Expat Advice: Working in Tokyo, Japan

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Tokyo

What are the main industries in this city? What types of career opportunities commonly exist? How do most people find new jobs?

For foreigners, the jobs that are most available are English teaching or tutoring jobs. There are some coding jobs available, but they are not as abundant as English teaching jobs. If you want something that is not English teaching or if you want to move up the ranks, you will need to learn Japanese. Most people get there first job in Japan through online applications. After you get to Japan and have been living there for awhile, there are more opportunities for you. The hard part is getting into Japan.

What type of work do you do and how did you find your job?

I was an English Teacher in Japan. I found my job on websites such as GaijinPot.com and JobsInJapan.com. Those websites have mainly English teaching jobs and coding jobs.

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Traveling Mailbox serves thousands of travelers, expats, digital nomads, businesses, individuals and others in over 47 Countries by scanning their postal mail so they can view it online anywhere in the world. They provide customer service 7 days a week so if you need assistance, it is just a phone call away. Traveling Mailbox works with Evernote, Bill.com and Dropbox. And, there are Traveling Mailbox apps available for iOS and Android devices.
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How did you obtain your work permit? What advice would you have for others about work permits?

Once you acquire a job, your company will help you with the work permit process. Without a company helping you, the work permit process for Japan is difficult. Therefore, if you can, find a job that will help guide you through the visa and work permit process.

Have you taken language and cross-cultural training courses to prepare for your assignment? If so, how have they helped you on the job?

In the initial training for my job, they give you some cross-cultural training, but I would recommend doing your own research along with it. In Japan there are a lot of unspoken rules, so you need to do your research and ask other expats for advice that they have.

If you were transferred abroad by your employer, were you guaranteed a job upon repatriation? What type of mentoring programs does your employer offer?

My company was a Japanese company, so this does not apply to me.

What advice would you offer others about finding jobs and working abroad?

The most difficult part is getting into Japan. For most, I would recommend taking any job you can get that will get you a visa and work permit. Once you have that, you can quit your job and find a better one once you are in Japan.