale of the students seemed to be especially low. Many students were planning to leave the university system immediately on graduation and join industry. I should say that although Tokyo University has an incredible reputation for undergraduate teaching, the reverse is true for postgraduates. Very recently, the biology department was moved into new buildings, but I know that there are many other laboratories in Tokyo and other universities suffering from poor facilities. This was the subject of a TV report in Australia in 1991.
Other universities are as bad, and suffer from poor infrastructure and lack of modern equipment. A colleague on visiting the University of Nagoya and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, as well as universities in Osaka, reported appalling conditions. It is a sad comment that much of the content of university research in Japan is dictated by the equipment available, rather than by academic ideas and the search for knowledge.
In the state system at least, each professor gets a small amount of support for research running money every year, around Y800,000, from the university. Otherwise they can apply for research grants directly from Monbusho. This is set out more fully later.
In all universities, and many other buildings for that matter, you will find that internal maintenance is minimal or zero. Thus the walls were painted when the building was built, and not since then. No-one seems to notice that much except foreigners. A Japanese anthropologist explained that it is a residual 'wooden house mentality', left over from the days when wood didn't need much treatment anyway, and houses burned down often. This constant replacement of buildings is still going on, and in Tokyo houses are designed to last around 25 years, though often they are pulled down before then.
In 1992 the Japanese government finally decided to spend US$800 million on refurbishing the state universities, starting with new buildings for Tokyo University in 1992, Kyoto University in 1993 and then Tohoku University and others later. They will also increase research funding.

Private universities
These universities, of which there are a large number of greatly varying quality, have a basic structure similar to state universities. Although they are under Monbusho when it comes to how students are taught, they are far more autonomous than state universities. There are many excellent and famous private universities, Waseda and Keio for example. Another, the International Christian University (ICU), is famous for teaching literature, and is perhaps the best in Japan for learning both Japanese and English. There is a high foreign student level at ICU. Academics apply for research money the same as in the state universities.

State research institutes
These institutes, funded separately by different Ministries, are now almost all located in Tsukuba Science City. They are much, much better funded than the state universities and are positively luxurious in comparison. In addition, the researchers have no teaching responsibilities apart from PhD students, and need not spend as much time writing for research grants. If you want to get lots of good research done, these are the kinds of places to go.
One interesting state research institute is the large one at Okazaki, which is in a small town just off the Shinkansen line fairly close to Nagoya. I visited there in 1986. The biology building is very, very impressive indeed and the equipment second to none. However, I noticed that the corridors and laboratories seemed rather sparse on human beings. My guide explained that although the government is very happy to buy machines, they aren't happy about committing funds to long term employment of people. Thus, Okazaki has probably the most superbly equipped set of laboratories in Japan, but little work seems to be done there. I also asked about the location of the laboratories, because it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. My guide said that the top administrators in Monbusho decided they wanted a central facility in Japan. So they got out their compasses and found the exact centre of the main islands of Japan. The compass landed on Okazaki and that was that. A great comment on the mindlessness of some bureaucrats.

PERI, RCIUMO and OBI
There are some semi-public research institutes, such as the Protein Engineering Research Institute (PERI) and the Osaka Bioscience Institute (OBI) that are very well equipped and funded.
PERI is financed by the Japan Key Technology Center (which is in turn financed by MITI, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry) and fourteen private companies (two of which are subsidiaries of overseas companies). Given this source of funds, PERI research is mostly application oriented, although some basic work on improving techniques for looking at protein structure is being conducted. There is also research concerning new methods to analyse data bases and the production of new computer software for protein analysis. PERI aims to "...endeavour to be an international research organisation breaking through national and disciplinary boundaries".
Next door to PERI is the very prestigious OBI, which was built and is run by the City of Osaka. There are four departments: molecular biology, enzyme and metabolism, neuroscience and cell biology. Department heads are encouraged to apply for grants from both the public and private sector. Suntory (a large beer brewing company) for example, funds visits by staff to overseas laboratories. OBI, like PERI, also declares its international commitments. However, both institutes apparently have yet to mature, as there are few signs that English is used in any part of institute life, even though foreigners are working there. The organisation of the institutes follows the same strong heirarchy that is a facet of Japanese life, and although criticisms are 'encouraged' I am told they are not welcome.
The RCIUMO (Research Centre for the Industrial Utilisation of Marine Organisms) is part of "The Project of Provision for Research Basis" (whatever that means) and is being established by funds from the national government, local governments and private industry (25 corporations at last count). Two laboratories are being built at Shimizu (facing a warm current) and Kamaishi City (facing a cold current). Research is to centre on marine biotechnology.

Comparison to industry
A lot of research in Japan is done in industry. Laboratory conditions are superb, there are many well-trained technical staff in permanent positions available to help researchers, and funding is amazing. It is said that the annual R & D bill for Hitachi alone equals the total amount administered by Monbusho to university research, and the 'big three' (Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Toyota) spend more on research than the total administered by the government to all the universities and national research institutes! Of course, most of the research has practical applications in mind, and it is not easy for researchers to publish. But there is still a lot of basic research done in industry. Industrial organisations also realise the value of the knowledge held by academics in institutions, and often consult with them. It is possible for academics to get funding from industry too, which has few of the complications of funding from Monbusho (see later). However, private industry doesn't communicate widely and the secrecy that surrounds the activities of the laboratories is symptomatic of industry. One exception may be the Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences where there is outstanding basic research carried on.

Students and the education system
As everyone in the whole world seems to know, Japanese students work very hard indeed to enter university. After all, the university degree is the passport to a better life. However, the competition to enter a good university is extremely intense. Many don't make it even after several attempts. Thus parents push their children to study, study and study. This has often resulted in a child very well versed in mathematics, but completely socially inept. They also seem to miss out on a lot of the childhood things that I think they shouldn't. I'm taking a rather extreme view, as many children manage quite well, but they do seem to study too much at such a young age. The study can start even before kindergarten, so that the child can enter the best kindergarten and therefore have a better chance to enter the best primary school and so on, up the ladder. The thing is, that once they enter university, many students are so relieved that they then do nothing. This is encouraged by professors who feel sorry for them after their gruelling childhood. I must admit I feel sorry for them too, but sometimes I wonder if the professors aren't just being a little lazy themselves. In my old department, it was quite apparent that most students learnt very little in their first two years, it was impossible for them to fail and they just had a good time. Most of them 'majored' in their chosen extra-curricular activity!
Thus, at the junior level at least, it is possible that the Japanese standards at university can be below par, although of course medicine and other learning intensive subjects are of world standard. I was shocked one time to find that my second year students not only didn't have a textbook for their subjects, they also had no reading lists. Most of them used the library just for reading the newspaper. The professors expected them only to regurgitate their lectures. I once saw the academic record of one of my friends and was amazed to see a very long list of A's and one B. I asked how he managed to drop that one and he said he had been too busy to turn up to the course!
My first lot of students were so bad that I decided to fail around 35% of them and I gave only three A's out of 85 students. I thought that some of them would faint when they saw the results, and my younger colleagues in the laboratory criticised me sternly. However, the Dean of Undergraduates encouraged me saying that it was good that someone had decided to make a stand. It turned out that many professors wanted to change the system but had no courage to be the first (the nail that sticks out gets hammered down). As I was a foreigner on a fixed term, I would not come to any promotion grief. In this respect, Japanese are quite the reverse to us, and again it is their sense of democracy and equality. They are not willing to stick their necks out and change the system. However, they are very willing to support someone quietly on the side. The Dean was really quite a bit of a politician, he was changing a lot of things at the university, and was very strongly supported by the hammered-down nails.
Students at the senior level find it a little harder, but in their fourth year, when they do a kind of honours project, it is very hard work indeed. This tends to come as a bit of a shock after their junior years, and is a little unfair really. One crazy aspect is the choosing of PhD candidates. Unlike Australia and Britain, for example, where it depends on how well students do in their honours year, students in Japan must sit for their PhD exams during their honours year. Students are given exams in their specialist discipline, English and another foreign language, and an interview by the professors. Those that take the PhD exam often do a poor honours dissertation because of the time spent in preparing for the PhD exam. The best dissertations thus seem to come from those not entering a PhD! The students have no chance to see if they have any ability in research before being tested for entry to a PhD course. I must say that this directive from Monbusho is one of the most brainless I have come across. Needless to say the professors also find it ludicrous and are actually trying to change it, but it could take ten years they said.
PhD training lasts five years and is similar to the USA, with a considerable amount of course work during the first two-year probationary period. A Master thesis must be written at the end of the second year. It is quite possible to do a PhD based on papers only, called a 'paper-doc', in which I recall that of the required ten papers, half must be in international journals. At national universities PhD theses are examined 'in-house', with the candidate's supervisor being the main examiner and having considerable sway. I cannot see that such a system can promote excellence in research, as supervisors are unlikely to fail their own students.

