Best Restaurant Jobs in Japan

Looking for the best restaurant jobs in Japan? You can find them -- but only if you're qualified and know the ropes since this land of culinary diversity is home to the pickled sea slug, horseradish chocolate, hard-to-book sushi restaurants, classic kaiseki dining and fugu houses. Japan is also the place specially trained chefs know exactly how to prepare poisonous puffer fish so their customers don't keel over and die. If you'd like to join this elite community, you will need to know the ins-and-outs of making perfectly steamed koshihikari rice, and it would be a good idea to know that Tempura, the deep-fried cuisine attributed to Japan, actually has Portuguese roots. Finally, can you prepare food in the teppanyaki style so Kobe beef tastes like heaven? Let's get you started on the road to the career that will bring you culinary bliss.

Understanding Japan's Restaurant Culture

Even if you are a credentialed chef with impressive reviews, making the transition from U.S. to Japanese restaurant employment can be a daunting experience. First, Tokyo has eclipsed Paris, London and New York to become, officially, "the most delicious city on earth," according to the media. Japan didn't earn this title by serving up mediocre sashimi rolls. Second, the Japanese restaurant system is a cultural enigma -- so far from the American interpretation of preparation and service, you might think you're on Mars when you first experience it. Competition is tough, so be prepared to start at the bottom and learn all you can about this unique restaurant culture.

Salary Considerations

Tipping is a foreign practice throughout Japan, so jobs in the hospitality industry are strictly tied to salaries absent the gratuities that keep many American restaurant workers afloat. Salaries of professionals -- chefs, bakers, managers, wait staff and more -- are directly tied to dinner sales and there's no leeway for negotiation. Additionally, payment in kudos will come from an unlikely place. Don't expect performance reviews to come from your boss. In Japan, colleagues do employee evaluations.

Understanding Protocols

Unlike American restaurants, there is no pecking order in the typical Japanese restaurant. Workers of all levels are expected to get down in the trenches, so even if you land a job as a four-star chef, you will be expected to stay late to help colleagues handle the grunt work that must be done before a restaurant closes for the night. There are no unions or overtime laws that govern this practice; it's simply the way the industry works.

Find the Most Jobs in Tokyo

Where you work will also determine how much money you make. The best jobs in Japan are highly concentrated in Tokyo, so you'll want that city as your home base. A recent job opening survey undertaken by the Japanese government substantiates that fact: It found 62,201 job openings in Tokyo compared to 12,594 in Kanagawa and 9,586 in Kobe. Other cities fall below these numbers. As numbers decline, so do salaries, so if your idea of the best job in the world doesn't rely upon money, you will have leeway.

Warning

Given Japan's service-focused culture, it is not surprising to discover that there is a disproportionate ratio of service jobs to skilled/management jobs. For every 16 job notices for "chef" we found 1,020 openings for servers. All jobs in Tokyo restaurants have decreased 67% since 2007. A majority of the cuts have been made at the executive level for two reasons: 1) Japan prides itself on efficiency and has pioneered ways to keep costs down and staff numbers low. 2) Since service drives the Japanese culinary scene, having an excess number of servers on hand continues to be a priority.

Where do you want to work?

If the cost of living and hectic pace of Tokyo is not to your liking, your best job may be found in cities with bountiful numbers of restaurants like Kanagawa, Osaka, Saitama, Chiba, Yokohama and Aichi. These six cities posted the most number of job openings in the field of hospitality. Stay away from low-employment areas like Kyoto, Tottori, Wakayama, Saga, Ehime and Okayama where restaurant jobs were practically nonexistent when we did our city-by-city survey.

Show up to land that job!

The best restaurant jobs in Japan? If you're willing to go for broke and head east, the answer to the question is "any job you can land." But you'd better land in Japan before you start your search. Not only does it make no sense to try and land an entry-level via the Internet, but it's a sure bet that openings will go to those who show up in person looking confident and eager. Start as a server. Learn the ropes. Apprentice your way to the top!

Resources

• Sample city-specific server job openings in Japan