After 18 months of living in Karuizawa, a resort town about an hour away from Tokyo via the Shinkansen, I have bought a house here. This article describes my experience of purchasing a house, and contains tips that are useful both if you’re considering buying in Karuizawa specifically, and in Japan more generally. In this article, I’ll cover: My personal journey to Karuizawa Why you might choose to live in Karuizawa My process of buying a house Tips for potential homebuyers in Japan From Tokyo to Karuizawa: my own journey In April 2020 I was living in central Tokyo. Three days after my one-year-old son entered daycare, a state of emergency was declared because of COVID-19. The daycare was closed, so my wife and I took turns looking after him while working remotely from our apartment. The small park next to our apartment was also closed due to the state of emergency, and so my time with my son included such fun activities as walking up and down the stairs, and looking at ants in the parking lot. After a week or two, we’d had enough. We moved in with my in-laws, who were living in a house in a small commuter town in Saitama. Our lives improved dramatically. The nearby parks were not closed. The grandparents could help look after my son. I could enjoy excellent cycling in the nearby mountains. We kept our apartment in Tokyo, as we didn’t know how long we’d stay, but let my brother-in-law use it. It was more spacious than his own, and gave him a better place to work remotely from. Leaving Tokyo for good In June of 2020 the state of emergency was lifted, yet we decided not to move back to Tokyo. Before having a kid, Tokyo had been a wonderful place to live. There was always something new to try, and opportunities to make new professional connections abounded. But as a father, my lifestyle had changed dramatically, even before COVID. No longer was I attending multiple events per week, but at most one per month. I basically stopped drinking alcohol, as maximizing the quality of what little sleep I could get was too important. With a stroller, getting around by train was no longer easy. My life had become much more routine: excitement came from watching my son grow, not my own activities. Though we’d enjoyed living in an area that was suburban bordering on rural, we didn’t want to live with my in-laws indefinitely. Still, seeing how useful it was to have them around with a small child, we decided to look for a house to rent nearby. We found a relatively modern one in the next town over, about a 10-minute drive from my in-laws. The rent was about half of what our Tokyo apartment’s had been, yet this house was twice as big, and even had a small garden. Living there was a wonderful change of pace. When my second child was born a year later, having the in-laws nearby became even more helpful. But as the COVID restrictions began rolling back, we started to think about where we wanted to settle down permanently. Choosing Karuizawa There were some definite downsides to the town we were living in. Practically all our neighbours were retirees. There were few restaurants that were worth going to. The equipment at the playgrounds was falling apart, and there was no sign it would be replaced. The summers were brutally hot, making it unpleasant to be outside. There wasn’t anything for kids to do inside. We’d visited Karuizawa before, and it seemed like it had the access to nature we appreciated, while also offering more options for dining out and other cultural activities. The cooler climate was also a big motivating factor. So in June 2022, we started looking at places. Most of the rental options were incredibly expensive seasonal properties, and so buying a house seemed like the most realistic option. But the market moved extremely quickly, and any property that seemed like a good deal was snatched up before we even had a chance to look at it. After about half a year of searching, we gave up. We then considered buying a house in Gotenba, a town at the base of Mount Fuji. We’d visited there in the past, and though it didn’t seem quite as nice an option as Karuizawa, we were able to find a decent house that was cheap enough that buying it was a relatively small risk. We placed a lowball offer on the property, and were rejected. Frustrated, I took a look at the rental options for Karuizawa again. This time we saw two houses for rent that were good candidates! We heard from the real estate agent that one of the properties already had someone coming to view the next afternoon, and so we went the next morning. Visiting the house, it seemed like exactly what we were looking for. We immediately put in a rental application, and moved in the next month. Why Karuizawa? I’ve already covered some of the reasons why we chose Karuizawa, but I’ll go into more detail about them, along with other unexpected good points. Mild summers According to historical data, the average temperature in Karuizawa in August is 20.8°C. While daytime temperatures get hotter than that, you’re unlikely to risk heat stroke by being active outside, something that isn’t true for much of Japan. That being said, climate change is inescapable, and summers in Karuizawa are getting hotter than historical data would suggest. This is an issue because while it cools down at night, many of the houses are built only with the cold winters in mind. For instance, despite the house I rented being built in 2019, it only had a single AC unit. This meant that many days in July and August were unbearably hot inside, and I had trouble sleeping at night as it wouldn’t cool down until well past midnight. Cold but cheerful winters While summers are cooler, this also means winters are cold. The average temperature in January is -3.3°C. However, much like Tokyo, winters here tend to be quite sunny, and there have only been a few heavy snowfalls per year while I’ve lived here. That’s enough that you can enjoy the snow without having to worry about shovelling it daily. Proximity to Tokyo The Shinkansen makes it quicker for me to get into central Tokyo than when I was living in suburban Saitama. It’s about a 70-minute ride from Karuizawa station to Tokyo station. While this is not something I’d want to do daily, I now typically go into Tokyo only a couple of times per month, which is reasonable. Greenery and nature As a resort community, Karuizawa places a lot of emphasis on greenery. Throughout the town, there are plenty of areas where residential and commercial spaces mingle with forest. Many houses have nice gardens. Shade exists everywhere. Wilder nature is close by, too. While you can do day hikes from Tokyo, they involve an hour plus on the train, followed by a climb where you’re usually surrounded by other people. In Karuizawa, I can walk 15 minutes to a trailhead where I’ll see at most a couple of groups per hour. Cheaper than Tokyo, but not significantly so Money spent on housing goes a lot further in Karuizawa than in Tokyo. For the same price as a used Tokyo apartment, you can get a nice used house on a relatively large plot of land in Karuizawa. However, it’s hard to find truly affordable housing. For starters, Karuizawa’s plots tend to be large by Japanese standards, so even if the per-unit price of the land is cheaper, the overall cost isn’t so cheap. For instance, a centrally located 100 tsubo (330 m²) plot in Nakakaruizawa, which is on the small side of what you can find, will currently sell for at least 30 million yen. It may be possible to get a deal on a more remote piece of land, but true steals are hard to come by. Dining out is another area where it’s easy to spend lots of money. Prices are on par with Tokyo, and there are few cheap options, with Sukiya, McDonald’s, and a couple of ramen shops being practically the only sub-1,000 yen choices. Groceries, at least, are cheaper. While the Tsuruya grocery store does sell a lot of high-end items, the basics like milk, eggs, vegetables, and chicken are significantly cheaper than in Tokyo or even suburban Saitama. All this means that many residents of Karuizawa are wealthy compared to Japan’s overall population. Sometimes that makes them take for granted that others might struggle financially. For instance, when my son graduated from public daycare, the PTA organized a graduation party. We paid 16,000 yen for myself, my wife, and two children to attend. Since that’s equivalent to two eight-hour days at minimum wage, I think it was too expensive. I noticed that some of the children didn’t attend, while others came with just one parent, perhaps because of the prohibitive cost. Liquid housing market While we were living in suburban Saitama, we considered buying a house, and even looked at a couple of places. It was very affordable, with even mansions (in the traditional English usage of the word) being cheaper than Tokyo mansions (in the Japanese sense). But the reason they were so cheap was because there wasn’t a secondary market for them. So even if we could get a good deal, we were worried that should we ever want to sell it again, it might not even be possible to give it away. Karuizawa’s real estate market moves fast. This sucks as a buyer but is great for sellers. Furthermore, because it’s perceived as a place to have a second home by wealthy Tokyoites, houses that are by our standards very nice are nowhere near the top of the market. This reduces the risk of buying a property and not being able to sell it later. Great public facilities If you have young children, Karuizawa offers many free or cheap public facilities. This includes nice playgrounds, children’s halls stocked with toys and activities, a beautiful library with a decent selection of English picture books, and a recreation centre with a gym, training room, pool, indoor and outdoor skating rinks, and a curling rink (built for 1998 Winter Olympics). A welcoming and international community Some areas of Japan have a reputation for being insular and not friendly toward newcomers. Perhaps because much of Karuizawa’s population has moved here from elsewhere, the people I’ve met have been quite welcoming. I’m also always happy to meet new residents, and pass on the helpful tips I’ve picked up. In addition, I’ve discovered that many residents have some sort of international background. While non-Japanese residents are very much the minority, a large percentage of the Japanese parents I’ve spoken with have either studied or worked abroad. There is also an International Association of Karuizawa, whose members include many long-term non-Japanese residents. Their Facebook group makes it easy to ask for advice in English. You can get around without a car Most days I don’t use a car, and get around by walking or bicycling. The lack of heavy snow makes it possible to do this year round (though I’m one of the few people who still uses a bicycle when it is -10°C out). Mostly I’m able to get around without a car because I live in a relatively central area, so it’s not feasible for every resident. It can be quite helpful, though, as traffic becomes absolutely horrible during the peak seasons. For instance, the house I was renting was a kilometer away from the one I bought. It was less than a 5-minute drive normally, but during Golden Week it took 30 minutes. That being said, it’s practically required to use a car sometimes. For instance, there’s a great pediatrician, but they’re only accessible by car. Similarly, I use our car to take my kids to the pool, pick up things from the home centre, and so on. My process for buying a house After a year of renting in Karuizawa, we decided we wanted to continue living there indefinitely. Continuing to rent the same house wasn’t an option: the owners were temporarily abroad and so we had a fixed-term contract. While we could have looked for another place to rent, we figured we’d be settling down, and so wanted to buy a house. Starting the search On September 1st, 2024, we started our search and immediately found our first candidate: a recently-built house near Asama Fureai Park. That park is the nicest one for young children in Karuizawa, as it has a good playground but is never too crowded. The property was listed with Royal Resort, which has the most listings for Karuizawa. Rather than contacting Royal Resort directly, though, we asked Masaru Takeyama of Resort Innovation to do so on our behalf. In Japan, there is a buyer’s agent and seller’s agent. Often the seller’s agent wants to act as the buyer’s agent as well, as it earns them double the commission, despite the obvious conflicts of interest. Of the agents we’d contacted previously, Masaru seemed the most trustworthy. I may have also been a bit biased, as he speaks English, whereas the other agents only spoke Japanese. He set up a viewing for us, but we discovered it wasn’t quite our ideal house. While the house was well built, the layout wasn’t our preference. It also was on a road with many large, noisy trucks, so it was kind of unpleasant to be outside. Making the first offer Over the next three months, we’d look at new listings online practically every day. I set up automated alerts for when the websites of different real estate agents were updated. We considered dozens of properties, and actually visited four plots and three used houses. None of them were a good match. On December 3rd, 2024, I found a great-looking property. It was being advertised as 5.1 km from Nakakaruiza station, which would have made it inconvenient, but it was also listed as 中部小学校近隣戸建 (Chubu Elementary Neighborhood Detached House). As the elementary school isn’t that far from the station, I assumed there was an error. The “house” was more of an old cabin, but it was priced cheaply for just the land itself. I sent Masaru an email asking him to give us the address. Meanwhile, my wife and I had gotten pretty good at identifying the locations of properties based on clues in the listing. The startup of a fellow Karuizawa international resident has a good tool for searching lots. My wife managed to identify this one, and so the following morning we looked at it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a great location and a good deal, so before Masaru had even responded to us with the address, we sent another email saying we’d like to buy it. Masaru responded later that morning that he had a concern: the access to the house was a private road divided into two parcels, one owned by a real estate company, and the other by a pair of individuals. We’d need to negotiate with those parties about things like usage rights, waterworks, and so on. While he wasn’t worried about dealing with the real estate company, as it should just be a question of compensating them, the individuals owning the other parcel might theoretically be unwilling to negotiate. Based on his analysis, the following day (December 5th) we submitted a non-binding purchase application, with the condition that the road issue be resolved. That evening Masaru told us that he had discovered that the seller was a woman in her nineties. Because things like dementia are common among people that old, he added another condition, which was that a judicial scrivener testify to her mental capacity to enter into