RIKEN, ERATO and the Japanese View
of Basic Research
(Adapted from part of A. Kennaway's commentary in Nature 355:198-200, 1992)

It is well known that Japanese companies have a different view towards commercial innovation compared to other countries. To a far greater extent than elsewhere, they are intellectually independent, and their research workers work on practical applications as well as fundamental research. Japanese research leaders in general possess the ability to encourage new science with a long term view, knowing that if it were to become successful it would result in novel commercialisable, useful and profitable technology and products.
This sort of attitude has helped shape the structure of two government research programs, RIKEN and ERATO. Because the Ministry of Education controls half the public spending for science, which is spread rather thinly among the several hundred universities, the scientific community has sought other ways to fund science. The Science and Technology Agency, which reports to the Cabinet, directly funds RIKEN laboratories (the acronym stands for Institute of Physical and Chemical Research). The laboratory does not fund or look for good projects per se, but seeks outstanding research leaders who are highly innovative. Such people tend to be young PhDs who may work in government institutions, universities or private companies, and who are invited to work at RIKEN and are funded for five years. They are given total freedom to choose their projects and can find between five and ten young research workers. The group leader is given basic funding, but once settled on a line of work is given much more, and may invite an equivalent number of workers on a short term basis from Japan or abroad. The laboratory is deliberately multi-disciplinary and no boundaries exist to prevent different groups in different areas from working together. After five years the team is disbanded. Although it is an object of RIKEN to see that at least a third of its fifty groups are productive (that is useful results emerge from good work) its primary objective is to turn out highly motivated, experienced researchers who will go on to work elsewhere.
The second set of programs, ERATO, operates similarly in most respects except that the work is done at universities rather than at a special institute.
One of the most striking features of Japanese science is that it strives to look beyond the narrow confines of a specialist discipline; it strives to broaden its approach to embrace the humanities and general culture. Everyone in authority says that they have no difficulty in persuading the taxpayer to fund pure science, even in the expensive worlds of astronomy and physics, adding that this fulfils a basic curiosity to find out the origins of life and the Universe.
Thus, in some situations, research scientists in Japan are not handicapped by funds or constraining attitudes that impose timetables and topics. There is a general very healthy attitude to basic research in Japan that doesn't exist as much elsewhere. There is also a great respect in society for teachers and researchers who have made the mental leaps necessary to be at the forefront of research. In other countries academics are low on the prestige scale because they are judged by the amount of salary they are paid, rather than how they think and what they do. The Japanese attitude is thus a refreshing change, and academics in Japan really feel they are contributors to the national future.

Working in the Laboratory

Welcome party
My guess is that fairly soon after you arrive your colleagues will give you a welcome party, which may even be in the laboratory. In Japan, people tend to keep work and family separate, so your family may not be invited. However, many academics in Japan have spent time overseas and have a good idea of how foreigners think. All the same they may ask your family to come. You will just have to play it by ear. I should say that if your family came to such a party and they weren't expected, no-one would be put out by it. They seem to be a flexible lot. I think Japanese parties are great, with lots of little interesting things that I'll let you discover for yourself.

Interactions with colleagues
In the end, living in Japan is just like living anywhere, there are daily routines and obligations that are the norm of human life. In this respect, working with Japanese academics and students is much the same as anywhere, taking into account their special way of politeness and deference to elders and teachers. As an academic in Japan you will be highly respected. Academics have high status in Japan, and everyone who knows you are so will call you Smith-sensei (teacher) rather than Smith-san, as a sign of respect.
In the laboratory there will be probably be tea-time, at least in the afternoon. Everyone is usually very relaxed, kind and helpful. They will appreciate your attempts at the Japanese language and won't mind at all if you make a terrible mistake. I said to a pretty young lady once "sawatte kudasai" instead of "suwatte kudasai". The difference is very small in speech but I said please touch me instead of please sit down! Of course, everyone laughed. The Japanese don't really tell jokes but like to play on words a lot, so they enjoy this sort of mistake. They definitely aren't laughing at you and I hope you can tease them back when they attempt English.
You will find that most professors can speak very good English. It is likely many of them have spent periods overseas, perhaps as post-doctoral fellows, so they know the system well and will know what you expect. I can virtually guarantee that they will try their best, even if it may not seem like it sometimes.
Perhaps the most difficult part of dealing with Japanese academics is that, as in most of Japan, almost all decisions are made on a consensus basis. For example in Australia or the UK the simple matter of authorising a change of course for a student would be dealt with in minutes by the Dean. In Japan, this decision would be made by committee, and although the committee would always vote according to the Dean's advice (and therefore in reality not requiring the committee at all) a consensus must be seen to have been made. This is a very important part of the process of Japanese administration, and frustrating as it can be for a foreigner, it will not change. The professors often complain bitterly about too many meetings, but in many respects they are also the propagators of the system.
There are perhaps three points to keep in mind.
1. Japanese people can be very shy, especially students, who seem particularly frightened of foreigners. They will rarely come to ask you for help or if they can offer you help in any way. Only those scientists who have had extended periods overseas will come forward and communicate directly with you. This means you must go to them. Never hesitate to ask questions - you will be astounded at how they will bend over backwards to help you once you ask. Please don't sit and wait for them to come to you. You have to be the initiating partner in this relationship.
2. Japanese may specifically answer questions that you ask, without thinking about giving you extra information that you may take for granted in your own culture. For example, a colleague asked if there was a spectrophoto-meter with a temperature-controlled chamber for cuvettes, and was told there was. When fronting up the next day with all the reagents ready to go he was told that it was not possible to use the machine because it was reserved for students for the ensuing two weeks. Thus the question before had been if such a machine existed, not that it was wanted for use. In English speaking culture it is implicit that the enquirer is considering using the machine and the answer would be that yes it exists but if you want to use it then ... etc. Clearly in some Japanese minds there is no link to these separate ideas of possession and intended use.
3. If you have a strong English accent then you may not be well understood. Speak slowly and carry a notepad to write down keywords. Japanese can usually read much better than they can hear. I have a southern British accent and was fortunately well understood, but some American friends and a Scottish friend had great difficulty at times. In understanding Japanese pronunciation of English, see the section on Japanese Language.

Joining in
Japanese are a very fun-loving and social lot, and do lots of things together. Even though it is tough at times when you can't understand what is going on, please grin and bear it, and join in. Force people to speak to you in English. In my laboratory we had Japanese days, to help improve my ability, and English days to help theirs. Sometimes you may have to be a bit pushy, but if you do it with a smile on your face, it works! There will doubtless be many parties. Usually the students do the organising and clearing up, but you will be asked to contribute according to your status. Professors usually pay around five times as much as a student. A post-doctoral fellow around twice. Students usually have a very low income.

Friendships
I have heard many people say that it is hard to make friends with Japanese people, and that of course they are polite, but they are very reserved and never make deep friendships with foreigners. In other words, they are somewhat xenophobic. This is all rot. Japanese put on the same manners equally to all strangers, be they other Japanese or foreigners. Its just that most foreigners don't notice this and also don't stay long enough for deep friendships to develop. Japanese friendships are usually kindled in long term togetherness, such as at school and at university. Thus deep friendships come only over long periods of working or studying together, and usually only with peers. Again, the sense of respect to elders precludes the use of familiar speech with them, and it is hard to make deep friendships with people out of your age group. It is very complex and I don't pretend to fully understand. In Tsukuba, it was easily one year before I could say that I had made one or two good friends, but after three years I knew and felt that I had friends for life. It grows slowly but very surely indeed.

Koza
One of the problems with the national university system is that it divides research into small, strongly heirarchical, independent groups called koza, based on an old German system. These are usually headed by a professor, with an assistant professor, one or two research assistants, and a following of research students. Each koza has its own budget for research, and there is often very little communication or interaction between koza. Some professors can be very dominant in this situation, though often they take on a very fatherly figure. In respect of the latter I noticed how very concerned the professors were for the welfare of their students. However, it can be very frustrating for bright young researchers who are stuck under the dictatorial (even if outwardly benevolent) leader of their group. Many scientists are in their forties before reaching independence.
I was surprised to see staff in their early forties only just taking on the responsibilities of lecturing. This has pluses and minuses. The younger staff have more time for research, but the students only get the older professors for their lectures. I feel that the enthusiasm of youth would spill over onto undergraduates if the younger academics were allowed to lecture. At Tsukuba I was the youngest lecturer in the Institute at age 36 when I started there. I really felt that the students appreciated a younger lecturer, and they told me that they could communicate with me more easily because of my age.

How do Japanese scientists think?
You may work with Japanese people for many years and still not really understand the underlying philosophy that motivates them and structures their way of thinking. I can say for certain that it is different to the West. Perhaps the enigma can be neatly summarised in part of a letter I received from Dr Maurice Venning of Invetech Operations Pty Ltd, Victoria, Australia: "...the perspectives of Japanese scientists are quite different from the approach of Western scientists. The Westerners, in studying a problem, tend to reduce it to its simplest factors and model this. The problems of this approach are clearly seen in our approach to economics today. The Japanese treat the problem as a black box which cannot be reduced to individual factors. Rather, they study the inputs to and the outputs from the black box, and over time become one with the black box so that they understand its reactions to inputs in an intuitive sense. This understanding is the fruit of a long term approach and cannot be taught through lectures or talks."
Please read the article by Dr Motokawa mentioned in the Prologue, it offers one view of the differences between Us and Them.

Students learn passively, not actively
From my observations of university teaching in Japan, students are generally not expected to think, but just regurgitate their notes. They are not necessarily encouraged to go to the library and read. One professor I shared a course with said that he knew he should recommend that the students buy an important text, but didn't mention it because he thought it was too expensive for them. I recommended it to them the next lecture and they all had a copy within a week. Quite a few of them said they had actually spent some time reading and could now understand the lectures.
This attitude extends to postgraduate training, where students seem to be expected to learn merely by watching rather than being actively taught. Thus, honours students and early postgraduates can be quite incompetent. It isn't that they are stupid, they certainly aren't, its just that they haven't been made to think for themselves. Perhaps this is why it seems that they waste an enormous amount of time in the laboratory and work very inefficiently, they are just quite at a loss as to what to do. Perhaps I'm generalising too much, but I'm sure you will observe this 'effect' in some laboratories.

Women in science
Much as I prefer to think of the scientist as neuter, women can encounter special problems in Japan because of the strong male dominance. As in all countries, women are in a minority in science and academic life in general. However there is about an equal ratio of men and women students. In my department at Tsukuba, there were two women academics out of about thirty, but forty percent of PhD students were women. Let us hope that the future brings more equal opportunity for women academics. There are a number of very highly respected women scientists in Japan.
I met only two foreign women scientists in Japan. One an Iranian just finishing her PhD at Tsukuba, and the other a post-doctoral fellow from India, who was working in Hokkaido and loving it. Both had taken a lot of trouble to learn Japanese and this had helped tremendously. From feedback given by two Australian women who have gone to Japan, it seems that the 'foreign-ness' overshadowed the 'female-ness' and they were treated as equals to the men. Both these scientists reported that the treatment of Japanese women scientists was not on an equality basis. I have heard that foreign women who are fluent in Japanese are treated as Japanese women, and expected to make tea and do the clearing up. However, in my laboratory at Tsukuba, the male and female students equally shared the tasks of tea-making and party preparation, and the clearing up afterwards. Sometimes even the male junior professors would make tea for all. I never had the feeling of female inequality in this respect, but perhaps I couldn't see it, being a male. I would very much appreciate more details from women scientists who have travelled to Japan to include in future editions of this booklet.

