Hello everyone,

I am currently working as a QA Software Tester for a multinational company (testing a voice recognition software) in Madrid, but I am from Italy and as I don't like it here I am desperately trying to find a job so I can leave. I have lived in Japan before for a little over a year, and lately I have started applying to jobs in Tokyo but I was wondering if anybody has any useful advice?

I speak intermediate Japanese.

Thank you in advance to anyone who will reply :)

Its a fresh start in japan as company worker , and the company is not good as i expect cause when i arrived here in japan they said that this nov and dec company is not busy and they will give me part-time job(1or 2 days a week) also no room available. I went to job for two days but owner always get angry. Its a first month here in japan so i am worried and its not fix that after 3months i will be permanent there. What should i do in this situation?? Is it good to leave the company after 3months and find a new job from today??? What should i do please provide me any geniune suggestion? Thank you Visa type(Engineer / Specialist in Humanities )..

Specifically 3D printed cosplay/figures/ any item or painting for them? have been printing and painting for a while now and know basic enough Japanese already

I’m considering moving to Japan in about 2 years to work in a big American finances corporation. I’m currently a supervisor with 5+ years of experience in my country in Europe, but nobody really cares about a university degree here. You can just get a job or promotion with no problem as long as you’re suitable for it with your knowledge and experience. I was wondering if I could move and work in Japan relying solely on my experience and knowledge, or if they would need a university degree. I would also appreciate it if anyone would share their stories and experiences about working and living in Japan. Thanks!

I hope you’re doing well. I'm reaching out to learn more about the selection process at Rakuten Group, Inc., especially regarding the interview stages, as I’ll be going through them soon. I would appreciate any insights you might have on what to expect and how best to prepare.

Role - Entry level Software Engineer

So my wife and I recently took our honeymoon in Japan and kind of fell in love with Tokyo. Coming from LA the efficiency the cleanliness and the people were truly a mind blowing experience. We've started to play with the idea of moving to Tokyo at least for a while. I've started by working on learning Japanese, I am pretty good with languages so that part has been fun regardless of where this leads.

Short term we are thinking we'd rent an apartment/airbnb for a month or two to see how we like it while keeping our current life in LA and we could likely do that while staying remote with our current jobs in the US since they both have some APAC presence we could overlap with. Long term obviously the biggest hurdle is employment. My wife works for a larger firm and perhaps has the ability to transfer I however would likely need to find a new job. I work as a pricing and sales ops analyst for a mid size tech firm. I have about 10-11 years of experience mostly with SaaS companies and I am pretty good at it with a decent portfolio of projects and awards to point to. The current market is a bit slow but before this I had no problem getting jobs in the US. That said I am in my mid 30s AND probably more unusual I have a lot of tattoos, light geometric designs on my hands and neck. This was of course never a problem working for west coast tech companies but I'm curious how this plays for non customer facing roles at Japanese or US companies based in Japan.

So obviously I'm not expecting to get a job a thousand miles ways without knowing the language but at my age, background, demographic how feasible is it that I could find a role at all thats at least somewhat on the level (not expecting the same pay) as I currently am?

I'm going to be finishing a bachelors degree in pharamceutical biotech in a few months and was interested in moving to Japan and so I've started looking into how to move, what the housing situation is like etc. However, there seems to be very minimal biotech or bioprocess jobs from the few sites I've been on. No clue if I just havnt looked in the right places or if there just isn't that much of an industry for it. I don't really care about where in Japan either Any help or information would be much appreciated!

Hello, everyone.

I'm currently planning to make the big move to Japan to, hopefully, live there. I've weighted the pros and cons and I'm aware of circunstances such as pay rates and work enviroment not being as good as other countries but I figured they were hurdles I could deal with. Same applies to adapting to the life in another country.

But what is worrying me is finding out how viable is to find a job willing to sponsor my visa.

