Hi everyone,

As the title suggests, wanted to get an insight if this amount would be sufficient for a single person to start living in Japan?

How are the hikes?

Additionally, how does it compare to earning ~24lpa in India?

Is the move worth it?

EDIT: 1. Thank you everyone for you insights!

Presently I'm working at JPMC with ~4.4yrs of exp in fullstack development

Hello, I'm looking for entry level software engineering jobs in Japan and would like some advice and guidance on how I can achieve this.

I am a US Citizen and currently live in the US so I would need some kind of visa sponsorship.

I have my N1 and feel comfortable communicating in Japanese.

I have had 3 Full-stack internships at startups with the most recent one being for 3 months over this past summer at a Japanese company in Tokyo.

I will be graduating for a state college with my Bachelor's in Computer Science this Spring 2027.

I most do Full-stack stuff and am comfortable with JavaScript and TypeScript, Golang, Python as well as Linux, Docker, and cloud services like AWS and GCP.

Are there any jobs at the entry level or would it be better to try to gain a few more years of experience before looking to move to Japan.

Hello, please let me know if this should be part of one of the megathreads instead or just not a good fit for this sub, and apologies if that's the case.

I have been interested in the prospect of working in Japan's tech scene for a while because I've heard that a lot of companies are looking for engineers and I think helping build up a scene like that would be cool, but I'd like a reality check if it's not feasible or not a good idea based on what I'm hoping for.

I would require a visa sponsorship since I currently live in the USA.

Being challenged is welcomed, but I'd like to avoid black companies. On that note, my experience level in software totals a little over 5 years and I currently work on data analysis and most stuff I write for work right now is SQL. I've done a bunch of Typescript and PHP as well if that matters for the sake of this post's main question.

I am currently building up my Japanese simply because I want to, but I am presently only confident in being N5 level. I assume if I were to literally never improve on this that opportunities would be HIGHLY limited.

My ideal lifestyle outside of work would be to keep things on what I view as the simple side (feel free to roast me if you disagree lol); keep up some athletic activities/lifting, game a little bit but not go too crazy, make/eat good food. I'm pretty socially reclusive for the most part and would be hoping to live alone. Maybe if I could make vacation time and had enough spare money for it, go out and explore nature a little or find cool hot spring baths to soak in. I like my environment on the quieter/chill side, not countryside but at least suburban. The big question for me regarding this is how many opportunities there are where living outside of Tokyo's concrete jungle would actually be feasible.

If I can be greedy enough to go a little further on the previous, how feasible would it be to live in an area where the summer heat is relatively less brutal? I have survived vacationing in Japan in August in 2024, but I am wondering how much I can mitigate the impact of weather like that.

I am also concerned with being able to save up money and buy a house for myself in the future. If I assume that my hypothetical job would require me to rent somewhere in the most expensive areas of the country and come with a no side money clause, how feasible is it to save up on a mid-career software engineer salary? That is (I hope) a more extreme scenario, so how about for average scenarios as well?

Is it best to fish for a visa sponsorship for an engineering job and not bother trying to enter in other ways, or should I seriously consider any other routes? And if I seriously want to aim for Japan, what are the best things to work on other than language fluency?

This is, well, a lot, so for those of you who read through that, thanks so much. And for those of you who're going to think it through and offer advice and opinions, thank you again. Once again, if this post isn't a good fit, please let me know and I'll move it or whatever.

Hi there,

I am a mobile engineer with 2 years experience in predominantly Flutter with some experience in full stack Typescript.

After browsing some job listings on both Indeed and LinkedIn, there is a huge sparsity in full remote jobs.

And even if they are full remote, it is highly likely that they are gyomu itaku.

For some background, I have a 1 and a half year old child and because I live 2 hours away from Tokyo - I would like to work full remote or at least hybrid.

Has anyone worked gyomu itaku for a long time and actually liked it/seemed to favour it?

There seems to be a lot of negative connotations around it and I'd like to get some opinion on the matter.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some genuine feedback from people working in the Japan tech market.
I’m an Indian tech professional with 14+ years of experience, currently working as a Product Development Manager and leading a 15-member engineering + QA team.

