[hkmurakami]

As a westerner who had his soul crushed once by the machine there, I can attest.

That being said, I do think that it's not as bad if you look foreign (esp if you're white). You also need to be able to ignore the norms even if you are aware of them. If you start worrying about complying with the norms that you know are there but aren't quite sure where the boundaries are (like I did), then your soul is guaranteed to be crushed.

[intruder]

As someone looking for a job here right now and being quite norm conforming, this terrifies me.

I'll try to find a foreign company.

[euske]

Nah. Many small firms and tech-oriented startups are much more casual and often liberal too, so no worry. I (as a native Japanese) work for a small tech company in Tokyo. The workplace is pretty friendly and negotiable. I bike to my work and have a power nap every day. I can have weeklong vacations a few times a year. The pay is not as great as the big guys, but generally I consider it a good life. Good luck with job searching!