a contract. He warned that if we didn’t do that, and later the seller was to be found to be mentally unfit, the sale could be reversed, even if we had already proceeded with the construction of a new house. Given the cost of building a new home, this seemed like a prudent measure to take. A few days later we heard that the seller’s son was discussing the sale with his mother, and that they’d be having a family meeting the following weekend to decide whether to make the sale. To try to encourage them to sell to us, my wife wrote a letter (in Japanese) to them, and attached some photos of our family in Karuizawa. On December 16th, we received word that there was actually another potential buyer for the property who’d made an identical offer. In Japan, once someone submits a purchase application, it is normally handled on a first-come, first-served basis. However I noted that the seller didn’t mark the property as “under negotiation” on their website. I suspect we were the first to make an offer, as we did it literally the day after it was published. Apparently the seller’s son wanted to do business with us, but the daughter preferred the other family. We were not told why the daughter wanted to go with the other potential buyers, but it may have been because of our request to have the seller’s mental capacity tested. Dropping that requirement seemed too risky, though. On December 18th, we were informed that the seller had chosen the other buyer. This was quite a disappointing turn of events. We’d initially thought it was a sure thing because we were so fast to submit the offer and were giving them what they’d asked for. We’d even talked with a couple of home builders already. Furthermore, as winter had arrived, it seemed like the real estate market had also frozen. Whereas we’d previously seen new properties appear almost daily, now we spotted one or two a week at most. Making a successful offer Over the holidays, we looked at a couple more plots. On January 6th, we identified a used house in Nakakaruizawa that seemed to meet our criteria. It was by no means perfect, but close enough to be a candidate, so on January 10th we visited it. The house was pretty much as expected. Our one concern was the heating situation. It had previously had central heating that was based on a kerosene boiler, but that had been replaced with central air conditioning. While visiting the house, we turned it on, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. After some back and forth, we got the seller to run the AC constantly for a couple of days, and then on the morning of January 14th, we visited the house again. It was a grey and cold day, with little sunlight—basically the worst conditions possible for keeping the house warm, which I suppose was a good test. It was about 1°C outside and 10°C inside. We heard that the house had previously been rented out, and that the prior tenants had needed to use extra kerosene heaters to stay warm. This wasn’t ideal, but we also saw that with some renovations, we could improve the insulation. We considered making a lowball offer, but Masaru thought it was unlikely that it would be accepted. Instead, on January 17th, we made an offer at the asking price, conditional on it passing a home inspection and us getting an estimate for renovation costs. We heard that, once again, there was another potential buyer. They were “preparing” to submit an offer, but hadn’t done so yet. This time, the seller followed the standard process of considering our offer first, and accepting it in a non-binding manner. We learned that the seller itself was also a real estate company, whose main business seemed to be developing hotels and golf courses. The sale of this property was a relatively minor deal for them, and their main concern was that everything went smoothly. On January 23rd, we had a housing inspection carried out. The inspector found several issues, but they were all cosmetic or otherwise minor, so we said we’d proceed with the contract. Signing the contract The seller’s agent didn’t appear to be in a hurry to finalize the contract. It took a while for them to present us with the paperwork, and after that there were some minor changes to it, so it wasn’t until March 19th that we finally signed. One reason for the delay was that we’d suggested we sign the contract electronically, something the buyer had never done before. Signing a contract electronically was not only simpler from our perspective, but also avoided the need to affix a revenue stamp on the contract, saving some money. But even though Masaru was experienced with electronic contracts, it seemed to take the seller some time to confirm that everything was okay. When we signed the contract, we agreed to immediately make a 10 percent down payment, with the outstanding amount to be transferred by May 16th. We’d already gotten pre-approval on a housing loan, but needed the extra time for the final approval. Obtaining the loan On January 22nd, we visited Hachijuni Bank, which is headquartered in Nagano and has a branch in Karuizawa, and started the loan pre-approval process. This involved submitting a fair amount of paperwork, especially as I was the director of a company as opposed to a regular employee. The whole process took about two weeks. In parallel, we started the pre-approval process for PayPay Bank. The application involved minimal paperwork, and we were able to quickly get pre-approved by them too. To receive the actual approval for the loan, though, we needed to have already signed the purchase contract, so we couldn’t begin until March 19th. This time, the situation was reversed, and PayPay Bank required much more documentation than Hachijuni Bank. On April 9th, we met again with Hachijuni Bank. There was a problem with our application: my middle names hadn’t been properly entered into the contract, and so we’d have to go through the approval process again. The representative said he’d make sure they reviewed it quickly because it was his fault. That evening, we got the result of our application to PayPay Bank: rejected! No reason was given, but as they offer quite low rates, I’m guessing they only accept the lowest-risk loans. Maybe the reason was the house itself, maybe it was that I was the director of a small private company, maybe it was something else. While the Hachijuni Bank representative seemed positive about our application, I was worried. On April 15th we got the result from Hachijuni Bank: approved! Two days later we signed the paperwork with the bank and scheduled the handover for April 30th. Toilet troubles When the previous tenants had moved out of the house, the seller had decided to drain the water. Karuizawa temperatures are cold enough that if the house isn’t being heated, the pipes can freeze and burst. This meant that when we had the housing inspection performed, the inspector couldn’t confirm anything about the plumbing. Given that by mid-April temperatures were no longer below zero, we asked that the seller put the water back in. They agreed, and on April 23rd we heard that there was a problem with the toilets—some sort of leak. Likely some of the rubber sealing had dried out while the water had been removed. The seller offered to replace the toilets or pay us the cost of replacing them with equivalent ones. My understanding was that because they hadn’t declared any issues with the toilets in the original purchase agreement, they were obligated to do so. My wife and I had already talked about upgrading the toilets, but I wasn’t convinced that it’d be worth it. With the seller offering to pay two-thirds of the cost of the more premium toilets we wanted, though, it seemed like a stroke of luck. Handover On April 30th, the handover went smoothly. A representative from the seller’s company met with myself, the real estate agents, and a judicial scrivener. Technically I didn’t need to be there for it, but as the representative had come from Hiroshima I thought I should be present just in case anything happened. Nothing went awry, however, and they gave me the keys and some omiyage. Renovations We had already decided to do some renovations before moving in. With the toilets not working, that became an immediate necessity. One of the challenges of buying a used house is deciding how extensively to renovate. We settled on doing the minimum: replacing the toilets, putting up a wall to split the kids’ bedroom in two (it already had two separate doors and was designed to be split), switching the lights in the bedroom from fluorescent tubes to LEDs, and adding inner windows (内窓, uchi mado) to improve the insulation. We’d kicked off the process shortly after completing the home inspection, and had already had contractors visit to give estimates in advance. Still, we weren’t able to finalize any plans until we’d decided the exact handover date. After some negotiating, we got an agreement to wrap up the renovations by the beginning of June, and set a move-in date of June 5th. Moving in We managed to move in as scheduled, almost half a year after we first saw the house, and 10 months after we began our initial search. We weren’t exactly in a rush with the whole process, but it did take a lot of our time. Tips for potential homebuyers in Japan Here’s what I’d recommend if you’re looking to buy a house in Japan. Don’t rely on real estate agents to find properties for you My impression of real estate agents in Karuizawa is that they’re quite passive. I think this is a combination of the market being hot, and the fact that many inquiries they get are from people who dream about living here but will never make it a reality. I’d suggest being proactive about the search yourself. All of the best properties we found because we discovered the listings ourselves, not because an agent sent them to us. Find an agent you can trust The main value I got out of using a real estate agent was not because he introduced specific properties, but because he could point out potential issues with them. Checking the ownership of the road leading up to the property, or whether a contract could be reversed if the signer was years later deemed to be mentally incompetent, weren’t issues that had ever even occurred to me. Every property I considered purchasing had some unapparent problems. While there are some legal obligations placed upon the buyer’s agent, my understanding is that those don’t extend to every possible situation. What’s more, real estate seems to attract unscrupulous people, and some agents aren’t averse to behaving unethically or even illegally if it helps them close more deals. Because of this, I think the most important quality in an agent is trustworthiness. That can be hard to evaluate, but go with your gut. You don’t need your company to be profitable three years in a row I’d previously heard that it’s challenging to get a loan as the director of a company, and that the last three years of a business needed to be profitable to receive approval. That made me apprehensive, as TokyoDev was only incorporated in 2022, and 2024 was an unprofitable year for us due to it being the first year we had a decrease in the number of hires. However, when Hachijuni Bank reviewed TokyoDev’s finances, they said it was a great business. I was the sole employee of the business and it was only unprofitable because I had set my director’s compensation too aggressively. We’d had previous profitable years, and the company didn’t have any debts. In other words, one bad year for your company isn’t going to tank your chances of getting a loan. Go through the final approval process with multiple banks Some will advise you not to go through the final approval process of multiple banks at the same time. Since there’s a central database that allows banks to see that you’re doing this, it apparently increases your risk of rejection. If you’re only applying at a few banks, though, the risk remains fairly low. I guess PayPay Bank theoretically could have rejected us for this reason, but I doubt it. If we had initially applied only with them, however, and had waited to be rejected before applying with Hachijuni Bank, we would have risked not having the final approval go through before the payment deadline. Get a housing inspection If you’re buying a used house of any significant value, I highly recommend getting an inspection. We used Sakura Home Inspection, the biggest inspection company in Japan. While the base price for the inspection was only 66,000 yen, we ended up paying about 240,000 yen due to additional options, the size of the house, and transportation fees. While that’s not exactly cheap, it was less than one percent of the total purchase price, and seemed worth it to mitigate the risk of serious issues that might appear after the purchase. Rent locally before buying Our plan of first renting, then buying worked out quite well for us. Not only did it give me confidence that Karuizawa was somewhere I wanted to live for the long haul, it was much easier visiting potential properties when I lived a 10-minute bicycle ride away from them, instead of a 3-hour drive. If you’re considering buying a house in Karuizawa… Please get in touch with me! I’m happy to answer any questions you might have. In my previous article on coworking spaces in Karuizawa, I invited people to get in touch, and already have made several new connections through it. I’d love to continue to grow my community, and help transform Karuizawa from a resort town to one that’s focused on its full-time residents.