My context, I got an associates degree on Finance Management and then finished a non-degree postgraduate qualification on Controlling and Finance. I'm aware that for immigration purposes, it means squat for Japanese Immigration since they don't consider College for their own reasons. Sucks but "when in Rome...". My only current saving grace is that I do have over 10 years of experience working in a field related to my graduation (banking) which, for what I've seen, technically makes me eligible even if it makes things harder by limiting my options.

(there seems to be the option of doing senmon gakkou too so that's in the consideration)

While I've never really got a management position, I did managed to get two promotions and currently work in an assistant position in a department. So I mostly do clerical/administrative work (no direct costumer service). Not an IT guy, unfortunately.

Currently I'm 35 and working my way to pass N2 (I've made my mind, I won't even try immigrating if I don't get this, even if one of my plans involves entering as a student in a language school). I believe, I'll be close to my 40's by the time I get to finish everything (certification, move to Japan, either language school/senmon gakkou). This brings another hurdle as I've heard there is kind of an ageism thing depending on where you are applying.

All this story bring me to my main question in how much viable is finding a job in my field of study considering my situation? How is the job market like for foreigns with a background on banking/finance-related departments or at least in fields related? Are there any opportunities at all?

Thanks a lot for the attention. I'll stay researching for alternatives but as for right now, I'm in kind of need to clarify this one point so I can figure what alternative I might look into next (if there is any!)

Hello everyone i am a personal trainer looking for a job in japan speak english and hebrew Has a certificate from wingate with a grade of 92 overall

I’m an admin assistant with 11 years experience supporting c-suite level executives and military members with a secret clearance. Looking to see if anyone has a good lead on how to get a DoD contracting job in Japan or at least maybe a remote admin job based in Japan.

We are looking for friendly and professional individuals to join our hotel front desk team.

Location
2-25, Shimaya 6-chome, Konohana-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan

Salary
Annual salary: ¥3,000,000 - ¥3,500,000
(Training period: Hourly wage ¥1,150)

Working Hours
3-shift rotation:

• (1) 08:00 - 17:00
• (2) 17:00 - 23:00
• (3) 23:00 - 08:00 (next day)

Job Description

• Check-in and check-out of guests
• Providing local sightseeing information and assistance
• Handling reservations and customer management via phone
• Inspecting guest rooms after cleaning

Ideal for those who enjoy customer service and have strong communication skills.

Position
Hotel Front Desk - No Experience Required!

Salary
Annual salary: ¥3,000,000 - ¥3,500,000
(Training period: ¥1,150 per hour)

Skills & Requirements

• Japanese language proficiency: N2 or higher
• Conversational proficiency in English, Japanese, and Chinese is a plus (Salary considered based on language skills, experience, and qualifications)
• Enthusiasm for customer service and communication

Probation & Training

• 3-month probation period
• Employment conditions are the same as those for permanent staff after probation

Benefits & Welfare

• Bonus: Twice a year
• Employee discounts
• Comprehensive social insurance
• Paid vacation (after 6 months of employment)
• Parental leave, sick leave, and care leave

Holiday & Leave

• 2 days off per week for those working 5 days a week
• Flexible holiday system

We are looking for candidates who share our corporate philosophy!

How to Apply

• Please send your resume (and work history) to recruit@vishu.co.jp
• For inquiries, please call: 03-6225-0853

Hello Everyone,

I am a 30 years old Mathematician, I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mathematics from a top university in my country (Lisbon University - in Portugal, my home country). I am currently in my last year of PhD in Japan (at Osaka University), I will graduate end of September 2025.

To keep it short, during my PhD I got less and less motivated to stay in academia, so I have decided to search for jobs elsewhere. I would like to find a job in IT in Japan, since I like programming and data science. So for me anything related to software development, machine learning, data science would be a good match. I don’t have tons of experience with it, but I have developed some softwares in python and C/C++, and I have used some data science frameworks like pandas, scikit-learn and pytorch. Besides that, I believe I am a quick learner. I am also open to other jobs in the industry in which I could use my experience with mathematics.

My Japanese is decent (I have JLPT N2), so ideally I would like a job where I can use mainly English, although I feel I could quickly adapt if I would be using Japanese everyday, and probably I could learn some key words and phrases essential for the job in the beginning.