The checking of manuscripts
For post-doctoral and visiting fellows, there is very little expected of you that would be different from your home country. There is one exception, and that is the checking of manuscripts. Nowadays, most serious researchers in Japan publish in English, preferably in an international journal. You can appreciate that having a native speaker of English present in the department is too tempting, and you will receive many requests for English correction of manuscripts.
My experience has been that papers written by professors are good in both science and English, and you will not need to do too much. But look out for manuscripts from postgraduates or inexperienced post-doctoral researchers. And especially with postgraduates, make very sure that their professor has already read and corrected the manuscript, especially for the science. Don't rely on the word of the student, go and ask the professor. This may seem untrusting but some students can be a little devious. This should save you a lot of time (I wasted a lot of mine). I eventually refused papers from students unless their professor had signed the front of the manuscript saying he or she had read it.
Generally, postgraduates papers will have mistakes in the science and you are morally obliged to point these out. Major points to look out for are lack of controls and misuse of statistics (and connected with this, few if any replicates). If these are particularly bad go and see the student and professor together without wasting too much time on the English. You will get a feel for this after a few papers. I was averaging around three or four papers per month because I belonged to the largest state university biology department in Japan. I hope you get far fewer than that. What I do recommend is that you rarely refuse to look at a paper. It may seem a waste of time (it often is) but you can gain a lot of Brownie points. You can also get a good idea of the research going on in your department and meet other researchers you may not have done any other way. It is a very good way of becoming known in the department. Of course you have the right to refuse, but in the long run you will gain, because there are going to be many occasions when you need someone to help you with the Administration or for translating your research grant application into Japanese. Another nicety is that you will get a present for doing it. I got so much whisky and cognac that I had to give it away to the students in my laboratory (earning many Brownie points!). At one stage the papers were getting to be too much and I decided to charge Y1,000 per page, not because I wanted the money but just to put them off. It didn't work but I made a lot of yen. However, I never dreamed of charging anyone in my laboratory group for such a favour. Believe me they will do you many more favours.
One possible problem you will find with papers is that the authors don't attempt to explain the phenomenon they present, they don't really put the research into context, and they don't attempt to make hypotheses on the basis of the research. This is very much to do with the Eastern philosophy of life, and is explained very comprehensively by Tatsuo Motokawa in his article 'Sushi Science and Hamburger Science' (see Prologue).

There is no such thing as technical support
Unfortunately, there is no technician system in Japan. Professors use students and young post-doctoral equivalents as 'slaves' to keep the laboratories going (I'm not joking). You must do all the work yourself. It means that your research may very well take two or three times longer than in your home country. Please allow for this. Let me give you an example. I do a lot of electron microscopy, and in Australia I use well-run and serviced microscopes, which are always ready when I arrive. After I have taken my pictures I walk away and return the next day for my negatives and proof prints. In Japan my first job in the morning was to go down to the microscope room and turn on the machines, turn on the cooling water, prepare the darkrooms, make sure I had enough film and load that into cassettes and put these into the machine and pump it down. Then off for a cup of tea and wait for the vacuum. If I was lucky, within 30 minutes or so there was enough vacuum for an electron beam, providing there was still enough liquid nitrogen for the cold finger. If not, then it was another hour or so getting that. After viewing and photographing my samples it was another hour or so developing the negatives and loading up more film into the desiccator to pump down overnight. Later that day I could print the negatives in our group's darkroom. It thus took the whole day for something that takes me only one hour at the Australian National University because of the excellent technical support. Although the facilities I am able to use in Australia are perhaps exceptional even by 'normal' standards, I give you this example as a way of explaining how much more time may be needed to do things in Japan.
The lack of technicians is in most part the result of poor funding and the unwillingness of grant-giving bodies to fund for personnel. In addition, as grants are generally given within the financial year, money is available for use for only part of the year, and it is difficult to employ anyone under such conditions, especially in Japan where people are used to the concept of permanent employment. More details are given in the section on getting a research grant.

Conferences and travel money
You should be able to get support for a conference and there should be special funds for travel expenses; it depends a great deal on your situation. Again your professor can help.
I found that national conferences are a bit meek, but they are great venues for making contact with people in your field, of course. The whole thing is generally treated as a bit of a holiday by many, though they are very conscientious about turning up to the lectures and dressing smartly.
For some reason, posters are not taken very seriously, and although quite a few people make the effort, very few academics come and read them. This is a shame, as poster sessions are of great value at conferences.
Although most if not all of the lectures at a local conference will be in Japanese, the slides are usually in English, and it is quite possible to grasp the general gist of what is going on. If you are to give a talk, remember to speak much more slowly than usual because often their English listening skills are much worse than their written, and allow for that in your time slot.
There is always a great banquet after, and try to get one of those square wooden sakŽ bowls as a souvenir.

Laboratory supplies and central services
In your home country, you may be quite accustomed to popping down to your department store for something like Petri dishes, purchased on a chit, or using stores from other parts of the university for all kinds of items. In Japan, the store system doesn't exist. Usually, laboratory supply company sales people regularly visit your laboratory and ask if you have any needs. You can call them, or someone from your laboratory will for you, and the item can be there very quickly if you need it to be. It is very unlikely that the sales people will be able to speak English. There is quite fierce competition so they can offer a good service, except price. Research items in Japan are inordinately expensive, and you must go through an agent for your purchase. You are not able to purchase directly from overseas. Some items may be three or four times the price you pay for them in your home country. Research items are also taxed, unlike many other countries, although the tax is quite low. The reason for the high prices is the inordinate number of middle-men in the Japanese wholesale system. This is what keeps all prices high in Japan. The actual payment of the goods is handled by administrative personnel at the university, so you won't actually have to hand over the cash! You will also be given regular updates of your account balance.
At your home country department you may also be accustomed to using professionally-run central facilities such as a photographic department, a car pool that may include off-road vehicles for field trips, a workshop where ad hoc equipment may be made, well-run greenhouse facilities that may include managed growth cabinets, and so on. Very few or none of these things exist in Japanese universities and research institutes. At Tsukuba University, they did at least have a central liquid nitrogen and helium facility, though they had no delivery service. Many were the times I had to push our liquid nitrogen containers the half kilometre round trip over bumpy pathways and roads to get a refill! Thus, in research Japanese-style, you must be prepared to do everything for yourself.

Health and safety
It may be fine where you go, but it is very likely that you may find disregard for even completely obvious do's and don't's. Recently I wrote a short ditty about my experiences for my Research School Newsletter. I reproduce it here for your interest and (I hope) amusement.

Mini Essay: Cake and Cockroaches in a Japanese Laboratory

Do you remember the good old days when you could sit with a nice hot, steaming cup of tea on the bench next to the tubes, when you could work uncramped by ill-fitting, grubby labcoats, when you could tackle a problem with your buddies over lunch with your feet up on the centrifuge? Thought that sort of life was over since the 'Health & Safety' came along? Well, if you miss those relaxing things in life, go and work in a university in Japan.
As we all know, in British and Australian laboratories nowadays, to even think of a sandwich in the laboratory could earn the wrath of the Health and Safety Executive, but in Japan there are tea breaks (called O-san-ji, or literally: honourable three o'clock), frequent parties, and the postgraduates shove over all the nasties in the fume cupboard and cook their dinner there when they work late. All this and no need to look over your shoulder in case someone sees you without your laboratory coat on. In the laboratory next to mine where I worked, staff and students were quite happy to stand next to the ultrasonic cleaner without ear protection: perhaps it shook the wax out of their ears! And many didn't wear gloves, it seemed more obvious for them just to wash afterwards. Even those who did use gloves seemed to wear them all day, so that the chemicals they were 'protecting' themselves from were quite happily spread over door knobs, drawer handles and light switches.
Perhaps the most dangerous thing I saw was a student weighing out the yellow radioactive powder uranyl acetate on an open bench. If this fine powder becomes suspended in the air and subsequently breathed in, the results would almost certainly be cancerous.
I did manage to get all the people in my group to weigh out the nasties in the fume cupboard (they call it the 'drafto') but was unable to convince them to stop cooking or boiling the kettle in the fume cupboard next to the open osmium waste bottle, or get them to wear laboratory coats. I also managed another small success: catching all the cockroaches with those magic little sticky boxes (they call them cockroach hotels) that use no insecticide, just a beefy-smelling bait in the middle of a sticky pad. We filled three boxes in three nights. After that I worried less about the cockroaches that may have crawled over the plates and cups, having previously crawled over all the dusty parts in the laboratory or maybe even through the fume cupboard and then on through the biscuit box . . . need I go on? Another concession was to get the smokers to stand next to the fume cupboard so that some of those noxious fumes left the room.
In contrast to this somewhat cavalier attitude, in Japan virtually no chemicals are disposed of down the sink, but carefully stored and later removed by specialist companies. Even photographic chemicals are disposed of in this way. There are heavy metal detectors in all the main waste pipes. All chemicals are stored in closed cupboards; in fact just about everything is behind glass or metal doors. I hadn't thought much about this except that it was a bit awkward at times. Then we had a rather nasty earthquake and I discovered why. As an added precaution acids and valuable chemicals are kept in 'pots' with magnetic bottoms that stick to the metal shelving.
Of course, as a highly responsible member of our health conscious scientific community, I was appalled by the attitude and practices that I saw, though I should say that some individuals were more conscientious than others. The point is that there appeared to be no official, or at least no enforced rules on safe laboratory practice there.
Apart from all this, my biggest problem was that all the benches in Japan are still made to a size meant for midgets. This may be alright for the cleaning ladies, who seemed to have a compulsory height limit of 1.5 metres for their profession, but no good for us lesser mortals brought up on fish and chips, and no good for the youth of Japan (brought up on sushi and seaweed) who all seem to be taller than me anyway. So I got backache. Now I would tell you about my experience with the Acupuncture and Moxi-combustionist, but that's another story that still brings tears to my eyes!
I must admit I got quite used to the idea of having tea and cake in the laboratory (the morsels were often delicious) and the students did all the tea-making and preparation to save us privileged teachers the effort. But one day, during a pause in the conversation, I chanced to glance up at the pipes overhead, and I swear I saw cockroach footprints in the yellow dust . . .

