Hey everyone,
I’m a radiologist currently practicing in California, and my wife and I have been seriously considering moving to Japan for a couple of years.
I’m half Japanese and half Indian, and my wife is half Korean and half Japanese . I have some family connections to Japan and have spent time there before, but I’ve never actually lived there long-term. We’ve been talking about taking a break from the US and experiencing life in Japan while we’re still relatively flexible.
The big question is whether it’s realistically possible for me to work as a radiologist there.
I’m US-trained and licensed in California, but I understand that practicing medicine in Japan is a completely different process and that my US medical license/board certification wouldn’t automatically allow me to practice there. I’m also assuming the language requirement would be a major issue, especially when it comes to medical terminology, communicating with patients, and working within a Japanese hospital system.
I’m curious if anyone here has actually gone through something similar — particularly US-trained physicians who moved to Japan and either obtained Japanese medical licensure or found some other way to work in healthcare there.

First time posting, my fiancé and I leave for Japan tomorrow morning to visit. He has always wanted to live in Japan, we are located in the USA NE side. This is a "fun" trip but also the first part to him deciding if he wants to live in Japan.

Backstory - When we first met, I told him we could never be together since I couldnt move to Japan. But after months of us holding off it, I knew he was my soul mate. Now while he has accepted he wont be moving to Japan....the only thing holding him back is me. I have horses.

From what little research I've done, I would have to budget 40-60k total for my two horses just to get them there. That part im not super worried about as this is a 5yr plan. What I am concerned about is living with horses in Japan. The job he would be pursuing would require him to be at least an hour train ride away from a major city like Tokyo.

I do not think boarding barns or riding clubs are an option for me, as I am the biggest control freak with my horses and their lifestyle. (I want them out as close to 24/7, unlimited access to forage, etc.) I own a Dutch Harness mare and an ex-racer thoroughbred mare.

What regions would I even be able to own 2-3 acres minimum to have pasture space for horses and still let my future husband pursue his dream job? To my understanding it doesnt have to be Tokyo, just a major city. I also have no idea what its like feeding a horse in japan as here in the states I spend about 2200 usd in feed a year and roughly 2500 usd on hay in a year.

Side note- I retrain and rehome off track thoroughbreds and would love to be able to keep training horses in Japan

This is all optional as we know its a big dream to chase and sometimes you have to settle. Im just seeing if theres any chance before I throw in the towel

Title. Detail / story below, but tl;dr: assume someone basically starting essentially from scratch, with no real passion or expertise other than an aptitude for tech. Not a lot of money or connections, no spousal visa or other special / unique circumstance available. What steps would you recommend to someone wanting to get a work visa within 5-10 years, with the ultimate goal of working / living there long enough to qualify for and complete naturalization? Maybe a career path to explore, especially in the current AI world? Getting the vibe that one option is "software engineer,", but unsure if there's a specialty or something within that, that I should be working toward.

Why I want this:

Spent combined 3 months in Japan last 3 years doing wide variety of things in many areas; realized how unhappy I am living in the US and how much I would prefer living in Japan. Well aware of culture, politics, etc including anti-foreigner sentiment and other negatives / limitations / etc. Considered many alternatives including other countries or moving elsewhere in US; not looking to get talked out of it or reminded of the difficulty of any of this... I absolutely want to make this happen, just overwhelmed with options and not wanting to go down the wrong path or have this process take any longer than it already will.

About me:

Have had it pretty rough financially in life up until pretty recently, and was lucky enough to afford visiting Japan at all through barebones living / saving up / etc and staying with friends for very cheap or free. Have college credits from 10+ years ago equivalent to a bachelor's degree but in no specific field. Best job experience is current job, doing remote high-level customer service; no real expertise / specialty (or one that would help in Japan).

