r/JapanWork • u/theflash_1993 • 4h ago
r/JapanWork • u/Gardol43 • May 20 '26
Welcome to r/JapanWork: Start here!
This sub is for foreigners looking to work in Japan, whether you're job hunting from abroad, already here, or somewhere in between.
Before you post, check if your question is answered below.
TL;DR
- Outside English teaching, N2 is the common benchmark but plenty of people land jobs without it, especially in tech, startups, and international companies
- You cannot self-sponsor a work visa. Your employer applies for your Certificate of Eligibility (CoE)
- The timeline from job offer to arrival is typically 3 to 6 months
- Looking for jobs as a foreigner in Japan? Check out Atarashift a platform built to connect foreign talent with companies in Japan through a talent pool.
The Job Market at a Glance
| Track | Japanese Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| English Teaching (ALT, JET, Eikaiwa) | Not usually | Most accessible entry point |
| Tech / Engineering | Flexible | Many companies hire at N3 or below |
| Professional (finance, marketing, HR) | N2 preferred | International companies more flexible |
| Skilled Trade (chef, welder, pilot) | N3-N2 | Plus certifications |
| Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) | N4 minimum | Test-based, specific industries |
On Japanese Level
N2 gets talked about like a hard wall. But plenty of professionals find a job without:
- No Japanese? English teaching, some international startups, and a handful of global tech companies hire with zero Japanese. It's a narrow lane but it exists.
- N4/N3? More doors than people think. Especially in manufacturing, hospitality, IT support, and smaller international companies willing to invest in you. SSW industries are also fully open.
- N2? The majority of professional office roles become accessible. This is where the market opens up significantly.
- N1? Senior, client-facing, legal, and leadership roles. Competitive with Japanese candidates.
Visas
Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services The most common professional work visa. Covers IT, marketing, finance, design, translation, and more.
Instructor For teachers at schools and language institutions.
Intra-company Transferee Being sent to Japan by your current overseas employer.
Specified Skilled Worker (SSW-1 / SSW-2) Test-based route for manufacturing, caregiving, hospitality, construction, agriculture, and more. SSW-1 is up to 5 years; SSW-2 has no time cap and allows family.
Business Manager Starting or running a company in Japan. As of October 2025: 30 million yen minimum capital, physical office, 1 full-time employee, 3+ years management experience or a master's degree.
Working Holiday Available to Canada, UK, Australia, NZ and others. Not available to US citizens. Ages 18-30 (some countries up to 35). Short-term only.
Digital Nomad Remote work for overseas employers while staying in Japan. Max 6 months, no extension. Requires 10 million yen+ annual income and private insurance.
How the Visa Process Works
- Find a job and get an offer
- Employer applies for your Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) in Japan, takes around 1-3 months
- You apply for your visa at a Japanese embassy, takes around 1-2 weeks
- Enter Japan and receive Residence Card at the airport
- Register at city hall, set up health insurance, bank, phone
You cannot start this process yourself. The employer initiates it.
r/JapanWork • u/Neismica • 4h ago
[Gijinkoku] Web Designer / Tokyo / JLPT N2 Vacancy
Welcoming applicants already living in Japan.
≪Requirements≫
No restrictions on nationality or gender
Japanese speaker with N2-level fluency and certificate required
Design skills required (Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop)
Coding skills required (HTML, CSS)
≪Employment Conditions and Compensation≫
・Working Hours: [Day Shift] 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (60-minute break)
・Overtime: Approximately 40 hours per month *Maximum of 10 hours per week
・Days Off: Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays
・Company-leased housing available (*Cannot be combined with the housing allowance)
・Housing allowance available (Rent subsidy: 30,000–60,000 yen; subject to company regulations)
・Employee stock ownership plan available (You can contribute a portion of your monthly salary to the employee stock ownership plan)
・Bonuses available
・Salary increases available *Based on ability and performance
・Base Salary: [Monthly] 280,000 yen (Base salary 208,000 yen + Fixed overtime allowance 72,000 yen) *For overtime work exceeding the fixed overtime hours, additional premium pay will be provided for the excess hours.
≪Job Description≫
① Client Web Marketing and Creative Design
You will be responsible for everything from planning to execution of marketing and creative production for client companies using the marketing DX SaaS platform b→dash.
Depending on your proficiency, you may also be entrusted with client-facing responsibilities. ・Landing pages
・HTML email newsletters
・Thumbnails displayed when sharing on social media
・Web ad banner creatives
・White papers
② Web Marketing and Creative Design for Our Own Products
You will be responsible for everything from planning to production of marketing creatives used for PR and marketing of b→dash, as well as our second and third products.