Omiyage (souvenir)
This is a very important aspect of Japanese life and culture. It has developed into an important and lucrative industry. When you visit another laboratory or someone at their house, it is very important to bring omiyage. If you are say, visiting a Tokyo laboratory from Kyoto, then it is customary to bring a local Kyoto delicacy, usually a sweet or small edible thing. For this kind of occasion (ie visiting another laboratory) you should always take a small packet of delicacies. They are available at stores and almost all railway stations and are very hard to miss. It doesn't matter what you bring, it is the bringing that is important. Japanese will very much appreciate this kind of thing from a foreigner, because they don't really expect it I guess. If you visit a professor's house, then take the usual kind of things we do here. I once took a huge bunch of flowers for the wife of a professor and she thought I was very wonderful indeed. Many Japanese have very romantic notions about Europeans, so a bunch of flowers works wonders.

Working hours
Unlike the stories one hears of Japanese 'salarymen' working 'til the wee hours every night, professional staff at universities seem to be much more sensible. In my old laboratory at Tsukuba, most of the professors turned up around 9.30 to 10.00 am, in time for morning coffee in the laboratory or common room. They would probably work until 7.00 pm, and usually turn up for Saturday mornings. My official hours were 8.30 - 5.00 and every second Saturday morning. In reality, as it seems everywhere, I worked the hours I wished. In my group at Tsukuba, students tended to work late, often to midnight, and all day Saturday until 6.00pm, but Sunday was rest day. However, I think they tended to put the hours in but didn't put much into the hours. They worked very inefficiently and weren't always very motivated. It was almost as if they knew they would get their degree just by being there.
There were one or two strong regulations for academics. The first was that all professors must be present on the first day of the academic year, and on the first day back after summer break, unless officially excused for a sabbatical. This means that for foreigners they must be back from vacation. There is no way of sneaking it, because the university receives your departure and arrival details from Immigration. You must be careful about this as it could mean nasty things.
University years are a bit odd, as the academic year starts in April, they have a short term, and then break for the summer, recommencing in early September.

Dress
If you are just working in the laboratory, then it is fine to wear whatever is appropriate. Japanese academics are not particularly formal on an everyday basis. Ask your colleagues or just see what they wear. If you teach you may like to dress a little more smartly, but I never wore a tie for classes and in a way this helped to communicate with the students by making classes seem less formal. No-one would have said anything if I had worn jeans, I'm sure, and in the laboratory jeans seem to be the best to wear.
At more formal occasions, like a party with the University President, then please dress well. You can never be overdressed in Japan, so if you are not sure then overdone is better than underdone.

Getting and Managing a Research Grant

If you are able to, I recommend you try to get a research grant from Monbusho. If anything, it is an interesting experience. I recently wrote another small contribution to my Research School Newsletter on this subject, and reproduce it below.

Mini Essay: Research in Arrears

When you next whinge about the miserable state of research grants in this country, spare a thought for those trying to do research in Japanese universities. In the grant system in Australia, it is quite possible to plan ahead for as long as a grant lasts, say three or even five years, and you can offer employment to post-doctoral fellows, research fellows and technical assistants. In other words, you can develop strategies in your research and plan over the medium or even long term. Now take a deep breath and sit down, because what I am about to tell you will not only make your hair rise (singular hair in my case) but will make you extremely grateful for what you have.
In Japan, all government research grants to universities are ultimately controlled by the Ministry of Finance, which decrees that all bodies it funds must tie up their financial affairs every year within the financial year. For university researchers (state and private universities alike) the grants are mostly controlled and dished out by Monbusho, the Ministry of Education.
Let me tell you what happens in any particular financial year, which starts in April. Sometime in May, Monbusho notifies the universities that researchers can apply for grants and send for forms. The applications are reviewed by peers and successful applicants notified around mid-July. It is very hard not to get a grant because of the Japanese sense of democracy, but this means that most people get very small grants of perhaps Y1,000,000 (about Aust$10,000). It is rare that anyone gets what they ask for. In late July or early August, the money arrives. However, in the following January a directive from the administration arrives, stating that the financial year will be ending soon, so all funds must be spent by the last week of February. This gives them a month to get everything ready for the new financial year. About the same time, a request arrives for a report on the research work done, including a list of publications!
When this first happened to me I was mortified. So I turned to my colleagues for advice. It was a shame they hadn't volunteered it earlier. It turns out that although they can't change the system they hate, they have managed it quite well. For a start, they only apply for money for work they have already done. So they have no problems in writing their final report with list of publications. As for having no money for half the year, most researchers make 'arrangements' with their usual suppliers to supply a large bill for a phantom purchase, say nine hundred million Gilson tips, and then during the year they can gradually erode this 'credit' with purchases. This works well, but it does mean that the money is tied up with one or several suppliers and there is less flexibility for other purchases.
The university system in Japan doesn't allow for technical posts, and because of the system of grant awards, there are also no technical assistants on 'soft' money either. Thus, professors use honours and postgraduate students as 'slaves'. When I wanted to use some spare grant money to employ a technical assistant in the laboratory, I was advised to seek out a local housewife! There is no post-doctoral fellowship system, except those funded by various bodies for exchange with other countries, such as that organised by the Royal Society in the UK and the AAS in Australia with (eg) the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science. So the only real post-doctoral fellows are foreigners.
I should say that the scene is a little different in the non-university research institutes directly funded by separate ministries (eg the Ministry of Agriculture) where the researchers are given very generous and continuous funding, and much better, well-equipped laboratories. However, in industry the story is almost fairytale. Laboratory conditions are superb, there are many well-trained technical staff in permanent positions available for researchers, and funding is amazing. And of course they are not confined to the financial year strait-jacket of university research. It is said that the annual R & D bill for Hitachi alone equals the total amount administered by Monbusho to university research, and the 'big three' (Hitachi, Mitsubishi and Toyota) spend more on research than the total administered by the government to all the universities and national research institutes!
Having said all this I would hate to put off anyone with ideas of working in Japan. My three years there were very wonderful indeed, and, believe it or not, I did get some research done. I also made life-long friendships. With everyone getting about the same level of funding, there seems to be a promotion of collaboration and sharing not always seen everywhere. Perhaps I'm mistaken, after all the Japanese are a very kind, gentle and generous people, but the lack of intense monetary-based competition seems to lead to a kind of we-are-all-in-this-together attitude, rather than being at loggerheads for funds. And although this may not necessarily be healthy for innovation in science, it is a comradeship that is hard to define but is there all the same, and I liked it a lot.
Please try Japan if you get the chance, you can do nothing but gain from the experience, and it will certainly make you appreciate some of the things 'back home'.

Interactions with Administrative Staff

Most administrators have to follow strict guidelines for their work, so the officials you meet at university and elsewhere are just administering regulations made by others. However, as I have mentioned earlier, they are usually very inflexible. For example, at the post office I once had to remove articles from a parcel that was just a few grams over the ten kilogram limit; I was one day late in renewing my driving licence at the local police station, and despite my declaration that I had been sick they insisted I go to the centralised office in Mito, two hours away by car up the highway. These kind of things can be very frustrating indeed, but you must bite your lip because (believe me) they will not bend, and causing a fuss won't help. You've guessed that I have tried all kinds of things to no avail.
At the university, administrators tend to treat people according to how they think their status is (I experienced the same in the USA). If you wear clothes like a student, then there is every chance they will be impolite and impatient. This is nothing to do with you being a foreigner. If you wear a suit then they may be very polite indeed. If your Japanese becomes good enough, there is nothing wrong in putting impolite administrators in their place. Generally though, you should have no trouble. I cannot emphasise enough that patience is a virtue.
Because administrative staff hold the purse strings and other areas of responsibility sensitive to academics, they hold quite a lot of power, and they certainly know it. They are never unfair, but can keep you waiting or be very fussy about the complete correctness of form-filling.
There are ways and means to work around the system, and a lot of this depends on the administrators having the correct piece of paper filled out in the right places. It doesn't matter what is written on the paper, as long as it is completed. Let me give you an example from my own experience as a way of dealing with what may sometimes seem to be bloody-mindedness.
I had been invited to the University of Western Australia to give a seminar. It was during the summer break and I had decided I would go via Singapore to visit friends and also to stay in Perth for about three weeks to talk to some researchers in my field and have a bit of a holiday. I was paying for the whole trip but decided that as there was an 'official' aspect then I could apply for formal leave rather than vacation leave. So I duly filled out the leave form in much the same way as I would here with just the minimum of detail. The whole thing was thrown back at me. The clerk in Administration not only wanted to know my complete itinerary of movements in Perth, but wanted to know why I was staying in Singapore for three days on the way. I was more than a little incensed that a young whipper-snapper in the office should poke his nose into my affairs. Naturally, my colleague and good friend Prof Inouye came to the rescue. He said that I must complete the forms properly, and that the clerk was not interested in what was written, just that everything seemed to be properly accounted for in university time, which is what my visit was. So he wrote that the airline connections forced me to make a stopover in Singapore, and what a wonderful opportunity this was to take advantage of their world renowned Singapore University Library. In Perth I was to spend a good deal of time communicating with other researchers in my field and also spend time in the library because of Western Australia's incredible number of endogenous plant species, etc etc. I also had to include the letter of invitation from UWA, which was no problem of course. This was all quite happily accepted. The point is, you must tell them exactly where you will be and what you will do, and it must be seen to be academic; you are not allowed to mix business with pleasure. The one problem with this system is that if you decide to go somewhere else and it is not written on your itinerary held by the university, you'd better not have an accident. If they find out in some way that you are not where you are supposed to be, which they can do from Immigration if you go to another country, then you may lose your job. Its very much like Big Brother and very few Japanese academics like it, but try and argue about it with Monbusho.