It’s well known that Japan is experiencing a labor shortage that includes the tech industry. As a result, Japan needs more international developers. However, most Japanese companies aren’t interested in hiring new graduates from overseas. While it’s easier than in some countries, bringing a developer to Japan still requires some time and financial investment on the company’s side, which they’re unlikely to expend on junior developers. So if you’re a new grad with no experience, can you still find a job in Japan? The answer is yes, but it will take considerable effort, and the opportunities you find may not be what you’re looking for. If you’re determined, it’s best to start preparing while you’re still a student. If you’ve already graduated, then your road is tougher but not impossible, especially if you’re patient, persistent, and willing to go above and beyond. This article will cover: The new graduate hiring system in Japan How international students in Japan can take advantage of the system The steps students and new grads overseas can take to maximize their chances How new grad hiring works in Japan While the primary audience of this article is graduates outside of Japan, understanding how the domestic hiring process works provides necessary context. The Japanese system for hiring new graduates (新卒一括採用, shinsotsu ikkatsu saiyou) operates quite differently from practices in many other countries. It is, however, an effective method: in 2025, 98 percent of Japanese graduates were able to secure employment. What companies are looking for in new graduates To better understand Japan’s methods for hiring new graduates, it helps to know something about Japanese employment philosophy. Traditional Japanese business practices center on the idea of lifetime employment. This approach is currently changing—as of 2023, one in three Japanese employees were no longer committed to lifetime employment, but were open to changing jobs or working independently if the opportunity arose. Nonetheless, decades of conventional wisdom still shape how Japanese companies approach hiring new graduates. Most new graduate hires are considered members of the company on a “comprehensive career track” (総合職採用, sougoushoku saiyou) which means that they aren’t being hired for a specific job, but instead to work for the company in general. In exchange, the business will train them and identify their strengths by assigning them to various departments and roles. Japanese companies therefore typically aren’t as interested in a candidate’s specific experiences and academic achievements, since they’re not certain what position the candidate will eventually occupy in the company. Instead, they prize qualities like good communication skills, independence, and willingness. This is also why Japanese companies often employ Synthetic Personality Inventory (SPI) tests, to attempt to understand if a candidate will be an “objectively” good fit. SPI tests are generally half knowledge-based (often general knowledge), and half MBTI-style personality tests. The job-hunting schedule In Japan, both the school and fiscal year start in April, and so does the job hunt—the year before graduation. If you wait until you’ve graduated to start job-hunting, you’re already a year behind! Study in Japan, a government-approved information site, outlines the following typical schedule for a university student set to graduate the following year: March–May is the entry period. Go to job fairs, seek company introductions, and request entry submission sheets. If your initial application is accepted, begin taking company examinations. In June, the interviews begin. Expect at least three rounds of interviews, of several different types. From June–September is when you may receive a preliminary offer of employment. In October, if you’re successful, you’ll receive the official offer of employment. If you are an international student in Japan, you should change your status of residence. Some companies do continue recruiting in October, but the bulk of the new grad hiring is completed by then. What to expect when applying The new graduate application process also differs widely from standard hiring practices in other countries. Entry sheet If you’re interested in applying to a company, you must first request and complete an entry sheet, which resembles a university application essay more than your average resume. It frequently includes personality-based questions such as “If you had 300 million Japanese yen, what would you do to promote world peace?” and “Describe how you would be indispensable to our company by referring to what you did best during your school life.” Written Examinations If your entry sheet is approved, you can then move on to take the company’s written examinations. Most of these are aptitude tests that evaluate a candidate’s mathematics, language, and writing ability as well as general knowledge. These are typically produced by a third-party company. Interviews It’s customary for companies to conduct at least three rounds of interviews. Some of those interviews are standard single-person interviews. Others are group interviews, in which the interviewer or panel takes turns asking a group of applicants different questions. This method is typically adopted to save time and help winnow down a large applicant pool. You may also be asked to participate in a group discussion interview, in which a gathering of four to six candidates are asked to discuss a given theme, while an interviewer evaluates the group dynamic and individual performance of the applicants. In particular, interviewers are interested in seeing how participants interact in a team situation. Employment offers If a company is interested in hiring you, they may make a preliminary offer of employment (内々定, nai naitei).These types of offers are informal and are not considered binding under law. The more serious step is when a company issues a formal letter of intent to hire (内定, naitei). It is very common for Japanese companies to provide this to show their serious intent of hiring you while they do their due diligence and prepare to issue a formal contract. Under Japanese labor law, the company might be held liable if they subsequently withdraw this offer without cause. If you accept the letter of intent, you are signaling that you will sign a formal employment contract with the company; if you have received preliminary offers from any other companies, you should call them to politely decline. While it is possible to accept and then renege on a formal letter of intent to hire, you should be aware that it is a major faux pas, and you will likely be blacklisted within the company, depending on the circumstances. If this is unavoidable, you should communicate your intentions as quickly and clearly as possible to the company. Japanese companies generally follow the process described here, especially the formal letter of intent to hire. However, these steps are not required by law, so some companies—especially newer or international ones—may not follow this schedule at all! A company following this flow does not indicate that they are reputable or trustworthy, nor does a company not following this flow indicate that they are engaging in deceptive or illegal practices. If you’re an international student in Japan If you’re an international student in Japan, you can join the annual job hunt in April with the rest of your class. Because every step is typically conducted in Japanese, your success in the conventional process will largely depend on how fluent you are. Yet according to a 2024 survey by employment information firm Career-tasu, Inc., most foreign students started job search activities the year they graduated, rather than the year before as their Japanese peers did. This, the staff at Career-tasu believes, puts international students at a serious detriment. International students are also less likely to participate in internship programs or other job experience activities: only 46.1% of international graduates did so, compared to 88.7% of Japanese students surveyed. Nonetheless, The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that some companies are keen to hire international graduates, particularly those who are bilingual or trilingual. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born graduates finding jobs in Japan exceeded 50% for the first time. Those numbers may improve still further as the labor shortage in Japan worsens. Only around 36% of companies in 2024 were able to meet their recruiting goals. In 2025, 80% of third-year students undergoing the new graduate hiring process already had job offers before June. Companies are already adapting by focusing on mid-career recruitment and introducing fast-tracked interviews, so they may also be more willing to accommodate international student candidates. Certain cities, prefectural governments, and universities have also committed to supporting international students’ job-hunting, and they can help match you with Japanese companies. Ritsumeikan University, for example, not only offers its own job search engine in Japanese, but also lists a number of English-language job boards. New graduates in Japan can take advantage of these school and government resources, as well as being already in the country and available for interviews, examinations, and more. In addition, changing from a Student visa to one of the work-related visas is relatively simple and doesn’t require getting a Certificate of Eligibility or leaving the country. If you’re a student or new grad overseas New graduates from other countries are at a significant disadvantage. First, you’re not available to interview or take examinations in person, which will disqualify you from most companies’ usual hiring procedures. Second, unlike in most countries, the Japanese school year ends in late March. Even if a Japanese company is willing to accept your application via its normal new-grad hiring program, the mismatch in school schedules means you’d need to wait months before you could start work. There are several ways to overcome these difficulties, though, which we’ll explore below. Japanese language skills It’s not absolutely necessary to learn Japanese to get a developer job in Japan. In fact, many Japanese tech companies are creating multinational, English-speaking development teams, or even adopting English as the company language. There’s a catch, however. As mentioned above, those companies who are willing to hire English-speaking developers from overseas are typically searching for senior developers. If you are a junior developer, or a new graduate without experience, you’re far less likely to find an English-speaking position in Japan. That’s the trade-off: you can get a job with work experience and no Japanese ability, but if you don’t have the work experience, you’d better speak Japanese! If the prospect of learning Japanese just to get a job seems daunting, be aware that not every position requires full Japanese fluency. If you’re studying hard and demonstrate enthusiasm in interviews, then conversational-level Japanese might be enough to persuade a company to take a chance on you. Training and recruitment programs Given the high demand in Japan for new tech talents that also speak Japanese, some recruiting companies are offering fast-tracked training programs for students overseas. FAST OFFER, for example, has relationships with over 50 universities worldwide, primarily in Asia. It provides free Japanese classes, which are worth college credits at some participating universities, for students majoring in select fields. These classes are specifically designed to help candidates pass interviews with Japanese companies, as well as acquire the general language skills needed to work in Japan. Candidates who reach a specified level of proficiency—JLPT N4 for most IT roles—will be assigned a mentor, coached on the interview process, and matched with Japanese companies. If the applicant passes the initial screening, they will even be flown to Japan for in-person interviews, all for free. Another example is xseeds Hub, a recruitment platform that developed its own curriculum to prepare students for employment in Japan. As of now, xseeds Hub runs these programs at four Vietnamese universities, as well as one in Indonesia and one in Malaysia. The curriculum includes lessons on different scripting languages, as well as Japanese classes intended to help students achieve at least a JLPT N3 level of speaking. Students gain practical experience via mock experiment lessons and internships in Japan, which run for a minimum of three months. University collaborations with Japanese companies While you’re still a student, you should also find out if your university offers events or programs with Japanese companies. Mercari and Rakuten have particularly targeted the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) for recruitment events. But interest in Indian graduates isn’t limited to those companies; when the Indian Embassy hosted a seminar on the subject in Tokyo, over 100 Japanese firms attended. I spoke with Victoria Astingo, who works in Senior Talent Acquisition for Mercari. Mercari has been visiting IITs since 2018, interviewing and hiring soon-to-be graduates on the spot, and they’ve recently started similar campus recruitment drives in Indonesia. These rapid-hire events only take place at universities in Asia for now, but Astingo is expanding Mercari’s internship program outreach to European universities. Her first event in Europe took place at three universities in France, including EPITA, a top-level French institution specializing in Computer Science and Software Engineering. “The reception was way better than we expected,” she said. “At first we were like, ‘Yeah, nobody [here] knows Mercari. Maybe there will be five people coming to our seminar, five anime fans that want to make it to Japan.’ But then actually for EPITA, we had more than 120 attendees.” Other Japanese companies have also started directly partnering with universities abroad. For example, I-Shou University in Taiwan is setting up internships and hiring channels for students in cooperation with Japanese company Nisso Kogyo Co, Ltd., to help supply new talent for the semiconductor industry in Kumamoto. In Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh Open University cooperated with 22 Japanese companies for its 2024 Japan Job Fair, and HUTECH University of Technology hosted 40 Japanese companies at its event. Even if your university doesn’t have preestablished relationships with Japanese companies, you should still check in with your university’s Japanese or East Asian Studies department. The professors there may have personal connections to Japan, or be able to suggest helpful programs, scholarships, or internships. You could also explore your alumni network, and see if you can make contact with any who are currently working in Japan. Internships at TokyoDev companies “Internship” in Japan doesn’t always mean what you think it means—as TokyoDev contributor Lai Huynh Binh Minh discovered, the average “internship” in Japan only lasts one day! That’s not an especially convenient or helpful timeframe for anyone who is overseas. Luckily, TokyoDev works with several companies that offer longer internships with visa support. Not only can you gain valuable work experience, but you also have the opportunity to live in Japan for a few months and discover if it’s really for you. Mercari An internship at Mercari is only available to current university students. It lasts for two months, is paid hourly, and comes with full visa and financial support. Job offers on completion of the internship are considered to be nearly guaranteed. “Most of the time,” said Victoria Astingo, “students apply while they’re second-year students and do their internships before or during their third year. Then, once they graduate, they join us as full-time employees.” This intern-to-FTE pipeline helps explain why Astingo’s new recruitment drive focuses on Europe rather than Singapore or the US, where new graduates are typically offered higher salaries or better compensation packages. Still, Astingo clarified, students from any country are welcome to apply. “I would say the people who we hire as interns usually have previous internship experience as a software engineer,” she said. “[And] if I’m hiring for frontend or backend, I will always check to see if the candidate shares our tech stack—for example, if the candidate has experience working with React or Golang. They don’t really need to master those, but should at least have a basic understanding or interest.” Team experience, such as participating in a hackathon or some other type of group project, is also something Astingo looks for. The name of the applicant’s university