Key takeaways
- r/japanlife is the big forum for living-in-Japan logistics; TokyoDev (Discord + job board) is the high-signal hub for foreign software engineers.
- OpenWork is the single best company-reputation check (Japan's Glassdoor); also JobHouse and Lighthouse.
- Trustworthy salary data: the TokyoDev Developer Survey, levels.fyi for global tech, and Robert Walters/Hays/Michael Page surveys for bilingual professional roles.
- Language stack: Anki + WaniKani (kanji), Bunpro + Genki/Tobira (grammar), italki/HelloTalk (speaking), NHK Easy News + Satori Reader (reading).
- When a forum post and an official source disagree, trust the official source (Immigration Services Agency, Japan Pension Service, National Tax Agency), and treat anything more than a year or two old as possibly stale.
This directory pulls together the sites foreigners actually use to find work and build a life in Japan. Each entry includes a brief note on what it's good for and who it's wrong for, links without honest notes waste your time, so we've added ours.
How to use this directory
The honest advice for a foreigner job-hunting in Japan:
- Apply through 3–5 channels in parallel. One job board is never enough. The successful foreigners we see use 1–2 English-friendly boards (TokyoDev, JapanDev for tech; Daijob for general), 1 Japanese-domestic board (BizReach, Doda) via a recruiter, and 1 direct-applications channel (Mercari, Indeed careers pages).
- Use boards by signal-to-noise. TokyoDev and JapanDev are heavily curated and high quality for tech. GaijinPot has high volume but mixed quality. Indeed has the broadest coverage but you'll see many low-paying or stale postings.
- Recruiters add value at senior levels. Robert Walters, Computer Futures, Pro-Recruitment, JAC Recruitment, en world, Hays, meaningful at ¥9M+ roles, less useful for entry-level.
- Don't sign exclusive contracts. Some Japanese recruiters ask for exclusivity; politely refuse. Multiple recruiters = better outcomes.
Starter career guides for foreigners
Long-form articles worth reading once before starting your job hunt:
- Japan Living Guide, Job Search in Japan. Lifestyle-oriented introduction to the job-hunt landscape; useful orientation for first-timers, especially on visa basics.
- How to Get a Job in Japan from Overseas, Edmund Ho (LinkedIn). Practical FAQ format on visa, applying from abroad, what to expect; written by an active recruiter.
- So You Want to Work in Japan (M.P. Buquet, Medium). Honest first-person account; addresses why the foreigner-friendly tech pocket of Japan is different from broader Japanese labour market.
- Relocate.World, How to Find a Job in Japan. Relocation-firm perspective; useful for visa, tax, and relocation-logistics overview.
- Japan Dev, Software Developer Salaries in Japan (Ultimate Guide). The most-frequently-updated single salary guide for foreign engineers; cross-references TokyoDev survey and company glassdoor data.
- TokyoDev, Software Developer Salaries in Japan. Annual survey-based salary report; the highest-trust single source for foreign engineer comp in Japan.
English-friendly job boards
Boards where English-language listings are first-class citizens:
| Board | Best for | Honest note |
|---|---|---|
| GaijinPot Jobs | General foreign-hire roles, broad coverage | High volume; quality varies. Skews toward eikaiwa, hospitality, ALT roles, tech is thin. Free. |
| Japan Dev | Software engineering, visa-sponsoring, English-OK | Heavily curated; only foreigner-friendly tech companies. Smaller pool but near-zero noise. Free. |
| TokyoDev | Tech engineering jobs in Tokyo | The single highest-quality tech board for foreigners. Smaller pool than JapanDev but companies are vetted. Free. Runs an annual developer survey worth reading. |
| LinkedIn Jobs (Japan) | Mid- to senior- level roles at foreign-cap companies | Set country to Japan. Foreign-cap firms (FAANG, Stripe, Datadog, Notion) post here heavily. Premium account ($30/mo) noticeably improves recruiter-inbound flow. |
| Daijob | Bilingual professional roles, finance, consulting, marketing | Reputable Japanese-domestic board with a strong bilingual focus. Better for ¥8M+ bilingual roles than entry-level. |
| CareerCross | Bilingual professional roles, particularly finance and consulting | One of the longest-running bilingual boards. Heavier on Japanese-headquartered and traditional foreign-cap (banks, consulting); lighter on modern tech. |
| YOLO Japan | Part-time, entry-level, and hospitality roles for foreigners | Good for short-term and gig roles. Lower quality for career-track professional jobs. |
| Indeed Japan | Volume, every role in Japan eventually appears here | Use it for breadth, not first-pass quality. Indeed aggregates; many postings are stale or duplicated. |
| Robert Half Japan | Finance, accounting, tech, recruiter-mediated | Specialist recruiter with strong bilingual finance / IT coverage. Best for ¥8M+ professional roles. |
| Jobs in Japan | English-teaching, eikaiwa, general foreign-friendly roles | Wide ALT and eikaiwa coverage; also some general English-OK roles. Mid-tier quality. |
| Skillhouse | IT contract and contract-to-perm roles | Long-standing English-friendly IT contractor placement. Specialty: bilingual devs and SREs at foreign-cap firms. |
Japanese-language job boards
If you have JLPT N2+ Japanese, these dramatically expand your access. Many are domestic-only and have no English UI. Use a translator extension if needed.