Everyday life, Culture and Language

I don't want to say too much here, as you will enjoy discovering many fascinating little things about Japan yourself, but there may be some things not so obvious when you first move to Japan, such as the existence of the Co-operative (as they have in the UK), and other information, such as how to enter a Japanese house, that you may not find in a travel guide.

Gifts
The Japanese are great gift givers, and the foreign visitor (especially the short term visitor) can create much goodwill with the simplest of small presents, especially things from your home country not found in Japan. Even trivial things like university ties, plaques, tea towels, boomerangs and koalas for the children go down very well. They will say it isn't necessary, but will nevertheless appreciate your familiarity with local custom.

The Japanese home
When you first walk into a Japanese house, you will notice you are in a small area lower than the house floor. This area is called the 'genkan' and is where you remove your shoes. The idea is to step out of your shoes onto the house floor, don't step back onto the genkan floor or you will make your socks dirty. If you know the hosts well, it is fine to sit on the house floor and undo your laces, though you may find lace-free shoes more convenient. I use laced shoes but wear them loose! If you do wear laced shoes, why not try loosening them and tying a loose bow before you knock on the door? Then you will be able to make a very professional entrance to the house without fiddling with your laces.
A host will provide slippers, these will almost certainly be too small for men and if they are ludicrously uncomfortable it is fine to politely refuse them. I always do. If you are to enter a tatami room, you must remove your slippers anyway and just have stockinged feet. This is why it is important not to step on the lower part of the genkan in your socks. Tatami mats are about 4.5cm thick, 180cm x 90cm rectangles of igusa straw with a very fine weaved straw cover. They are very comfortable to sit on or sleep on in a futon. The 'futons' you can buy in Australia are nothing like Japanese futon!
Many houses now have part-Western, part traditional Japanese rooms, and there is every chance you will be offered a sofa to sit on. It is not that unusual to have an ordinary chair in a tatami room but people usually sit on the floor or on cushions.
For bath time (O-furo) you must soap and rinse yourself thoroughly outside the bath while sitting on a little stool, and then only when you are completely rinsed can you enter the bath, which is really used just to warm you up and relax. Never use soap in the bath. The same bath water is used by all so don't pull the plug out.
There are two kinds of toilet, the Western style and the squat (similar to those in parts of Europe). Most city houses have Western style nowadays, but in the countryside there are more squats. The university will have both types available. It doesn't take long to get used to squatting!

Food and goods
Golden rule: be adventurous. Japanese don't really go for ready-made foods as much as in other countries (USA for example). Most Japanese go to the market every day. This is as much out of necessity (lack of space) as in the desire for fresh food. The wife of one American researcher at Tsukuba complained that Japan was very primitive because she couldn't find anything to cook. It turned out that she had spent her whole life in the US going to the supermarket freezer and pulling out TV dinners for her family. In Japan, you must really cook! Japanese food is very healthy indeed. You may find prices high compared to your home country. My advice is don't compare but see how your food bill compares to your Japanese yen salary. Inflation in Japan has been very low for many years and prices have moved little. In 1980 there were 300 yen to the Australian dollar, but now only about 100 yen. So ten years ago Japan seemed cheap.
At the supermarket even a small knowledge of the Japanese syllabaries (Kana) will come in handy, although there will be many mysterious things. When I was first in Japan as a language student I tried many things, but got stomach-ache only once, from eating a seaweed that should have been used as a soup stock. I thought it had been rather tough to chew!
Rice is an interesting subject in Japan. The Japanese government refuses to import rice from the US for some good reasons. Japan is very limited in natural resources, and it is not about to give up its independence on its basic staple and become dependent on the fickle US for such a basic commodity. In the past this had certain disadvantages for the Japanese people. The Government once decreed that there should be at least a one-year supply of rice in case of emergencies, so Japanese people were always eating old rice, because the new rice went into store and out came the previous year's crop. This is not delicious at all. Nowadays, while Japan still has at least a one-year stockpile of rice, new rice is easily available and only a little more expensive than the old rice. Nowadays semi-polished rice is becoming very popular, and it is not hard to find brown rice. You can distinguish semi-polished rice because it has a small white spot on the grain. I re-commend you buy a rice cooker.
In Tokyo you can find shops that specialise in foods for foreigners, but at a price. If you really must have your daily bran, bring it with you from your home country.
Most shoe stores go up to a maximum of 28cm (about European size 44, British size 9.5) for men, which makes it very difficult to buy shoes for most Europeans. You will also find this limit at ski hire shops for ski boots. If you are an exceptionally tall or large person, you may have trouble getting clothes. For a comparison, I am a small size in Canada, a medium in the UK and Australia, but a large in Japan!
As for other things, I am still amazed whenever I go to some districts of Tokyo and see the incredible range of goods for sale. Some districts specialise: eg Akihabara for electrical and electronic things and Kanda for books, but department stores such as Keio, Mitsukoshi, Odakyu, Seibu, Takashimaya, Tokyu and Wako have a superb variety of goods. It seems there is nothing you cannot buy. Go to the Wako department store in Ginza and see Y2,000,000 - Y10,000,000 watches in an ordinary display cabinet.
The January Sales just after New Year are a bargain bonanza. Especially popular are department store 'Lucky Bags' that generally range in price from Y5,000 to Y100,000, though some are much more! The Lucky Bags are sealed so that the purchaser has no idea what is inside except that they are clothes if in the clothes department, and so on. The price label value of the goods inside the bags is usually three or four times the price paid, and most purchasers are happy to accept a few wrong sizes (which go to relatives anyway). One famous children's clothing store called Familiar has Lucky Bags according to age and sex, and are super bargains.

Flea markets, bazaars and sodai gomi
Nowadays there are increasing numbers of flea markets in Japan, usually held on Sundays. They are a great source of interesting souvenirs, cheap clothing and practical goods. If you have a growing family, look out for kindergarten fund-raising bazaars, which sell second-hand children's clothing at extraordinarily low prices. There are also certain times of the year when people throw out their big junk (sodai gomi). Japanese tend to throw out things that are only slightly worn out, and electrical things are often in excellent working order. If you look around in your local area at these times you may be able to pick up a good rice cooker for example. New Year is also a big cleanout time in Japan. If you don't know when to look out for sodai gomi, ask your neighbours "sodai gomi no hi wa, itsu des'ka".
In Tokyo, the Garbage Department has five recycle depots. At these places they have all kinds of sodai gomi displayed and they check that anything mechanical or electrical works properly. If you want something, you can put your name down and at the end of the month a lottery is drawn for each item, and the winner gets it free. Thus, if you are prepared to wait you can obtain some items for nothing (if you are in luck) and it can save you wandering around the district like a vulture!

Shopping hours
The main department stores generally open from 10.00 am to 7.00 pm, six days per week. They close one day in the week, but on different days to each other so that there is always a big store to go to every day. All stores are open on Sunday. Local markets and small supermarkets often open earlier and close later than the department stores. There are also some 24-hour stores.

The Japanese Co-operative
The Co-op usually delivers once a week, they have retail outlets in only very few places. You can easily join for a small fee. Ask your neighbours or friends. They sell great solid bread which is much better than the airy fairy stuff in the supermarket. The Co-op people choose many things that have been grown without insecticide spraying etc. They are very careful to get the best things and so sometimes the price is a little higher. They sell very good quality rice, and great potatoes from Hokkaido. You must order once a week, but two weeks in advance. The local Co-op members take it in turn to receive all the local members' goods, who come to that house to collect them. Its certainly a good way to get to know your neighbours.

Eating out
It is not as expensive as you might imagine, but expect high prices if you walk into classy restaurants in Ginza. Some of the best places to eat at reasonable prices are in the department stores, usually located on one of the upper floors. There are great noodle shops everywhere, and even in the back streets of Ginza you can find a cheap place to eat. At noodle shops please slurp with gusto! Most eating places are small and cosy and have quite realistic plastic models (with prices) of their main dishes on display outside, so you can see what they sell without knowing any Japanese and without having to enter first. At worst, you can lead the waiter or waitress outside and point to what you want, as I did many times before I learnt Japanese. They certainly won't mind. The institution food halls where you work will be cheap because they are subsidised.

Commuting
If you are in a large city and you must commute to work, it is much cheaper to buy a monthly or three-monthly pass, called teikiken. The Tokyo rush hour is very bad at certain times. As most office workers don't start particularly early, the best times are around 7.30 - 8.00am or after 10.00am. If you travel away from the direction of the city in the morning it should be less packed. Be careful not to get jammed in so far that you can't get out at your stop. If you need to, say lots of excuse me's (sumi masen) and push quite hard. At major stops, there is usually a huge exodus of people, so it is either easier to get out or to get a seat if you are continuing on. Most of the jamming occurs as people try to get on just as the doors are closing, so for slightly more room move away from the door area. A lady friend of mine said that there are some advantages to the packed trains because once the doors are shut she can let go of her shopping and it stays suspended there until the next stop!
All train stations have their names in Roman form on the platform, though the maps outside unfortunately don't. Each station has the next and last station names written up, with arrows pointing the way the train will go, and the train guard announces the next station over the loudspeaker system. It is thus really difficult to get lost, but if you do, anyone will bend over backwards to help you. If you know where you want to go but can't figure out the price of the ticket from the tables on the wall, just buy the cheapest ticket from the machine and have it adjusted at the fare adjustment office (seisanjo) at your destination. However, in Tokyo there are now many totally automatic stations with machines that allow you entrance and exit, and where it is better to have the correct ticket for exiting without problem.
It is not uncommon for women to be fondled on packed trains, though I don't know if foreign women are subjected to this kind of abuse.
Unfortunately, as in most countries, there is no provision for disabled people, and you will need to be reasonably fit as there are lots of stairs to climb up and down.

