Working and studying in Japan Voyage Tips and guide

Within Japan, the Tokyo region generally offers the widest array of jobs for foreigners, including positions for lawyers, accountants, engineers and other professionals. Teaching positions, on the other hand, are more likely to be found outside of the Tokyo region.

Fluent Japanese is essential for most roles in Japan, with JLPT N1/N2 required by most employers. The main exceptions are English teaching, limited highly skilled roles like IT in international companies, and seasonal labor in tourist-heavy industries like ski resorts.

To work in Japan, a foreigner who is not already a permanent resident must receive a job offer from a guarantor in Japan, and then apply for a working visa at an immigration office (if already in Japan) or an embassy or consulate (if abroad). It is illegal for foreigners to work in Japan on a tourist visa. Working visas are valid for a period of one to three years, and may be used to secure employment at any employer within the scope of activities designated on the visa (including employers other than the guarantor). Alternatively, if you have substantial funds, you may apply for an investor visa. This requires you to either invest a large sum of money in a local business, or start your own business in Japan by contributing a large amount of start-up capital, and allows you to work for that particular company in a management capacity. Expect strict penalties if you overstay on any visa. Spouses of Japanese nationals can obtain spouse visas, which carry no restrictions on employment.

The Working Holiday program is open to young citizens (between 18 and 30) from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, France, Germany, Ireland and the UK. Those eligible may apply for working holiday visas without having a prior job offer. This visa is free, although extending it costs money.

Foreigners who have lived in Japan for 10 years continuously are eligible to apply for permanent residency. You need to prove that you are financially independent and have no criminal record. If granted, then you can live and work in Japan indefinitely.

If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you may also find work as a civilian on a U.S. military base, in which case no working visa is required, nor would you have to meet the associated requirements. Instead, once hired, your employer will prepare the necessary papers for you to arrive and enter on Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) status. This will also result in a work environment that is broadly similar to the U.S., and U.S. labor law will apply.

Under SOFA, you will be physically allowed in Japan, but you will not be considered a resident of Japan, nor be given a Japanese residency card, and will thus be significantly limited in obtaining access to services easily available to regular residents. For example, you will be limited to select local banks that have agreed to accept a US military ID in lieu of a Japanese residence card and prepaid card services that do not require ID), and time spent in Japan on SOFA status does not count towards obtaining Japanese permanent residency (if you were working towards permanent residency and change from a Japanese immigration status to SOFA status, you will have to start over if you lose your SOFA status). You will also be paid in US dollars, so take into account the possibility of the exchange rate (and thus, your off-base buying power) changing over time. The upside is that you skip the Japanese immigration process entirely; arrive with the paperwork provided by your employer and you will be allowed in even if you or the job you've been hired for (for example, a lifeguard at an on-base swimming pool or a job at an on-base fast food establishment) would not normally qualify for a Japanese visa.

A popular form of employment among foreigners from English speaking countries is teaching English, especially in after-hours English conversation schools known as eikaiwa (英会話). Pay is not great (¥250,000/mo is typical) and there are zero opportunities for career progression. Working conditions can also be quite strict compared to Western standards, and some companies have very bad reputations. Learning English has declined in popularity, so fewer positions are available now than there were in the heyday of the early 2000s. North American accents are preferred, and there is a (mostly) unspoken preference for white people. This is largely based on economics; the stereotypical native English speaker is a white person, and many parents expect the teacher to look like that when they send their children to learn English.

An undergraduate degree or ESL accreditation is essential for most desirable positions. Interviews for English schools belonging to one of the larger chains would usually be held in the applicant's home country.

The JET Programme (Japan Exchange and Teaching) offers university graduates a chance to teach in Japan. The program is run by the Japanese government but your employer would typically be a local Board of Education who assigns you to one or more public schools, often deep in the countryside. No Japanese skills or formal teaching qualifications are required and your airfare is provided, plus a return airfare back home for every full year of your contract you fulfill. Pay is slightly better than the language schools and, unlike at such a school, you will have JET program contacts and co-ordinators to help you with any problems. These are invaluable because of the assistance they provide relating to paying bills, opening bank, telephone and internet accounts, and buying a car. Housing is provided for you (usually furnished flats near the school) and the rent is nominal. The program also has a small number of positions for international relations or sports coordinators, although these require some Japanese ability.

Foreigners with postgraduate education may be able to find jobs teaching English (or even other subjects) at Japanese universities, which offer better pay and working conditions than the eikaiwa industry.