| Board | Best for | Honest note |
|---|---|---|
| Doda | Mid-career professionals, every sector | One of Japan's largest job boards. Doubles as a recruiter platform: a Doda career advisor will be assigned after you register. |
| en-japan / en転職 | Mid-career professionals, every sector | Mass-market board for Japanese candidates. Some bilingual filtering exists but English UI is limited. |
| Baitoru (foreign-resident version) | Part-time and hourly work, hospitality, retail, dining | Pivoted recently with an English-language landing for foreign residents. Useful for student / dependent / spouse visa holders looking for hourly income. |
| Arigato Work | SSW visa, blue-collar and specialised-skill workers | Designed for Specified Skilled Worker visa holders. Coverage spans construction, agriculture, food service, manufacturing. |
| BizReach | Mid-to-senior professional roles, ¥7M+ | Recruiter platform with paid candidate subscription (¥5,500/month). Most serious Japanese-domestic recruiters source candidates here. Premium membership unlocks scout messages from C-suite-level roles. |
| Geekly | IT and game-industry engineering | Specialist IT recruiter for the Japanese-domestic tech market. Strong on Japanese gaming and IT consulting; weaker on foreign-cap firms. |
| Wantedly | Tokyo startups and modern tech employers | Story-driven posts with company culture front and centre; the de facto board for Tokyo startups. Set up a full bilingual profile to attract inbound. |
| Robert Walters Japan | Bilingual professional placements, finance, marketing, sales, legal | The leading specialist bilingual recruiter in Japan. Strong network with foreign-cap firms; publishes the most-quoted annual salary survey. |
| Next in Japan | SSW-visa hospitality, food, manufacturing, care | Specialist board for Specified Skilled Worker positions. Good search filters by visa category. |
| Mynavi Global | Bilingual mid-career roles across sectors | Mynavi's global-talent recruiter arm. Strong bilingual coverage especially at Japanese conglomerates and traditional industrial firms. |
| TownWork | Local / hourly / part-time across Japan | Recruit Holdings' mass-market local-job board. Useful for spouse / dependent visa holders looking for part-time near home. Japanese only. |
| en agent | Mid-career bilingual roles via en-japan group | The recruiter-side of en-japan. Solid bilingual coverage in IT, finance, and engineering. |
| Skillhouse (Japanese-language) | IT contract / permanent placements | Same firm as the English Skillhouse listing above; the Japanese-language site has broader coverage. |
Recruiters & specialist agencies
Specialist recruiters worth registering with at senior levels (¥9M+):
- Robert Walters Japan, bilingual professional, finance, consulting, marketing, legal. The most prolific senior placer.
- Michael Page Japan, finance, legal, marketing, sales, property. Strong at ¥10M+.
- Hays Japan, finance, accounting, IT, legal. Mid-market focus.
- Robert Half Japan, finance and accounting specialty; also tech.
- en world Japan, bilingual mid-to-senior; broad sector coverage.
- JAC Recruitment, Japan's largest domestic bilingual recruiter. Strong at Japanese-headquartered firms.
- Pro-Recruitment Group (Pasona Tech, RGF, Pro-Recruitment Network), bilingual professional placements.
