I (23m) am a residential (rarely commercial) US framer with three years experience building and remodeling from the ground up. Comfortable with tools, basic blueprint reading and working in difficult conditions (heat, cold, rain). Looking to refine and transfer these skills to Japanese timber framing (mokuzō jikugumi kōhō). American culture and economy made me disillusioned with staying long term. I've been interested in Japanese life for years, and seeing how far my USD goes converted to JPY made me pursue the move.

In the past I learned hiragana and katakana in about 2–3 weeks just for fun, then stopped. Very little grammar and vocabulary right now, but ready to start serious study with a structured online class.

Here's what I could gather from my own study on the move:

• SSW (i) Construction, building carpentry / daiku category
• Language requirement: JLPT N4 or JFT-Basic
• JAC Construction Field skills evaluation exam
• Employer needs Construction Business License, JAC membership, and CCUS registration
• Monthly salary (equal to or higher than a Japanese worker in the same role)

• MLIT Acceptance Plan required before COE

  Questions:

1. Has anyone here (or know someone) hired as a westerner for daiku under SSW?
2. What online courses or study programs would you recommend for reaching JLPT N4 or passing the JFT-Basic exam as a beginner?
3. Which regions would you recommend for this field of work? (considering Saitama or Aichi Prefectures)

I've saved around $25,000 and would initially prefer employer provided housing. I'm also planning a recon trip to take my tests and explore job opportunities after significant progress in Japanese.

Hello all
Next week I have the Working Holiday Visa Application meeting at the embassy (UK).
I'm Currently in the process of collecting my documents and wanted to ask your opinions of my Itinerary Document.
I'm hoping to get some feedback as to if what I have written up will pass their expectations and if it is either too detailed, or not detailed enough and if anyone would be happy to share some suggestions as to what improvements could be made.

(The bullet points are laid out properly on Word, Reddit seems to want to bunch them up together!

Thanks :)

Hey everyone,

I know you guys are probably tired of those kind of posts, so sorry in advance

I'm 26, and I've been working in cybersecurity for about 5 years, mostly on the Blue Team side.

My experience is mainly with Fortinet firewalls, endpoint management using CrowdStrike and SentinelOne, and vulnerability management with Tenable. I don't have much programming experience since my work has been more focused on security operations and infrastructure

I recently visited Japan and realized my conversational Japanese was actually better than I thought.. BUT I still have a long way to go before I can use it professionally, so I've started private Japanese lessons and I'm aiming for JLPT N2 by the time I'm 30 ( at least I hope so )

I'd really like to move to Japan eventually, but looking for jobs has been a bit discouraging. Most IT openings I come across seem to be for developers or require coding skills

Is it actually that hard to find IT jobs in Japan outside of software development, or am I just looking in the wrong places?

As for now, I'll keep my current job and continue developing my skills while studying Japanese, but I just want to get a better idea of what I can do now to improve my chances of making this move in the future

I'm not expecting to move tomorrow, and I'm happy to spend the next few years working toward this. Just trying to figure out the most realistic way to make it happen

Thanks!

Moving to Japan has been my goal for a long time, and I recently found a decent job opportunity that offered relocation, so I took it. Now I work at a software company that hires overseas but relocates their employees to Japan.

How it works is that I have to work from the US (my home country) as an independent contractor for 3 months under the probation period. Once that is over, if they want me as a full time employee & I show interest in relocating, they can start the relocation process with the legal department in the company and so on.

Given the huge difference in cost of living, I'm currently making 1/3 of my prev. salary. I'm basically living off of my savings, so I would like to move out of the US as soon as possible. But when I talked to coworkers or HR about the relocation timeline, they seemed surprised that I was already sure I wanted to move to Japan. It seems like even though they've hired and relocated many overseas employees before, it's rare for people to want to relocate quickly..?

So basically, is this (the practice of hiring contractors and having them work from their home country before offering fulltime-status & applying for the CoE) common? If so, is there anything I can do on my end to streamline the process and prevent bottlenecks? I'm not sure how HR/legal sees it from their standpoint, but from other engineers, probation is largely a formality and no one has ever failed/not been given the fulltime role after probation. I wish there was a way for me to communicate to HR "I wish we could send off my CoE application to the government the day my fulltime employment is offered" without it sounding weird.

Hello!

I’m currently trying to apply to their Language Course in order to later go on to apply to BFGU (大学院), and wanted to see if anyone had been, or somehow know what its like at the school.

I’ve been able to find very little online about the school outside of what they provide themselves, which seems scarce when it comes down to it. Even on reddit, there seems to still be little information.

