Onboarding a Chef from Japan: The First 90 Days

You found the chef, the visa came through and the flight is booked. The next 90 days decide whether the hire works. Chefs who leave early often point to things that had nothing to do with cooking: a flat that fell through, a missed tax registration, a team that never quite let them in. A plan for the first three months fixes most of that.

This guide covers the Japanese side first, because most employers abroad do not know what a chef leaving Japan has to do, and then the first 90 days in your kitchen.

1. Before departure: what the chef must do in Japan

These are the chef's own obligations, but a short checklist from you, in Japanese, is a kind gesture and prevents problems later. All of the points below were checked against official Japanese sources in September 2026.

Moving-out notice (転出届)

Japanese residents who plan to live abroad for a year or more file a moving-out notice with their city or ward office, usually before departure. Municipalities publish their own timing and documents (Yokosuka City, for example, accepts the notice from when the departure date is known until the day before departure, and takes late notices afterwards). The chef should check their own municipality's page.

National Health Insurance (国民健康保険)

Once the moving-out notice takes effect, National Health Insurance membership ends. Hino City's guidance, for example, explains that the insurance card must be returned and that premiums may be due up to the month before departure. The practical point for you: the chef will have no Japanese health cover once they leave. Plan cover in your country from day one.

National Pension (国民年金)

The Japan Pension Service states that people who move to live abroad stop being compulsory members of the National Pension, but Japanese nationals can choose to continue voluntarily (任意加入). Before departure the application goes to the municipal office. Japan also has social security agreements with a number of countries, which can matter if the chef is transferred by a Japanese company rather than hired locally. Suggest the chef reads the Japan Pension Service pages before they go.

Resident tax (住民税)

Resident tax is assessed on the person's registered address on 1 January. Shinagawa City's guidance, for example, says a person leaving mid-year with tax still due should arrange payment, and may need to appoint a tax representative (納税管理人), particularly if they leave between January and June. A chef who leaves with unpaid tax may face problems later.

My Number card

Japanese nationals who move abroad can keep using their My Number card, but must complete a procedure for continued use before departure (Yokosuka City's guidance says by the day before the planned departure).

Overseas residence registration (在留届)

Under Article 16 of Japan's Passport Act, Japanese nationals who live abroad for three months or more must submit an overseas residence registration to the Japanese embassy or consulate covering their address. It can be done online through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' ORRnet system. This is worth doing in the first week after arrival; it also means the chef receives safety notices from the consulate.

2. Week one: arrival and admin

• Airport pickup. Someone from the restaurant, ideally someone the chef has met on video.
• Temporary accommodation close to the restaurant, booked before the flight. See our relocation package guide for what to cover.
• Phone and SIM on day one. Without a local number the chef cannot open a bank account or receive two-factor codes in many countries.
• Bank account. Book the appointment in advance and go with them. Banks often want proof of address and an employment letter; prepare both.
• Tax and social insurance registration. Most countries require a number before payroll can run properly: for example a Social Insurance Number in Canada, which temporary residents with a work permit can apply for, or a Tax File Number in Australia, which work visa holders in Australia can apply for online. Find out the local equivalent and the timing before the chef lands.
• Health cover. Confirm that cover starts on arrival, whether through public insurance, a private policy you provide, or a policy the visa requires.
• Food handler certificate. Many jurisdictions require one for kitchen staff. Book the course or exam in week one.
• Transport. A route to work that works after a late service.
• Paperwork in Japanese. Contract, key policies and payslip explanation, with an English original alongside.

3. Days 1 to 30: learning your kitchen

The first month is for learning, not for changing things. Chefs from Japan often arrive with high standards and strong opinions, which is why you hired them. Give them a month to understand why your kitchen works the way it does before they start fixing it.

• Local suppliers and fish. Take them to the market or introduce them to your fish supplier in person. Local species and grading will be new.
• Food safety rules. Walk through your local requirements: temperature logs, labelling, allergen rules, parasite control for raw fish. These are often stricter or simply different from what they know.
• The menu as it is. Have them cook every dish to the current spec before suggesting changes.
• A buddy. One named colleague who answers the small questions: where the good cheap lunch is, how to top up the transport card.
• Check-in at day 14 and day 30. Fifteen minutes, with an interpreter if needed. Ask what is harder than they expected.

4. Days 31 to 60: taking ownership

• Hand over a defined area: the sushi station, the cold section, the dashi and sauces.
• Agree two or three measurable goals linked to the probation terms in the contract.
• Start them training one local cook in one skill. This builds relationships faster than anything else and supports the succession planning many visa routes now expect (see training local staff).
• Invite one menu proposal: one dish, costed, tasted by the team.

5. Days 61 to 90: full role and review

• Full responsibility for their area on the busiest services.
• A formal review at day 90 with written notes in both languages: what went well, what to change, and the plan for the next six months.
• Confirm the practical things: permanent housing, visa conditions understood, any reporting duties for you as sponsor noted in the calendar.
• Ask the retention question directly: "Is there anything that would make you think about leaving?"

6. Integrating a Japanese chef with a local team

• Explain the hierarchy both ways. Japanese kitchens tend to be more hierarchical. Your local team needs to know the new chef's authority; the new chef needs to know how feedback works here.
• Agree a working language. Kitchen terms can stay in Japanese. Safety instructions must be understood by everyone.
• Make feedback explicit. Silence in a Japanese kitchen can mean "fine". In a local team it can mean "I don't know". Ask for confirmation.
• Share staff meals. Makanai is a Japanese kitchen tradition that works everywhere.
• Watch for isolation. Long hours plus a new language is a lonely combination. The first three months are when this bites.

7. Printable checklist

General information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Japanese municipal procedures vary by city and change from time to time; the chef should confirm details with their own municipality and the Japan Pension Service.