I have received an offer to work in India and have started preparing for my assignment three months from now.

I have traveled to India several times before, so I have a general understanding of the situation there, but this is my first time working abroad. This is my first time being assigned to a foreign country, and that country is India.

First, I am making a list of what to bring and what not to bring.

This includes things like cards, electrical appliances, kitchenware, clothing, bags, bedding, and books.

Basically, I will bring what I already have and minimize the number of new things I buy.

So far, my shopping list includes:

- Rice cooker (The one I currently use is only 100V, so I will buy a new one that is compatible with India instead of buying a transformer.)
- Portable bidet
- Pocket tissues
- Wet wipes
- India travel guidebook

It's surprisingly short.

I already have all the essential items for a normal trip, so there's no need to buy anything extra.

I will only bring everyday items that are difficult to find in India.

Since I live in a condominium, I will leave the items I don't bring at home.

This is a good opportunity to get rid of old things and reduce the amount of stuff in my room.

India is generally dirty, so my approach is to bring items that are a little old but not old enough to be thrown away. I will discard very old items, bring old but usable items to India, and avoid buying new things as much as possible.

Common items needed for a normal trip:

- Credit cards (VISA, Master, AMEX, etc. I am still selecting which cards to bring.)
- Priority Pass (for access to lounges)
- PADI C card (in case I go diving)
- Mileage cards (various)
- Driver's license, international driving permit, Hertz membership card (in case I drive)

Electrical appliances:

- PC (I will bring my current laptop)
- Smartphone (The SIM lock has been removed, so I plan to use it as is)
- USB charger (I will bring the one I currently use)
- Bluetooth speaker (I will bring the one I currently use)
- LED lantern (I will bring the one I currently have. It will be used during power outages)
- Digital camera (I will bring my current NEX-5)

Kitchenware:

Bring whatever fits in the available space. If not, I will buy it locally.

Other:

- Shoes
- Sandals
- Bags
- Clothes

...and so on.

I bought a rice cooker, but it's difficult to obtain Japanese rice, and I don't think buying a bread machine will make me cook more, so I'm giving up on both. I'm almost done buying everything I need for my assignment. Now, the things I'm definitely going to prepare are pocket tissues and wet tissues. I read in another blog that they are not available in India, so I'm thinking of bringing several boxes (a year's worth).

Most of the items I usually use for travel will be brought along as is. They should be usable for domestic travel in India. The only difference from regular travel is the amount of clothing.

It seems like I have more things to throw away than to buy. I'm giving my dishwasher and refrigerator to my parents, and I'm throwing away my old microwave. I'm planning to leave my massage chair in the room. I'm also making progress in organizing my closet, and I'm getting rid of old items. The room is a little bigger now, but there's still a long way to go.

Recently, I passed the company's personnel review, so I will be attending a briefing session. There will be explanations from the systems department and from the personnel department. There will also be explanations about vaccinations and health checkups (a comprehensive medical examination).

I plan to get all the necessary vaccinations, but I've already received one dose of hepatitis A and one dose of tetanus. For hepatitis A, I'll get two doses before my assignment and a third dose 6 to 12 months later. I only need one more dose of tetanus, so that's done.

Also, I should be able to complete the large motorcycle license course that I've been taking since before I received the offer for my assignment, probably this month or early next month, so I'm a little less worried.

Today, I took the TOEIC exam, but I managed to finish it, but I didn't have enough time to think about the last few questions, so I couldn't answer them well. I'm planning to manage my time and solve the questions consistently so that I can reach 900 points this time. But, as always, it came down to a race against time. I wonder what score I'll get. I'm sure I'll get at least 800, and if I score above 845, it will be a personal best, and if I reach 900, I'll achieve my goal. If I score above 900 before my assignment, it will be a starting point for my overseas assignment, but let's see...

I attended an orientation session for new employees being assigned to the department.
It seems that various training sessions will be held over the next couple of months, so it looks like it will be quite busy.
They will be inviting external lecturers to conduct cross-cultural training, and there will also be training on global management.

It was mentioned that a car will be provided for use on-site, and it will come with a driver. Rickshaws are prohibited.
During a business trip in the near future, a local representative will provide guidance on living in India. And, they will also help to identify potential housing options.

I was told that the company will provide various household items, including a rice cooker, as needed. So, I don't have to worry about things like beds and furniture, or basic necessities. I just need to buy the smaller items on-site. It was suggested that I should bring items that I prefer. Specifically, it's a good idea to bring seasonings like soy sauce, rice, and ready-made foods.