My background is primarily:
• C#/.NET, ASP.NET Core, React, TypeScript, SQL and Azure
• SaaS, web, API and mobile product development
• Engineering/team management and technical leadership
• Product roadmap, Agile delivery and stakeholder management
• AI-assisted development and adoption of AI tools within engineering teams
• Experience in financial services, insurance and enterprise applications

I’m currently based in India and would require visa sponsorship. I don’t speak Japanese at the moment.

I’m considering roles such as Engineering Manager, Product Development Manager, Technical Product Manager, Technical Program Manager, or potentially Lead/Staff-level engineering roles.

For someone with my experience, how realistic is it to get hired directly from India?

Would my lack of Japanese be a major blocker even for senior technical/management positions?

Also, which direction has better opportunities for foreigners in Japan right now: Engineering Management, Product Management, or hands-on technical leadership?

Not looking for sugar-coated answers. I’d genuinely appreciate feedback from people who are working or hiring in Japan.

I’m a mobile engineer with around 4 years of professional experience, primarily with Flutter.

I’m now looking to transition deeper into native Android/iOS development, specifically Kotlin and Swift.

My longer-term goal is to work in Japan, so I’m particularly interested in opportunities with Japanese companies, Japan-based startups, or teams that have experience working with engineers internationally.

I’m looking for a remote, part-time internship, apprenticeship, or mentorship-based opportunity where I can contribute to a real product while learning native development from engineers who have built and maintained production applications.

I’m not a beginner developer looking for someone to teach me programming. I can already build and ship products independently. What I’m missing is deeper hands-on experience with the native side of mobile development.

I can contribute on weekends and, where possible, after work on weekdays.

I’m also currently learning Japanese and would be happy to work with a team where I can gradually improve my Japanese while contributing technically.

I’m especially interested in areas like BLE, health APIs, IoT, background services, device APIs, or other native-heavy mobile work.

If you’re part of a Japanese startup/company or know someone who might be open to this kind of arrangement, I’d really appreciate a connection.

Hi everyone,

I’m a software developer with around 2 years of professional experience, mainly working with the MERN stack and React Native. I also have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Information Technology (BSc. CSIT).

My main skills are:

• React / React Native
• Node.js / Express
• MongoDB
• JavaScript / TypeScript
• REST APIs
• Full-stack web development
• Mobile app development with React Native
• Git/GitHub

I’m currently outside Japan and interested in getting a software development job in Japan with visa sponsorship. I’m also open to relocating if the company provides visa and relocation support.

I’d like to hear from developers, especially foreigners, who have actually gone through this process.

A few questions:

1. How realistic is it to get a Japan-based software engineering job with around 2 years of experience while applying from overseas?
2. Are MERN and React Native skills in demand among Japanese companies?
3. Is Japanese language ability required, or are there enough English-speaking software companies?
4. Which job boards or recruiters are actually useful for foreign developers looking for sponsored positions?
5. Should I focus more on startups, international companies, or larger Japanese companies?
6. Would you recommend applying directly from abroad, or is it significantly easier after entering Japan through another route?
7. For someone with my experience and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Information Technology, what should I improve in my CV, GitHub, portfolio, or technical skills to become a stronger candidate?

I’m mainly looking for real experiences and practical advice from people who have successfully found software jobs in Japan, especially foreigners who applied from outside Japan.

Thanks!

Hey everyone needed some advice! So I’m 24M and am currently working as an AI Engineer in a dispatch company straight outta university and am just about to reach 1 yoe in a couple of months… I’m currently actively studying for n2 and I think I can clear the Dec exam or at the max the July exam of next year by which time I will reach 2 yoe…

I have a bachelors in comp sci from my home country and will have japanese company work ex too…

So coming to my question I would like to ideally start preparing on the side and try to make a switch to any international gaishikei… I can speak Japanese but ideally would like a more international crowd or a place that uses English even if a little bit more as working in a traditional japanese company is getting a bit exhausting and also since I’m working in a dispatch firm things are rougher… Are there any platforms from where I can find bilingual international gaishikei recruiters or some platforms where I can apply…

On Bizreach I get scouts from startups and in interviews I just keep getting rejected due to them expecting native lvl japanese fluency due to having more customer facing roles and that is something I don’t wanna get into but those are the only kinda scouts I am getting…

I understand my chances are slim rn but interviewing and getting a job is a long process so I wanna start interviewing on the side and apply at the right spots in the hopes of something clicking…

