Though she doesn't need to get a job in Tokyo, Japan, where she lives with her family, Mayuri elected to do so. She also does voluntary work to keep herself occupied. There are some challenges to living in Tokyo and Mayuri tells us about some of them here. It's a lot different from her homeland and other places she's lived, but she enjoys learning about the culture and experiencing a good lifestyle there.

Mayuri Odedra-Straub

-Where were you born?
Kenya

-In which country and city are you living now?
Tokyo, Japan

-Are you living alone or with your family?
I live with my family: husband and 2 kids.

-How long have you been living in Japan?
20 months

-What is your age?
45

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Japan?
We moved to Japan because of my husband's job. I had little choice but to accompany him. As I was always fascinated by this country I decided to make the move.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?
No; one can work here part-time for 24 hours a week without requiring a work-permit.

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?
No.

-How do you make your living in Japan? Do you have any type of income generated?
My situation is different here as I am an accompanying spouse. My husband earns well and we have a reasonably good lifestyle. So the demand to earn money is low. However, as I wanted to do something with myself, I began looking for work right from the beginning but didn't manage much as I do not speak Japanese and the Japanese here have a different attitude to working mothers; they feel married women should stay at home, many of who do.

I keep myself occupied by doing some voluntary work with the local council (helping them cater for the foreigners moving here), my joining women's groups to get to know the Japanese and their culture, and to do some one-off teaching at 2 universities here. I only managed to get the latter via contacts, which took over a year to make and keep. To obtain employment here, I have tried answering job ads, placing ads in the paper with my profile, writing to potential employers and using contacts. The latter seems to be the only one which helps.

-Do you speak Japanese and do you think it's important to speak the local language?
Sure, it helps to speak the local language to get to know the people and their culture better; I lose out on some of this not knowing the language. The Japanese are very poor at speaking English and it is a problem not knowing the language. But I didn't want to spend time learning the very difficult language - I wanted to travel and get to know the people and the place.

This country is very well organised for foreigners. Many places have information and applications forms in English. If you are stuck, the Japanese - being friendly as they are – will always find someone who can help you. I also have many Japanese friends with whom I communicate in English or German and they help when I need help. My husband had to learn the language and picked it up quick. So he or his secretary are there to help as well.

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?
Yes, I miss my family and friends. As it takes 10+ hours to get to any of the immediate family it isn't possible to go see them often. We miss going out in the nature for walks, clean air and fewer people. As Tokyo is too crowded we don't enjoy going shopping or to museums at the weekend. It also takes 1-2 hours to get out of town and into nature. So we spend most weekends seeing our new friends here.

-Do you have other plans for the future?
We would like to leave Japan next year to return back to Europe if possible.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?
We live in a house with a garden, 3 garages, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, etc., approx. 180 sq. meters, in a middle-class neighbourhood of Tokyo and my husband's company pays $7,000 a month for it. This is cheap for the space and "luxury" we have. The Japanese live in a 40 sq. meter apartment, so to them we live in a palace, even though this is below the standard we are used to.

-What is the cost of living in Japan?
High. You need a fat bank account to really enjoy Tokyo. Things are expensive here but with time one gets to know where one can buy cheap. Also, after a while you stop converting the Yen to your local currency to compare the price.

-What do you think about the Japanese?
The Japanese tend to be polite. In the service sector they are "forced" to be polite and nice to customers; it can be annoying at times, though. But as they are very reserved in many ways, it is very difficult to figure out what they think about you. Even with "close" friends there is always a barrier beyond which one doesn't come. But overall they are nice to foreigners.

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Japan?
Positive: clean, secure, super customer service, very well organised country, interesting history and culture...

Negative: fear of earthquakes, not knowing the language

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Japan?
People have different opinions about this place. Come with an open mind and try to make the most of it.

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Japan?
Tokyo-Yokohama Information Source is my own and in there are links to lots of other interesting sites.