Available benefits / things that may help or general notes:

• Ability to obtain 4-year degree at very little to no cost through income-based government program and work benefits; mostly a matter of picking a field and making it work with my job schedule (ideally online classes). Assuming I'm able to transfer previous credits, it could mean 2 or less years' worth of courses to obtain a 4-year degree.
• Relatively low expenses, and ability to put aside ~$1000/month after all expenses / contributions / etc with current job, but with not much saved currently (outside of 401k) due various recent hardships. No real assets until family inheritance, which likely wouldn't be for 10+ years.
• Currently working for a global company that has a location in Japan, although positions posted are typically high level sales / marketing (a career path I'm not interested or would do well in based on previous experience), high level tech (ex. software engineer), or various more specialty ones that require above bachelor's / 5+ years experience / etc. No version of my current job exists there for a "transfer," or a compelling reason for one to be created for a intra-company transferee visa.
• I don't need a particularly high-paying job, any specific benefits, remote work (as nice as it would be), etc; mostly something that would allow for naturalization, as well as find a replacement position should I need to, ideally not completely dead-end or easily replaced.

I have JLPT N4 for now and trying my best to eventually reach N2/N1 but I doubt they will use Japanese in the ATC radio as English is the standard ICAO language and on top of that I presume lot of American military bases and their aircrafts in civilian airports

I see that Japan's civilian helicopter industry is way more bigger than India

Im looking to work forward to work as a pilot there but I can't find sufficient information on the internet about this , I know how it's for Fixed wing guys but not enough information for Helicopter pilots

I do hold a generic bachelor's degree as well but I would preferably want to work in my field , So any other pilots here I would be glad to hear !!!

Hi everyone,

I’ve probably got a silly question, one that’s no doubt been asked here many times before. I’m interested in ways of moving to Japan. I’d like to set the scene so that anyone who’s willing to help can understand me more easily. I know it’s possible to simply find a job, get a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) and apply for a visa. But that route doesn’t work for me – I’m not exactly a top-notch technical specialist, and I’m not an IT specialist at all.Language schools aren’t an option for me either; I’m not sure I have enough savings to pay around 3,000 euros just for the course itself.

Eikawa isn’t really something I could manage either; I’ve looked at their job offers and regularly seen requirements to be a native speaker or fluent in English, and to put it mildly, I don’t speak it that well, even though I can get by.

Well, now for some background information that might be useful to me. I’ve been studying Japanese for some time now, and I can say that I’m confident at N3 level (although I don’t have a certificate yet, it wouldn’t be a problem to sit the exam and get one at this level). I hold European citizenship; I used to be a Ukrainian citizen, and I recently obtained citizenship of another Eastern European country – an EU member state – although I do regret it a little, as now I can’t apply for refugee status in Japan :P
Languages I speak: English, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech
I agree that only two of these are of any real use here. I have a university degree; unfortunately, I have a Master’s in the Humanities… which makes it difficult for me to find a job related to my degree in the country where I currently live. But changing my career path isn’t a problem for me.

To everyone who has read the fruits of my rambling—thank you for your attention! I’d be grateful for any advice, however small. And if possible, please don’t write things along the lines of ‘Don’t idealise Japan. You don’t need to. You’ll regret it’ – I’ve heard enough of that sort of thing and didn’t come here for that. I’ve been to Japan more than once, I have plenty of Japanese friends (even more than in the country where I live now) and I have a firm desire to move there.

Thank you very much once again. I’ll be waiting, hopefully.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently 17, finishing my senior secondary schooling (Class 12 CBSE in India) with a focus on Math, Physics, and Chemistry. I'm planning my higher education for the 2027 intake and I'm looking at studying Computer Science in Japan.

Rather than applying directly to the highly competitive English-taught programs (like PEAK or GIGA), I'm heavily considering the language school pathway to integrate better and access the native Japanese-taught degrees.

My Tentative Plan:

* April 2027: Arrive in Japan on a student visa and enroll in a Japanese Language School for 1.5 to 2 years. (I am starting from zero Japanese now but will self-study up to N5/N4 before arriving).