I was recommended several books about India to help me understand the local culture, so I think I'll start reading them.

Currently, I am using the standard lens set that I purchased three years ago for my NEX-5.
I considered upgrading, but since it is still usable, I decided to just add lenses.

Short focal length lens: E 35mm F1.8 OSS (approximately 37,000 yen)
Zoom lens: E PZ 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 OSS (approximately 26,000 yen)

Basically, I will be using the 35mm short focal length lens, and I plan to use the zoom lens for taking pictures of distant subjects at zoos or safari tours.

The following kit lens that I am currently using does not take good pictures, so I plan to put it away.
Zoom lens: E18-55mm F3.5-5.6 OSS

I also considered the NEX-6 and NEX-7, but compared to the NEX-5, they feel more complicated, and the battery life seems to be worse, so I decided that it is not worth upgrading. I also considered the high-end compact camera RX100, but since I use my smartphone for everyday use, I decided that the NEX-5 is fine for travel. I also considered the PENTAX X-5, but I decided that the combination of the NEX with its larger CCD and lenses is better.

In reality, the PENTAX X-5 is inexpensive (16,000 yen), and it has a fast startup time, good image quality, and zoom capabilities, so I actually thought that it might be the best option. However, I don't want to expose the lens when putting it in a bag, so I prefer E-mount lenses with hoods. Also, the bokeh effect achieved by combining a short focal length lens and a large-diameter CCD is difficult to achieve with this CCD, so it cannot completely replace the NEX. Also, it is a bit heavy to use it only for zoos and safari tours, so in the end, I decided to stick with the NEX and just buy the lenses.

I bought a few books.

I bought several travel-related paperback books from a used bookstore, along with "Lonely Planet" and a couple of books on Indian culture and business. As expected, the travel paperbacks are records of budget travel, so I'll read them later. For now, I'm reading the books on Indian culture and business a little at a time.

The books I bought are:
"How to Deal with Indians" (Diamondsha)
"Rules of Indian Business" (Chukeishuppan)

I'm reading the first one now, and as I read it, I recall scenes from my previous trip, and I find myself nodding in agreement, which is very helpful. I think it's essential to know these basic and important things if you're going to be assigned to India.

I'll read the latter book later.

Until now, I have been regularly backing up to an external HDD, but due to security concerns in India, I decided to back up to the cloud.

The main uses are:
- Photo backup (most important)
- Backup of small files (currently using Dropbox)
- Music files (too large for Dropbox)
- Video files (too large for Dropbox)

I searched for various options and decided to use Amazon S3 and Glacier. For photos, there are services with unlimited storage, but I avoided those because they often reuse photos without permission. Terms and conditions can change quickly.
S3 and Glacier have significantly different price points. S3 is more expensive but allows for quick retrieval, while Glacier is cheaper but takes several hours to retrieve. A key advantage of Amazon S3 is that you can configure it to automatically move files to Glacier, and existing S3 client tools can still be used.

However, I couldn't find a suitable free software, so I created a simple client using the SDK and C#. I handle the compression myself, and to account for unstable network connections, I added a split function. It's a simple console program that uploads files to S3 by specifying a folder (subfolders are excluded). While a GUI would be convenient, I prefer a console for its lightweight nature.

After setting up the backup in this way, it would be difficult to upload everything every time, so I also created a tool to extract and back up only the changed files. There are software programs that synchronize files and folder structures to S3, but the cost is based on capacity, so uploading files without compression is undesirable. Therefore, I created a tool to explicitly compress only the changed files.

The tool is simple: it specifies a target folder and a previous backup folder, and creates a separate folder containing only the changed files. To handle cases where files need to be deleted, it automatically generates a batch file for deleting and copying files and then executes it.

In summary,
- Backup to Amazon S3 and Glacier (using a custom tool)
- Backup only changed files (using a custom tool)

I hope this will allow me to back up data even with the slow and unstable internet environment in India. Of course, if it doesn't work perfectly, I can just modify the custom tool. Basically, the preparations for data backup are now complete.

The Galaxy S2 I am currently using from Docomo has had the SIM lock removed, so I will bring it with me. It is a well-known issue that Docomo smartphones automatically set the APN when tethering is turned on, which prevents the use of SIM cards from other carriers for tethering.