Cycling
Many people use the bicycle in Japan, and there is a lot of problem with bicycle parking, especially near train stations. Abandoned bicycles exacerbate this. In Tokyo and other large cities and towns, people tend to cycle on the footpath because the roads are so busy. Many small roads have no footpath at all, so if you cycle be especially careful. Taxi drivers tend to have little regard for cyclists and definitely won't give way to you. Even if the other person is at fault, it is better to give way than have a nasty accident. Motor scooter riders also often use the footpath, though it is illegal for them to do so. Many Japanese cycle on the wrong side of the road; don't let them force you out onto the crown of the road, make them go around you, because at least they can see the cars coming. In crowded places, cars will often pass you very closely, so please beware. Bicycle theft is one of the few crimes that you must be aware of, and if you have a good bicycle I recommend a strong lock and chain.
Bicycles can be rented at about twenty JNR (Japan National Railway) stations (half of these all-year-round) at reasonable rates. A list of these can be found in the Baedeker's Japan tourist guide and of course at any JNR, TIC or 'i' office.

Schools
If you have school-age children, then you will have to send them either to the local school or to one that specialises in foreign children (expensive). Some schools have special facilities for non-Japanese and you can get a list of these schools from the local Ward Office. Going to a local school can be an exciting time for kids if they have a positive attitude. Foreign children are very popular because they are different. It is very likely they will need a uniform. Schools often have silly regulations. For example in Tsukuba the local high school wouldn't allow girls to use racing style bicycles to school because it was 'unbecoming', but for boys it was fine. Schools usually play loud music for the children to exercise to, especially primary schools. It is always too loud. I have heard a primary school from several kilometres away. Very often local residents complain and can get irate, so don't think you are the only one who wants peace and quiet.

The electronically amplified voice
Many Japanese seem to have a fascination for loud-hailers, and use them at all opportunities. In fact, Japan can be very noisy. I have even seen a primary school teacher in the playground talking through a loud-hailer to a group of about ten small children sitting around him. Probably so he could be heard above all the other loud-hailers! In Tsukuba, the local meat market used to advertise by loud-hailer from a small plane that cruised over the tree tops, often at 8.00 am on Sunday mornings (Sunday is shopping day). I often mused about shooting the damn thing down, but did derive some satisfaction from abusing it at the top of my voice.

A passive people
The Japanese are very mild-mannered, and Japan is probably the safest country in the world. I'm not saying violence doesn't occur, but it is so rare as to be discounted. You will never need to be afraid. When I was visiting Japan in 1991, a vandalised telephone was a main news item on the 7.00 pm news. That gives you an idea of how infrequently such things happen.
This passiveness is very much a reflection of their ordered society. It is likely that the low incidence of violence and general mayhem has its foundations in a time when the whole family was punished for one member's misdemeanour. Even now, if one member of a family is guilty of a serious crime, the whole family can be ostracised by society. In 1989, a young man murdered several young children. Although he had personality problems and was a little peculiar, it was such an awful thing that no-one could possibly forgive him for it. His father was a printer, so he lost all his customers and would never get any more. One of the children was killed on their property, so they will never be able to sell it. The two sisters would never be able to marry. I heard that one had moved far away and changed her name, so she may have a chance for a new life. Thus, in any wrongful act in Japan, a person must consider not only the consequences to self, but also to family, and this probably keeps crime on a low scale. I like to think that the very high level of education is a contributory factor.
Of course, you must have heard of the Japanese gangsters, the Yakuza. They are not nice, though most are a nuisance rather than really dangerous. They do have one 'good' function though: they keep wayward youths off the streets by recruiting them and giving them a 'purpose' in life.

Body language and other things
Generally, people don't stand too close to each other when conversing, unless it can't be helped in a crowded place. This is especially important when meeting people for the first time. As there is usually no need to shake hands there is no need to draw close. On meeting, people usually bow a little. Sometimes you will see people almost bend in half. This is a sign of great respect or a kind of 'please do a big favour for me' type bow. I find it quite embarrassing when someone sticks their face in their knees, but after a while you can become accustomed to it. Many people who have interacted with foreigners will shake your hand in greeting. Some try to shake hands and bow at the same time, but this can lead to swapping of hair grease and should be avoided if possible!
If you need to apologise, don't do it with your head held high and/or looking the receiver straight in the eye. Lower your head and look downwards as you apologise, or the receiver won't believe your apology at all. The same body language goes for giving gifts.
Young people know that there are certain rude hand signs used by foreigners, seen in the movies. It is most likely that they don't realise the significance of these signs. As I have suggested below for rude words, assume they are innocent bystanders of the modern world, and if you have the chance, teach them.
You may notice that people don't throw things when asked to pass something, as Westerners may do amongst friends and colleagues. It is extremely rude to do so in Japan. My colleague asked to borrow an eraser, so I niftily threw it over to him and it neatly popped into his hand. I didn't notice at the time, but later a student explained to me that my colleague had become intensely angry with me over it, despite realising that I had no idea it was rude. He just couldn't help himself because it is such an ingrained thing in Japanese society.

Banking and money
Banks are similar to here, except that there are no grilles as you find in some countries. They have cash dispensers but they are not open 24 hours. In terms of paying for things generally, almost all Japanese use cash. There is no cheque system in Japan. However, if you want to purchase an expensive item from a department store or company and you don't want to bring cash, you can pay for it by using a furikae yoshi, which is a kind of credit slip for the item that you take to the bank to debit against your account. Once the company has been notified by their bank that the item has been paid for, its yours. Many things can paid for in this way. Utility bills can conveniently be paid by direct debit through your bank, although you can use furikae yoshi if you wish.
If you have a credit card you can use it in many places, although don't forget that the exchange rate given you by an overseas-based credit card company is never good. In eleven years I used my credit card only once in Japan. If you want to send money home you can get a bank draft easily at a cost of about Y2,500. In Tokyo banks, foreign exchange counters should have English-speaking staff, and their forms are bilingual.
The post office (yubin kyoku) is one of the most convenient places to have a money account, because in virtually every town in Japan you can withdraw money using your passbook, no matter how small the post office. This is very handy if you wish to travel without lots of cash. To open an account you'll need identity such as your passport, residential certificate (juminho), Alien Registration, and/or medical insurance card (hokken sho).

Using the telephone
For overseas calls you can dial direct if your telephone has been connected for it. The country codes are the same as anywhere, the UK is 44 for example, as you would dial from Australia. The code to access the international line depends on the telephone company your telephone is connected to. For example, if it is the KDD then dial 0011, or 0012 if you want a call back on duration and cost. Other companies have different access codes (eg 0041 or 0061).
All international operators speak excellent English, so if you need a connection or have an enquiry, there is no communication problem. Local operators may speak English in Tokyo or another large city, but don't count on it. Of course, telephone books are unusable for you unless you can read Japanese very well.
Don't consider having a telephone connected to your residence unless you will be staying for some time, because the initial costs are very high. It can cost close to Y100,000 to be connected, though you can take this 'membership' with you anywhere in Japan if you move.

Gas, electricity and toyu
Most Japanese homes use gas for cooking, kerosene (toyu) for heating, and electricity for most everything else. Because electricity is very expensive it is even possible to buy gas rice cookers. Kerosene heaters (toyu sutobu) have automatic, spring-loaded devices for instantly turning off the flame in an earthquake. There are some pretty impressive hi-tech kerosene heaters that use a pressurised burner system, rather than a wick.
Electricity is set at 100V and at either 50 or 60 cycles, depending on where you are in Japan (it is 50 cycles in Tokyo). Almost all electrical items in Japan can self adjust to the cycle, but be careful with equipment you bring in from abroad.

Rubbish and recycling
The Japanese sort their rubbish (gomi) into burnable (moeru gomi) and unburnable (moenai gomi) objects, which are collected on different days. Newspapers are considered unburnable because they are recycled. Generally, put all plastics into bags labelled unburnable, and paper and dry kitchen waste into the burnable. Disposable nappies are considered burnable. You can use plastic shopping bags to hold both types of rubbish. Beer bottle empties and the like can be returned for a very small credit on your next purchase, or you can leave them in the crates outside the shop. Aluminium cans are also recycled.

Things people don't do in public
It took me a while to discover, but people in Japan don't eat while they walk, and they don't eat in suburban and commuter trains (but there is good 'O-Bento' to buy on long distance trains of course). I have seen people eating ice-cream while they walk, but generally they will buy the snack and then stand outside the shop and eat it. Try not to blow your nose in public. If you have a stinking cold, use one of those masks to stop the spreading of germs.

Public baths
It seems to me that Japanese people have fewer hangups about nudity than Westerners, though some people may disagree. Only rarely now are some of the older public baths in country areas mixed. Onsen (hot spring) baths are great and are a national pastime. The rules for using public baths are the same as at home. Have fun!

Smoking
Smoking is very common but there are specific areas of no smoking and these are very well adhered to. All shops and some restaurants are no-smoking, many restaurants have no-smoking areas. All commuter trains and now all stations are no-smoking. Generally, fewer women smoke. You will find less smoking in the university because the young and the smart know it is bad for the health.

Getting around in Japan
I'm sure you will have guide books to help you travel in Japan, and your colleagues will help. Remember that certain times of year, such as New Year, Golden Week and Obon (see Appendix) are extremely busy and thus uncomfortable to travel. All railway signs are in English, Kanji (Chinese characters) and Hiragana, and many road signs are now also in English. Unfortunately, many rail maps outside stations are only in Japanese. In Tokyo it is easy to get an English version of the subway system.