- Computer Futures / SThree Japan, IT contractors and permanent.
- Morgan McKinley Japan, finance specialist.
- Spring Professional (Adecco group), bilingual professional across sectors.
- JAC International, premium executive search.
- Wahl & Case, tech specialist; senior IC and management placements.
- Tokyo Connect, boutique tech / startup recruiter.
Tech-specific boards & communities
- TokyoDev, already mentioned. Pair the board with the TokyoDev articles and the TokyoDev Slack community, the latter is the best foreign-engineer community in Japan.
- JapanDev, already mentioned; pair with the company-detail pages.
- ITmedia Engineer, Japanese-language tech career news.
- Qiita Jobs, engineer-community job board; Japanese-language but vetted tech roles.
- Findy, Japanese tech recruiter using GitHub activity for matching. Useful if your GitHub is active.
- Forkwell, Japanese-language engineering board with a strong startup pipeline.
- Green, Japanese-language IT job board; mid-market employer focus.
- Lapras, Japanese-language engineering platform; useful if you have Japanese GitHub / Qiita visibility.
Teaching-specific boards
- JET Programme, the official Japanese Exchange and Teaching programme. Annual application October–November.
- O-Hayo Sensei, a long-running aggregator of English-teaching listings; free, biweekly newsletter.
- Jobs in Japan, Teaching, broad ALT, eikaiwa, university coverage.
- Search Associates, international school recruitment fair (credentialed teachers).
- ISS, International Schools Services, another international school recruitment fair operator.
- The Council of International Schools (CIS), placement for credentialed teachers.
- JREC-IN, Japan Research Career Information Network. Official university and research-position board; English UI available.
Finance & professional services boards
- eFinancialCareers Japan, finance specialist board.
- Robert Walters Japan (also listed above).
- Michael Page Japan (also listed above).
- Direct application via firm careers pages: Goldman Sachs Japan, Morgan Stanley MUFG, JPMorgan Securities Japan, BofA Securities Japan, Citi Japan, UBS Japan, Deutsche Bank Tokyo, Barclays Japan, Nomura, Daiwa, Mizuho Securities, MUFG Securities, SMBC Nikko, each runs its own graduate and lateral hiring.
- Big Four Japan careers pages: KPMG AZSA, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, EY ShinNihon, PwC Aarata.
- Consulting firm careers: McKinsey Tokyo, BCG Tokyo, Bain Tokyo, Accenture Japan, Deloitte Consulting, EY Strategy & Transactions, ZS Associates, ADL.
Resources for learning Japanese
| Tool | Best for | Honest note |
|---|---|---|
| Tokini Andy | Beginner → intermediate; structured video learning | Free Genki I/II walkthrough plus paid premium courses. Andy's pace and warmth are ideal for self-learners. |
| WaniKani | Kanji + vocab via SRS | The single highest-leverage tool for kanji. ¥10,000/year or lifetime ¥30,000. Plan for 18–24 months to reach the equivalent of N3 kanji. |
| Tofugu | Article-style learning; grammar deep-dives | Sister site to WaniKani. Best free single source for Japanese-grammar explainers in English. |
| Bunpro | Grammar SRS, N5 → N1 | The best paid (¥6,000/yr) grammar SRS tool. Pairs perfectly with WaniKani. |
| r/LearnJapanese | Community, recommendations, motivation | Active subreddit; weekly question thread is the easiest entry point to ask for advice. |
| JLPT Official Site | Test registration, levels, dates | Twice-yearly test; registration windows close 3 months ahead. Confirm local test centre. |
| iTalki | 1-on-1 Japanese tutors | $10–25/hr for community tutors; $25–40/hr for professional teachers. The single best leverage for conversation fluency. |
| Anki | Custom SRS vocab decks | Free desktop and Android; iOS app is paid. Most foreign learners pair Tango N5–N1 decks with Anki for 10,000-word coverage by N1. |
| NHK Easy News | Reading practice at N3–N2 level | Free; daily news in furigana-annotated easier Japanese. |
| Jisho | Online Japanese dictionary | Free; cross-referenced kanji + vocab. The standard look-up tool. |
| Shin Kanzen Master series | JLPT exam prep, N5 to N1 | The gold-standard Japanese-language JLPT prep textbooks. Buy at Kinokuniya or via Amazon. |
| So Matome series | JLPT prep, gentler than Shin Kanzen Master | The "lighter" version of Shin Kanzen. Better for first attempts; pair with Shin Kanzen for the retake. |
Communities & forums
- r/japanlife, most-active English-language Japan living/working subreddit. Search before posting.