I am not aiming for any particular salary (my lifestyle is quite cheap at the moment), I would like to just find a job and gain some experience in IT first, after getting some experience I can probably get better positions with higher salaries (is this a good strategy?).

I am ok with living anywhere in Japan. I prefer smaller cities, with more nature, but that is not a must.

TL;DR: 30y/o Portuguese Mathematician (Bachelor’s and Master’s from Lisbon University) with decent Japanese (JLPT N2), in my last year of PhD at Osaka University. I want to leave academia and find a job in IT. I have some experience in programming (python and C/C++), and in Data Science (scikit-learn, pytorch etc). Different jobs related to Math also OK, but not priority. Any salary is fine, just want to gain experience first. Any tips ideas?

Hi everyone, I am coming to Japan on November 18th and I would like to work. Do you guys have any advice on where I should look for a job? I am a 19yo male with experience as a sales clerk and warehouse worker. I speak native level French, fluent English but my Japanese is really basic, I can survive, but not much more. I have a working holiday visa that will allow me to work, but from the research I have made so far I haven’t found anything available for a foreigner who does not really speak Japanese. Thanks in advance!

Hello, So I am going to apply for Japan as a work and traveler. I am only 19 years old and have some experience in gastronomy. As i have heard, the tourism in Japan is quite big, especially in Tokyo or other big cities like Kyoto or Hiroshima. It must be possible for me to find something to work at. My japanese is not good, i only know a few words but therefore my english is quite good. Any advice on how to find jobs or maybe which websites are easily usable for finding a job? I heard that some hotels and bars especially look for english-speaking foreigners to make the customers feel an international experience. Thank you for any response🙏

Hi guys,

A tourism agency is looking for a Japanese speaking sales who can work in Thailand. The salary is competitive and open to discuss. Welcome to apply!

I represent a blockchain advisory and development company based in UAE, recently we had an influx of clients based in Japan. We’re in need of a few remote based assistants based in Japan, who are very fluent in Japanese. Your responsibilities will be providing administrative support, client and customer support and project co-ordination.

Think of it as a part time work only. If you are interested and want to inquire further, feel free. Thanks for your time.

Hello everyone. I own what is considered by most customers a lovely wine bar and restaurant in Fukuoka, specialising in Italian cuisine (I am Italian).

It's called TIPICO.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xwVD6t31CG4bQwMx5

It's a VERY small place, but I am now looking for staff, and I was wondering if you would have any suggestion on how to advertise these job post without necessarily go through a paid-recruitment service. We are already on Indeed and other free-job search engine, and we are trying to navigate the bureaucracy of HelloWork.

Ideally I am looking for an European (well, Italians?) to bring knowledge and experience of Italian food and wine, but obviously I am open to everyone who is enthusiastic, serious, dedicated and passionate about good food and wine. Some experience in hospitality is required, as well as a decent knowledge of Japanese.

I offer different contract options, from basic part time to full time employee-like long term contracts.

Would you have any suggestion or someone in your network who would like to explore this further?
Thanks for any suggestion you might have!

Giovanna

The working hours for foreign students are said to be within 28 hours. But does this include breaks?

For example, if I stay at work for 31 hours and take a break for 3 hours, it is 28 hours. Is this situation safe? Or is it 28 hours including breaks?

In addition, when it says within 28, does it mean up to 27.9 or including 28?

Will be living in Aichi. Native English speaker looking for work. Terrible Japanese language skills (currently self studying). Would prefer factory work over English teaching. Any recommendations how to go about this or what websites to use? I heard that Toyota factories sometimes employs foreigners. Any info on this would be appreciated.

Hi, all. I'm a 27 year old American living in Osaka. I have JLPT N1, so my Japanese language ability, while not perfect also isn't an issue. Also, I am married, so visa sponsorship is not a requirement for my potential employer. TL:DR at the end.