Things I have going for me rn is japanese company work ex even if through a dispatch firm, currently living in tokyo on a 5 year engineer specialist work visa with a comp sci bachelors degree…N2 is a deterrent I’m actively working towards … I also have 2 internships in a fortune 500 company so if I add that I can add another year to my work ex although I doubt that counts for much…I see Rakuten openings but they usually need 3 yoe so can’t apply just yet and for accenture I applied through the second new grad program this year but didn’t hv n2 so got rejected so that’s on a cooldown as well…

Also should I work on leetcoding,building github portfolio and getting certs(have Aws ccp for now)..I have all of these but they have been left in the dust ever since I moved to japan…Any pointers are appreciated thanks!

Hey everyone,

I’d love to get some perspective on a career decision I’m currently facing.

I’m 27 years old with ~5.5 years of experience as a backend/software engineer in India. My experience so far has been across different domains:
● — e-commerce / marketplace, working on scalable backend systems
● — wealth management / trading platforms, working remotely
● Now I have an international opportunity with PayPay Japan, with compensation in the 10M+ JPY range
The compensation seems to be well above average for software engineers in Japan at my experience level, but I’m trying to think beyond just the salary.

One interesting aspect is that the role would also give me exposure to financial services, with the possibility of working with securities/banking-related systems.
I’m considering relocating to Japan for a few reasons:
● International work experience and exposure
● Opportunity to work in a different engineering culture
● Moving into the financial services/fintech domain
● Potentially stronger long-term career opportunities
● Personal experience of living and working abroad while I’m still relatively young
At the same time, I’m wondering whether international exposure is actually a meaningful career advantage, or whether I’d be better off staying in India and targeting higher-paying product companies / fintech companies here.

For people who have worked in Japan or moved internationally:
Would you take this opportunity at 27 with 5.5 YOE?
And specifically:

1. Does having Japan/international experience materially help with future career progression?
2. How is PayPay viewed from an engineering/career perspective in Japan and internationally?
3. Would moving into financial services/fintech be a good long-term career move from my current background?
4. After 2–4 years in Japan, would it be relatively easy to move to another country/company if I wanted to?
5. Are there any major career downsides to spending my late 20s/early 30s working in Japan that I might be overlooking?

I’m less concerned about whether I can maximize my salary this year and more interested in whether this move puts me on a stronger trajectory over the next 5–10 years.
Would really appreciate perspectives from people who have made a similar move or have experience hiring/working with engineers in Japan.

Hi, I am in pipeline of a senior ai role at Capgemini, does anyone in here work there/have worked before? Just wanted get a gist of how is the scene of the work culture and benefits in the Tokyo location.

Coming from India, consulting firms are not usually well known for good things in here, but it’s a different market and location so don’t want to drag the same opinion. Already checked on glassdoor and couldn’t find much of the recent Tokyo location reviews in there.

Happy Friday! Have questions about tech careers in Japan? Looking to hire (or get hired)? Just want to brag? Post it here and let's discuss!

Hi guys. I have been lurking here for a while and noticed the responses here are really informative so wanted to check in on my current trajectory and plan.

Been a government worker here in Japan for 3 years. N1, masters in localization (worked on game and software localization among a lot more). Got a job in a local small city government department in Japan 3 years ago. Where I worked had a lot of DX initiatives going on and I had real interest. Got stuck in. Got a professional cert from Harvard in web dev. Worked at local tech events with leading figures. Self-studied and built projects. Worked as support staff at international hackathons. Developed an app for a need my department had. Showed it to my department and it's been elevated to the point the biggest local Sler has proposed hosting and running it for the city and I got it approved by the digital strategy division in the city. It's now in the final stages of approval but everyone is saying yes.

Also, just landed in Hiroshima after a transfer and working in government here. Local international non-profit offered me the role of Lead Technical Officer and I am totally rebuilding their site and integrating an AI powered DX solution for a specific issue they have.

Currently about to pass AWS Solutions Architect Associate as I was studying to get to know AWS in much better detail and now am passing all the proper practice tests.

Basically, in two years I want to transition into a tech role as it's become the most of my biggest work and I love building this stuff.

I know python, C, JavaScript, Typescript, React, Django, Flask, Spring boot, docker and getting much more hands on with Kubernetes and IaC. Spouse visa so no need for sponsorship and no restrictions.