- r/cscareerquestionsJP, tech career questions specific to Japan.
- r/teachinginjapan, ALT, eikaiwa, university teaching reviews and questions.
- r/movingtojapan, visa, relocation, and first-year questions.
- r/LearnJapanese, language-learning community.
- TokyoDev Slack, foreign engineer community.
- Tokyo Indies / GDG Tokyo / PyCon Japan / JaSST Tokyo, Tokyo-based developer meetups; in-person + Slack.
- InterNations Tokyo, broad international community, monthly mixers.
- Tokyo Mesh, founder/operator community.
- JapanFinance Discord / r/JapanFinance, tax, investing, mortgages, NISA in Japan.
Salary data & benchmarking
- TokyoDev annual developer survey, the most-trusted single source for foreign engineer comp in Japan.
- Robert Walters Japan Salary Survey, comprehensive annual report across 11 sectors, 589 roles. Free PDF after registration.
- Hays Salary Guide Japan, annual benchmark across sectors.
- JapanDev salary guide, frequently-updated rolling guide; cross-references survey and company data.
- Levels.fyi, for FAANG Tokyo specifically (Google Japan, Amazon Japan, Microsoft Japan offered comp). User-submitted.
- Glassdoor Japan, broad; quality varies by company.
- OpenWork (旧Vorkers), Japan-specific Glassdoor equivalent; Japanese-language but highly accurate workplace reviews.
Visa & immigration resources
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan ( official site), visa categories, application forms, processing times.
- MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) ( mofa.go.jp), visa application info, especially HSP and J-Find.
- JNTO J-Find programme info, 2-year job-hunt visa for top global university graduates.
- FRESC (Foreign Residents' Support Center, Roppongi), multilingual visa, labour, and life-support consultations.
- Wevisa.io, private platform for HSP point calculation and tracking.
- r/JapanResidency, community with detailed status-change and PR application discussion.
Daily life, banking, housing, healthcare
- SBI Shinsei Bank, foreigner-friendly bilingual online banking.
- SMBC Trust (PRESTIA), full-service bilingual bank with multi-currency accounts.
- Rakuten Bank / Sony Bank, online-first; foreign-friendly account opening.
- Wise, international transfers at low cost.
- GaijinPot Housing / Sakura House / Oakhouse, foreigner-friendly rental listings.
- Tokyo Medical and Surgical Clinic, Tokyo Midtown Clinic, King Clinic, English-language medical services (Tokyo).
- Japan Healthcare Info, bilingual medical translation service.
- Pasonal (旧Pasona Career), career and life-admin advisory for foreigners.
How to evaluate a job-board listing's quality
Before applying to any listing, run it through these checks:
- Salary range disclosed? Listings without a stated range or with only "応相談" (negotiable) are 30–50% more likely to underpay than listings with explicit ranges.
- Visa sponsorship explicit? The phrase "visa sponsorship available" should appear in writing. Vague language like "depending on candidate" often means no.
- "Always hiring" pattern. Search the job title + company name on Indeed and LinkedIn. If the same role has been live for 6+ months, assume high turnover.
- Company Glassdoor / OpenWork rating. Under 3.0 average is a strong warning. Read the cons sections, not the pros.
- Recent funding announcements (for startups). Lapras / ForStartups / TechCrunch Japan publish funding events. A startup hiring 18 months after their last funding round on a vague salary is a risk.
- Foreign employees on LinkedIn. Search "company name" plus country names. Companies with foreign employees who've stayed 3+ years are almost always safe; ones with no current foreigners or very short tenures are uncertain.
- Cross-check with our companies registry , the firms profiled there have been pre-vetted for visa sponsorship and foreigner-friendliness.
Missing a resource? Send us a note via the community page.
We update this directory quarterly.