I took a fairly typical looking fresh graduate systems engineering job for a small company, starting in April of this year. I graduated from a 2 year vocational school (studied systems engineering), and my salary is about ￥200,000/mo after taxes. Long story short, when getting hired I was led to believe that there would be some fairly substantial bonuses to make up for the (typical in Japan but not what I want to be making at this stage of my life) salary, as well as things like flexible scheduling and WFH, which haven't panned out and don't look like they are going to pan out... With basically no compelling reason to stay at this particular job (I wouldn't really call it a black company but certainly grey), I am looking to switch ASAP.

I understand that having gone to a 2 year vocational school as opposed to a 4 year university will not look as good on a resume, but despite that on-paper limitation I have a lot of "foundational knowledge" about various programming languages, frameworks, software etc., and have a very good grasp from a decade of personal use of Linux/BSD systems. I have built some fairly substantial projects at my current job. Basically, I'm confident in my ability to actually perform and write software at a higher level than I am currently placed at, but my resume might not fully reflect it.

That being said, I have a colleague who was hired on at the same time (she went to a 4 year university but studied an unrelated major, IIRC marketing), with less tech skills than I have (she learned from scratch during the initial 研修 training period). She is also job hunting, and for reference has gotten 2 offers, one for ￥340,000/mo with no bonuses, and another for ￥290,000/mo with bonuses.

How much should I be looking to make at this point? I would ideally really like at least ~￥300,000/mo take-home, if possible. Would prefer to stay in Osaka, but willing to relocate for the right price.

Currently in touch with some agency recruiters and using doda. It looks like I have plenty of options on doda, but feel like I might have a better chance at a higher salary/better job overall by leveraging my English ability rather than trying to use a Japanese job site meant for Japanese applicants. Surely I have no chance at getting a gaishikei job without at least a few more years of experience, right?

TL;DR: 26y/o American in Osaka, have my JLPT N1 and spousal visa. Graduated from 2 year vocational school for systems engineering. Lots of foundational software knowledge/skills and a few substantial projects (at current job). Shooting for ￥300,000/mo, but should I be aiming higher? Any additional advice?

Also please feel free to let me know if you might be able to get me in touch with a job or a good recruiter!

Thanks :)

I am currently here in FUKUI, Japan working as a caregiver and I don’t see myself working as caregiver, the physical, emotional and mental stress is too much and it’s not really aligned to me and now I am thinking of changing jobs in hotel industry aiming for easier jobs like house keeping and I get really overwhelmed.

My visa is SSW (my contract will expire on July)

And this is my plan so far DEC .take prometric skill test .Once I pass the test, search for jobs until APRIL

• HOUSEKEEPING or any hotel entry jobs
• As much as possible I don’t want to talk I just want to work on my own pace
• N4 Passer but can speak daily nihongo

Prefer in city atleast near OSAKA,KYOTO, TOKYO)

• gaikokujin friendly work environment
• If possible free accommodation (apartment)

I join a lot groups taking my chances and also use apps such as HELLO WORK JAPAN, KUROFUNE.. try interviews as much as possible.

Goal: receive 2-3 job offers

MAY . Inform my agency and pass my resignation letter

• While processing my resignation, my job transfer is ongoing too: complying with documents etc…

JULY - onwards

.transfer to new city .start a new job

And if I fail, it might be a sign for me that this Japanese dream wasn’t meant for me.

Here are my worries:

? Any good recommendations to find a LEGIT JOB and tips to be careful for

? Which is better direct hiring or agency

? Who can I ask for help if I get troubled? - I am thinking of asking the immigration regarding this situation, for sure my agency and my employer won’t just let me go, I heard a lot of guilt-tripping and might threaten me that I have no rights to do this, the ‘debt of gratitude’ mentality

? How will I defend myself without giving in, I won’t get intimidated and froze talking to my superiors

? IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS TO ASK BEFORE LEAVING MY JOB

If someone had experienced the same situation please tell me the flow (step by step process)

I could use some help with finding a decent teaching job in Tokyo.