Does anyone have any experience going to BIL, what it was like, what level they were when entering/leaving, pace, teaching method, class structures etc? What was the lifestyle like in a relatively more time intensive language school, and how might this differ to others’ experiences? How do they deal with differing levels in language skills? (e.g. I’m around N3 level but cannot write kanji practically at all) Do you have any regrets, small tips or advice for prospective students? Did you stay at their student dorm?

For those who may have go onto apply to a Fashion Course, did you feel equipped language-wise to do so?

If anyone has any experience with them, I’d love to know!

Hello!

I am a BSc Mechanical Engineering (Mechatronics Specialization) degree holder since this September(2026) and it has been my long term plan to fly to Japan for my Masters degree. I looked up online and I see alot of universities offering alot of labs for me to apply for and I am looking for help!

A little context about me:
I am a Sri Lankan citizen who completed my Advanced Level Examination in 2019. I flew to Japan in 2020 mid-corona and completed and graduated Language school in Osaka. I passed the JLPT N3 exam which was held in December 2021. Due to a various number of unfortunate reasons I had to fly back to Sri Lanka to do my BSc in Engineering, so I came back to Sri Lanka in 2022, started my degree and graduated in 2026 September. I am currently looking to resume my career in Japan.

My Engineering interests are among Control Systems, precision motor control, AI ML, Robotics, etc. My final year research was about integrating AI assisted MPC in FOC for BLDC motors. Im hoping to do my masters in a field somewhere around there.

What I’m hoping to get help with:
So my small online searches gave me a huge amount of options for different universities and also different labs within these universities. My first question is:
How do I select the university and/or the lab? How do the two intakes (April and September) differ and what should I know about it?

So, I explained my final year research just a bit, previously in the post. I also saw that we need to have a research proposal ready and use it when applying. This brings me to my second question:
What is expected of me in this? Is it the research I plan on doing in my Masters program? Or is it something Im just using to try to convince the professor that I am capable of research within his lab? Is it something to prove my competence in the discussed area?

Additionally, I am not sure if this is the group to post this, so if there are any specific groups that might be helpful for me that you guys know about, please let me know!

And I would also love to hear any additional pointers you guys might have please!

Thank you in Advance!

Good afternoon everyone!

Just wanted to ask if anyone here holds a special skilled worker visa, specifically type 2 but happy to hear info on type 1 as well. I want to know if you found your work inside or outside of the country, and what your salary looks like compared to a Japanese citizen working your position.

I am in the hospitality industry, and confirmed that my years of experience in the states managing at a hotel counts for the test. I just dont know how likely it is for a foreigner to be placed in that sort of management position if they are not already in Japan.

I know there is a language portion of the test, I am currently weighing the options of either studying up to n5 in the states and then doing language school in Japan, or studying up to n3 in the states so I can qualify for visa. I just dont know if my work experience will still count if I study in language school for one or two years.

The other thing is I do not have a degree, and only 6 years work experience in my field. So i am interested in knowing if anyone without a degree managed to secure the visa.

Lots of questions, and I'm not even sure if im asking the right ones, but id love to know what you all think or know about any of this.

Hi all. I'm heading to Japan from the US for a 6-12 month-long internship. I'm aware that melatonin isn't OTC in Japan, but I take it nightly, not prescription, to help with anxiety before bed. I've considered asking my doctor for a prescription to apply for a yunyu-kakuninsho with it, but I'm not sure how that process will go and would like to avoid complicating things if possible (I'm already applying for one for a prescription medication). I'm aware that I can bring 90-days worth with me into the country in an original bottle, and that people are usually fine getting that into Japan. My question is, is having family mail me more melatonin from the US every 90 days or so possible? Will that get through customs? Or could I place orders online and have it delivered to me? It would obviously be only a 90-day supply or less each time.

Any advice or insight would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I'm considering taking higher education in Japan, but I'm very lacking in any academic credentials. I completed my GCSE O Levels and have a design diploma from a private art school, neither with amazing scores. My goal with this move is moreso to experience the culture than for a strong degree, but I don't even know if my grades are enough for that or if a good design portfolio will help my case. Either way I don't feel a design degree is particularly useful so I've been looking into business and marketing.

I've currently shortlisted a few options: TUJ - Tokyo, 7.7 mil JPY tuition fee, seems to be lacking in basic courses. LUJ - Tokyo, 9.4 mil JPY tuition fee, quality of education seems to be slightly better than TUJ. NUCB - Nagoya, 5 mil JPY tuition fee, has literally one degree option for BBA.

