Commuting out of Tokyo? No idea - that will depend entirely upon the agreement between the employer and the contractor, unless you're planning on paying full fare.
The medical IS extensive - expect to have at least 3 phials of blood taken for pretty comprehensive blood analyses, along with the usual urinalysis (if you've been popping any pills (steroids, etc.), or smoking any funny stuff, don't bother applying, an (annual) chest x-ray, an ECG (resting and exercise...NOT stress - usually!), and an EEG (which takes about an hour from start to finish!), the usual hearing test done in a sound proof booth, and an extensive eye test and check (colour, field of vision, depth perception, night vision, etc).
The interview will cull quite a few - expect to have your log book closely scrutinised, however, in reality you'll find that no matter how many hours you have, they all amount to zilch in the eyes of the Japanese! The counter is reset to zero and only starts ticking AFTER you commence flying in Japan.
Yes RR, the licence you receive is a FULL Japanese licence - not a validation of an existing one - and that entails a couple of months of groundschool, a FULL groundschool on your current type, followed by sim (including "fixed base", even though you are endorsed and current).
Expect to be checked out about 5-6 months after start - just in time to do your medical again! And no, I'm not joking.
On the upside - the flying is great, with weather conditions presenting you with the full gambit!
[ 03 January 2002: Message edited by: Kaptin M ]</p>