doesn’t carry much weight, but majoring in computer science or a related field does. However, even if a candidate doesn’t meet every requirement, she’ll most likely still send the initial skill assessment and give them the opportunity to prove their abilities. Japanese language skills, on the other hand, are not a requirement. “Most of the people I hired for Mercari Marketplace were not Japanese speakers,” Astingo affirmed. HENNGE Like Mercari’s internship program, HENNGE’s Global Internship Program accepts applicants year-round from all over the world. Also like Mercari, it is considered part of the company’s pre-hiring process, so those applicants who are interested in working at HENNGE after graduation will have an advantage. One difference is that the HENNGE internship is unpaid, though participants do receive a monthly stipend, round-trip airfare, and other benefits. Also, the HENNGE program is intended for third-year university students or those who have newly graduated, and so will accommodate slightly older/more advanced candidates. The internships fall into two distinct categories: the Full Stack Engineering Pathway, and the Frontend Engineering Pathway. Each pathway has its own tech stack and experience requirements. It’s possible to apply for both at the same time, but not to change between them mid-internship. As with Mercari, Japanese language ability is not required, but candidates must be fluent in English. HENNGE’s is one of the few global internship programs offered in Japan, so it’s quite competitive, and applicants should be prepared for a selective process with minimal communication. Working Holiday and J-Find visas If you’ve already graduated, then you still have other avenues to come to Japan to look for work: a Working Holiday visa or J-Find visa. These visas both permit the holder to travel, work, and job-hunt in Japan for up to a year. By giving you one year in Japan to network and interview, these visas significantly increase your odds of landing a permanent position, as many roles will not accept overseas applicants. In fact, that’s how TokyoDev founder Paul McMahon got his first job in Japan, and it’s also worked for other TokyoDev contributors as well. However, both visas have specific requirements, so be sure to check whether you qualify. International job fairs If you’re not eligible for a Working Holiday or J-Find visa, try visiting an international job fair instead. Participating businesses have already expressed their willingness to hire overseas candidates, and you’ll be able to personally meet with—and hopefully impress—company representatives. At least some Japanese ability will be required, however, to take advantage of these opportunities. One of the best-known Japanese career fair organizations is Career Forum, which hosts fairs in Boston, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, and Osaka. The largest overseas event is in Boston, with over 100 companies slated to participate in 2025. Career Forum’s target audience is candidates who speak both Japanese and English to at least a beginner’s level. While their offerings are aimed at current students or recent graduates, they also are interested in candidates who have lived or studied abroad, even if that was not in Japan. On the other side of the globe, Mynavi is holding fairs in Taiwan, Korea, and Australia, as well as online. Though labeled as “career fairs” on their website, these events are actually described as group interviews, and Japanese language skills are a requirement. The Australian event is tightly restricted to current students and new graduates, but the Taiwan fair is open to all those seeking employment in Japanese companies. In Singapore, Asean Career Fair in Singapore will feature 20 Japanese companies in their 2026 event, though it is unclear at the time of writing which companies those will be. Conclusion If you’re a university student or new graduate who wants to find work in Japan, these are your best options: While you’re a student, study Japanese and apply for internships in Japan. If you’re already studying in Japan, you can use university and government resources to help you succeed in the local new graduate hiring process. If you’re overseas, check to see if your university hosts recruitment events or has other connections with Japanese companies and universities. Students in Asia, particularly, may qualify to join a recruiting company’s training program. Working adults may be able to use a Working Holiday or J-Find visa to come to Japan to job-hunt. Visiting an international job fair outside of Japan could get you an interview with an international-friendly company. Good luck and good hunting! Don’t forget to read TokyoDev’s other articles on software developer salaries in Japan, finding a developer job, passing the resume screening process, etc. You can also connect with other developers by joining the TokyoDev Discord, which has channels for resume review, relocating to Japan, and more.

Thinking about moving to Japan? You’re not alone—Japan is a popular destination for those hoping to move abroad. What’s more, Japan actually needs more international developers. But how easy is it to immigrate to and work in Japan? Scores of videos on social media warn that living in Japan is quite different from holidaying here, and graphic descriptions of exploitative companies also create doubt. The truth is that Japan is not the easiest country to immigrate to, nor is it the hardest. Some Japanese tech companies and developer roles offer great work-life balance and good compensation; others do not. Based on other developers’ experiences, you’ll thrive here if you: Are an experienced developer Value safety, good food, and convenience over a high salary Are willing to invest time and effort into learning Japanese over the long term Read on to discover if Japan is a good fit for you, and the best ways to get a visa and begin your life here. What is it like working as a developer in Japan? TokyoDev conducts an annual survey of international developers living in Japan. Many of the questions in TokyoDev’s 2024 survey specifically addressed respondents’ work environments. Compensation When TokyoDev asked about “workplace difficulties” in the 2024 survey, 45% of respondents said that “compensation” was their number one problem at work. Overall, compensation for developers in Japan is far lower than the US developer median salary of 120,000 USD (currently 17.5 million yen), but higher than the Indian developer median salary of 640,000 rupees (currently around 1.1 million yen). Yet evaluating compensation for international developers in Japan, specifically, is trickier than you might expect. It’s hard to define an expected salary range because international developers tend to work in different companies and roles than the average Japanese developer. According to a 2024 survey conducted by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the average annual salary of software engineers in Japan was 5.69 million yen. In a survey conducted that same year by TokyoDev, though, English-speaking international software developers in Japan enjoyed a median salary of 8.5 million yen. Of those international developers who responded, only 71% of them worked at a company headquartered in Japan, and almost 80% of them used English always or frequently, with 79% belonging to an engineering team with many other non-Japanese members. Wages, then, are heavily influenced by a range of factors, but particularly by whether you’re working for a Japanese or international company. In general, 75% of the international developers surveyed made 6 million yen or more. The real question is, is that enough for you to be comfortable in Japan? The answer is likely to be yes, if you don’t have overseas financial obligations or dependents. If you do, you’ll want to look carefully at rent, grocery, and education prices in your area of choice to guesstimate the expense of your Japanese lifestyle. Work-life balance Japan has a tradition of long hours and overtime. The Financial Times reports that the Japanese government has taken many measures to reduce the phenomenon of death from overwork (過労死, karoushi), from capping overtime to 100 hours a month, to setting up a national hotline for employees to report abusive companies. The results seem mixed. The Financial Times article adds that in 2024, employees at 26,000 organizations reported working illegal overtime at 44.5% of those businesses. On the other hand, average working hours for men fell to below 45 hours per week, and for women to below 35, which is similar to average working hours in the US. Still, 72% of the developers surveyed by TokyoDev worked for less than 40 hours a week. In addition, 70% of TokyoDev respondents cited work-life balance as their top workplace perk. The number of respondents happy with their working conditions came in just below that, at 69%. There was some correlation between hours worked and the type of employer, though. Employees at international subsidiaries were slightly more likely to enjoy shorter work weeks than those at Japanese companies. Remote work Remote work is still relatively new in Japan. Although more offices adopted the practice during Covid, many of them are now backtracking and requiring employees to return to the office, often with a hybrid schedule. While only 9% of TokyoDev respondents weren’t allowed any remote work, 76% of those required to work in-office were employed by Japan-headquartered companies. By contrast, of the 16% who worked fully remotely, only 57% worked for a Japanese company. Those with the option to work remotely really enjoy it. When asked what their most important workplace benefit was, 49% of respondents answered “remote work,” outstripping every other answer by far. Job security A major plus of working in Japan is job security—which, given the waves of layoffs at American tech companies, may now seem extra appealing. It’s overwhelmingly difficult to fire or lay off an employee with a permanent contract (正社員, seishain) in Japan, due to labor laws designed to protect the individual. This may be why 54% of TokyoDev survey respondents named “job security” as their most important workplace perk. Not every company will adhere to labor protection laws, and sometimes businesses pressure employees to “voluntarily” resign. Nonetheless, employees have significant legal recourse when companies attempt to fire them, change their contracts, or alter the current workplace conditions (sometimes, even if those conditions were never stated in writing). Developer stories TokyoDev regularly interviews developers working at our client companies, for information on both their specific positions and their general work environment. Our interviewees work with a variety of technology in many different roles, and at companies ranging from fintech enterprises like PayPay to game companies like Wizcorp. Why do developers choose Japan? In 2024 TokyoDev also asked developers, “What’s your favorite thing about Japan?” The results were: Safety: 21% Food: 13% Convenience: 11% Culture: 8% Peacefulness: 7% Nature: 5% Interestingly, there was a strong correlation between the amount of time someone had lived in Japan and their answer. Those who had been in Japan three years or less more frequently chose “food” or “culture.” Those who’d lived in Japan for four or more years were significantly more likely to answer “safety” or “peacefulness.” Safety It’s true that Japan enjoys a lower crime rate than many developed nations. The Security Journal UK ranked it ninth in a list of the world’s twenty safest countries. In 2024, World Population Review selected Tokyo as the safest city in the world. The homicide rate in 2023 was only 0.23 per 100,000 people, and has been steadily declining since the nineties. There are a few women-specific concerns, such as sexual violence. Nonetheless, the subjective experience of many women in the TokyoDev audience is that Japan feels safe; for example, they experience no trepidation walking around late at night. Of course, crime statistics don’t take into account natural disasters, of which Japan has more than its fair share. Thanks to being located on the Ring of Fire, Japan regularly copes with earthquakes and volcanic activity, and its location in the Pacific means that it is also affected by typhoons and tsunamis. To compensate, Japan also takes natural disaster countermeasures extremely seriously. It’s certainly the only country I’ve been to that posts large-scale evacuation maps on the side of the street, stores emergency supply stockpiles in public parks, and often requires schoolchildren to keep earthquake safety headgear at their desks. Food Food is another major draw. Many respondents simply wrote that “food” or “fresh, affordable food” was their favorite thing about Japan, but a few listed specific dishes. Favorite Japanese foods of the TokyoDev audience include: Yakiniku (self-grilled meat) Ramen Peaches Sushi Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (savory pancake) Curry rice Onigiri (rice balls) Of those, sushi was mentioned most often. One respondent also answered the question with “drinking,” if you think that should count! Personal experiences Our contributors have also shared their personal experiences of moving to and working in Japan. We’ve got articles from Filipino, Indonesian, Australian, Vietnamese, and Mongolian developers, as well as others sharing what it’s like to work as a female software developer in Japan, or to live in Japan with a disability. Why shouldn’t you live in Japan? Safety, food, convenience, and culture are the most commonly-cited upsides of living in Japan. The downsides are the necessity of learning the language and some strict, yet often-unspoken, cultural expectations. Language Fluency in Japanese is not strictly necessary to live or work in Japan. Access to government services for you and your family, such as Japanese public school, is possible even if you speak little Japanese. (That doesn’t mean that most city hall clerks speak English; usually they’ll either locate a translator, or work with you via a translation app.) Nonetheless, TokyoDev’s 2024 survey showed that language ability was highly correlated to social success in Japan. In particular, 56% of all respondents were happy or very happy with their adjustment to Japanese culture. Breaking down that number, though, 76% of those with fluent or native Japanese ability reported being happy with their cultural adjustment, while only 34% of those with little or no Japanese ability were similarly happy. The same held true for social life satisfaction: 59% of those with fluent or native Japanese ability were happy or very happy with their social life, compared to 42% of those who don’t speak much Japanese. While English study is compulsory in Japan and starts in elementary school, as of 2025, only 28% of Japanese people speak English, and most of them can’t converse with high fluency. Living and working in Japan is possible without Japanese, but it’s hard to integrate, make friends, and participate in cultural activities if you can’t communicate with the locals. Cultural