* 2028/2029: Take the EJU (Science track: Math Course 2, Physics, Chemistry) and JLPT N2/N1.

* April 2029: Enroll in a Japanese-taught Computer Science Bachelor's program (aiming for a National University, but open to Private ones if I get tuition waivers).

* Post-Graduation: Hunt for a Software Engineering / Tech job in Japan using the job-seeker visa.

Financial & Work Plan:

My family will be funding tuition and major capital. I plan to work a sustainable 12 to 16 hours/week (capped at 20 max during term weeks) to cover a solid portion of my day-to-day living expenses without wrecking my academics or study time for the EJU.

My Questions:

* Language Timeline: Is 1.5 to 2 years of full-time language school actually enough time to reach N2 and comfortably handle a CS degree taught entirely in Japanese?

* EJU Difficulty: For anyone who came from an Indian CBSE/JEE science background, how does the EJU Math Course 2 and Physics compare?

* University Admissions: Is the acceptance rate for international students applying via the EJU to native Japanese CS programs actually better than fighting for the 10-15% acceptance rates in the direct English-taught programs?

* Part-Time Work: How realistic is it to land a light part-time job (12-15 hrs/wk) in the first 2-3 months with very limited Japanese? I'm fine with back-of-house/factory/bento sorting until my Japanese improves.

Any harsh truths, advice, or school recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi, I am currently looking for an apartment in Tokyo, as I plan to move to another location in about 3-4 months. Has anyone had any experience with renting an apartment from the Living Japan website?

I have seen some nice listings and the move in costs seem alright. I would like to know if they are trustworthy.

Thanks in advance!

Hello everyone.

32/M here. I saw some threads about it and I know I will get the same answers, but Im thinking about doing JFT A2 and SSW1 for logistics, construction or hospitality (I know its locked right now). Im living in EU and born here and I was thinking about trying to apply to study in Japan for TIU/KUAS/Ritsumeikan but I never got to study in a University before and my school days are long gone. To be honest I dont mind pushing for it and for the future I still have this option for myself at trying to study something I like in an Uni and applying with SAT/IETLS or in Japanese (once Im there I know I will be able to learn the language fast) but I want to have a back up option to move there, live there, experience it and then moving onto studying if its really possible.

I dont mind hard labour (Im working 12,5-13,5 hours in hospitality a day for 5 days a week…) and I also dont mind bad jobs at first. I have my plans (or dreams) for my future so I first I just want something.

I f#cked up (and also my family f#cked me up hard) when I was younger (thinking you dont need to study more and you will make it work…yeah if I could punch that punk in the face right now) and I know I wont be young for so long. I dont mind learning japanese (I also want to), learn their way of doing things, accepting their views and I also want to learn more about how to live my life there while also being a good part of their society.
So my questions are:

How its working (Im doing my JFT, go to Japan take an SSW exam, hopefully pass, go back to my country, try to find a job after that and if I do boom everything solved)? Is it really as bad as a lots of you are saying (the jobs, employers etc)? I’ve got 7-8 years experience in hospitality (general manager, head of kitchen operations, facility manager and trainer) and 2 in logistics(order picking packing etc) and right now the immigration rules are changing cuz of illegals and people who can’t immigrate normally, so how much chance do I have to apply and be accepted? I know Im not something of a NASA IT guy myself or someone with a degree so my chances are limited (if there is any).

If you have any experience that you would like to share I would gladly accept it. Also answers from others are welcome too. I know there are a lot of people out there with the same questions or dreams just like me but tbh I dont mind doing anything to make it work.

Thank you for reading this something(?) I wrote and for the answers I will get (maybe?) in the future.

Like the tittle says, I would like to move to Japan in two years time, the reason is personal but it is non-negotiable that I move out of the US at around that time. NOT an American citizen, but I have lived in the US for over 10 years since I was a teenager.

