Visas, salaries, hiring, and the unwritten rules of working in Japanese tech — explained honestly by someone who moved here and stayed. No recruiter spin, no hype.
Everything from landing the visa to negotiating a raise — written for international developers, grounded in how the system actually works.
Which status of residence fits you, how sponsorship works, and the path to permanent residency.
Sort your status →Hierarchy, meetings, nemawashi, and what 'foreign-friendly' actually means in practice.
Know before you join →Real pay ranges by role and seniority — and how to negotiate without breaking local norms.
See the numbers →Where the jobs are, how interviews run, and the resume format Japanese recruiters expect.
Land the interview →Rent, taxes, health insurance, and what your take-home really covers in Tokyo vs. elsewhere.
Budget your move →Meetups, Slack groups, and conferences where international engineers actually connect.
Find your people →How much Japanese you truly need, JLPT for work, and the keigo that matters on the job.
Start speaking →Switching jobs, getting promoted, and growing from engineer to lead in the Japanese market.
Plan the next step →Self-reported base pay from foreign and bilingual engineers in the Tokyo market, in millions of yen per year (¥M). Foreign-friendly employers and global firms sit at the top of each band.
Figures are illustrative ranges for layout — replace with your dataset before launch.
A short email when a new topic drops or visa rules change. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