Quite a few young women choose to work in the hostess industry, where they entertain Japanese men over drinks and are paid for their time. While pay can be good, visas for this line of work are difficult if not impossible to obtain and most work illegally. The nature of the work also carries its own risks, notably poor career prospects, alcoholism, constant exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke, groping and lewd questions from clients, even harassment or worse, exemplified by the abduction and murder of hostess Lucie Blackman in 2000.

While there are host clubs where young men entertain women, very few foreigners work at such establishments.

While the situation is gradually improving, career progression opportunities have traditionally been limited for women in Japan, as they are generally expected to resign from their jobs and become full-time mothers once they get married. This is unlikely to be an issue if you are posted to the Japanese office of a foreign company as an expatriate, but keep this in mind if you are applying for a job at a Japanese company.

There are hundreds of thousands of foreigners studying in Japan in language schools (to learn Japanese), universities, Japanese martial arts academies and institutions of fine arts and crafts.

Japan provides a general exemption from visa requirements for up to 90 days for citizens of over 50 countries who come to Japan for language study. These countries include Australia, Canada, most of Europe, Hong Kong, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United States, and a dozen Caribbean/Latin American countries. This compete list is available here.

If you qualify for the exemption, you need only a valid passport to study at a Japanese language school generally for up to 90 days. All other foreign students in Japan must get a student visa. A visa application must be sponsored by an educational institution.

In order to obtain a student visa, you will be required to either have ¥1 million, or the equivalent in financial aid awards, to cover your living expenses. With a student visa, you may obtain an additional permission form from Immigration to legally work up to 20 hours per week. Contact your local Japanese embassy or home university's exchange program department for information on how to proceed.

There is a wide range of Japanese language schools in many cities that teach at various levels of proficiency including courses that prepare students to study at Japanese universities.

The Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) is a standard examination that covers the Japanese language, science, and mathematics. It is held biannually in Japan and in some foreign cities. Aside from the section on Japanese language, the examination can be written in English or Japanese. Most universities use the EJU as admission criteria for international students, while some use their own entrance exams.

A few universities offer degree programs from the undergraduate to the doctoral level that are taught in English, but to be able to apply for the wide range of programs offered, proficiency in Japanese is required. The largest university offering programs in English is Temple University's multi-faculty campus in Tokyo.

International students can apply for scholarships provided by the Japanese government, local governments, the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) and private organizations, foundations and companies. These bodies also offer exchange programs at the post-secondary level.

The cheapest way to stay in Japan for a longer period of time is to study at a local school or university with a generous Monbusho (Ministry of Education) grant to pay for it all. A number of Japanese universities offer courses taught in English; some foreign universities also operate independent programs in Japan,

Japan's top universities are also very well regarded worldwide, though degree programmes are almost always conducted exclusively in Japanese. Nevertheless, many of them have exchange agreements with other foreign universities, and you can apply to go on exchange for a semester or a year. Japan's most prestigious university is the University of Tokyo (東京大学), with Kyoto University (京都大学) in second place. For elite Japanese students, admission to either of them is fiendishly difficult, though it is less competitive for international students, provided your Japanese language ability is up to scratch. Japanese students consider admission to either of them even more desirable than to a top U.S. university like Harvard or MIT unless they want to emigrate, and people who build careers locally usually only consider attending top U.S. universities for postgraduate studies under company or civil service sponsorship.

The aforementioned two institutions are part of the National Seven Universities, comprehensive universities that were founded as Imperial Universities during the days of the Japanese colonial empire, and still the most prestigious in Japan. The other members of the National Seven Universities in Japan are:

• Osaka University (大阪大学)
• Nagoya University (名古屋大学)
• Tohoku University (東北大学)
• Hokkaido University (北海道大学)
• Kyushu University (九州大学).

In addition to these the Tokyo Institute of Technology (東京工業大学), which specialized in science and engineering, was also considered to be on par with the National Seven Universities. It was merged with Tokyo Medical and Dental University to form the Institute of Science Tokyo (東京科学大学) in October 2024.

In general, private universities in Japan are less prestigious than public ones. Two exceptions are Waseda University (早稲田大学) and Keio University (慶応大学), which are considered to be competitive with the lower-ranked National Seven Universities. The Jesuit-run Sophia University (上智大学 Jōchi Daigaku) is another notable and well-regarded private university, known for its foreign language department and relatively large number of international students.