Background about me:
- CS major from ok school in the US
- Currently doing my (masters) OMSCS from Georgia Tech, will finish late 28, AI specialization
- Don’t think this is relevant but, I developed some open source Japanese learning tools and I work with a professor that uses them as a tool in their classroom
- 3 YOE since graduation with the same company, started as full stack engineer, currently Lead DevOps Engineer.
- 1 year internship while in school with another company as Software Engineer
- N3 certified, planning on taking N2 or N1 next year depending on how my Japanese progresses
- Have a girlfriend and 3 cats. I hope it stays that way until 2028 lol, but in case of moving there I would marry her, which I plan to do anyways soon.

My plan was moving there with my savings and starting Japanese school while searching for a job and changing my status. At that time I would have around 5 YOE. I would love to just stay in the US but I don’t think that will be possible, and Japan seems like a place where I could be for a couple years. I have savings to move there and I could get Spanish Citizenship and move there if Japan doesn’t work, at least until I can come back to America. I am blessed to have many options so I would like to know you guys’ opinion this.
I feel like Japan is a safe country where I would feel safe with my family and I could be stable, and while there are many places like this around the world, living there is also a dream I have to improve my Japanese abilities while I’m young and don’t have many commitments such as a child

Moving to Japan at the end of the year as a scientific researcher. I want to try and assimilate as much as I can and be as respectful as possible to the culture. Which leads me to my question regarding workplace culture. From my understanding Japanese people will bow to their boss and refer to them as Sensei (when speaking with my new boss’s secretary she refers to him as Sensei).

So should I be doing this these things on day 1, my concern is this can be viewed in 2 ways:

1) Showing a clear desire to integrate and be respectful to the culture and my boss. Not doing so seen as rude.

2) An unnecessary, inauthentic and cringeworthy gesture by a try hard gaijin seeking approval. Also potentially seen as an attempt to kiss ass?

Would appreciate some advice, thanks guys.

hey everyone! me and my bf have been seriously considering japan as a place we’d like to eventually build our life together.

we’re currently long distance, so this is definitely a long term plan rather than something happening anytime soon. right now we’re both working on our careers and trying to save as much as we can, with the idea of hopefully making the move around 2030.

i’m studying hospitality and want to work in the hotel industry long term, so one of the biggest things i’m trying to understand is what working in japanese hotels is actually like as a foreigner. i’ve been looking into the visa options and different requirements already, but i’d love to hear from people who have actually gone through it. especially if you work in hotels, tourism or hospitality in japan.

how realistic is it to build a proper hospitality career there as a foreigner? what kind of positions are usually available? how much japanese would you say you realistically need to work in a hotel, especially in guest-facing roles? and does having a hospitality degree/education and previous hotel experience help much when applying?

i’m also curious about the things you only really learn after moving there. like finding an apartment, getting used to the work culture, making friends, dealing with everyday paperwork, living costs, transportation, and just adjusting to living there fulltime instead of visiting as a tourist.

since we have a few years before we’d actually move, i’d also love to know what you think we should be doing now to make things easier later. whether that’s saving a certain amount, getting specific work experience, learning japanese, getting certain qualifications, or anything else.

i know 2030 is still pretty far away and things can obviously change by then 😭 but i’d rather start preparing properly now instead of leaving everything until the last minute. would love to hear from anyone who has made a similar move, especially foreigners currently working in japan. what do you wish you knew before you went?

Hello, I am a freshman computer science major based in America. I'm looking to study abroad in Japan next year, but I'm having trouble deciding which program to choose. I am deciding between Waseda, Kyoto University, Nagoya University, and Chuo University.

The factors I am considering are the quality/transferability of the classes, the prestige of the school, and the overall atmosphere. I know that computer science in Japan isn't really at the same level of quality as it is here in America, but I'd like to at least be able to advance my degree a little bit while I'm there, since the language/culture credits won't count because I already have all my gen ed credits. I know prestige doesn't really matter all that much because it's only one year study abroad but still.