expectations As mentioned above, fluency in Japanese is closely allied to fluency in Japanese culture. At the same time, one does not necessarily imply the other. It’s possible to be fluent in Japanese, but still not grasp many of the unspoken rules your Japanese friends, neighbors, and coworkers operate by. Japan’s culture is both high-context and specifically averse to confrontation and outspokenness; if you get it “wrong,” people aren’t likely to tell you so. Japanese culture also values conformity: as the saying goes, “the nail that sticks up, gets hammered down.” While there are hints of things changing, with many Japanese companies saying support for greater diversity is necessary, minorities or those who are different may experience pressure to fit in. Introspection is required: are you the kind of person who’s adept at “reading the room,” a highly-valued quality in Japan? Conversely, are you self-confident enough to not sweat the small stuff? Either of these personality types may do well in Japan, but if social acceptance is very important to you, and you’re also uncomfortable with feeling occasionally awkward or uncertain, then you may struggle more to adjust. I want to go! How can I get there? If you’ve decided to immigrate to Japan, there are a number of ways to acquire a work visa. The simplest way is to get hired by a company operating in Japan. Alternatively, you can start your own business in Japan, come over on a Working Holiday, or even—if you’re very determined—arrive first as an English teacher. Let’s begin with the most straightforward route: getting hired as a developer. Getting a developer job in Japan As mentioned before, Japan needs more international developers. Some types of developers, though, will find it easier to get a job in Japan. In particular, companies in Japan are looking for the following: Senior developers. Companies are particularly interested in those with management experience and soft skills such as communication and leadership. Backend developers. This is one of the most widely-available roles for those who don’t speak Japanese. Developers who know Python. Python is one of Japan’s top in-demand languages. AI and Machine Learning Specialists. Japan is leaning hard on AI to help cope with demographic changes. Those who already know, or are willing to learn, Japanese. Combining those criteria, an experienced developer who speaks Japanese should have little difficulty finding a job! If you’re none of these things, you don’t need to give up—you just need to be patient, flexible, and willing to think outside the box. As Mercari Senior Technical Recruiter Clement Chidiac told me, “I know a bunch of people that managed to land a job because they’ve tried harder, going to meetups, reaching out to people, networking, that kind of thing.” Edmund Ho, Principal Consultant at Talisman Corporation, agreed that overseas candidates hoping to work in Japan for the first time face a tough road. He believes candidates should maintain a realistic, but optimistic, view of the process. “Keep a longer mindset,” he suggested. “Maybe you don’t get an offer the first year, but you do the second year.” “Stepping-stone” jobs Candidates from overseas do face a severe disadvantage: many companies, even those founded by non-Japanese people, are only open to developers who already live in Japan. Although getting a work visa for an overseas employee is cheaper and easier in Japan than in many countries, it still presents a barrier some organizations are reluctant to overcome. By contrast, once you’re already on the ground, more companies will be interested in your skills. This is why some developers settle on a “stepping-stone” position—in other words, a job that may not be all you hoped for, but that is willing to sponsor your visa and bring you into the country. Here’s where some important clarification on Japanese work visas is required. Work visas The most common visa for developers is the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa, a broad-category visa for foreign workers in those fields. To qualify, a developer must have a college degree, or have ten years of work experience, or have passed an approved IT exam. Another relatively common visa for high-level developers is the Highly-Skilled Professional (HSP) visa. To acquire it, applicants must score at least 70 points on an assessment scale that addresses age, education level, Japanese level, income, and more. The HSP visa has many advantages, but there is one important difference between it, and the more standard Engineer visa. The Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa is not tied to a specific company. It grants you the legal right to work within those fields for a specific period of time in Japan. The Highly-Skilled Foreign Professional visa, on the other hand, is tied to a specific employer. If you want to change jobs, you’ll need to update your residency status with immigration. Some unscrupulous companies will try to claim that because they sponsored your Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Servicesvisa, you are obligated to remain with their company or risk being deported. This is not the case. If you do leave your job without another one lined up, you have three months to find another before you may be at risk for deportation. In addition, the fields of work covered by the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa are incredibly broad, and include everything from sales to product development to language instruction. As TokyoDev specifically confirmed with immigration, you can even come to Japan as an English instructor, then later work as a developer, without needing to alter your visa. Those with the HSP visa will need to go to immigration and alter their residency status each time they change roles. However, if you have the points and qualifications for an HSP visa, that means you’re also eligible for Permanent Residency within one to three years. Once you’ve obtained Permanent Residency, you’re free to pursue whatever sort of employment you like. International or Japanese company? As you begin your job hunt, you’ll hopefully receive responses from several sorts of companies: Japanese companies that also primarily hire Japanese people, Japanese companies with designated multinational developer teams, companies that were founded in Japan but nonetheless hire international developers for a variety of positions, and international subsidiaries. There are advantages and disadvantages to working with mostly-Japanese or mostly-international companies. Japanese companies The more Japanese a company is—both in philosophy and personnel—the more you’ll need Japanese language skills to thrive there. It’s true that a number of well-established Japanese tech companies are now creating developer teams designed to be multinational from the outset: typically, these are very English-language friendly. Some organizations, such as Money Forward, have even adopted English as the official company language. However, this often results in an institutional language barrier between development teams and the rest of the company, which is usually staffed by Japanese speakers. Developers are still encouraged to learn Japanese, particularly as they climb the promotional ladder, to help facilitate interdepartmental communication. Some companies, such as DeepX and Beatrust, either offer language classes themselves or provide a stipend for language learning. In addition to the language, you’ll also need to become “fluent” in Japanese business norms, which can be much more rigid and hierarchical than American or European company cultures. For example, at introductory drinking parties (themselves a potential surprise for many!), it is customary for new employees or women employees to go around with a bottle of beer and pour glasses for their managers and the company’s senior management. As mentioned in the cultural expectations section, most Japanese people won’t correct you even if you’re doing it all wrong, which leaves foreigners to discover their gaffes via trial-and-error. The advantage here is that you’ll be pressured, hopefully in a good way, to adapt swiftly to the Japanese language and business culture. There’s a sink-or-swim element to this approach, but if you’re serious about settling in Japan, then this “downside” could benefit you in the long run. Finally, there is the above-mentioned issue of compensation. On average, international companies pay more than Japanese ones; the median salary difference is around three million yen per year. Specific roles may be paid at higher rates, though, and most Japanese companies do offer bonuses. Many Japanese companies also offer other perks, such as housing stipends, spouse and child allowances, etc. If you receive an offer, it’s worth examining the whole compensation package before you make a decision. International companies The advantages of working either for an international company, or for a Japanese company that already employs many non-Japanese people, are straightforward: you can usually communicate in English, you already understand most of the business norms, and such companies typically pay developers more. You do run the risk of getting stuck in a rut, though. As mentioned earlier, TokyoDev found in its own survey that the correlation between Japanese language skills and social life satisfaction is high. You can of course study Japanese in your free time—and many do—but the more your work environment and social life revolve around English, the more difficult acquiring Japanese becomes. Want a job? Start here! If you’re ready to begin your job hunt, you can start with the TokyoDev job board. TokyoDev only works with companies we feel good about sending applicants to, and the job board includes positions that don’t require Japanese and that accept candidates from abroad. Other alternatives These visas don’t lead directly to working as a software developer in Japan, but can still help you get your foot in the door. DIY options If you prefer to be your own boss, there are several visas that allow you to set up a business in Japan. The Business Manager visa is typically good for one year, although repeated applicants may get longer terms. Applicants should have five million yen in a bank account when they apply, and there are some complicated requirements for getting and keeping the visa, such as maintaining an office, paying yourself a minimum salary, following proper accounting procedures, etc. The Startup visa is another option if the Business Manager visa appeals to you, but you don’t yet have the funds or connections to make it happen. You’ll be granted the equivalent of a Business Manager visa for up to one year so that you can launch your business in Japan. Working Holiday visa This is the path our own founder Paul McMahon took to get his first developer job in Japan. If you meet various qualifications, and you belong to a country that has a Working Holiday visa agreement with Japan, you can come to Japan for a period of one year and do work that is “incidental” to your holiday. In practice, this means you can work almost any job except for those that are considered “immoral” (bars, clubs, gambling, etc.). The Working Holiday visa is a great opportunity for those who have the option. It allows you to experience living and working in Japan without any long-term commitments, and also permits you to job-hunt freely without time or other visa constraints. J-Find visa The J-Find visa is a one-year visa, intended to let graduates of top universities job-hunt or prepare to found a start-up in Japan. To qualify, applicants should have: A degree from a university ranked in the top 100 by at least two world university rankings, or completed a graduate course there Graduated within five years of the application date At least 200,000 yen for initial living expenses TokyoDev contributor Oguzhan Karagözoglu received a J-Find visa, though he did run into some difficulties, particularly given immigration’s unfamiliarity with this relatively new type of visa. Digital Nomad visa This is another new visa category that allows foreigners from specific countries, who must make over 10 million yen or more a year, to work remotely from Japan for six months. Given that the application process alone can take months, the visa isn’t extendable or renewable, and you’re not granted residency, it’s questionable whether the pay-off is worth the effort. Still, if you have the option to work remotely and want to test out living in Japan before committing long-term, this is one way to do that. TokyoDev contributor Christian Mack was not only one of the first to acquire the Digital Nomad visa, but has since opened a consultancy to help others through the process. Conclusion If your takeaway from this article is, “Japan, here I come!” then there are more TokyoDev articles that can help you on your way. For example, if you want to bring your pets with you, you should know that you need to start preparing the import paperwork up to seven months in advance. If you’re ready now to start applying for jobs, check out the TokyoDev job board. You’ll also want to look at how to write a resume for a job in Japan, and our industry insider advice on passing the resume screening process. These tips for interviewing at Japanese tech companies would be useful, and when you’re ready for it, see this guide to salary negotiations. Once you’ve landed that job, we’ve got articles on everything from bringing your family with you, to getting your first bank account and apartment. In addition, the TokyoDev Discord hosts regular discussions on all these topics and more. It’s a great chance to make developer friends in Japan before you ever set foot in the country. Once you are here, you can join some of Japan’s top tech meetups, including many organized by TokyoDev itself. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Do you feel that the number of applications needed to land a role has skyrocketed? If so, your instincts are correct. According to a Workday Global Workforce Report in September 2024, job applications are growing at a rate four times faster than job openings. This growth is fuelled by a tight job market as well as the new availability of remote work and online job boards. It’s also one of the results of improved generative AI. Around half of all job seekers use AI tools to create their resumes or fill out applications. More than that, a 2024 survey found that 29 percent of applicants were using AI tools to complete skills tests, while 26 percent employed AI tools to mass apply to positions, regardless of fit or qualifications. This never-before-seen flood of applications poses new hardships for both job candidates and recruiters. Candidates must ensure that their applications stand out enough from the pile to receive a recruiter’s attention. Recruiters, meanwhile, are struggling to manage the sheer number of resumes they receive, and winnow through heaps of irrelevant or unqualified applicants to find the ones they need. These problems worsen if you’re an overseas candidate hoping to find a role in Japan. Japan is a popular country for migrants, thereby increasing the competition for each open position. In addition, recruiters here have set expectations and criteria, some of which can be triggered unknowingly by candidates unfamiliar with the Japanese market. With all this in mind, how can you ensure your resume stands out from the crowd—and is there anything else you can do to pass the screening stage? I interviewed nine recruiters, both external and in-house, to learn how applicants can increase their chances of success. Below are their detailed suggestions on improving your resume, avoiding Japan-specific red flags, and persisting even in the face of rejection. The competition The first questions I asked each recruiter were: How many resumes do you review in a month? How long does it take you to review a resume? Some interviewees work for agencies or independently, while others are employed by the companies they screen applicants for. Surprisingly, where they work doesn’t consistently affect how many resumes they receive. What does affect their numbers is whether they accept candidates from overseas. One anonymous contributor stated the case plainly: “The volume of applications depends on whether the job posting targets candidates in Japan or internationally.” In Japan: we receive around 20–100+ applications within the first three days. Outside of Japan: a single job posting can attract 200–1,000 applications within three days. ”[Because] we are generally only open to current residents of Japan, our total applicant count is around 100 or so in a month,” said Caleb McClain, who is both a Senior Software Engineer and a hiring manager at Lunaris. “In the past, when we accepted applications from abroad it was much higher, though I unfortunately don’t have stats for that period. It was unmanageable for a single person (me) reviewing the applications, though! “Given that I deal with 100 or so per month, I probably spend a bit more time than others screening applications, but it depends. I’ll give every candidate a quick read through within a minute or so and, if I didn’t find a reason to immediately reject them, I’ll spend a few more minutes reading about their experience more deeply. I’ll check out the companies they have listed for their experience if I’m not familiar with them and, if they have a Github or personal projects listed, I’ll also spend a few minutes checking those out.” For companies that accept overseas candidates, the workload is greater. Laine Takahashi, a Talent Acquisition employee at HENNGE, estimated that every month they receive around 200 completed applications for engineering mid-career roles and 270 applications for their Global Internship program. Since their application process starts with a coding test as well as a resume and cover letter, it can take up to two weeks to review, score, and respond to each application. Clement Chidiac, Senior Technical Recruiter at Mercari, explained that the number of resumes he reviews monthly varies widely. “As an example, one of the current roles I am working on received 250+ applications in three weeks. Typically a recruiter at Mercari can work from 5–20 positions at a time, so this gives you an idea.” He also said that his initial quick scan of each resume might take between 5–30 seconds. External recruiters process resumes at a similar rate. Edmund Ho, Principal Consultant for Talisman Corporation, works with around 15 clients a month. To find them, he looks at 20–30 resumes a day, or 600–700 a month, and can only spend 30 seconds to 2 minutes on each one before coming to a decision. Axel Algoet, founder and CEO of InnoHyve, only reviews 200 resumes a month—but “if you count LinkedIn profiles, it’s probably around 1,000.” Why LinkedIn? “I usually start by looking at LinkedIn—the companies they’ve worked at and the roles they’ve had,” Algoet explained. “From there, I can quickly tell whether I’m open to talking with them or not. Since I focus on a very specific segment of roles, I can rapidly identify if a candidate might be a fit for my clients.” Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) Given the sheer volume of resumes to review and respond to, it’s not surprising that companies are using Applicant Tracking Systems. What’s more unexpected is how few recruiters personally use an ATS or AI when evaluating candidates. Both Ho and Algoet reported that though a high percentage of their clients use an ATS—as many as 90 percent, according to Ho—they themselves don’t use one. Ho in particular emphasized that he manually reads every resume he receives. Lunaris doesn’t use an ATS, “unless you count Notion,” joked McClain. “Open to recommendations!” Koji Hamane, Vice President of Human Resources at KOMOJU, said, “Up to 2023, we were managing the pipeline on a spreadsheet basis, and you cannot do it anymore with 3,000 applications [a year]. So it’s more effective and efficient in terms of tracking where each applicant sits in the recruiting process, but it also facilitates communication among [the members of] the interview panel.” The ATS KOMOJU uses is Workable. “Workable, I mean, you know, it works,” Hamane joked. “It’s much better than nothing. . . . Workable actually shows the valid points of the candidates, highlights characteristics, and evaluates the fit for the required positions, like from a 0 to 100 point basis. It helps, but actually you need to go through the details anyway, to properly assess the candidates.” Chidiac explained that Mercari also uses Workable, which has a feature that matches keywords from the job description to the resume, giving the resume a score. “I’ve never made a decision based on that,” said Chidiac. “It’s an indicator, but it’s not accurate enough yet to use it as a decision-making tool.” For example, it doesn’t screen out non-Japanese speakers when Japanese is a requirement for the role. I think these [ATS] tools are going to be better, and they’re going to work. I think it’s a good idea to help junior recruiters. But I think it has to be used as a ‘decision helper,’ not a decision-making tool. There’s also an element of ethics—do you want to be screened out by a robot? HENNGE uses a different ATS, Greenhouse, mostly to communicate with candidates and send them the results of their application. “ Everything they submit,” said Sonam Choden, HENNGE’s Software Engineer Recruiter, “is actually manually checked by somebody in our team. It’s not that everything is automated for the coding test—the bot only checks if they meet the minimum score. Then there is another [human] screener that will actually look over the test itself. If they pass the coding test, then we have another [human] screener looking through each and every document, both the resume and the cover letter.” How to format your resume The good news is that, according to our interviewees, passing the resume screening doesn’t involve trying to master ATS algorithms. However, since many recruiters are manually evaluating a high number of resume every day, they can spend at most only a few minutes on each one. That’s why it’s critical to make your resume stand out positively from the rest. You can see tips on formatting and good practices in our article on the subject, but below recruiters offer detailed explanations of exactly what they’re looking for—and, importantly, what red flags lead to rejection. Red flags The biggest red flags called out by recruiters are frequent job changes, not having skills required by the position, applications from abroad when no visa support is available, mismatches in salary expectations, and lack of required Japanese language ability. Frequent job changes Jumpiness. Job-hopping. Career-switching. Although they had different names for it, nearly everyone listed frequent job changes as the number one red flag on a candidate’s resume—at least, when applying to jobs in Japan. “There’s a term HR in Japan uses: ‘Oh, this guy is jumpy,’” Clement Chidiac told me. When he asked what they meant by that, they told him it referred to a candidate who had only been in their last job for two years or less. “And my first reaction was like, ‘Is that a bad thing?’ I think in the US, and in most tech companies, people change over every two to three years. I remember at my university in France, I was told you need to change your job externally or internally every three years to grow. But in Japan, there’s still the element of loyalty, right?” It’s changing a little bit, but when I have a candidate, a good candidate, that has had four jobs in the past ten years, I know I’m going to get questioned. . . . If I get a candidate that’s changed jobs three times in the past three years, they’re not likely to pass the screening, especially if they’re overseas. “Which is fair, right?” he added. “Because it’s a bit expensive, it’s a bit of a risk, and [it takes] a bit of time.” Why do Japanese companies feel so strongly on this issue? Some of it is simply history—lifetime employment at a single company was the Japanese ideal until quite recently. But as Chidiac pointed out, hiring overseas candidates represents additional investments in both money and time spent navigating the visa system, so it makes sense for Japanese companies to move more cautiously when doing so. Sayaka Sasaki, who was previously employed as a Sourcing Specialist by Tech Japan Inc., told me that recruiters attempt to use past job history to foresee the future. “A lack of consistency in career history can also lead to rejection,” she said. “Recruiters can often predict a candidate’s future career plans and job-switching tendencies based on their past job-change patterns.” Koji Hamane has another reason for considering job tenure. “When you try to leave some achievement or visible impact, [you have to] take some time in the same job, in the same company. So from that perspective, the tenure of each position on a resume really matters. Even though you say, ‘I have this capability and I have this strength,’ your tenure at each company is very short, and [you] don’t leave an impact on those workplaces.” In this sense, Hamane is not evaluating loyalty for its own sake, but considering tenure as a variable to assess the reproducibility of meaningful achievement. For him, achievement and impact—rather than tenure length itself—are the true signals of qualities such as leadership and resilience. Long-time or regular freelancers may face similar scrutiny. Though Chidiac is reluctant to call freelancing a red flag, he acknowledged that it can cause problems. “[With] an engineer that’s been doing freelance for the past three or four years, I know I’m going to get pushback from the hiring team, because they might have worked on three-, four-, five-month projects. They might not have the depth of knowledge that companies on a large scale might want to hire.” Also my question is, if that person has been working on their own for three or four years, how are they going to work in the team? How long are they going to stay with us? Are they going to be happy being part of a company and then maybe having to come to the office, that kind of thing? He gave an example: “If you get 100 applicants for backend engineer roles, it’s sad, but you’re going to go with the ones that fit the most traditional background. If I’m hiring and I’m getting five candidates from PayPay . . . I might prioritize these people as opposed to a freelancer that’s based out of Spain and wants to relocate to Japan, because there are a lot of question marks. That’s the reality of the candidate pool. “Now, if the freelancer in Spain has the exact experience that I want, and I don’t have other applicants, then yeah, of course I’ll talk to that person. I’ll take time to understand [their reasons].” How to “fix” job-hopping on your resume If you have changed jobs frequently, is rejection guaranteed? Not necessarily. These recruiters also offered a host of tips to compensate for job-hopping, freelancing stints, or gaps in your work history. The biggest tip: include an explanation on your resume. Edmund Ho advises offering a “reason for leaving” for short-term jobs, defining short-term as “less than three years.” For example, if the job was a limited contract role, then labelling it as such will prevent Japanese companies from drawing the conclusion that you left prematurely. Lay-offs and failed start-ups will also be looked upon more benevolently than simply quitting. In addition, Ho suggested that those with difficult resumes avail themselves of an agent or recruiter. Since the recruiter will contact the company directly, they have the chance to advocate and explain your job history better than the resume alone can. Sasaki also feels that explanations can help, but added a caveat: “Being honest about what you did during a gap period is not a bad thing. However, it is important to present it in a positive light. For example, if you traveled abroad or spent time at your family home during the gap period, you could write something like this: ‘Once I start a new job, it will be difficult to take a long vacation. So, I took advantage of this break to visit [destination], which I had always dreamed of seeing. Experiencing [specific highlight] was a lifelong goal, and it helped me refresh myself while boosting my motivation for work.’ “If the gap period lasted for more than a year, it is necessary to provide a convincing explanation for the hiring manager. For instance, you could write, ‘I used this time to enhance my skills by studying [specific subject] and preparing for [certification].’ If you have actually obtained a qualification, that would be a perfect way to present your time productively.” Hamane answered the question quite differently. “Do you gamble?” he asked me. He went on: “ When I say ‘gamble,’ ultimately recruiting is decision-making under uncertainty, right? It comes with risks. But the most important question is, what are the downside risks and upside risks?” “In the game of hiring,” Hamane explained, “employers are looking for indicators of future performance. Tenure, to me, is not inherently valuable, but serves as a variable to assess whether a candidate had the opportunity to leave a meaningful impact. It’s not about loyalty or raw length of time, but about whether qualities like resilience or leadership had the chance to emerge. Those qualities often require time. However, I don’t judge the number of years on its own—what matters is whether there is evidence of real contributions.” A shorter tenure with clear impact can be just as strong a signal as longer service. That’s why I view tenure not categorically, but contextually—as one indicator among others. If possible, then, a candidate should focus on highlighting their work contributions and unique strengths in their resume, which can counterbalance the perceived “downside risk” of job-hopping. Incompatibility with the job description Most other red flags can be categorized as “incompatible with the job description.” This includes: Not possessing the required skills Applying from abroad when the position doesn’t offer visa support Mismatch in salary expectations Not speaking Japanese Many of the resumes recruiters receive are wholly unsuited for the position. Hamane estimated that 70 percent of the resumes his department reviews are essentially “random applications.” Almost all the applications are basically not qualified. One of the major reasons why is the Internet. The Internet enables us to apply for any job from anywhere, right? So there are so many applications with no required skills. . . .  