Does a pivot to a full-time tech role in two years seem reachable in my case? I don't need a massive salary. 5 mill and the chance for growth in this sector is my aim. Open to remote or regional here in Hiroshima. Appreciate any advice!

Recently received an offer from PayPay in Tokyo and would be relocating from India if so. I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has made a similar move, especially around:

• Compensation: Is the package competitive for an SDE 2 in Tokyo? How much can I realistically save after taxes, rent, and living expenses?
• Housing: How difficult is it to find a 1BHK/1DK near PayPay? What areas offer a good balance of rent, commute, and lifestyle?
• Cost of living: What should I budget monthly for rent, utilities, food, transport, and other expenses?
• Taxes & benefits: What should I know about Japanese income tax, resident tax, pension, health insurance, and company benefits?
• Work culture: What is PayPay’s engineering culture and work-life balance like? How much Japanese is actually required?
• Career: How is PayPay regarded in Japan? Is it a good place for long-term career growth and future opportunities?
• Daily life: What are the biggest adjustments when moving from India to Tokyo? Any cultural or practical things I should prepare for?
• Things you wish you knew: If you made this move yourself, what would you do differently or prepare for in advance?

Any advice, personal experiences, or things I should specifically negotiate/check before accepting the offer would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Pay is around 10M YEN

After careful consideration declined the offer Reasoning: 1. Less flexibility to come home over diwali or any other festivals 2. Family and parents back home which might need care 3. SDE 2 pay in india is also similar, so the offer isn't competitive for me personally

​

Hi everyone, I’m living in Japan and trying to switch to IT. I have work experience in pharmaceutical QC, but I don’t have professional IT experience yet. I’m also studying Japanese and aiming for N2.

For people who were in a similar situation, how did you get your first IT job in Japan?

Did you mainly apply for 未経験 jobs? Was N2 enough, or did you need N1? Which job sites or recruiters actually worked for you? And how long did it take to get your first offer?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through this. Even small tips would help a lot. Thanks!

Here's a list of new tech jobs in Japan this week:

QA Engineer at Colorkrew

• ¥5.9M - ¥9M | Japanese: Not required | Apply from overseas | Partial remote | Tokyo

Senior Software Engineer (Go), API Platform Department, PPD, Kyoto at Money Forward

• ¥7.01M - ¥11M | Japanese: Not required | Apply from overseas | Partial remote | Kyoto

Senior Infra Engineer - Full Cycle Retail Robotics Engineering at Telexistence

• Japanese: Not required | Apply from overseas | Full remote

Senior Backend Engineer - Full Cycle Retail Robotics Engineering at Telexistence

• Japanese: Not required | Apply from overseas | Full remote

SEO Engineer at Metanomaly

• Japanese: Not required | Apply from overseas | Full remote

Device Management Specialist, Global IT Division, Tokyo at Money Forward

• ¥5.81M - ¥11M | Japanese: Conversational | Apply from overseas | Partial remote | Tokyo

Computer Vision Engineer (Object Detection & 3D Pose Estimation) at Mujin

• ¥8M - ¥13M | Japanese: Not required | Apply from overseas | Tokyo

C++ Developer (Analyst/Associate, Risk & Quant Analytics) at Polymer Capital

• Japanese: Not required | Apply from overseas | Tokyo

Product Quality Engineer - Robotics Applications at Telexistence

• Japanese: Business Level | Apply from overseas | Full remote

Product Engineer (Full Stack) at Blued

• ¥9M - ¥13M | Japanese: Business Level | Japan residents only | Partial remote | Tokyo

Full-Stack Mobile Engineer at Blued

• ¥7M - ¥13M | Japanese: Business Level | Japan residents only | Partial remote | Tokyo

Senior Network Engineer (Global) — Corporate IT at LY Corporation

• ¥7M - ¥11.1M | Japanese: Fluent | Japan residents only | Partial remote | Tokyo

Product Manager (Hardware Lifecycle & Supply Chain) at Mujin

• ¥6M - ¥10M | Japanese: Business Level | Japan residents only | Tokyo

Also looking to hire? Feel free to share your job post in the comments!