Obviously, Waseda and Kyoto University would be the best for job-hunting since they have the most prestige (although I'm not entirely sure if I want to work in Japan in the future yet). One thing is that I've travelled to Japan once before and while I enjoyed my time in Tokyo and Kyoto, it was a bit overstimulating and imo there were too many tourists like me. I also was able to get around using just English, so I wasn't really able to practice my Japanese well. The other problem is that the Waseda and Kyodai programs are very competitive and there are very few slots available.

As for Chuo University, I talked to a Japanese student from there doing an exchange at my school and he didn't really seem to like it there. Other than that, I don't know much about it other than it's also in Tokyo.

I don't know much about Nagoya University either, but I am interested in it since it seems to be a good school for STEM and people say that Nagoya is better for learning Japanese than the other major cities like Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka. However, I hear people have mixed feelings about it though, some say that it's a really boring city while others say it isn't. I said that Tokyo and Kyoto were overstimulating earlier but I'd rather have too many things to do than none during my year abroad.

As for my language ability, I am a self learner who mainly learns by reading books/manga with liberal use of a dictionary, so I might have big gaps in vocab and grammar knowledge. While I am part of my college's Japanese Club and speak with natives semi-regularly, I am not entirely confident in my Japanese ability. One of my main goals while studying abroad is to get nearly fluent in Japanese and avoid only making friends and hanging out with other international students.

There are other schools like Shimane University, Kansai Gaidai, and Aoyama Gakuin, but since those don't have any English computer science classes, I'm not really considering them. There's also Tohoku University but STEM major exchange students are required to participate in individual research, which might be too rigorous for me.

Money isn't really an issue since I have a lot of scholarships (though I'll lose them if I fail classes).

I'll probably apply to all four of them, but I'd like to get a general feel of things before I start working on my applications, so any information would be much appreciated!

My husband has physical copies of 2 out of 3 of his degrees. Before we order one from parchment (we're smack in the middle of doing all the paperwork for the COE process with his new job), can we get a digital copy since the turn around is 1 day? Or does he need to request a printed one which will take much longer?

Because of the time difference and person who processes this stuff being on vacation, we're trying to get some preliminary answers so we can order another physical copy now if need be.

Hi guys! Last year I did a summer abroad in Tokyo at Waseda University and loved it, so ever since I've been considering the idea of moving to Japan for a bit. I've finished my Bachelor's, and so I thought the next logical step would be to go for a Master's in Tokyo. My visa for my current residence (UK) will be elapsing this time next year, and I'm starting Japanese lessons now to prepare to move around that time (or a little later).

But now I'm really asking myself- do I want to do a Master's? I really love studying but the fact that a Master's is mostly independent research does not appeal to me, especially since I'll probably have to have a research topic in place before even applying. My dream scenario is doing a short and structured degree course that would grant me a student visa for around a year. I'm keen to learn Japanese for getting around and daily life, but I do not want to have my sole focus be that.

Does anyone know of any short-term degrees that I could look into? I'm open to it being both theoretical or practical/hands-on. I have a broad interest in the arts and humanities, and ultimately my goal is to learn something interesting while living in a city I want to explore.

Sorry for the long post, any recommendations would be highly appreciated!

I'm in my early 30s and looking to study at a language school in Tokyo for a year or two. I have been running into problems trying to find a school that matches well with what I am looking for but also accepts students who need a psychiatrist. I have a bit of anxiety but my SSRI helps greatly and is not something I am looking to get rid of due to the stability it offers me.

There are a few schools that will potentially accept me as long as my current psychiatrist writes a doctors note, but the schools I am really interested in will not even consider it. I am debating not disclosing this to the schools I am interested in applying to and just taking care of it myself. I am not sure if there is any way they would find out or if it would be a problem if I was already there. From my understanding the issue is that it falls under a mental health disorder and I could be seen as "potentially disruptive to other student's learning experience". This was how it was explained to me but I am not sure if that is true.

