A balanced and well-planned diet combined with good healthcare are some of the open secrets of Japan’s long lifespan. The food industry is also essential to support a high population; thus, they will never run out of vacancies for the people who fuel the country — chefs.
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The Food Industry in Japan
Catering the Country's Needs
The food industry is important to support a country, especially populous ones like Japan. Japan is currently the 11th most populated country in the world with 126.5 million citizens. They provide food services for people who don’t or can’t eat inside their house due to various reasons like not knowing how to cook or those who are too busy that they opt to have fast food instead. Families would also want to eat at the restaurants once in a while to celebrate graduations and birthdays or to have normal family bonding time. Not to mention, the tourists that flock Japan to try its cuisines.
※ Statistics Bureau of Japan, Statistics, "Monthly Report (Population Estimates by Age (Five-Year Groups) and Sex - November 1, 2019(Final estimates), April 1, 2020(Provisional estimates)"
Foreign Workers
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, around 12.7% foreign workers out of 1.4 million are currently employed in the accommodation and food industry as receptionists, chefs, cooks, and service staff in the hotels and restaurants scattered throughout Japan.
※ Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Press/Public Relations, "Summary of notification status of “employment status of foreigners” (as of the end of October 2018)"
One reason that Japan hires foreign workers under the food industry is because of the increase of the demand of food business services in the country. As one would expect, people would likely pay for authentic and high quality food made by both local and foreign chefs. Another is to supply the diminishing workforce.
Average Salary
Salary and wages received would likely depend on the restaurant or the circumstances you have as a worker (full or part-time worker). If you work in high profile restaurants, then you would likely receive a higher salary than those working in a chain restaurant, for example.
According to the 2020 Heikinnenshu data, the average annual salary of a chef who cooks various dishes is around 3.3 to 3.5 million yen. The annual income may vary based on your location or region, gender, age, and the chef's position. For example, a 20-year-old cook receives approximately 2 million yen compared to a 50-year-old cook who is paid around 3 million yen per year. Regarding the highest annual income offered by prefecture, Tokyo comes first, amounting to 4.9 million yen, followed by Osaka and Kanagawa, while Saga, Okinawa, and Miyazaki has the lowest income of approximately 2 million yen per year.
※ Heikinnenshu Japan, "Average annual salary of a cook"
Writer's Pick
Kinds of chefs in Japan
Head Chef (料理長 - Ryouri chou)
Head Chefs are basically the commander of the kitchen. They make sure that the kitchen is efficient and effective in every way. They oversee everything that happens in the kitchen: when they see employees that are not suited or suited for the job then he/she can fire or hire them on the spot. They also make new dishes and are usually the one in charge of what to put on the menu, especially if they are the head chef and owner.
Sous chef (副料理長 - Fuku ryouri chou)
Sous chefs work closely with the head chefs for they are the second in command of the kitchen. Sous chefs substitutes for the head chefs if they are absent or occupied with other things. Sous chefs help the head chefs manage the kitchen as leading a whole bunch of people, especially in a hectic environment like a kitchen, is not easy.
Itamae
"Sushi" is considered a famous Japanese cuisine both for locals and tourists. That is why Japan has well-respected chefs called "Itamae" (in front of the board) whose expertise is making sushi. Becoming an Itamae is not easy; you have to undergo rigorous training to perfect the art of making sushi. If you aspire to become an "Itamae," you have to be patient and better start your training early, for it takes many years to finish.
The first step is to be a cleaning crew; typical responsibilities are cleaning the dishes and the kitchen. Next is to learn how to prepare the rice used for making sushi. Your skills in the preparation of rice need to be approved by the itamae before passing this stage. Then the next step is becoming a "wakiita," (near the cutting board); you are now ready to assist your "Itamae." Basic roles are cutting the fish, preparing the wasabi, ginger, and other ingredients, and if you are lucky, you can make sushi too! This stage also allows you to learn how to polish your "hocho" (special knives used in preparing sushi; there are different knives for different sushi). After years of being a wakiita, you can now become a full-fledged "Itamae."
Other cooking positions
There are a lot of jobs available in the food industry aside from those mentioned above. You can become a kitchen staff or the cooks/chefs under the head and sous chef. Moreover, pastry chefs and bakers are also an option when applying for jobs in Japan. You can also become service staff like waiters/waitresses, bartenders, baristas receptionists, managers and maitrè d'hotels.
What you need to know!
Basic Requirements to work in Japan
First, have a visa - there are different kinds of visas with different working permissions (e.g. student visa - part time work is only allowed with a limited number of hours). Second, have basic Japanese speaking skills. Speaking with your employers and co-employees would be a hassle if you do not know any Japanese phrases because they cannot understand you. It is also expected that you must know basic kitchen slang and terms that are commonly used. You may also need to communicate with the customers at times, so basic Japanese is a must. Third, some Japanese restaurants may also require in their job description to have at least basic cooking and kitchen skills. Meaning, you have to know your way inside the kitchen. Keep in mind that some restaurants do not have this requirement for they can teach you personally instead. Higher positions like head and sous chefs have different job requirements but most restaurants would require a lot of experience of being a chef.
Some require certification and training
Some traditional Japanese restaurants are especially strict when it comes to food handling. Some may not let newly hired chefs handle fish because there are some that if prepared or handled poorly can cause the customer to become ill. Becoming these types of chefs require a lot of training and requires a certificate to handle said fish. An example would be the sashimi called "fugu" or the puffer fish that if prepared poorly, can kill the person eating it. But as these positions are rare, most people applying to work in the industry won’t come across this issue. However, knowing what kind of training and experience is required of you in the position is key.
Summary
Japan's food industry offers different job opportunities to both locals and non-locals. Aspiring chefs and cooks are very much welcome if they decide to work in Japan. It also offers different opportunities for those who do not want to be chefs or cooks, or to those who do not have the skills to be a chef, as kitchen staff and service crews are always in demand. In addition, being a foreigner is often a plus because you can communicate with customers from your home country, and Japan is trying to globalize their workforce. What are you waiting for, come and join the food industry now and help nourish Japan!