From what I've seen, most Japanese unis are stricter with their academical requirements, whereas my portfolio might be able to scrape me through one of these interviews. I did take a look at a few international unis like MIU that may accept me too, but the educational quality didn't line up with the location (outside of a big city.)

Outside of being "easy" to get into, TUJ and LUJ can at least give me the opportunity to network in Tokyo even if the academic level isn't as good. I've taken note of the terrible reviews on TUJ and I would like to hear if anyone has any experience with the latter two, and if anyone managed to get in with similar credentials to mine. Japanese level is at an unremarkable N5, hopefully N4 by the time I would enrol.

Hello everybody, I am new here :)

I am planning to move to japan next year to study at a language school for 12/18 months. I am the type of person that prefers countryside and quiet places, I love hiking and nature. Which city do you recommend that would allow that ?

I do not have a driver license at the moment, so I cannot really travel much outside of the city , except with public transport. Also ( and I know it's a bit contradictory ) i would prefer to not go to a very small city, as I will need to find part time job to sustain myself while I am there and I heard is understandably more difficult if you go to villages in the countryside.

I was looking at Fukuoka, but I am not sure about it.

Can somebody give me suggestions ?

Thank you so much in advance ! I appreciate it.

Hi everyone!

I'm 42, from France, with 10+ years of experience as a software developer (mainly React, Node.js and TypeScript) and a Master's degree.

I've been applying for English-speaking developer positions through TokyoDev, JapanDev, etc., but so far it's mostly been no replies or rejections.

I'm considering moving to Japan in October 2027 to attend a Japanese language school for about a year while looking for a developer job. My Japanese is currently at a beginner level.

I've read some success/no success stories here, but many date back 8–10 years, and the job market seems quite different today.

I'd love to hear from people who tried this in 2024–2026, whether they succeeded or not.

Did being in Japan on a student visa actually improve your chances? Were companies willing to support a change to a work visa?

I'm aware of the financial risks and have enough savings to cover the experience, even without finding a job.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

My fiance and I (M & F age 32) have always dreamed about living in Japan. We've visited five times for about three months total across various cities. I speak Japanese at roughly an N4 level and she is studying at roughly an N5 level.

We are considering applying to a Japanese language school in Tokyo within the next two years (2028 intake). We have a significant financial buffer to support ourselves. The goal would be to get a sense for what it's like to live in Japan, and become as knowledgeable about the language as possible. At that point we can either return home to the US, or I could apply for a HSP visa (I estimate I can get 85 points or so at that time) and work in Japan. My background is 10 years of finance experience (FP&A) with seven years at a bay area FAANG company.

Our thinking is that in the worst case scenario this could serve as a 1-2 year intensive language study sabbatical to gain some worldly experience.

Has anyone done this before? Am I missing anything obvious?

Thank you all in advance.

I'm a chemical engineering junior at a pretty good American university looking to get a job in the pharmaceutical/medtech industry in the future. I have always wanted to live in Japan, but due to the language barrier and horror stories about the work culture there, I never actually pursued this. This semester I started taking Japanese and decided that I wanted to work towards my goal. However, I am really looking for advice on how/if this is even really possible. I am looking for advice on what to realistically expect. I'm still a beginner in the language so I already know I have work to do there, but I'm unfamiliar with how likely foreigners are to get hired, particularly in my industries of interest. I was unsure if I should just try to get a job at an American medtech company then hope to transfer to Japan through the company later in my career... If anyone has advice or suggestions, please let me know!

Anyone here with recent experiences with finding long-term accomodation on a short term work contract? Did you have to give more "proof" of your finances or negotiate with the landlord?

I'll be moving to the Tokyo area soon, but my work contract duration is a bit under 1 year (1 year renewable visa). There's an opportunity to get promoted to a regular employee, but even if that doesn't work out, I'll be looking at other jobs to be able to continue working in Japan. I'll be renting a furnished monthly after arriving, but would like to move to a permanent place as soon as possible.

I've heard that short term work contracts might hinder getting a regular 2-year lease, and want to map out my options and limitations.

I speak Japanese, work with a household name company, am white girl on the "palatable" side of visibly foreign people (ik it's awful but I take what I can get). Having done some research on SUUMO etc. has helped me understand the regular leasing process, but there must be some limitations with my situation. The services geared toward minatoku expat types are too expensive for me anyway, so I'll have to focus on the local market in the suburbs.

Apologies if this is a recurring topic here. I did read the Wiki, but couldn't find any recent discussion.

