What City Hall in Japan Is Really Like (From Someone Who Worked There) | Ep 142

<p>Sam Hanada, half Japanese and half Kiwi, moved to Japan through the JET Program and spent three years working inside a Japanese city hall before a short, eye-opening stint at a "black kigyo" (exploitative company) sent him looking for something better. Now working with the</p><p>team on consultations and leading the new Mocha Moko Ambassador affiliate program, Sam shares what daily life in a small Chiba town is really like, how he built deep community ties through a 300-year-old local festival, and practical advice for anyone navigating Japanese</p><p>bureaucracy or job hunting from scratch.</p><p></p><p><b>Key Takeaways</b></p><ul><li>The JET Program has three distinct tracks (ALT, SEA, CIR) with very different Japanese-language requirements and levels of support</li><li>"Black kigyo" red flags include vague job descriptions, personal bank accounts used for company funds, and "we're a family" language during interviews</li><li>Making an effort to integrate is reciprocated in rural Japan — the "unwelcoming countryside" stereotype didn't match Sam's real experience</li><li>City hall work in Japan deliberately rotates employees between departments every few years to keep them generalists rather than specialists</li><li>Joining a local matsuri (festival) turned out to be one of the most effective ways to build genuine community connections and even led to freelance work<p></p></li></ul><p><b>In This Episode</b></p><ul><li>Sam's path to Japan: growing up half Japanese in New Zealand, learning the language later in life, and choosing the CIR (Coordinator for International Relations) track of JET</li><li>What it's actually like working inside a small-town city hall, including the daily "chorei" morning meeting and generational mix of coworkers</li><li>The population decline reshaping small Japanese towns, and how municipalities merge to preserve city status</li><li>The full story of the "black kigyo" company Sam quit after one week, and the specific red flags to watch for when job hunting in Japan</li><li>How Japanese overtime contracts (zangyo) actually work and why "family culture" language in interviews deserves scrutiny●</li><li>Practical tips for visiting a Japanese city hall: what to bring, the best time of day to go, and how to prepare paperwork in advance</li><li>How Sam got pulled into his town's 300-year-old dashi (float) festival through a work connection, and why it became a turning point for his sense of belonging</li><li>Sam's current role running the Mocha Moko Ambassador affiliate program and doing consultations for people navigating countryside Japan</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Resources Mentioned</b></p><ul><li>Book a consultation and you may be paired directly with Sam for guidance on countryside living</li><li>Learn more about the Mocha Moko Ambassador affiliate program</li><li>Browse listings on the show's English-friendly property search site</li><li>Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok for property tips and renovation updates</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Enjoyed This Episode?</b></p><p>Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and leave a five-star rating — it takes five seconds andreally helps the show grow. Have a question about moving to Japan? Send it our way.</p>