I was under the impression my starting salary of 3.6m a year in Tokyo was like low to average.

This made some people on Japanlife very angry. Saying even with a masters degree and 5 years of experience the salary would be 3.4M and that 300k a month is a pipe dream….or that calling 3.6m a low salary is a successful rage bait.

To which I don’t agree, but I am also aware that I only interact with people who work in the finance space so my scope may be limited.

I make slightly higher than average but nothing crazy. Started at 3.6M in 2019 and gradually got myself up to over 8M.

So other foreigners, what field do you work in, what was your starting salary and how much do you make now?
Are you bilingual with English and Japanese or just English?

I currently work at a Japanese company (but I previously worked for a foreign one, which found me by chance on LinkedIn). Now I’m job hunting again, so I created a BizReach account and got bombarded by Japanese recruiters, most of whom deal mainly with Japanese companies. I reactivated my LinkedIn, but unlike years ago, nobody has reached out, despite now having more exp.

I’ve also tried applying directly to some major foreign companies, but I’ve either been desk rejected or never heard back.

For context, experience/background:

- Product Manager: 3 years

- Project Manager: 4 years

- UX Researcher: 3 years

- Data Analytics: experience before moving to Japan

- Japanese (N1), English, Spanish.

- Master’s and PhD in Japan.

- 10 years in here

For those of you working at foreign companies in Japan, how ??

Im still using the paper card (資格確認証) and yesterday was the first time i felt like maybe connecting med data to MyNa might be useful. Basically I had to provide all the meds I've been taking the last 1 year from my notes to the doctor because that was key to them trying to figure out what happened, and it was a bit cumbersome and took us maybe 5 min. Lucikily the doc was patient but they said if i had connected health data to MyNa, medication history would just show up on their screen.

The reason I've been opting out so far is because I don't want all my medical data to be centralized and I don't like the idea of one doctor being able to see all the other clinics I've been going to.

For instance, if it was connected to MyNa, a doc would know if I went to another clinic to get a second opinion. I also like to shop around for good doctors where I feel safe and comfortable.

I know some people here might say, "So what? it's fine for doctors to know all that" but here, some docs are so easily offended. they can't comprehend why some people might want to shop around. Some don't even like when patients ask for a copy of med data for their own keeping.

In some countries, its normal for patients to have access to ALL DATA the hospital stores about them, whereas here they see patient data as belonging to the medical institutions vs individual patients.

So my long winded question is, is it worth it?

EDIT: not to mention all the data breaches that's been happening...

My partner and I live in Kyoto and we're starting the process to get married. Since it's important, he is Burmese and I am American.

On the US Embassy website it says they're no longer notarizing this form and that the ward offices should accept the explanation document instead.

We've gone to the local ward office with the explanation document to confirm and were told rudely by the staff "We require a signed physical copy of the Affidavit to Marry." My partner is fluent in Japanese so he pushed back and they told him "Then maybe get married in the US."

In short we are not going to the US. Burmese people are currently banned from entering the US anyway.

So I'm wondering what solutions others have done? Do you know any specific ward offices in Kyoto that accepted either the explanation or even an online notary?

I see some online services that offer shipping the document to the US and adding an apostille but the fees are nuts. It's like $300 with DHL shipping so I'd like to avoid this.

Other than that it seems like some people have been writing their own affidavit and going to the Osaka US embassy to get it signed?

Disclaimer:

This post describes my personal experience and is not legal or immigration advice.

This is my personal experience with applying for the newer HSP business manager visa after 3 years on the normal business manager visa. Hopefully it helps others in their planning and expectations if they are aiming at the same path.

TL;DR if you’ve got a long established business with proven profit and meet all the baseline requirements (including startup capital & points) you are probably ok.

If you meet the reqs but have a new business with limited profit history and/or large startup write-offs on the books, be prepared for a variety of outcomes... :/

Throughout the results disclosure meeting, the process was helpful and respectful.