Admission to these universities is extremely competitive for Japanese students, with notoriously tough entrance examinations, but spending a year at one as an exchange student is usually much easier: Japanese ability is typically not required (although it will certainly help!) and even tuition fees may be waived if your home university has an exchange agreement.

• Judo^{[dead link]} (柔道 jūdō, literally "the gentle way") focuses on grappling and throws, and was the first martial art to become a modern Olympic sport. There are many schools all over the country in which you can study it. If you are a member of a judo federation in any country, you can take part in a randori training at the Kodokan^{[dead link]}, the headquarters of the worldwide judo community.
• Karate (空手, literally "empty hand") is a striking martial art — using punches, kicks, and open-hand techniques — that is popular all over the world, and also has an influence on Western pop culture as can be seen in the Hollywood movie The Karate Kid (1984). There are schools all over the country in which you can study various styles. It will be featured at the Olympics for the first time in 2020.
• Kendo (剣道 kendō) is competitive swordfighting using bamboo or wooden swords, akin to fencing. While judo and karate are better known in much of the Western world, in Japan itself, kendo remains an integral part of modern Japanese culture, and is taught to students in all Japanese schools.

Other Japanese martial arts include aikidō (合気道), another grappling form, and kyūdō (弓道), Japanese archery.

Traditional Japanese arts and crafts include tea ceremony (茶道 sadō or chadō), origami (折り紙 "paper folding"), flower arrangement (華道 kadō or 生け花 ikebana), calligraphy (書道 shodō), and bonsai (盆栽).

Women who wish to learn traditionally male-dominated performing arts such as rakugo may have difficulty finding a master willing to train them.

Banking in Japan is a notoriously cumbersome process, especially for foreigners. You will need a residency card and proof of a Japanese address to open a full bank account. Many will also require a Japanese phone number. This means that while foreigners in Japan on an extended period (i.e. those on student, dependent or work visas) may open an account, this option is not available to those on short trips for tourism or business, or for US military, contractors, and on-base workers (with a couple of exceptions). Many banks also require you to have a Japanese seal (印鑑 inkan) to stamp your documents with and signatures are often not accepted as a substitute. Bank staff often do not speak English or any other foreign languages.

In the event that you only need a locally-issued bank card (for an online merchant that performs region checks, for instance) and not a full bank account, many convenience stores sell prepaid Visa cards, and should you at least be able to get a number from one of the few providers that offer them to non-residents, you will be able to sign up for one of many prepaid Visa or MasterCard cards available on the market with just that and any address in Japan. These typically have low spending and reloading limits compared to full bank accounts, however (all prepaid Visa/MasterCard/JCB cards issued without verifying a Japanese residency card are required to limit spending from the card to 1 million yen over the life of the card, typically 5 years). They also can not be used for recurring bills, utilities, gas stations, and certain other types of purchases.

Prepaid electronic cards are quite popular in Japan for small purchases. There are cards for train fares, convenience store purchases, and other general purposes, though they aren't interchangeable (except for transit-based cards; Suica, Pasmo, ICOCA, Toica, and many others will work in each other's service areas, although they can not be used to pay a fare that crosses from one to the other). If you plan on returning frequently and/or need to be able to add funds to your prepaid cards with a credit card, it may be worth it to buy a cheaper, used Japanese smartphone (~¥5000) and use the included prepaid card apps over WiFi. Mobile Suica (usable nationwide) on iOS accepts any Apple Pay-capable Visa/MasterCard/JCB/AmEx, but only the latter two on Android. Mobile Edy (Android only) accepts foreign JCB/American Express credit cards for funding, but requires a two-day wait from submission of credit card details before it will allow loading.

If you have a Japanese phone, be aware that initializing the prepaid card on a local SIM, rental or prepaid, will consume data, which can be avoided by using Wi-Fi. Only feature phones require a Japanese SIM to initiate the service; Japan-market smartphones, once unlocked, can be initialized using any data service, be it Wi-Fi, your own SIM, a local one, or a rental. This means it is possible to set it up before arrival.

Having a Japanese phone number is essential for living in Japan. Prepaid plans offering voice and data are available to visitors to Japan without residency status, but various restrictions apply. See Japan#Connect for details.

Monthly postpaid plans are cheaper and more flexible, but generally limited to legal residents of Japan. As of 2026, the only provider of postpaid voice service to people without a Japanese residency card is Mobal.

