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hi kaminoge, congrats on moving to BG.
1.- this depends on where the office, you'd be working in, is located. Prolly the company would find accommodation in proximity, so that you won't need to spend too much time commuting.
2-it's cold in the winter, but nothing extreme. Luckily for you most of the places have Central Heating, and electricity is not that expensive compared to Western Europe, so you can use electric appliances for heating pretty extensively.
When renting a place you can get a fully furnished one or a non-furnished one. Needless to say the fully furnished ones have all kitchen appliances installed and some non-furnished ones have a kitchen installed as well.

3. You can find all mainstream stuff here, but in case you have special interests or needs like using a thing which is to be found only in Japan- let's say...a Soapland , you will struggle finding it here in BG

Thanks for the tips. I don't think I'll be getting a house near where I work - the location is a bit outside the city and they said that single people generally prefer to live in the city and commute. That's why I'm interested in what areas of the city are particularly nice or not nice.

I'm originally from the tropics so I'll probably be finding it cold! I'm glad to hear about the central heating though. Japan is really backwards when it comes to heating so that will be an improvement.

My place will be furnished.

Good to know I can find all the mainstream stuff there. I don't think I'll be needing a Soapland :-)  In fact I don't think there's anything you buy in Japan that I'll miss - Japan's a little wasted on me, I don't even like Japanese food.

I thought of another question. Does anyone know about the availability/price of outdoor equipment (think camping stuff, shoes, clothes) in Sofia? I enjoy outdoor stuff a lot and some of my gear needs replacing. I'm wondering if I should buy it here (great quality but expensive) and include it in what I ship or just wait until I get there to buy new stuff.

I am not really well informed about outdoor equipment, but I know there are plenty of sport shops which sell this type of things, so you shouldn't worry about availability.
For prices you can check this online shop:sportdepot.bg/en  as a reference, prices are in BGN, 1BGN ~ 0.5 EUR

Thanks! Sounds like I can just get stuff there. Good to know.

Hey,

I moved here 3 days ago. I'm 24 and I work online and have come with a bit of a "whatever" attitude...easy going...it's worked well for me.

Your accommodation is paid for? So no problem there?

You say outside the city? All I know is central and south (city not region) are the best. I've got an apartment 30 seconds from Vitosha bulv. and it seems a nice place.

If your out the city, I'd deffo want to be driving...taxis are a right pain in the arse. If you are stubborn, you'll get good prices, but sometimes if you are in a rush and there are not many, you'll pay. I'd say 7/10 taxis so far have been good. 3/10 have tried to charge me the wrong amount

Pick the taxis that have the rate cards stuck to the window...rates are like .8-.9lv per km...so from the airport it should be 10-15lv...I met people in the hostel that paid 40+ cause they didn't check.

I came unprepared, for yourself, you should learn lots of words...I didn't and I feel like a right idiot when I have to point at things to get what I want!!!

Get used to the currency. We have a min  £5 note in the UK here it is 2lv notes...pay 2lv for something that is 1.50lv and sometimes they won't give any change...so always check otherwise it costs.

Outdoor gear. I do hiking, motocross, camping. If your want branded stuff (Merrell, Berghaus, North Face), then don't worry, just get it here. You'll find the brands are very similar price in Japan, England, Bulgaria etc....the brand sets the price not the country

If you have cheap brands that are high quality...then bring it with you...I have some stuff that I may not use so if people want to borrow it...feel free...

I think information on the internet is overated. The only information that actually was real, was from forums like here and britsinbulgaria....don't listen to the crap articles. If you can, try and come here for 7 days to check it out first.

Thanks for all the tips. I hope you're enjoying your new home!

I've had almost a decade of living in countries where I need to point to get what I want so I'm not too worried about embarrassing myself - think of it as good practice for charades. I will try to learn at least the basic words before I come though.

I won't have a chance to come there before I make the move but that's ok. It's not like I've got a choice now anyway, I'm completely committed. I moved to both China and Japan without having been to either place so I'm sure it will be fine. Actually I kind of like experiencing a place for the first time knowing I've committed to staying for years rather than visiting it wondering if I'd want to live there, it changes your mind set.

Good to know about the outdoor stuff. I'll be bringing all of my semi-decent stuff with me but I won't worry about replacing any of the things that need replacing until after I get there. Less stuff to ship is a good thing.

Enjoy Sofia. At least by moving at the time of year you have you'll be experiencing it as the weather gets nicer and nicer.