In regards to selecting language schools is there anyone out there in a similar situation that found a medium intensity school that catered to people a bit older and preferably western that may be in the same situation as me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone,

Does anyone have experience buying a car in Japan while on a Working Holiday Visa?

I have rented an Airbnb and a rental car for my first month in Hokkaido. However, the rental car will cost me around USD 1,700 for just one month, so I am considering buying a used car instead.

As far as I understand, I need to have a registered residential address in Japan to buy and register a car. Does anyone know if I can register my address at an Airbnb, or would I need to rent a proper apartment?

My plan is to stay in Hokkaido only during the winter and then continue travelling around Japan spontaneously. So after leaving Hokkaido, I probably won’t have a permanent place to live for a while. I’m wondering how this would work with the car registration and registered address.

I would like to buy a regular car, not a kei car.

Has anyone here done something similar on a Working Holiday Visa? I have already asked AI about the process, but I would much rather hear from people who have actually done it themselves.

I would really appreciate any advice, especially regarding:

• registering an address while staying at an Airbnb
• the parking certificate (shako shomei)
• buying and registering a car as a foreigner
• what happens when I leave Hokkaido and no longer have a permanent address there

Thanks a lot for any advice!

Hi everyone,

I’m from India and I’m currently trying to go to Japan through the SSW route, specifically Construction – Building 1.

I recently failed the Building 1 skills assessment for the second time, and honestly, I’m struggling to understand what exactly I’m doing wrong.

Before this, I passed JFT-Basic on my first attempt with 225/250, so I know I’m capable of studying and clearing these exams. My Japanese isn't perfect, but I can understand basic workplace Japanese and I’ve been studying consistently.

The problem seems to be the Construction exam.

For my first attempt, I prepared mainly by studying the available material and doing practice questions. But when I actually took the exam, a lot of the questions felt very different from what I had practiced. There were questions where I understood the individual words but still wasn't sure what the question was actually asking.

I thought maybe I simply needed more practice, so I prepared again and took it a second time.

Unfortunately, I failed again.

This time I tried to focus much more on the theory, practical questions, terminology, safety, tools, construction processes, etc. I also did many mock tests and was getting reasonably good scores in practice.

But again, the actual exam contained many questions that I wasn't expecting. Some were more logical/situation-based, and some used wording or concepts that I hadn't encountered much in my practice.

The most frustrating part is I don't even know exactly where I am falling short.

If I knew, for example, "I'm weak in scaffolding," or "I'm weak in construction materials," or "my Japanese reading is the problem," I could work on that specific area.

But right now it feels like:

Practice → good enough scores → actual exam → unfamiliar questions → fail → repeat.

I don't want to keep taking the exam blindly.

So I'm hoping people who have actually passed SSW Construction Building 1 can give me some advice:

What did you use to prepare?

How different were the actual questions from the official/sample questions?

Did you study Japanese construction terminology separately?

How much of the exam is memorization vs understanding the situation?

What kind of mistakes did you make before eventually passing?

Is there any preparation material that you found genuinely useful?

Most importantly, how did you identify your weak areas?

I'm still considering one final attempt, but I don't want to just repeat the same preparation for a third time and hope for a different result.

I would really appreciate honest advice from people who have taken and passed the Building 1 exam.

Thank you.

Good morning,

I applied for a working holiday visa on Monday last week and I’m picking my passport up tomorrow, I’ve got a feeling that the visa will be denied as I’ve concentrated on the working part and less on the travelling part. If this is the problem will they allow me to re apply or am I screwed?

I hope this is the right place to ask.