If you're staying for a longer period, say a month or longer, you might be able to drastically reduce your living costs by staying in a "gaijin house". These establishments cater specifically towards foreigners and offer at least minimally furnished and usually shared apartments at reasonable prices, and without the hefty deposits and commissions of apartments (often up to 8 months rent) paid before moving in. It will almost certainly be cheaper than staying in a hotel for a month, and for those coming to Japan for the first time they are also great for networking and getting to know a few locals. The downside is that facilities are often shared and the transient population can mean poor maintenance and dodgy neighbors.

Gaijin houses are concentrated in Tokyo, but any other big city will have a few. They can be anything from ugly cramped apartment complexes with new tenants every week to nice family run businesses in private houses, so try to get a look at the place before you decide to move in. Two of the biggest letting agencies for gaijin houses in Tokyo are Sakura House and Oak House, while Gaijin House Japan has listings and classified ads covering the entire country.

Traditionally, renting an apartment in Japan is a ridiculously complex and expensive process, involving getting a Japanese resident to act as your guarantor (literally—trash up the place and run away, and they will get stuck with the bill) and paying months of rent in advance. It is thus essentially impossible for anyone who is not both familiar with the culture and there to live and work for a few years at least.

Weekly mansions (short-term apartments) have become popular for residents (typically businessmen on long-term assignment or young singles) and are accessible even to visitors. Most are 1 or 2 person rooms, although larger ones for 3 or 4 are sometimes available. Apartment fees are around ¥5000 for a single, around ¥6000-7000 for a two person room per day. Most of these apartment rental agencies will offer all apartments with shower, toilet and bath. They usually have air conditioning, microwave and cooking amenities. Reservations can be made on an English language website, and they have various promotional offers on their website. WMT ^{[dead link]} has more than 50 apartment buildings in Tokyo and Yokohama, together with Osaka. Sometimes a deposit is required for some of the apartments. This deposit can usually be waived if you have stayed with them a few times without any trouble. The apartments are always kept clean and often have much more space and flexibility than a hotel and are priced in the youth hostel range.

Larger universities operate heavily subsidized dormitories (寮 ryō) for their students, and some of these are dedicated to foreign exchange students. The apartments are often incredibly tiny (under 10 m² is typical), and curfews and strict rules on guests are common, but they're private (no roommates!) and incredibly cheap, with rents that can be under ¥10,000/month even in the middle of Tokyo.

Japanese companies operate very similar dormitories for their unmarried full-time employees, but few visitors to Japan will qualify for one.

Japanese work culture is more hierarchical and formal than what Westerners may be used to. Suits are standard business attire, and coworkers call each other by their family names or by job titles. Workplace harmony is crucial, emphasizing group effort rather than praising individual accomplishments. On top of that, workers are expected to go out after work for food and drinks multiple times a week.

You are expected to be unquestioningly loyal to your Japanese superior(s) — work on weekends when they ask you to, obey their orders without hesitation, ask them for permission before doing anything, be present when they are present (which means arriving for work before they do, and leaving only after they have left), do not contradict them, and so on. Moreover, you are expected to let them know about everything you're doing.

It is a very bad idea to directly talk back to or challenge your superior(s); Japanese authority figures take any attempts to challenge their authority extremely seriously, and will not hesitate to put you in your place if you try to do anything that appears to undermine their authority.

Once you have started working for a particular company, you are expected to stick with that company until you retire; changing companies is strongly frowned upon and heavily stigmatized as a lack of loyalty in Japanese society.

That said, if you're there as some type of visiting consultant rather than a direct employee, you may be able to leverage your social status as a Westerner to escape some of the grind of long hours and mandatory late night drinking. And a small but growing number of companies (mostly in the tech industry) are deliberately following a more Western business model.

Business cards (名刺 meishi) are treated very respectfully and formally. How you treat someone's business card is seen as representing how you will treat the person. Make sure to pack more than you'll need, as not having a business card to present is a serious faux pas. There's a lot of nuanced etiquette, but here are some basics:

• When presenting a business card, orient it so it's readable by the person you're giving it to, and use both hands holding it by the corners so everything is visible.
• When accepting a business card, use both hands to pick it up by the corners, and take the time to read the card and confirm how to pronounce the person's name (more of an issue in Japanese, where the characters for someone's name can be pronounced several ways).
• It's disrespectful to write on a card, fold it, or place it in your back pocket (where you'll sit on it!).
• At a meeting, you should arrange cards on the table (in order of seniority) to help you remember who's who.
• When it's time to leave, pack the cards in a nice case to keep them pristine; if you don't have one, hold on to them until you're out of sight before pocketing them.