Getting around locally
Streets are not named in Japan except main roads in large cities. Local areas are divided into ever decreasing smaller areas until the last area contains just a few houses. This makes it very hard for foreigners to get about (even the locals are not that good at it). If you are to go to someone's house, they will have to draw you a map or meet you at the station or bus stop. In Tokyo, the central area is divided into 23 Ku's (eg Shibuya-ku) which is further divided into Chome's. I have some friends who live in 4-5-8 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku. This means they live in the eighth bit of the fifth section of the fourth Chome of Ebisu district. The postman knows the names of the people in each bit, and all people label their gate with their name and Chome section number. If you are lost, you can always know where you are because the relevant Chome and sections are labelled on some of the electricity poles. Of course, knowing where you are isn't necessarily going to get you off in the right direction, but you will also find maps on prominent street corners. Don't hesitate to ask someone, even if it is just pointing to the address. Any Japanese person can read and understand addresses written in English, though I wouldn't chance it on an old lady (I know a very sweet 91-year old who understands nothing of the alphabet and who thinks my terrible scrawly writing is very beautiful indeed!).

The police
It seems that the main duty of the police in Japan is in giving directions! Certainly, it is very easy to find a local police box (koban) of which there are over 1,000 in Tokyo alone. The police wear guns in Japan, but it would be a very rare event indeed for one to be removed from the holster. Please consider the police to be your friends, they will certainly try their best to assist you in any way they can.

Dates and the Emperor system
The Japanese use both the Gregorian and Japanese Calendar. New Year is the same as ours. The present era is called Heisei, and the Emperor's name is Akihito. However, no-one in Japan calls him by his name and he is generally referred to as Ten'no Heika. The previous era was called Showa, when Hirohito was Emperor. The current year is Heisei 4 (1992). You may be asked to write your date of birth in the era system, so you must work it out for the Showa era. Showa Gan-nen (year 1) was in 1926 and ended in 1989 when Hirohito died; thus 1951 was Showa 26, for example. For both the Gregorian calendar and Era, Japanese use year, month, day.

The weather
Japan extends a long way north-south, there are distinct mountain ranges, and as a result there are quite distinct regional differences in weather patterns both north-south and east-west. Hokkaido in the north is very cold in the winter but has very pleasant summers. South of the Tohoku region (northern Honshu) it can be very steamy during the summer but the winters are relatively mild. Kyushu in the south is almost sub-tropical. The Japan Sea coastal districts get a lot of snow in the winter, even as far south as Kyushu, yet the Pacific Ocean side of Japan can be snow-free quite far north, because the mountains take the precipitation from the easterlies.
In general, there are six seasons in Japan. Autumn and winter are both short, and the blossom can start in January, depending on the region. It is interesting to watch the wave of blossom from south to north over late winter and early spring, reported on the weather programs, as the weather warms northwards. Spring is, of course, the best time of year. There is blossom everywhere and people picnic under the blossom trees. Next comes the rainy season, and it can pour down day after day until you can imagine that summer won't come at all. Don't fret, you aren't going to like summer much anyway. Most of Japan except north of Tohoku is stinking hot and 100% humid during the summer. It isn't pleasant at all. Sometimes the power companies complain they are within a hair's breadth of power cuts because of all the air conditioners going! In the summer the cicadas (called 'semi') are everywhere. It is said that the Japanese hear the call of the cicada with the side of the brain that also hears music, and they therefore enjoy the sound. We foreigners are supposed to hear the cicada call with the side of the brain that also hears noise, so we don't enjoy it. But I don't agree, I enjoy the sound of the cicada, it reminds me of many other pleasant things about summer. Soon though comes the Typhoon season, which brings more rain and high winds. Unfortunately, Typhoon season can also be very hot and sticky. By late September it is usually cooling down for autumn.

Earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, typhoons and other interesting events
Hopefully you will only experience a mild earthquake (jishin) and none of the other events. All I want to say is that if you have an earthquake don't run out of the house, it is safer under a doorway or under a solid table. I got quite used to the small 'quakes that occur every day, although in the Tokyo region (Kanto) there are one or two bad ones per year. Make sure your free-standing cupboards are tied to the wall. There is usually a device on top of the cupboard for doing this. If you are outside during an earthquake don't remain close to concrete walls as they are sometimes (illegally) unreinforced and likely to topple. Keep away from houses if you can because of possible slates falling down; wide open spaces are best or shelter in a doorway in narrow streets.
There was a quite unforgettable earthquake when I was in my office (on the 7th floor) one day in 1986, and at the time I thought I would be shaken out of the window. Afterwards I went down to my laboratory (on the 5th floor) to ask how things were there. The students were listening intently to the radio to discover where the epicentre of the earthquake had been. Fortunately the only casualty in the laboratory was a colleague who had been hit on the head by a flying toilet roll. When I stated that I didn't like earthquakes, a PhD student said very strongly "Who likes earthquakes?!". I guess I had assumed that the locals were so used to earthquakes that it didn't worry them. They had clearly been as frightened as I had been.
If you live in a high rise expect much more swaying than on the ground. It is apparently quite possible to get seasick because the flexibility of the buildings means that they sway for sometime after the 'quake. Many earthquakes in the Kanto region start with a deep rumbling noise that feels like a truck is about to appear from out of the ground. You then have a second or two to get under a doorway or table before the shaking starts! This all sounds terribly traumatic but a really bad shake only occurs very infrequently and then there is usually minimal if no damage because almost everything in Japan is earthquake proof.

Language

Much of the culture is wrapped up in the language, and understanding this is the key to understanding the real complexities of the Japanese community. I strongly recommend that you try to learn some Japanese, even just simple expressions. Not only is it greatly appreciated (and you will be highly praised for it) but you will find that outside your laboratory very few people can speak any English at all.

Getting to grips with the basics
There are many books available to help you. Japanese is totally phonetic, and pronunciation is very simple indeed. There is only one way to say the vowel sounds. A as in rather, i as in hit, u as the o in move, e as in met, and o as in hot. There is no other way to say them. I thoroughly recommend you purchase a book to help you learn the two Japanese syllabaries Hiragana and Katakana (the Kana's). All words can be written in Kana, and children and students of Japanese will use Kana when they don't know the Kanji (Chinese character). Often signs have little Hiragana (called furigana) over the top of unusual pronunciations of Kanji, so knowing Kana is very useful.
Learning to read and write is much harder than learning to speak, because it is difficult to practice the language by reading; you must first learn many Kana and Kanji. The Japanese have the opposite problems in learning English, it is easy to read and write, but pronunciation is hell.
One more difficulty is the way Japanese reply to negative questions, and this unfortunately pervades their English and can lead to misunderstanding. In answering a negative question in Japanese, you must reply according to your agreement with the statement of the sentence, rather than the idea of the sentence. In English, if you ask someone "Are you going?" they will say yes when they are going and no when they aren't. The Japanese would give the same answers in Japanese. However, to "Aren't you going?" a Japanese would reply yes when they aren't going and no when they are, thus agreeing with the statement. Exactly the opposite to English. Thus I entreat you to ask Japanese people positive questions only, or at least make every effort to be certain their intentions are clear, or you may end up waiting at the restaurant for no-one.

Understanding Japanese pronunciation of English
The Japanese language has no 'th' sound and Japanese people cannot distinguish between l's and r's or b's and v's. For example, they cannot hear the difference between rubber and lover, and when I once asked a student to say "the earth" he said "za arse"! When I wrote his answer on the board the students realised it was very funny indeed. Most people have trouble saying si because it isn't used in Japanese, and tend to say shi instead. My colleague Prof. Inouye used to say to overseas guests "please shit here" when asking them to make themselves comfortable (!) and I eventually persuaded him to say "please take a chair" instead, because he could never quite get si. Many Japanese forget the correct use of he or she in English, and it can be confusing for a foreigner as to what gender they are trying to talk about. Such people are jokingly called Edo'ko (literally child of Edo) by their fellow Japanese because people from the Edo area often say shi instead of hi when speaking in Japanese. Edo is a part of Tokyo, which itself used to be called Edo.
When you write Japanese words in Roman form, they tend to go consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel etc such as in "Ohayo gozaimasu" (good morning) or "Hajime-mashite" (pleased to meet you) although this isn't a hard and fast rule. Of course, Japanese people don't see it this way because they don't write in Roman form. Perhaps the worst thing to the foreigner's ear is the Katakana pronunciation of non-Japanese words, in which the consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel of Japanese is maintained. Arbeite becomes arubaito, curry rice becomes kare raisu, ballroom becomes boru rumu, and so on. It grates on the ears at times but there is little you can do about it.
Finally, some young people may try using rude words that they have heard in foreign movies. This can be very embarrassing of course, but please realise that 99% of the time these youngsters don't realise the significance of the words they are uttering, especially as Japanese has few rude words. I entreat you to forgive them, and if possible explain that these are very naughty words (sore wa totemo warui kotoba desu).

Teaching English
Many foreigners teach English for extra income and to meet people. It is very popular for spouses of visiting academics to do so. If you haven't taught English as a foreign language before, believe me it is difficult. However, many potential customers may be interested just to practice conversation. It is always better to have some kind of lesson though, and there are books to help you. As to rates per hour I suggest you ask around for the local rate, but it will be good I'm sure.

University-related words
(apostrophes denote missing sounds that aren't pronounced, for example, de-su-ka is said des'ka, the su sound is blended to plain s).

University
Daigaku

President
Gaku-cho

Vice-President
Fuku gaku-cho

Head of department
Gakka-cho (or Gakubu-cho)

Dean of postgraduates
Gakkei-cho

Professor
Kyoju

Associate professor
Jokyoju

Assistant professor
Junkyoju

Lecturer
Koshi

Assistant (post-doc)
Joshu

Postgraduate student
Insei (or Daigaku insei)

Undergraduate student
Gakusei (or Daigakusei)

Ministry of Education
Monbusho

Administration
Jimu

Library
Toshokan

Toilet
O-te-arai (or toire)

Meal Hall
Shoku-do

Research Institute
Kenkyu-jo

Laboratory
Jiken-shitsu (or Kenkyu-shitsu)

Words for hello, goodbye etc at work :

Pleased to meet you
Hajime mash'te

Hello (eg meet acquaintance in the corridor)
Konnichiwa

Good morning (every day at work)
O-hayo gozaimas'

How are you?
O genki des'ka?