However, Wi-Fi routers exist for tethering, so Wi-Fi routers like the L-09C I have do not have this APN restriction. Originally, this was a Crossy Wi-Fi router, so it was unclear whether it could use 3G, but when I searched, I found that there are cases of it working with foreign SIM cards, so I asked them to remove the SIM lock and I will bring it to India. When I went to a Docomo shop, they said they would take it and process it, and it would take about 10 days.

I got a large motorcycle, so I went to have my driver's license updated. As a result, the remaining validity period, which was originally only a few months, was extended to 3 years and a few months.

I was worried about the possibility of having to renew my license again in a few months, or that my license might expire while I am in India, forcing me to take inconvenient classes. However, those concerns have now been eliminated for the time being.

This time, I obtained a gold license for the first time, so I am also happy that the next renewal can be easily done at the police station.

Some people say that the camera on smartphones is sufficient, but taking a lot of pictures drains the battery, and the smartphone I carry has camera issues, making it difficult to take pictures. Also, since it doesn't have zoom, I decided to get a separate camera for everyday use.

When traveling, I use the NEX-5 with a 35mm short focal length lens, but it's better to have a separate camera for everyday use so I can easily take it with me.

I chose the SONY DSC-WX300, which was recently released. It's small and weighs 166g (including the battery), but it has a 20x optical zoom and can take 500 still images, which is more than enough. I plan to carry it with me when I go for walks near my home on weekdays and weekends, so this size is just right. The NEX-5 is small, but it's a bit too big for walks near my home. That's where a compact camera like the WX300 comes in handy.

I was considering the RX100, but I decided that the smaller WX300 was better because I wanted to use it in combination with the NEX-5 when I go on trips.

I have decided to dispose of three desktop PCs, a CRT monitor, an LCD monitor, and a laptop.

I have backed up the data, so I think I can dispose of them now. However, I can't find anyone to take the CRT monitor, so I have no choice but to have the manufacturer collect it, which will cost about 4000 yen. The PCs can be disposed of through recycling, so there are no problems with the manufacturer's collection. I'm thinking of sending the LCD monitor to a free buyback service.

I decided that there's no need to keep these old PCs because everything I used to do on my own PCs can now be done with cloud services.

The desktop PCs are dual-core Celerons, the CRT monitor is 17 inches, the LCD monitor is 15 inches, and the laptop is a Core i5, which is still relatively new, but it's not working well, so I plan to dispose of it. (I'll give it away if anyone wants it, but I don't expect to find many takers.)

I plan to only bring my current DELL laptop.

At the company's clinic, I received two hepatitis A vaccinations and one tetanus vaccination. Next, I am starting to receive other vaccinations at a local clinic. The vaccinations I will receive there are hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, and rabies. Also, I plan to receive a typhoid vaccination at a different clinic, and it will be the last one. The typhoid vaccination is a live vaccine, so I plan to get it last.

The schedule for the vaccinations other than rabies is the same as what I saw on the vaccination website. However, I was surprised to hear that only one dose of the rabies vaccine is necessary. I thought I would have to get two doses (two doses in Japan, with additional doses every two years). When I asked, the doctor said that the medical textbooks do not state that two doses are required. If you are going to a rural area, it is important to get two doses for safety, but since I am going to an urban area, one dose is sufficient for now. It is important to remember that rabies vaccination is not a guaranteed prevention, and treatment may still be necessary. Getting two doses is just a precaution, and even one dose can provide immunity. There are rare cases where one dose is not effective, so people going to rural areas are advised to get two doses.

The doctor used to be a satellite commander in the Japan Self-Defense Forces' overseas deployment (PKO), so I think he has that kind of experience. He said that when deploying Self-Defense Force members, he always gives them two doses.

According to the doctor, the vaccination schedule also plays a role. If there is more time, getting two doses would be better, but since I have a lot of vaccinations to get and I am going to an urban area, it is sufficient to get just one dose for now. After arriving at my destination, I can gather information from the local embassy and consider getting the second dose later.

However, for people going to urban areas, one dose is generally sufficient. When I mentioned that I had seen on other websites that additional vaccinations are needed every two years, the doctor said that rabies is effective for life, which is a different point. Hmm... I wonder if other travel clinics are just trying to make money with vaccinations? This clinic is basically a general practitioner's office that provides vaccinations upon request, so they may be more faithful to the basics.

I don't fully understand the details, but for now, it seems that one dose of the rabies vaccine is sufficient, so I will gather information after arriving at my destination.