From my perspective, they are applying on a batch basis, like mass applications. Even if the candidate has the required job skills, if they’re overseas and the position doesn’t offer visa support, their resume almost certainly won’t pass. Caleb McClain, whose company is currently hiring only domestically, said, “The most common reason [for rejection] is the person is applying from abroad. . . . After that, if there’s just a clear skills mismatch, we won’t move forward with them.” Axel Algoet pointed out that nationality can be a problem even if the company is open to hiring from overseas. “I support many companies in the space, aerospace, and defense industries,” he said, “and they are not allowed to hire candidates from certain countries.” It’s important to comprehend any legal issues surrounding sensitive industries before applying, to save both your own and the company’s time. He also mentioned that, while companies do look for candidates with experience at top enterprises, a prestigious background can actually be a red flag—-mostly in terms of compensation. Japanese tech companies on average pay lower wages than American businesses, and a mismatch in expectations can become a major stumbling block in the application process overall. “Especially [for] candidates coming from companies like Indeed or some foreign firms,” Algoet said, “if I know I won’t be able to match or beat their current salary, I tell them upfront.” Not speaking Japanese is another common stumbling block. Companies have different expectations of candidates when it comes to Japanese language ability. Algoet said that, although in his own niche Japanese often isn’t required at all, a Japanese level below JLPT N2 can be a problem for other roles. Sasaki agreed that speaking Japanese to at least the JLPT N3 level would open more doors. Anticipating potential rejection points If you can anticipate why recruiters might reject you, you can structure your resume accordingly, highlighting your strengths while deemphasizing any weak points. For example, if you don’t live in Japan but do speak Japanese, it’s important to bring attention to that fact. “Something that’s annoying,” said Chidiac, “that I’m seeing a lot from a hiring manager point of view, is that they sort of anticipate or presume things. . . . ‘That person has only been in Japan for a year, they can’t speak Japanese.’ But there are some people that have been [going to] Japanese school back home.” That’s why he urges candidates to clearly state both their language ability and their connections to Japan in their resume whenever possible. Chidiac also mentioned seniority issues. “It’s important that you highlight any elements of seniority.” However, he added, “Seniority means different things depending on the environment.” That’s why context is critical in your resume. If you’ve worked for a company in another country or another industry, the recruiter may not intuitively know much about the scale or complexity of the projects you’ve worked on. Without offering some context—the size of the project, the size of the team, the technologies involved, etc.—it’s difficult for recruiters to judge. If you contextualize your projects properly, though, Chidiac believes that even someone with relatively few years of experience may still be viewed favorably for higher roles. If you’ve led a very strong project, you might have the seniority we want. Finally, Edmund Ho suggested an easy trick for those without a STEM degree: just put down the university you graduated from, and not your major. “It’s cheating!” he said with a chuckle. Green flags Creating a great resume isn’t just about avoiding pitfalls. Your resume may also be missing some of the green flags recruiters get excited to see, which can open doors or lead to unexpected offers. Niche skills Niche skills were cited by several as not only being valuable in and of themselves, but also being a great way to open otherwise closed doors. Even when the job description doesn’t call for your unusual ability or experience, it’s probably worth including them in your resume. “I’ll of course take into consideration the requirements as written in our current open listings,” said McClain, “as that represents the core of what we are looking for at any given time. However, I also try to keep an eye out for interesting individuals with skills or experience that may benefit us in ways we haven’t considered yet, or match well with projects that aren’t formally planned but we are excited about starting when we have the time or the right people.” Chidiac agrees that he takes special note of rare skills or very senior candidates on a resume. “We might be able to create an unseeable headcount to secure a rare talent. . . . I think it’s important to have that mindset, especially for niche areas. Machine learning is one that comes to mind, but it could also be very senior [candidates], like staff level or principal level engineers, or people coming from very strong companies, or people that solve problems that we want to solve at the moment, that kind of thing.” I call it the opportunistic approach, like the unusual path, but it’s important to have that in mind when you apply for a company, because you might not be a fit for a role now, but you might not be aware that a role is going to open soon. Sasaki pointed out that niche skills can compensate for an otherwise relatively weak resume, or one that would be bypassed by more traditional Japanese companies. “If the company you are applying to is looking for a niche skill set that only you possess, they will want to speak with you in an interview. So don’t lose hope!” Tailoring to the job description “I don’t think there’s a secret recipe to automatically pass the resume screening, because at the end of the day, you need to match the job, right?” said Chidiac. “But I’ve seen people that use the same resume for different roles, and sometimes it’s missing [relevant] experience or specific keywords. So I think it’s important to really read the job description and think about, ‘Okay, these are all the main skills they want. Let me highlight these in some way.’” If you’re a cloud infrastructure engineer, but you’ve done a lot of coding in the past, or you use a specific technology but it doesn’t show on your CV, you may be automatically rejected either by the recruiter or by the [ATS]. But if you make sure that, ‘Oh yeah, I’ve seen the need for coding skill. I’m going to add that I was a software engineer when I started and I’m doing coding on my side project,’ that will help you with the screening. It’s not necessary to entirely remake your resume each time, Chidiac believes, but you should at least ensure that at the top of the resume you highlight the skills that match the job description. Connections to Japan While most of this advice would be relevant anywhere in the world, recruiters did offer one additional tip for applying in Japan—emphasizing your connection to the country. “Whenever a candidate overseas writes a little thing about any ties to Japan, it usually helps,” said Chidiac. For example, he believes that it helps to highlight your Japanese language ability at the top of your resume. [If] someone writes like, ‘I want to come to Japan,’ ‘I’ve been going to Japanese school for the last five years,’ ‘I’ve got family in Japan,’ . . . that kind of stuff usually helps. Laine Takahashi confirmed that HENNGE shows extra interest in those kinds of candidates. “Either in the cover letter or the CV,” she said, “if they’re not living in Japan, we want them to write about their passion for coming to Japan.” Ho went so far as to state that every overseas candidate he’d helped land a job in Japan had either already learned some Japanese, or had an interest in Japanese culture. Tourists who’d just enjoyed traveling in Japan were less successful, he’d found. How important is a cover letter? Most recruiters had similar advice for candidates, but one serious point of contention arose: cover letters. Depending on their company and hiring style, interviewees’ opinions ranged widely on whether cover letters were necessary or helpful. Cover letters aren’t important “I was trying to remember the last time I read a cover letter,” said Clement Chidiac, “and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever screened an application based on the cover letter.” Instead, Mercari typically requests a resume and poses some screening questions. Chidiac thought this might be a controversial opinion to take, but it was echoed strongly by around half of the other interviewees. When applying to jobs in Japan, there’s no need to write a cover letter, Edmund Ho told me. “Companies in Japan don’t care!” He then added, “One company, HENNGE, uses cover letters. But you don’t need,” he advised, “to write a fancy cover letter.” “I never ask for cover letters,” said Axel Algoet. “Instead, I usually set up a casual twenty-minute call between the hiring manager and the candidate, as a quick intro to decide if it’s worth moving forward with the interview process.” Getting to skip the cover letter and go straight to an early-stage interview is a major advantage Algoet is able to offer his candidates. “That said,” he added, “if a candidate is rejected at the screening stage and I feel the client is making a mistake, we sometimes work on a cover letter together to give it another shot.” Cover letters are extremely important According to Sayaka Sasaki, though, Japanese companies don’t just expect cover letters—they read them quite closely. “Some people may find this hard to believe,” said Sasaki, “but many Japanese companies carefully analyze aspects of a candidate’s personality that cannot be directly read from the text of a cover letter. They expect to see respect, humility, enthusiasm, and sincerity reflected in the writing.” Such companies also expect, or at least hope for, brevity and clarity. “Long cover letters are not a good sign,” said Koji Hamane. “You need to be clear and concise.” He does appreciate cover letters, though, especially for junior candidates, who have less information on their resume. “It supplements [our knowledge of] the candidate’s objectives, and helps us to verify the fit between the candidate’s motivation and the job and the company.” Caleb McClain feels strongly that a good cover letter is the best way for a candidate to stand out from a crowd. “After looking at enough resumes,” he said, “you start to notice similarities and patterns, and as the resume screener I feel a bit of exhaustion over trying to pick out what makes a person unique or better-suited for the position than another.” A well-written and personal cover letter that expresses genuine interest in joining ‘our’ team and company and working on ‘our’ projects will make you stand out and, assuming you meet the requirements otherwise, I will take that interest into serious consideration. “For example,” McClain continued, “we had an applicant in the past who wrote about his experience using our e-commerce site, SolarisJapan, many years ago, and his positive impressions of shopping there. Others wrote about their interests which clearly align with our businesses, or about details from our TokyoDev company profile that appealed to them.” McClain urged candidates to “really tie your experience and interests into what the company does, show us why you’re the best fit! Use the cover letter to stand out in the crowd and show us who you are in ways that a standard resume cannot. If you have interesting projects on Github or blogs on technical topics, share them! But of course,” he added, “make sure they are in a state where you’d want others to read them.” What to avoid in your cover letter “However,” McClain also cautioned, “[cover letters are] a double-edged sword, and for as many times as they’ve caused an application to rise to the top, they’ve also sunk that many.” For this reason, it’s best not to attach a cover letter unless one is specifically requested. Since cover letters are extremely important to some recruiters, however, you should have a good one prepared in advance—and not one authored by an AI tool. “I sometimes receive cover letters,” McClain told me, “that are very clearly written by AI, even going so far as to leave the prompt in the cover letter. Others simply rehash points from their resume, which is a shame and feels like a waste. This is your chance to really sell yourself!” He wasn’t the only recruiter who frowned on using AI. “Avoid simply copying and pasting AI-generated content into your cover letter,” Sasaki advised. “At the very least, you should write the base structure yourself. Using AI to refine your writing is acceptable, but hiring managers tend to dislike cover letters that clearly appear to be AI-written.” Laine Takahashi and Sonam Choden at HENNGE have also received their share of AI-generated letters. Sometimes, Choden explained, the use of AI is blatantly obvious, because the places where the company or applicant’s name should be written aren’t filled out. That doesn’t mean they’re opposed to all use of AI, though. “[The screeners] do not have a problem with the usage of AI technology. It’s just that [you should] show a bit more of your personality,” Takahashi said. She thinks it’s acceptable to use AI “just for making the sentences a bit more pretty, for example, but the story itself is still yours.” A bigger mistake would be not writing a cover letter at all. “There are cases,” Takahashi explained, “where perhaps the candidate thought that we actually don’t look at or read the cover letter.” They sent the CV, and then the cover letter was like, ‘Whatever, you’re not going to read this anyway.’ That’s an automatic fail from our side. “We do understand,” said Choden, “that most developers now think cover letters are an outdated type of process. But for us, there is a lot of benefit in actually going through with the cover letter, because it’s really hard to judge someone by one piece like a resume, right? So the cover letter is perfect to supplement with things that you might not be able to express in a one-page CV.” Other tips for success The interviewees offered a host of other tips to help candidates advance in the application process. Recruiters vs job boards There are pros and cons to working with a recruiter as opposed to applying directly. Partnering with a recruiter can be a complex process in its own right, and candidates should not expect recruiters to guarantee a specific placement or job. Edmund Ho pointed out some of the advantages of working with a recruiter from the start of your job search. Not only can they help fix your resume, or call a company’s HR directly if you’re rejected, but these services are free. After all, external recruiters are paid only if they successfully place you with a company. Axel Algoet also recommended candidates find a recruiter, but he offered a few caveats to this general advice. “Many candidates are unaware of the candidate ownership rule—which means that when a recruiter submits your application, they ‘own’ it for the next 12–18 months. There’s nothing you can do about it after that point.” By that, he means that the agency you work with will be eligible for a fee if you are hired within that timeframe. Other agencies typically won’t submit your application if it is currently “owned” by another. This affects TokyoDev as well: if you apply to a company with a recruiter, and then later apply to another role at that company via TokyoDev within 12 months of the original application, the recruiter receives the hiring fee rather than TokyoDev. That’s why, Algoet said, you should make sure your recruiter is a good fit and can represent you properly. “If you feel they can’t,” he suggested, “walk away.” And if you have less than three years of experience, he suggests skipping a recruiter entirely. “Many companies don’t want to pay recruitment fees for junior candidates,” he added, “but that doesn’t mean they won’t hire you. Reach out to hiring managers directly.” From the internal recruiter’s perspective, Sonam Choden is in favor of candidates who come through job boards. “I think we definitely have more success with job boards where people are actively directly applying, rather than candidates from agents. In terms of the requirements, the candidates introduced by agents have the experience and what we’re looking for, but those candidates introduced by agents might not necessarily be looking for work, or even if they are . . . [HENNGE] might not be their first choice.” Laine Takahashi agreed and cited TokyoDev as one of HENNGE’s best sources for candidates. We’ve been using TokyoDev for the longest time . . . before the [other] job boards that we’re using now. I think TokyoDev was the one that gave us a good head start for hiring inside Japan. “And now we’re expanding to other job boards as well,” she said, “but still, TokyoDev is [at] the top, definitely.” Follow up Ho casually nailed the dilemma around sending a message or email to follow up on your application. “It’s always best to follow up if you don’t hear back,” he said, “but if you follow up too much, it’s irritating.” The question is, how much is too much? When is it too soon to message a recruiter or hiring manager? Ho gave a concrete suggestion: “Send a message after three days to one week.” For Chidiac, following up is a strategy he’s used himself to great effect. “Something that I’ve always done when I look for a job is ping people on LinkedIn, trying to anticipate who is the hiring manager for that role, or who’s the recruiter for that role, and say ‘Hey, I want to apply,’ or ‘I’ve applied.’” [I’ve said] ‘I know I might not be able to do this and this and that, but I’ve done this and this and this. Can we have a quick chat? Do you need me to tailor my CV differently? Do you have any other roles that you think would be a good fit?’ And then, follow up frequently. “This is something that’s important,” he added, “showing that you’ve researched about the company, showing that you’ve attended meetups from time to time, checking the [company] blogs as well. I’ve had people that just said, ‘Hey, I’ve seen on the blogs that you’re working on this. This is what I’ve done in my company. If you’re hiring [for] this team, let me know, right?’ So that could be a good tip to stand out from other applicants. [But] I think there’s no rule. It’s just going to be down to individuals.” “You might,” he continued, “end up talking to someone who’s like, ‘Hey, don’t ever contact me again.’ As an agency recruiter that happened to me, someone said, ‘How did you get my phone [number]? Don’t ever call me again.’ . . . [But] then a lot of the time it’s like, ‘Oh, we’re both French, let’s help each other out,’ or, ‘Oh, yeah, we were at the same university,’ or ‘Hey, I know you know that person.’” Chidiac gave a recent example of a highly-effective follow-up message. “He used to work in top US tech companies for the past 25 years. [After he applied to Mercari], the person messaged me out of the blue: ‘I’m in Japan, I’m semi-retired, I don’t care about money. I really like what Mercari is doing. I’ve done X and Y at these companies.’ . . . So yeah, I was like, I don’t have a role, but this is an exceptional CV. I’ll show it to the hiring team.” There are a few caveats to this advice, however. First, a well-researched, well-crafted follow-up message is necessary to stand out from the crowd—and these days, there is quite a crowd. “Oh my goodness,” Choden exclaimed when I brought up the subject. “I actually wanted to write a post on LinkedIn, apologizing to people for not being able to get back to them, because of the amount of requests to connect and all related to the positions that we have at HENNGE.” Takahashi and Choden explained that many of these messages are attempts to get around the actual hiring process. “Sometimes,” Choden said, “when I do have the time, I try to redirect them. ‘Oh, please, apply here, or go directly to the site,’ because we can’t really do anything, they have to start with the coding test itself. . . . I do look at them,” Choden went on, “and if they’re actually asking a question that I can help with, then I’m more than happy to reply.” Nonetheless, a few candidates have attempted to go over their heads. Sometimes we have some candidates who are asking for updates on their application directly from our CEO. It’s quite shocking, because they send it to his work email as well. “And then he’s like, ‘Is anybody handling this? Why am I getting this email?’,” Choden related. Other applicants have emailed random HENNGE employees, or even members of the overseas branch in Taiwan. Needless to say, such candidates don’t endear themselves to anyone on the hiring team. Be persistent “I know a bunch of people,” Chidiac told me, “that managed to land a job because they’ve tried harder going to meetups, reaching out to people, networking, that kind of thing.” One of those people was Chidiac himself, who in 2021 was searching for an in-house recruiter position in Japan, while not speaking Japanese. In his job hunt, Chidiac was well aware that he faced some major disadvantages. “So I went the extra mile by contacting the company directly and being like, ‘This is what I’ve done, I’ve solved these problems, I’ve done this, I’ve done that, I know the Japanese market . . . [but] I don’t speak Japanese.’” There’s a bit of a reality check that everyone has to have on what they can bring to the table and how much effort they need to [put forth]. You’re going to have to sell yourself and reach out and find your people. “Does it always work? No. Does it often work? No. But it works, right?” said Chidiac with a laugh. “Like five percent of the time it works every time. But you need to understand that there are some markets that are tougher than others.” Ho agreed that job-hunters, particularly candidates who are overseas hoping to work in Japan for the first time, face a tough road. He recommended applying to as many jobs as possible, but in a strictly organized way. “Make an Excel sheet for your applications,” he urged. Such a spreadsheet should track your applications, when you followed up on those applications, and the probation period for reapplying to that company when you receive a rejection. Most importantly, Ho believes candidates should maintain a realistic, but optimistic, view of the process. “Keep a longer mindset,” he suggested. “Maybe you don’t get an offer the first year, but you do the second year.” Conclusion Given the staggering number of applications recruiters must process, and the increasing competition for good roles—especially those open to candidates overseas—it’s easy to become discouraged. Nonetheless, Japan needs international developers. Given Japan’s demographics, as well as the government’s interest in implementing AI and digital transformation (DX) solutions for social problems, that fact won’t change anytime soon. We at TokyoDev suggest that candidates interested in working in Japan adopt two basic approaches. First, follow the advice in this article and also in our resume-writing guide to prevent your resume from being rejected for common flaws. You can highlight niche skills, write an original cover letter, and send appropriate follow-up messages to the recruiters and hiring managers you hope to impress. Second, persistence is key. The work culture in Japan is evolving and there are more openings for new candidates. Japan’s startup scene is also burgeoning, and modern tech companies—such as Mercari—continue to grow and hire. If your long-term goal is to work in Japan, then it’s worth investing the time to keep applying. That said, hopefully the suggestions offered above will help turn what might have been a lengthy job-hunt into a quicker and more successful search. To apply to open positions right now, see our job board. If you want to hear more tips from other international developers in Japan, check out the TokyoDev Discord. We also have articles with more advice on job hunting, relocating to Japan, and life in Japan.

When interviewing with a Japanese company, you’ll naturally want to know: “Is this a good place to work?” And while Glassdoor is the standard in English-speaking countries for employees leaving online reviews, the site is only rarely used in Japan, and then primarily by non-Japanese workers. Many countries have a culture that endorses directly reviewing employers in an open, public environment—Japan does not. However, there are still sites where you can find important information on your potential employer. What to watch out for In particular, you want to avoid signing on with a company that engages in exploitative practices—or as they’re known in Japan, a “black company” (ブラック企業, burakku kigyou). The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare has a FAQ describing what defines these companies: Imposing extremely long working hours with high quotas. Recognition of workers’ rights is low throughout the company; unpaid overtime and/or workplace bullying (パワハラ, pawahara) are common. The company assigns shifts to workers without consent. The company discriminates among workers in the above circumstances. In a 2023 survey, those who had worked for such toxic companies listed high turnover rates as the most common sign that something was wrong, followed by long working hours and unpaid overtime. As you examine online review sites and other sources, look for clues such as: Turnover rate: how long do employees typically stay? Internal promotion: can you see employees rising in the ranks? Upper management: are there any non-Japanese employees in management positions? Recent company announcements: do they often make sudden pivots in their business policies? If you discover, for example, that the company can’t retain employees, shows no history of internal promotions, and has just issued a return-to-office order out of the blue, it’s safe to assume you don’t want to work there. OpenWork OpenWork, also known as Vorkers, hosts over 19 million company reviews. The reviews are represented in a radar chart for easy visual reference, and are also broken down into different categories, such as work-life balance, the ease of working for women, and reasons for considering quitting. In addition, applicants can post questions for employees to answer. If you don’t speak Japanese, the site is still readable with Google Translate. You’ll need to make a free account to see all of the information, but much of it is accessible even without an account. Other Japanese sites JobTalk and Engage Hyouban are other Japanese-language review sites. JobTalk contains 4.4 million reviews of around 230,000 different companies, and Engage Hyouban boasts 30 million reviews for 220,000 companies. Neither of these sites offer as much information on tech companies in Japan as OpenWork does. If you’re applying to a large company such as Rakuten, you may find some additional reviews there, but many of TokyoDev’s clients are smaller companies that aren’t listed at all. Google Maps Reviews An unusual but occasionally helpful place to find company reviews is on Google Maps. If you search for a business’s main corporate office location—usually in Tokyo—you will sometimes find reviews written by current or former employees. Whether these reviews are high-quality or trustworthy is another matter. Rakuten, for example, has reviews with a range of opinions. Cybozu, by contrast, mostly has reviews from those who would like to work for the company but currently don’t. Still, the reviews of its corporate office are consistently positive, so you can at least get an impression of the physical environment. LinkedIn “If you’re worried that a company might be a poor place to work, try contacting current or past employees via LinkedIn,” suggested Paul McMahon, founder of TokyoDev. “This probably works best if you’re late in the hiring process.” You can send a connect request saying, ‘I’ve received an offer from company X, and want to confirm what it’s really like to work there as an engineer. Mind if I ask you a couple of questions?’ Whether or not they respond, you can still glean good information from the profiles of past and current employees. Check to see if developers tend to leave the company quickly, for example, or how long the average employee goes before being promoted. You should keep in mind though that LinkedIn is not popular in Japan, for several good reasons. If you are applying to a primarily Japanese company, many of your future coworkers won’t be active there, which means you still may not be getting a complete picture. TokyoDev In 2020, TokyoDev began interviewing developers in order to provide a more complete, boots-on-the-ground picture of daily life at specific companies. Our Developer Stories feature interviews with developers at top Japanese tech companies, who share details about both their specific jobs and the general work environment. The goal is to give applicants a good sense of how a company operates on a day-to-day basis, from the perspective of those on the inside. So far, TokyoDev has interviewed developers from Mercari, PayPay, Givery, HENNGE, KOMOJU, and more. In addition, TokyoDev’s job board is a selective one, listing only companies that we feel good about sending applicants to. In the rare event that employees later reach out with poor reviews of a business, if those reports can be confirmed, then TokyoDev will end its relationship with that company. Conclusion In short, the answer to the question “Is there a Japanese equivalent to Glassdoor?” is, “Not really.” However, by combining some of the alternatives—OpenWork, LinkedIn, TokyoDev, and perhaps even Google Maps—you can gather enough information to decide whether you want to work with a particular Japanese company. You could also ask fellow developers in our Discord. Curious about working in Japan in general? See our articles on the subject, as well as moving to Japan, living in Japan, starting a business in Japan, and more.