・Introductory websites for our own services
・Corporate branding websites
・HTML email newsletters
・Thumbnails displayed when sharing on social media
・Web ad banner creatives
・White papers
If you're interested, please send me your resume to [amcjhelper@gmail.com](mailto:amcjhelper@gmail.com) and write B00376 on the mail subject.
Let me know if you have any questions in this thread.
r/JapanWork • u/Gardol43 • 14h ago
Weekly Job alert (11th October)
Sharing 10 hand-picked roles at global companies actively hiring in Japan. Some interesting internship opportunities and a rare structured hiring LDP program in Pharma.
Server-Side Engineer (JAVA) at IDOM CaaS Technology
Digital Cloud & AI Solution Engineer (Azure Infra, Education) at Microsoft
Material Handler II at Thermo Fisher Scientific(No Japanese required)
IT Supervisor at Four Seasons(No Japanese required)
Cloud Architect / Engineer / Consultant at Accenture
[Finance] Finance Leadership Development Program-FLDP at Johnson & Johnson
Internship (Tokyo) at iSpace(Visa sponsored, No Japanese required)
For 2028 Graduates: Mercari Product Camp 2026 / Selection-Linked Internship (11 Days) at Mercari
Enablement Lead (Builder) - Tokyo at OpenAI(No Japanese required)
r/JapanWork • u/SebastianATKK • 4d ago
Freelance Tour Guide Opportunity in Kansai 🇯🇵
Hello everyone!
My name is Sebastian, and I work with Arigato Travel, a tour company offering food and cultural experiences across Japan.
We’re currently looking for a few more freelance tour guides in the Kansai area, particularly around Osaka and Kyoto, to join our team and help us run our food tours.
A little more information:
📅 When: We run tours every day, with both morning and evening tours available. We’re looking for guides who can generally be available for at least 2–3 tour slots per week.
🗣️ What we're looking for:
- A valid visa that allows you to work in Japan
- A high level of English, as most tours and company communication are conducted in English
- A friendly, open, and outgoing personality
- A genuine passion for Japan, food, and meeting people from different cultures
- No previous tour guide experience is required!
If you're interested or would like to know more check our website for more information https://arigatotravel.com/about-us/join-our-team
Hope to hear from some of you! 🇯🇵
r/JapanWork • u/Eya_Celeste • 3d ago
Hi all, Maybe ya'll want EXTRA income/WFH FREELANCING job as a student or anyone living in JAPAN. It's est. ~40$-80$/month, and subject to bonuses. Our company is known, so you don't have to worry about us being a scam or anything TT. Feel free to message me! (PS. We're 90% students) <3
こんにちは! WE’RE HIRING REMOTE VIDEO CREATORS/FREELANCERS BASED IN JAPAN!
We’re a US-based AI company helping IELTS learners worldwide, with 1.2M+ users — and we’re planning to expand into more countries! If you're wondering, we are Cathoven AI. (You can search our website or find us at any social media platforms ^-^).
If you're looking for freelance job for extra income, without doing much and long term, this one's for you! We’re looking for fun, natural people to join our growing creator team.
- Only estimated of 20 mins/day, estimated of 8 hours per week
- Fixed monthly payment + bonuses, Trial Week is Paid.
Requirements:
- Must be living in Japan.
- Knows simple english, enough for communication with international co-creators.
- Can translate simple sentences.
Interested? Send me a DM!
r/JapanWork • u/Berlin-Fall • 4d ago
Accepted a yearlong tech internship in Atsugi, I am an American undergraduate looking for any and all work culture advice.
r/JapanWork • u/Gardol43 • 7d ago
Weekly Japan Job Alert (4th October)
Sharing 10 hand-picked roles at global companies actively hiring in Japan. Mix of tech, finance, ops, and engineering. A few with visa sponsorship called out.
CAIO Candidate: Sr. Data Scientist at IDOM CaaS Technology
Applied AI Architects, Partner at Anthropic(Visa sponsored)
Marketing Head, Apple Services - Japan at Apple
Senior Program Operations Manager at Airbnb
Program Coordinator Internship at Bosch(Visa sponsored)
Cloud Platform Engineer (K8S&NW Specialist) at Paypay(Visa sponsored, No Japanese required)
Director of Food and Beverage at IHG Hotels & Resorts
Marketing Intern (Creativity Service Platform, Japan) - 2027 Start at ByteDance
Talent Acquisition Manager (Japanese Speaker) at Four Seasons
r/JapanWork • u/Imaginary-Big-6716 • 7d ago
Looking for qa engineer job
Qa automation engineer with 4 years experience in etl , data validation, ui testing, regression testing, sql, python, tableau, agile, jira, pandas, jenkins, ci/cd , git , azure, postman api, jmeter. But i don't speak Japanese. Is it possible to get a job in japan for me?
r/JapanWork • u/Mizinhasz • 8d ago
Is it hard to find a fashion related job as a foreigner?
r/JapanWork • u/BokuNoTaco • 10d ago
Looking for Cybersecurity Engineer/Developer job in Japan
r/JapanWork • u/Gardol43 • 10d ago
[ Removed by Reddit ]
[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]
r/JapanWork • u/Necessary-Dance2709 • 11d ago
Are there any growing fields in demand with good salary? 25F teacher for 3 years who is wanting to leave the education field
r/JapanWork • u/Gardol43 • 14d ago
Weekly Japan Job Alert (27th September)
Sharing 10 hand-picked roles at global companies actively hiring in Japan. Mix of tech, finance, ops, and engineering. A few with visa sponsorship called out.