I'm an experienced, certified EFL teacher from Argentina with a university degree (equivalent to a bachelor's degree) in EFL teaching, apostilled by The Hague. I have 11 years of experience teaching students of all ages, primarily focused on preparing adolescents for advanced international exams. My level of Japanese is N5. I recently moved to Tokyo on a Humanities Visa and am currently seeking opportunities at universities or reputable schools.

I would greatly appreciate any guidance on where to look for jobs. If you know of any good dispatch companies or places that are currently hiring or might be in the near future, please let me know. I'm aiming for full-time positions but am also open to part-time roles. A salary of around 250,000 yen is acceptable.

Thank you for any help you can provide!

I just got into a job in Japan 4 months back and I am getting a better offer now in another big tech company but should I jump just after 4 months? My current salary is 200k yen after taxes and rent and I haven't negotiated the salary in my new company yet. If I jump now will it look good on my resume? Or should I stay in my current company without thinking much about the new offer?

Note - My current company is a contract company which outsources me to other tech companies but I am a permanent employee here and they will post me to a new company or in house projects if I am out of contracts.

So I'm a new bachelor's degree graduate that happened to land a job offer in Japan for what I feel like is a very top-level company. Based on my jobhunt so far, I've concluded that the typical salary usually ranges from 200 - 250K yen/month, amounting to about 3 - 4 million yen per year with bonuses but not including taxes.

This job, however, offers a pay of about 1.5 - 2x of that,. For one I'm glad about the job, but I guess I'm just.. scared of why they offer that much for the position, especially considering I'm a new graduate? I'm on a yearly contract basis with a max renewal of 4 times. Anybody ever had experience with this kind of position? Should I be scared of the incredibly high responsibilities? Am I expected to have mid-career level of knowledge? I'm actually kind of scared.

Hi! I am a 21 year old woman living in America. I was going to college for Japanese Studies & Religious Studies but had to take a break due to a large surgery. While I've been recovering I started to work in the foster care system and I really love it. It's been my plan for years to move to Japan, I figured I would start as an English teacher like most foreigner. But now that I know the career path I'm passionate about, I'm curious what I should study when I return to college. I know I must have a bachelors degree for most visas in Japan. I was also curious about some reputable facilities that would be willing to hire a foreigner. I've been studying Japanese for years but since taking my break I've become a bit rusty. Also, I spent a couple of months in Japan last year as a camp counselor at a summer camp. I totally fell in love with Japan, so I'm confident about moving there for a couple of years. Please let me know what you think! Thank you!

I really wanna work in Japan! Are there some recruiters here who could help with getting a job in Japan? I am a QA Professional (SDET) with 2 years and 5 months of experience at a reputable MNC. I am from India btw. I know Fluent English but no Japanese (Learning).

I’m reaching out to the community in hopes of finding a teaching position in an international school. I have over a decade of experience working with both international and American curricula.

If anyone is aware of any openings or has any leads to a good school in the Kanagawa or Yokohama area, I would greatly appreciate your help. I have applied to a few places but I figure a reference from a community member would be better. Thanks in advance for your time.

Hey everyone,

I'm a European IT professional and I just completed a recruitment process with a Japanese company. They've informed me they want to make me an offer (yay!) but instead of sending a written offer first, they're asking to schedule a meeting to present it.

Few questions since I'm not familiar with Japanese work culture:

1. Is this common practice in Japan? In Europe, we usually receive written offers first to have time to review them properly.
2. What should I expect during this "offer presentation" meeting?
3. Can I ask to receive the offer prior the interview?
4. About negotiations - while it's very common to negotiate offers in Europe/US if they don't meet our expectations, I'm wondering if this is culturally acceptable in Japan?

Additional context: The company will be sponsoring my work visa as I'm not a Japanese resident. This is for an IT position.

For those with experience:

• Are there specific aspects of Japanese job offers I should pay special attention to?
• Are some elements typically more negotiable than others?
• Any specific considerations regarding visa sponsorship that I should keep in mind?

Would really appreciate insights from people who went through similar situations. Thanks!

So i saw a video that there are many opportunities in Tokyo for those interested in Data Center positions with some prior experience. Is that still true? Thanks.