Haven't seen you for a long time
O-hisashiburi des'

Thank you
Arigato (or domo)

Thank you very much
Domo arigato

Thank you (for something done for you)
Arigato gozaimash'ta

Please wait for a minute
Chotto matte kudasai

Let's go to lunch
O-hiru gohan ni iki masho?

Please speak slowly
Yukkuri hanash'te kudasai

Please speak in English
Eigo de hanash'te kudasai

Take care (eg to someone who is sick)
O dai ji ni

Take care (eg to someone going away)
Ki o tsukete

Do the best you can (eg to students)
Dekiru dake de ii des'

I understood
Wakarimash'ta

Yes, I understand
Hai, wakarimash'ta

I don't understand
Wakarimasen

Please help me (eg to move a heavy item)
Chotto tetsudatte kudasai

Please help me (eg to explain something)
Chotto onegaishimas'

Excuse me (eg if you trod on someone's toes)
Sumi masen desh'ta; shitsureishimash'ta

Excuse me (eg to attract someone's attention)
Sumi masen

Congratulations
O medeto gozaimas'

I'm tired
Tsukareta

Goodbye
Sayonara

Appendix of Useful Information

British Chamber of Commerce in Japan
The Executive Director
The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan
#16 Kowa Building
1-9-20 Akasaka, Minato-ku
Tokyo 107
Tel: 03-3505-1734
Fax: 03-3505-2680

Emergency numbers
Police - 110
Fire, Ambulance - 119

Japanese National Tourist Organisation (JNTO)
Kotsu Kaikan, 10th Floor
2-10-1 Yuraku-cho
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100
Tel: 03-3216-1901/1903
Fax: 03-3214-7680

Tourist Information Centres (TIC)
TIC Narita. . .0476-32-8711
TIC Tokyo. . .03-3502-1461
TIC Kyoto. . .075-371-5649
Travel-Phone Tokyo. . .03-3502-1461
Travel-Phone Kyoto. . .075-371-5649
Travel-Phone East Japan. . .0120-222-800
Travel-Phone West Japan. . .0120-444-800

Tokyo English Life Line (TELL)
Tel: 03-3264-4347

English Advisory Service
Open 1pm to 4pm Monday and Thursday
Tel: 03-3211-4433

Information Service in English
Tokyo. . .03-3201-1010
Narita. . .0476-38-1010
Yokohama. . .045-322-1010

Welcome Furoshiki
A free welcoming and orientation service
Tel: 03-3352-0765

Public Holidays
January 1st New Year's Day
January 15th Adult's Day
February 11th National Foundation Day
March 20th or 21st Spring Equinox
April 29th Previous Emperor's Birthday
May 3rd Constitution Day
May 5th Children's Day
September 15th Respect for the Aged Day
September 23rd or 24th Autumn Equinox
October 10th Health and Sports Day
November 3rd Culture Day
November 23rd Labour Thanksgiving Day
December 23rd Emperor's Birthday
Note:
1. The three holidays around April 29th to May 5th are the 'Golden Week' holiday period. If May 4th falls on a week day then it is also considered a holiday, as it is between Constitution Day and Children's Day.
2. Xmas and Boxing days are not public holidays in Japan.
3. Many shops are closed around the New Year period for several days.
4. There is also the Obon (ancestor worship) time in mid-August when travel can be difficult because of the crowds. This is not a public holiday but many people travel to their place of birth at this time.

Central Information Offices of the Japanese Prefectures and Cities, in Tokyo.
Most of the 47 prefectures (ken) and the largest cities have information bureaus in Tokyo. They have English-speaking staff and can supply information leaflets, etc, in English. They are grouped in two main offices:

Kokusai Kanko Kaikan
1-8-3, Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100

Prefecture Telephone (03)
Aomori 3216-6010
Chiba 3216-6017
Fukui 3211-8054
Fukuoka 3231-1750
Gunma 3231-4836
Hiroshima 3215-5010
Hokkaido 3214-2481
Hyogo 3231-1864
Ibaraki 3231-2642
Ishikawa 3231-4030
Kagawa 3231-4840
Kanagawa 3231-3901
Miyazaki 3216-9587
Nagano 3214-5651
Nagasaki 3231-2046
Nara 3216-5955
Niigata 3215-4618

Oita 3231-5096
Okayama 3231-2687
Okinawa 3231-0848
Osaka 3212-3943
Saga 3216-6596
Saitama 3215-2031
Shiga 3231-6131
Shizuoka 3215-0612
Tochigi 3215-4050
Toyama 3216-2068
Wakayama 3231-2041
Yamaguchi 3231-4980
Yamanashi 3231-0760

City (shi)
Kobe 3231-1861
Kyoto 3216-3691
Osaka 3231-1843

Tetsudo Kaikan
1-9-1, Marunouchi
Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100

Prefecture Telephone (03)
Aichi 3213-2907
Akita 3211-1775
Ehime 3231-1804
Gifu 3231-1775
Iwate 3231-2613
Kochi 3212-1981
Mie 3211-2737
Miyagi 3231-0944
Shimane 212-1091
Tokushima 3216-2081
Tottori 3211-8286
Yamagata 3215-2222

Thus, if you wish to write to any of these offices for information, address as the following examples:

Aomori-ken Tokyo Kanko Bussan Assensho
Kokusai Kanko Kaikan
1-8-3, Marunouchi
Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100

Kyoto-shi Tokyo Kanko Bussan Assensho
Kokusai Kanko Kaikan
1-8-3, Marunouchi
Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100

Four other prefectures have individual offices, these are:

Fukushima-ken Kanko Bussan Assensho
Nittobo Building
6-1, Yaesu, Chuo-ku
Tokyo 100
Tel: (03) 3273-8311

Kagoshima-ken Kanko Bussan Assensho
Olympic Building
2-7-17, Ginza, Chuo-ku
Tokyo 100
Tel: (03) 3561-6701

Kumamoto-ken Kanko Bussan Assensho
5-3-15, Ginza, Chuo-ku
Tokyo 100
Tel: (03) 3571-2059

Kyoto-ken Kanko Bussan Assensho
Todofuken Kaikan
2-4, Hirakawa-cho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100
Tel: (03) 3261-3469

Epilogue

I have tried to give you as many handy hints as may help you from getting completely lost in your first few weeks. It can take a while to get used to Japan so please hang on in there. Most people love it for a while, then hate it, and then love it again, so it can be a bit like a torrid love affair at first before things settle down. Not everyone can take Japan completely, but having lived in four countries, I can tell you that every place has its pluses and minuses, and in the end it is better to try to live by maximising the former and minimising the latter. I wish you all the very best for your experience in Japan, and Ganbatte Ne!

Index

Academic status 11
Academic year 17
Accommodation 3
Administration 14
Administrative staff 19
Alien Registration 4
Apartments 3
Apologising 24
Arriving 3
Banking and money 24
Bath 20
Body language 24
Bowing 24
British Chamber of Commerce 30
Brownie points 14
Building maintenance 7
Business card 4
Cash 24
Central services 15
Cockroaches 16
Commuter monthly pass 22
Commuting 22
Conference posters 15
Conferences 15
Cycling 23
Cyclists 6
Date system 26
Decision making 11
Dentist 5
Diarrhoea 5
Doctor 5
Doctor's referral 5
Dress 17
Driving licence (menkyosho) 6
Earthquakes (jishin) 27
East vs West 13
Eating out 22
Education standards 9
Education system 9
Electricity 4, 25
Emergency numbers 30
English 3, 11, 12, 13, 15, 26
English Advisory Service 30
ERATO 10
Expenses 6
Expressways 6
Fare adjustment office 22
Flea markets 21
Food 20
Food bill 21
Foreign foods 21
Friendships 12
Funding 7
Futon 20
Gas 25
Getting around 25
Gifts 20
Ginza 21
Golden Week 31
Hanko 4
Health and Safety 15
Health checks 5
Health Insurance (kenko hokken) 5
Home Visit System 5
Host 3
Hygiene 5
Industry 9
Information offices 31
Information Service in English 30
Insurance card (hokken sho) 5
Interactions with colleagues 11
International Christian University 8
Japanese Co-op 22
Japanese homes 20
Japanese language 11
Japanese pronunciation of English 28
JNTO 5, 30
Joining in 12
Kana 28
Keio University 8
Kerosene (toyu) 25
Koza 12
Laboratory supplies 15
Language 28
Local information 4
Loud-hailers 23
Manuscripts 13
Meishi (business card) 4
Ministry of Education 7, 10
Ministry of Finance 18
MITI 8
Monbusho 7, 8, 9, 10, 18
Narita 3
Negative questions 28
New Year 21, 31
OBI 8
Obon 31
Officials 5
Okazaki 8
Omiyage (souvenir) 17
Pay 4
Paying for things 24
PERI 8
PhD entry exams 10
Police 26
Police box (koban) 26
Post office 19, 24
Private Universities 8
Public Baths 25
Public holidays 31
RCIUMO 8
Recycle depots 21
Regulations 17
Rent 3
Research 18
Research grants 8, 18
Rice 21
RIKEN 10
Rubbish and recycling 25
Running money 7
Salary 6
Schools 23
Science and Technology Agency 10
Seal 4
Seal (hanko) 4
Seasons 26
Shoes 20, 21
Shopping hours 22
Shyness 11
Slippers 20
Smoking 25
Soap 20
Sodai gomi (big rubbish) 21
Souvenir 17
Speed limits 6
Sponsor 3
State research institutes 8
State universities 7
Stores 15
Student learning 13
Students 8, 9, 13
Supermarket 21
Tatami 20
Teaching English 29
Technical support 14
Telephone 24
TIC 5, 30
Toilets 20
Tokyo 3, 8, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27
Tokyo English Life Line (TELL) 30
Tokyo University 7, 8
Tourist information 5, 31
Tourist Information Centres 30
Travel money 15
Travel-Phone Service 5
Tsukuba 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 15, 17, 23
Waseda University 8
Weather 26
Welcome Furoshiki 30
Women in science 13
Working hours 17
Xmas 31