I had additional tests done for my health check, and the results, including those tests, were all OK.
Now, I am in a state where I can go to the assigned location if only the visa doesn't get rejected, so I will proceed with the procedures quickly.

For example, I requested a complete set of medications (free of charge) from the clinic.
And I am applying for a strange system where I can entrust the management of my house to the real estate company within the company, which costs several tens of thousands of yen. Although a certain percentage of the housing cost is deducted from my salary at the destination, I, who originally own a house, will lose that amount entirely, but with this unclear system, the amount is almost plus or minus zero.

Regarding salary, the company says that the living expenses will be paid based on an index from an international research company, and the amount will be adjusted according to that index. In the case of India, the index is 70%, and that amount is paid in rupees. It is possible to reduce the amount, but since only the rupee exchange rate after it becomes 70% can be specified, I will end up losing 40,000 yen every month.

The company's explanation is that there are no living expenses, so it is the same as in Japan, but it is a terrible system that the amount is reduced even though the living level decreases in a place like India. A certain amount of allowance is provided, which seems to be intended as compensation. With a system like this, it is understandable why there are few applicants for India. I think only people like me, who are interested in such things, would accept the assignment.

There is an index that states that living in India can be managed with 70% of the cost in Japan, and the system deducts approximately 30% of the salary for living expenses. If you go to a place like New York, this index will likely exceed 1, and the allowance will increase. However, since the development bases are located in countries with low labor costs, this index is not very high. Singapore is said to be around 1, which is not much different from Japan. After deducting based on this index, the amount needed each month is transferred to an Indian bank account in Indian rupees.

In addition to this, there are allowances for relocation, but there is no overtime pay, so working overtime too much will be a disadvantage. However, Indians don't seem to work overtime much, and I don't really want to either. If there is not enough work, the basic approach is to increase the number of people and cover it within regular hours. There is no strange culture like the one in Japan where people take pride in excessive overtime, so it is very easy to work. Originally, the salary system in India does not include overtime pay. If Japanese people want to work overtime, they have to make the driver wait for a long time, so they probably don't want to work overtime. I think it is good to do everything on schedule, but I can imagine that things will not go so smoothly in India.

I am scheduled to travel to India for a preliminary visit from this week to next week. The mission is to meet with colleagues, greet other Japanese employees who have been dispatched, and most importantly, to select a residence (at least a rough area).

I spent about 7 days driving around Japan during the Golden Week, and then spent about 3 days at my parents' house, so I am a little tired now, but if I go to work tomorrow, I will immediately go to India again. It feels a bit hectic this month.

The department I belong to at my company allows me to take a business trip primarily for finding a place to live before I move. I came to Bangalore for this trip, with the purpose being 1/3 for work, 1/3 for introductions, and 1/3 for finding a place to live (which was the main purpose). I stayed for only about a week, and I mainly searched for apartments on weekends.

In my case, on the first day, I had a meeting for introductions and a brief work discussion. On the second day, I asked a driver through the local HR department to take me around the city so I could get familiar with the area.I was able to get a feel for the city by driving around the IT district (or whatever you want to call it) on the east side of Bangalore, along the major arterial road called Outer Ring Road, and even driving towards Koramangala on one side.

And then, I spent the weekend looking for an apartment, and that exploration proved to be helpful.

First, I started with apartments near my company, and I was shown several apartments that were of a certain quality, but some were quite good, while others were quite quirky, and I ended up being exhausted. On Saturday, I looked at about 10 places from around 9 am to 3 pm, but on Sunday, I didn't feel like doing much, so I only looked at two places and that was it.

There were some apartments with amazing views, but there were also apartments where the owner refused to provide furniture, making negotiations difficult.Perhaps, while it is compact, there might be some difficulty with shopping.I was shown a certain place, and it was clearly being inflated in price by the owner.
It feels like 30% has been added, but the owner is smiling.
Are other companies quietly accepting this and paying?
Or is this kind of place truly valuable?
Hmm.
I expect that price increases like this are what cause bubbles, and that it's not just happening in Japan.I was looking for a convenient place, but I came to the conclusion that no matter where I live, I'll end up having a driver drive me there, so I reported to HR that I wanted to live in a relatively new place near the company as my top choice.

Well, I wonder what will happen. The plan is that the company will sign a contract and everything will be perfectly prepared before my assignment, so I can move in smoothly. (I hope it goes well.)