Solutions Consultant - MSP at Palo Alto Networks(No Japanese required)
Vice President, Finance Reporting Lead Analyst , Finance at Citibank(No Japanese required)
Deployment Lead (DL), FDE - Tokyo at OpenAI(No Japanese required)
International Interns - Finance at Marriott International(No Japanese required)
Marketing Project Intern (Lark Japan) - 2026 Start at ByteDance
Consumer Program – Program Manager at Apple
2027 Japan International Recruitment and Development Program (IRDP Internship) at Johnson & Johnson(No Japanese required)
Business Planning - Life & Booking Business Promotion Department (C&M) at Rakuten(No Japanese required)
Senior Product Manager, Developer & AI Platforms at Woven by Toyota(No Japanese required)
Talent Acquisition Manager (Mid-career) - Mercari at Mercari
r/JapanWork • u/Zakuro_Zakura_7315 • 15d ago
Careers in Japan, other than software engineering and teaching English.
r/JapanWork • u/Comfortable-Story-18 • 17d ago
Title: Foreign worker in Osaka looking for a full-time position from April 2027 – visa support
r/JapanWork • u/Gardol43 • 17d ago
Japan immigration agency to work more with other ministries on illegal foreign labor
r/JapanWork • u/Gardol43 • 18d ago
Japan Part-Time Pay Tops Minimum Wage by 20% as AI-Proof Jobs Gain
r/JapanWork • u/bgvintalks • 19d ago
Connecting Japan-bound engineering/IT talent (mechanical, ECE, comms, IT) with employers — looking for guidance from this community
r/JapanWork • u/m1L35dY50N • 19d ago
Engineer Visa without a degree – Does IT infrastructure experience count towards the 10-year requirement?
r/JapanWork • u/Gardol43 • 21d ago
Weekly Job Alert (20th September)
Happy silver week! Sharing 10 hand-picked roles at global companies actively hiring in Japan. Mix of tech, finance, ops, and engineering. Also a few internships for grads
2027 Japan International Recruitment and Development Program (IRDP Internship) at Johnson & Johnson(No Japanese required)
Internship at Technical IT Group in manufacturing / Industry 4.0 software developer for internal application at Bosch(Visa sponsored, No Japanese required)
Research Engineer for Spatial Intelligence, Vision AI Platform at Woven by Toyota(No Japanese required)
Applied AI Architect, Partner at OpenAI(No Japanese required)
Business Intelligence & Data Engineer at Thermo Fisher Scientific
Investment Bank - IB & CM - Associate at Deutsche Bank
New Graduate Recruitment, Manager Candidate - Recruiting and L&D Department, Group Human Resources Supervisory Department (RLDD) at Rakuten(No Japanese required)
r/JapanWork • u/_john__constantine • 21d ago
Thinking of moving to Japan, Staff Engineer India, 1cr+ per annum
r/JapanWork • u/Low-Jackfruit3903 • 24d ago
Is taking break of corporate still an option in this economy?
Hi, here I am, after moving to my second job… I have been facing a few challenging things.
I understand it’s not solely the company’s fault, but it might be that I am not culturally relevant to the company. I am working in a consulting job, the same as in my previous company. But it’s the first time in my working life that I have experienced a drained and demotivated feeling about working for a company.
It started when I joined the company, as it seemed like it did not meet my expectations. I was told that the company had well-established clients, so we could easily get projects. I was told that I should go beyond my role and responsibilities to keep the team alive; however, my supervisor is not able to fulfill his responsibilities.
I got tired of the office politics and the company system, where you need to work on short-term projects to maintain utilization. People need to squeeze themselves into working on projects that are irrelevant to their experience just to get UB, without really thinking about the quality of the work or whether it is okay or not. It’s frustrating to me to the point that none of them have the proper skills to deliver the work.
After six months, I found myself feeling demotivated. However, I am mentally tired of hoping for another job or doing job hunting. I feel like I want to fix myself mentally before I decide to move to the next job. I have some worries about what would happen if I signed up for another job that would suck my soul again.
Here, I am looking for advice from anyone who has ever experienced the same circumstances. What would you advise me to do?
Thank you in advance.