Reddit & forums, where foreigners actually talk
- r/japanlife, the big one for living-in-Japan logistics: visas, housing, banking, taxes, daily-life problem-solving. Search before posting; most questions are answered.
- r/japanresidents, r/movingtojapan, relocation-stage questions.
- r/teachinginjapan, ALT/eikaiwa reality, company reputations.
- r/LearnJapanese, study methods, the famous "Daily Thread."
- TokyoDev Discord & forums, software-engineer-specific, high signal.
- Gaijinpot & Japan-Guide forums, older but searchable archives.
Forum etiquette that gets you good answers: state your visa status,
location, and what you've already checked. "How do I open a bank account?" gets eye-rolls;
"Shinsei rejected me at 4 months in, who else opens for new arrivals?" gets real help.
Company review sites (the OpenWork layer)
- OpenWork (旧 Vorkers), Japan's leading employee-review site; detailed, Japanese-language, brutally honest on overtime and culture. The single best black-company check.
- JobHouse, Lighthouse (旧カイシャの評判), more Japanese review aggregators.
- Glassdoor, thinner for Japanese firms, useful for foreign-capital ones.
- LinkedIn, check whether people stay (tenure) and where they go next; mass exits to competitors are a tell.
Salary data sources worth trusting
- TokyoDev Developer Survey (annual), the gold standard for foreign software engineers in Japan; granular by company type and experience.
- levels.fyi, global-tech leveling and comp, increasingly populated for Tokyo offices of FAANG-type firms.
- Robert Walters / Hays / Michael Page salary surveys, bilingual professional roles across finance, legal, marketing, sales.
- This site's live salary insights, percentiles computed from current listings.
Language-learning stack
- SRS: Anki, WaniKani (kanji).
- Grammar: Bunpro, Genki / Tobira textbooks, Shin Kanzen Master (N2–N1).
- Speaking: italki, Preply, HelloTalk/Tandem, local Meetups.
- Listening/reading: NHK Easy News, Satori Reader, Nihongo con Teppei, comprehensible-input YouTube.
Official / government sources
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁), the authority on visas, COE, residence procedures.
- Japan Pension Service (日本年金機構), pension, the lump-sum withdrawal.
- National Tax Agency (国税庁), income/residence tax, the tax representative.
- Your municipality's website, ward-specific childcare, allowances, garbage rules (yes, garbage sorting is real and local).
- JNTO multilingual medical directory, English-speaking clinics.
Staying current on rule changes
Immigration and tax rules move (this very page reflects 2025–26 changes: digital COE, the PR income floor, the pension cap reform, the Business Manager tightening). Stay current via the Immigration Services Agency announcements, r/japanlife's recurring threads, and English explainer sites like TokyoDev, Japan Dev, and Tokyo Cheapo. When a forum post and an official source disagree, trust the official source, and treat anything more than a year or two old as possibly stale.
Frequently asked questions
Where do foreigners in Japan ask questions and get help online?
The best communities: r/japanlife (visas, housing, banking, taxes, daily-life problem-solving), r/movingtojapan (relocation stage), r/teachinginjapan (ALT/eikaiwa), r/LearnJapanese (study), and the TokyoDev Discord/forums for engineers. State your visa status, location, and what you've already checked to get good answers.
How do I research a Japanese company before applying?
OpenWork (旧 Vorkers) is the leading employee-review site, detailed, honest on overtime and culture. Also check JobHouse and Lighthouse (Japanese), Glassdoor (better for foreign-capital firms), and LinkedIn for employee tenure and where people go next. Google the company name plus ブラック as a quick black-company check.
What's the best way to learn Japanese for work?
A proven stack: Anki or WaniKani for vocab/kanji (SRS), Bunpro plus the Genki/Tobira textbooks for grammar, italki/Preply and HelloTalk for speaking, and NHK Easy News + Satori Reader for reading. Crucially, practise speaking in parallel with test prep, that's what wins interviews, which the JLPT alone never measures.
Where can I find reliable salary data for Japan?
For engineers, the TokyoDev Developer Survey is the gold standard (granular by company type and experience). levels.fyi covers global-tech leveling and increasingly Tokyo offices. The Robert Walters, Hays, and Michael Page salary surveys cover bilingual finance, legal, marketing, and sales roles. This site's live salary insights compute percentiles from current listings.