When I asked someone in a different department within the company, they said that their department doesn't have such a system, so it seems to be a unique system for the department I'm in. The travel tickets for the assignment are provided by HR, but the expenses for the preparation trip are not covered by HR, but by the department, so perhaps my department is a little more privileged than other departments.

The real estate agent is full of things that would be questionable from a Japanese perspective, but it doesn't feel strange here in India. The list was sent to me the day before, and the real estate agent is using the PC in the lobby of the hotel we're meeting at to add to the list and reprint it, which might seem surreal, but it doesn't feel strange in India. It seems to be a matter of "let's do it as we go."

When I was shown the apartment, there was a pile of newspapers in front of the previous tenant's door, so I picked one up and brought it with me. How should I think about that? Hmm. Is it a recycling of unnecessary garbage?

The scheduled time is listed, but the order is all mixed up, and there's no sense that they intend to visit at that time, which doesn't feel strange in India.

What I'm concerned about is that many of the owners are trying to rent out their places even though they still live there. Is it because they can make more money by renting to foreigners at a higher price than living there themselves? Hmm. That's possible...

Rather than worrying about the business sense of the Indians, my priority is to find a place where I can relax, so I'm hoping that things will go as planned and I'll get my top choice.

I have returned to Japan.

I realized that food is a problem, so I ordered the necessary food supplies.
- Various types of freeze-dried miso soup, 360 pieces
- Various types of instant rice, 180 pieces
- Canned curry, 100 pieces
- Various types of pasta sauce, 100 pieces

And I bought some small items in the neighborhood.
- Soy sauce, hon mirin, mentsuyu, sugar, salt, and other seasonings
- Dried noodles such as soba and udon, approximately 60 servings

Also, I bought a canned beef bowl at a 100-yen shop to taste it, but the taste was mediocre, so I decided not to buy it. However, once I'm there, I might think that even this is better... For now, I'm not buying any beef bowls, and I'll limit the food supplies to this amount.

Then, I contacted the representative of a transportation company called "Nittsu" (apparently, it's a common company in India) to make a reservation for the moving date. During that phone call, I was informed that the customs authorities have instructed that food items should be limited to about 20% of the total luggage. The probability of being checked is about 10% for sea freight, but it's even stricter for air freight. I decided to plan to send the canned goods by sea freight and the items I need quickly by air freight.

Diving insurance
When searching at http://www.padi.co.jp/visitors/insure/top.asp, the following information appears.

■Annual
PADI Divers Insurance
http://www.padi.co.jp/visitors/insure/index.asp
DAN JAPAN
http://www.danjapan.gr.jp/

■Per trip
AIU (only for overseas)
Sompo Japan's Off (only for overseas)
JI (domestic & overseas)

Most per-trip overseas travel insurance policies are special provisions of regular overseas travel insurance, so they are likely valid "only within 90 days of departure." Also, I wouldn't intentionally purchase a regular insurance policy just for diving, so I'm excluding per-trip insurance.

PADI Divers Insurance costs 980 yen per month, or about 12,000 yen per year.
DAN JAPAN costs 5,000 yen per year.

PADI Divers Insurance is likely from Sompo Japan, so I expect it to have a 90-day restriction.
DAN is an international organization, so I thought it would be better to join that. I inquired whether it could be used by someone who is being transferred overseas.

However, DAN JAPAN stated that it would be a special provision of overseas travel insurance, so the 90-day restriction would apply. Therefore, it cannot be used by someone who is being transferred overseas. If you join, you need to sign up in Japan before departure, but it can be used if you return to Japan regularly, which I don't do very often.

However, I received information that while DAN JAPAN is not an option, insurance from the various DAN branches may be applicable. For example, if you are in India, you should join DAN Asia-Pacific.

Therefore, I plan to inquire with the local DAN branch once I arrive at my destination.

I am currently organizing my room in preparation for my move this weekend.
I was told that I can ship up to 10 medium-sized cardboard boxes by air freight, and it looks like I will probably be using about that many.
I have already finished organizing about 5 boxes, and the remaining items are clothes, shoes, and food, so I have essentially finished packing the items that require more careful selection.

Today, I went to the city hall to complete the procedure for removing my resident registration. It seems that the procedure can be done within two weeks of departure, even if not on the same day.

Over the past few weeks, I have been gradually purchasing various items online and at 100-yen shops, and today I finally received the last of the deliveries, so things are finally settling down.

Tomorrow, I will be busy, but I plan to return to my parents' home (in Shizuoka) and stay for one night.