cooking/ in japan

So ive had this dream for about as long as ive been cooking (10 years) to at least live in japan for one year. The culture, knives:biggrin: and people seem so authentic i need to be in it. ive just been fascinated with every thing japan.

Does anyone have any input on what it takes,pay,resume to move to japan and get a "chef" position. Would anyone even give me a chance being from another country >?

Also what type of nest egg would you need to live comfortably till you got on your feet ?

i have a million more questions but we can start with these for now. ANY input would be invaluable.

Might want to reach out to Jon Broida...

You have a problem with Lancaster???? Huh????

I mean, you should reach out to Jon.

Not quite sure what you mean by "authentic" Pete. Tokyo is about as authentic as NYC or LA if that makes sense, and every other region has its distinct cultural differences. It's not that easy to assimilate.

A 'Chef' position in Japan might require another 10 years...starting from the bottom. Anyway, my suggestion would be to arrange to work in a Japanese kitchen (with real Japanese Chef & staff) in the US first to gain some language skills and cultural insight before committing to such a move. You would need a sponsor to work in Japan. One option might be to enroll in a culinary school, and try to find a job as an English language teacher. You'd be covered under a student visa and be able to pick up some cash for living expenses. Tokyo's pricey as Hell to live in...figure what it would take to live in Manhattan for a year and add 10%. Osaka would be a little more affordable. It's ok now with the favorable dollar/yen exchange rate, but no telling how long that will last. There are more outlying areas that would be interesting to live in, but that would limit your employment options even more.

Go for a visit first to see if it lives up to your expectations.

:2cents:

@seth nothing wrong with lancaster lol i lived in philly 4 years ago ... good ole kensington lol

In your shoes I would have a serious think about working in Kyoto. The main restaurant area is very concentrated and has a lot of international tourism where English speaking skills will be in demand.