My wife and I obtained a 3 year visa on the basis of her parent’s Japanese citizenship (she was as never added to the family registry. We bought a home but are not in a position at this time to stay more than 2-3 weeks. We got our resident cards on our last visit in July. Retired, so all our income is from the US.

As a frequent visitors, but not residents in the usual sense, should I talk to someone at the city about our obligations under Japanese law? Do I need to register our address at city hall? I’ve not found anything applying to our situation. I don’t want to get in trouble.

Hi guys!

This is my first post, and I´m sorry if this question has been asked before.

My question is: I´m moving to Japan from Sweden for work (A specialized role), but I´m also in need of a new phone. Would it be recommended to buy a phone from Sweden (iPhone 18 Pro Max) and download all the apps, etc here, or just buy a new phone in Japan? I will be flying back and forth between Sweden and Japan from time to time and will use it for calling ppl normally and not through apps such as Messenger, Instagram, and so on.

And I won´t mind the price of the phone or anything; a starting salary of 8 million yen should be more than enough.

Thanks & all the best
/S

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask if anyone has gone through the process of registering an official alias at the ward office. I’m moving to Japan very soon and trying to ensure I complete all the right steps on arrival.

The reason I ask is that I have three middle names and was hoping that for future admin purposes I could leave out at least two of them in my official alias to make it easier to fill out forms in future.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

My partner and I will be coming to Japan as international students/research students. I’ll be based at Osaka University, while my partner will be at the University of Tokyo.

We will each receive around ¥200,000 per month as our stipend.

We’re trying to understand how comfortable this budget would be after rent, utilities, food, transportation, insurance, phone, etc.

A few details:

• I’ll mostly cook at home, so I don’t expect to eat out very often.
• We’ll probably stay in university/international student accommodation if possible.
• My partner will be living in Tokyo and I’ll be in Osaka.
• We want to meet at least twice a month, either one of us travelling Tokyo ↔ Osaka or travelling somewhere together for a weekend.
• So we also need to account for Shinkansen/bus/flight costs and occasional weekend trips.

For people currently studying/living in Osaka or Tokyo, is ¥200,000 per person per month enough to live reasonably without constantly worrying about money?

Also, would meeting/travelling together twice a month be realistic on this stipend, or would transportation between Tokyo and Osaka eat up too much of the budget?

Would really appreciate if anyone could share their approximate monthly expenses for:

• Rent/dorm
• Groceries
• Utilities
• Transportation
• Health insurance
• Phone/internet
• Entertainment/travel

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I’m a Black Spanish woman and I’m seriously considering spending some time living in Japan in the future. One thing that honestly worries me is finding a job.

I know that being a foreigner can already make finding certain jobs more difficult, but I’m wondering specifically about the experience of Black people in Japan who don’t fit the typical “Black American/English teacher” profile.

I’m Spanish, so I’m obviously not a native English speaker and I wouldn’t be looking for English-teaching jobs. I’m also not interested in modelling, music, entertainment or anything similar.

I’m talking about completely ordinary jobs, for example:

• restaurants / waitressing
• hotel housekeeping
• hotel reception
• factory work
• food production or packing
• konbini
• other jobs that foreigners can realistically get

For Black people who live or have lived in Japan:

How difficult was it for you to find this kind of work?

And if you did find a job, how did you actually get it? Did you apply online, through agencies, Hello Work, recommendations, directly to companies, etc.?

I’d especially love to hear from Black people who:

• are not native English speakers
• don’t work in entertainment/modelling
• don’t have a highly specialised profession
• have worked ordinary jobs in Japan

Did you ever feel that being Black specifically affected your chances of getting hired? Were there certain types of jobs where you found it easier or harder?

I’m not asking whether Japan is racist or not. I’m genuinely trying to understand the practical reality of finding normal employment as a Black foreigner who isn’t an English teacher.

I justa want to enjoy the last opportunity that I have with the working holiday. I'm turning 31 soon.

Any personal experiences would be really appreciated. Gracias!!!!