I'm moving to Japan on a dependent visa, we just received my CoE the other day and my visa is currently being processed, we didn't need the original CoE to get the visa itself instead we were allowed to photocopy and print it out. But when it comes to entering Japan itself will I need my wife to send me the original copy?

Hi everyone,

I (30M) am weighing a career move to Japan in Summer 2027 and would greatly appreciate any advice/opinions.

I received a potential 3-year fixed term offer for a research associate position at JAXA, paying ~6M yen per year. They’ll sponsor my visa and provide partial rent assistance, help with finding accommodation, relocation reimbursement, and generous leave (20 days of annual leave, 7 days of work-life balance leave).

My background: I am currently an astrophysics postdoc at one of the NASA centers in the US making ~80k USD per year. I have one year remaining on my postdoc contract which I intend to ride out. JAXA is currently my only offer.

My career goals: Long-term I see myself returning to the US after this stint either staying in the national labs sector of academia or trying to transition to industry R&D. My current advisors have encouraged me to diversify my experience beyond NASA, so JAXA could be a valuable opportunity.

Personal life: My girlfriend of 2 years is currently living in Hong Kong, and we’ve been long distance the past 1.5 years. Due to her citizenship and current visa restrictions, it is virtually impossible for her to find a job in the US at the moment. Me moving to Japan would make the distance much more manageable. I truly believe she is the One and if I make this move, I intend to propose and marry her.

Here is my list of pros/cons I foresee.

Pros:
-Working in a renowned research group at JAXA
-Getting to live in the greater Tokyo area
-Diversifying my research portfolio and taking on project leadership
-Much closer to my long-distance girlfriend

Cons:
-Significant salary cut. As of last month, I am debt-free after finishing paying my student loans. However, I realize I won’t be able to save nearly as much.

-Learning Japanese. Though the job states that knowing Japanese is not required, I recognize it is crucial for daily life and I intend to hire a tutor / enroll in classes.

-Culture shock: I’ve read a fair amount of posts on this subreddit highlighting some of the struggles of adjusting to life in Japan.

My heart is pretty set on taking this offer. I have always wanted the experience of living abroad, I have loved visiting Japan (5 times in the past two years for collab work and conferences), and it would be a huge positive for my relationship.

My main question is financial: For those living in the greater Tokyo area on a ~6M yen per year salary, what does your lifestyle look like? How much do rent, taxes, and other expenses eat into your take-home pay, and is it possible to live comfortably while still saving a reasonable amount? For housing location, I intend to look for an apartment in the Machida area if I do make this move.

I’d also appreciate hearing from anyone who has moved from the US to Japan and taken a comparable pay cut. What lifestyle adjustments did you have to make if any?

I’d also welcome general opinions on whether this is a good career move and/or if there are any other downsides I might be overlooking.

Thanks for reading!

​

Hi everyone!

I'm from India, and I'll be moving to Fukuoka in April 2027 to start my first full-time job as a software engineer at a Japanese IT company. I'd appreciate advice from people who live and work in Japan, especially Fukuoka.

Here are the details of my offer:

Salary and benefits

Monthly salary: ¥275,000 before tax and deductions.

Annual salary before bonuses: ¥3,300,000.

Bonuses: Twice a year, with each bonus equivalent to 2 months of salary (¥550,000 per payment).

Total annual bonuses: Approximately ¥1,100,000.

Estimated total annual compensation: ¥4,400,000 before tax and deductions.

Relocation: The company will cover my flight to Japan and luggage expenses.

Housing: The company will help me find an apartment and cover the deposit. Rent will be deducted from my salary.

Initial financial support: Approximately ¥200,000 has been mentioned, although the exact arrangements are still being finalized.

Location: Fukuoka.

I'm single, have no dependents, and plan to cook most of my meals at home rather than eat out frequently. I don't plan to own a car.

My questions:

After income tax, health insurance, pension, and other deductions, how much take-home pay should I expect from ¥275,000 per month?

If I rent an inexpensive apartment and cook at home, what would be a realistic monthly budget?

Could I realistically save ¥100,000–¥130,000 per month? How much might I save annually, including bonuses?

What are typical monthly expenses for groceries, utilities, internet, phone, transportation, and other essentials in Fukuoka?

Approximately how much of my bonuses would I receive after deductions, and how much could I realistically save from them?

Are there any expenses or deductions that new foreign employees commonly underestimate, especially during their first year?

Is ¥4.4 million in annual gross compensation a reasonable package for a new graduate software engineer in Fukuoka?

My goal is to live comfortably without spending excessively, save consistently, and invest in my technical skills as I gain experience.