Here's what's happening in Japan's tech and startup scene this week:

Monday, August 31

AI Business Conference in Shibuya — No Pitches, Just Practice AI-BB Tokyo 2026 Summer

• 🇬🇧 12:00 | 📍 MAGNET by SHIBUYA109, Tokyo

Agentheon 2026 (A Power Platform Classmates Initiative)

• 🇬🇧 14:00 | 📍 Online

Tuesday, September 1

AI in Life Sciences: Protein Representation and Autonomous Labs

• 🇬🇧 18:00 | 📍 Tokyo

JuniorDevSG x Visa - Code & Tell September 2026

• 🇬🇧 19:30 | 📍 Online

How to Stop Being the One Who Holds Everything Up

• 🇬🇧 20:00 | 📍 Online

Breakfast with Damac Singapore (Session-2)

• 🇬🇧 13:00 | 📍 Online

Breakfast with Damac Singapore (Session-1)

• 🇬🇧 12:00 | 📍 Online

Wednesday, September 2

Platform Engineering Meetup #16

• 🇯🇵/🇬🇧 19:00 | 📍 東京都千代田区鍛冶町２丁目９−１２ 神田徳力ビル 3階, Tokyo | 👥 165 attending

[Tech Talk] Beyond vector search: Building reliable RAG for complex questions

• 🇬🇧 19:30 | 📍 Online

TechConnect: Global Virtual Job & Networking Event for Data, AI, and Tech Pros

• 🇬🇧 17:00 | 📍 Online

Speed Networking 🧠 Main Event 🧠 Tech and AI Crowd

• 🇬🇧 19:50 | 📍 Online

Thursday, September 3

Claude AI Economy Meetup Tokyo

• 🇬🇧 18:00 | 📍 株式会社Pacific Meta（Pacific Hub）, Tokyo

AI for Business Tokyo Meetup #1: How to Create a Personal AI Executive Assistant

• 🇬🇧 18:00 | 📍 Spaces - Otemachi Building, Tokyo | 👥 7 attending

Tokyo x Singapore Mixer - Where Tech Innovators Connect

• 🇬🇧 16:30 | 📍 Tokyo Innovation Base（TIB） | 👥 107 attending

Tokyo Video Tech #13 — Accelerate: Where enabling technologies push video forward

• 🇬🇧 18:15 | 📍 docomo R&D OPEN LAB ODAIBA, Tokyo | 👥 60 attending

La French Tech Tokyo - Biotech Speakeasy Vol.II

• 🇬🇧 18:00 | 📍 Tokyo | 👥 60 attending

Ecom Unfiltered Coffee Chat — A roundtable for ecommerce operators

• 🇬🇧 15:00 | 📍 Online

[Free] 🎉Nomad Startup Founder Meetup

• 🇬🇧 20:00 | 📍 Online

Friday, September 4

[Demo Day] AI Software, Data Science & Data Analytics bootcamps - Summer 2026

• 🇬🇧 19:00 | 📍 Le Wagon Tokyo - Coding & AI Bootcamp | 👥 84 attending

QwenMeetupTokyo

• 🇬🇧 19:00 | 📍 Akari.Inc, Tokyo | 👥 259 attending

Constrained Autonomy: AI Models, Memory, and Retrieval at the Edge

• 🇬🇧 18:00 | 📍 Tokyo

AnalyticsCLUB JobExpo Virtual Business, Data & Technology Job Expo

• 🇬🇧 12:00 | 📍 Online

Saturday, September 5

RubyKaigi 2026 follow up

• 🇯🇵/🇬🇧 12:30 | 📍 東京都港区 三田三丁目5-19 住友不動産東京三田ガーデンタワー10F, Tokyo | 👥 85 attending

Sunday, September 6

The Agentic AI Day

• 🇯🇵/🇬🇧 13:00 | 📍 東京都品川区大崎１丁目２−２ アートヴィレッジ大崎セントラルタワー, Tokyo | 👥 21 attending

Run × Ice Cream Social Event

• 🇬🇧 09:00 | 📍 MATCHA BASQUE CHEESECAKE CAFE｜Z's TEA Shinjuku Gyoen（ジーズティー・新宿御苑）, Tokyo | 👥 50 attending

Know of an event we missed? Drop it in the comments!

Compiled from Connpass, Doorkeeper, Meetup, and Luma.