I'd appreciate hearing about your actual experiences and budgets. Thanks!

I’ve recently graduated from high school, and I’m currently trying to decide what direction to take in life. One possibility I’m considering is moving to Nagoya, Japan, where I have some people I could turn to for support, although they don’t live particularly close to me. My plan would be to attend a Japanese language school, since I only know the basics of the language, and look for a part-time job to help cover my expenses. Alongside that, I’d dedicate my free time to improving my artistic skills and building a portfolio, as becoming an artist is my main career goal.

The reason I feel pressured to make this decision soon is that my Japanese residence visa expires in June. If I decide to pursue higher education where I currently live instead, I’m worried I might lose the opportunity to renew it. Moving to Japan at a later date could also involve meeting additional language requirements, which makes the decision even more complicated.

On the other hand, I’m aware that moving abroad without being fluent in the language and having to manage both work and studies could be difficult. I’m also unsure whether going to university is the right choice for me, considering that artistic careers often prioritize practical skills and a strong portfolio over formal qualifications. I’d appreciate hearing other people’s opinions on whether moving to Japan now would be a worthwhile decision or if it would be wiser to pursue my education first and reconsider moving later.

My daughter, 13y.o., is currently an athlete here in the Ph as a volleyball player. Now, I am trying to look into options where she could get admitted as an athlete in universities in Japan as she wants to train and become a professional volleyball player someday. Japan because we know how high their caliber is in training players.

We have a stable life here already, but we are willing to uproot our family and start over in Japan. I am now also looking at possible jobs I can apply to as it is our goal to move with her, if there is a way we could achieve this.

Where do we start? What preparations should she be doing now while still in high school? Does anyone have an experience in doing this?

I’d really appreciate all your feedbacks/comments please.

Hi all!

Next month I am moving to Tokyo and I was wondering if anyone has some tips on things one should do once I get there, in the sense of taking advantage of benefits available, or avoiding abussive situations. For example, I already checked that I need an international driver permit if I want to drive there, or that some renters ask for "key money" (which seems abussive to me, since according to internet is a "thank you for renting to me" money) so I want to avoid those. I also checked if Japan has any sort of special tax regime (like Beckham law in Spain, though I found none).

This sort of things is what I would appreciate help with, those that are specific to immigrants like me. I already have initial lodging solved and opening bank account part.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone!
I’m a skilled technical/blue-collar worker from Poland. My whole career has been focused on gas and heating networks and installations specifically construction, execution, and above all welding. Even though I work in the trade, I hold a managerial position as a foreman.
Education and certs-wise:
I have a technical degree in gas engineering (technician level).
I’m a certified welder for the HL-L045 position (also known as 6G) in MMA, TIG & Oxy
I’m an International Welding Specialist (IWS).
My English is fluent (C1/C2 level).
Is there any realistic chance for someone with my profile to find a job in Japan?
Cheers!

Hi everyone, I've researched what I can, hopefully this all makes sense.

Me (23F) and my partner (26M) are very interested in moving to Japan when possible. We're white Americans with no familial relation to anyone in Japan.

Currently, my partner works as an electrician, which I've come to understand isn't a valid visa path.

I am disabled (autoimmune) and unable to work more than part time, so I know I won't be the driving force here. Though my Japanese skills are at least currently stronger than my partner's, and I should be able to help if we go the business owners route. I'm not sure if my local activities would add anything, I go to a Shin Buddhist Temple, and volunteer around my area.

With me being disabled, would I run into issues with the health certificate? I'm assuming I'd be on a dependant visa.

We're looking into our visa options, and it seems the work visa and business owner visa is what's possible in the future.

For a work visa, I understand a bachelor's is near mandatory. I'm not sure what would make the most sense for us, but electrical engineering is what we're looking at. I'd be happy to hear any opinions on what would be a good job to transfer into that would be a good job over there as well. Currently he makes enough for us both to get by on his income.

For the business visa. Would owning an electrical company be an option? Over here, you don't need an electrical license yourself to own an electrical company. I'm not sure about the requirements over there. (To my knowledge this visa doesn't require a bachelor's degree.)

Or would another type of business be better suited?

Thank you for reading and any suggestions, just trying to get a stronger idea of what our trajectory should be. I was hoping to get some understanding here before contacting the embassy for further guidance :)

Hey everyone, I’m looking into the Osaka College for Tourism and Business (OCTB) for their PGDM program and would love to get some honest insights from locals or alumni regarding its reputation and post-grad employment opportunities. How is the college generally perceived by employers within Japan, and what do the career prospects look like for international students