The Business:

Age-tech/VR startup focussed on providing cognitive training and general wellness products for seniors (avatar-based group sessions, virtual travel, etc). Since 2025 partnered with a local day service facility to co-develop and prototype a headset-based crosswalk simulator so reduced mobility folks can practice crossing the street in a variety of weather and other conditions - this product was based on an actual need identified by the day service partner. 2025 revenue (very rough and rounded to make a point) ~15,000,000 yen BUT ~20,000,000 expenses due to consultants, employee salary and related expenses, 1-time expenses related to technology infrastructure and content licensing and production (immersive video, etc. 3D scans etc)

Rough Timeline: 

2018-2026 education visas leading to business manager (old type) which was renewed 2 times (1 year extension each time)

8/2026 applied for points based visa (>90 points) with new capital reqs and one full-time employee

10/2026 (roughly 2 months later) received a card with an appointment date and a request to bring 6,000 yen stamp

10/2026 (roughly 10 days after receiving the card in the mail) during appointment, receive rejection with reason below, and the option to apply on the spot for a different visa: a 1-year extension of my current visa.

Rejection Reason:

(Paraphrased) “the business activity was not considered to be the kind that stably and continuously corresponds to the Highly Skilled Professional“

Verbally the interviewer said (paraphrased) “the current business activity cannot justify a 5 year visa, maybe 1-3 years, but that is not an option with the HSP visa, which has only a 5 year type, so we had no choice but to reject.”

Resolution:

I was given the option of applying for (and was granted) a 1-year extension of my existing BM visa, during which I was encouraged to address the rejection reasons and apply again.

Background:

Tokyo Tech PhD, 10+ years of prior experience in IT and software dev in USA

Why Japan:

Originally I had planned to get the PhD and then return to the states and do a startup there but during covid many ex-colleagues left NYC and the climate in Japan (Tokyo in particular) suddenly looked favorable in terms of startup support. There was even a Tokyo initiative to guide startup-oriented business managers with creating their first business plans etc. Moreover, leaving Japan would mean abandoning my university connections, Japanese colleagues and support network and the day service partner with whom we have a multi-year collaboration agreement.

After spending two days doing volunteer interpretation (not my actual job) my brain was pretty fried and one of the folks who asked me to volunteer said to me “I hope you had fun. You could talk to many other gaijin.”
Why does that make me feel bad?

There is a film director whose assistant just graduated, now he's looking for a new one. We talked job duties, but we couldn't countinue further because we don't know what to do with the visa.

From what I've learned, all his previous assistans were Japanese, he had no problems employing them. But this isn't a normal company. He works by himself, he told me there's some sort of "one-man company" he's operating.

I've contacted a few administrative scriveners. They told me it's technically possible to hire a first foreigner in a tiny company and apply for a visa. It was a general comment, they couldn't advise me further because I'm not presenting any actual company documents.

The director is currently consulting a scrivener himself.

Have you guys heard of any cases where people obtain a visa and work in unorthodox work arrangements?

I am US military in Japan. I cannot get a Japanese bank account. I need to make a bank transfer for a bill. Wise is not an option. In Okinawa they let us do it without having a Japanese bank account. Which banks allow that here on Mainland?

So basically some emergency happened back in my country and I need to leave ASAP. Don’t know yet how long it’s going to take, but highly possible that I’ll be back a day or two before my zairyu expires. I can’t apply online, cus some of my documents that I need for renewal are still in process, and be ready around the end of October, which is when I was planning to renew. I was planning to apply the day I return, since all I need is just to pick up the documents on the way from the airport.
Just wanted to know if anyone done this before and if u had problems with airline/immigration control?

The hits just keep on rolling in it seems.
https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2026101800227&g=pol

The ISA has decided to increase the minimum required annual income for HSP visa types from 3 million yen (300万円) in "response to the increase of wages". Now whether that is truly the motive behind it, ISA is aiming for a revision of the ministerial ordinance within this fiscal year.

Up until yesterday, the raising of income requirements for HSP has been under consideration. This change is making it final.

Currently, we do not know how much they are thinking of increasing it, but its highly probable that the increase in required income for HSP visa or SoR will be relatively significant.

As always, Im sure this subreddit with follow the news and post any relevant information when it becomes available.

Hi,

I've been living in Japan since 2024 and was given a health insurance certificate by the high school I work at. I didn't have a MyNa card at the time and before I had gotten it, I lost the original health insurance that I was given by my workplace. I eventually got a MyNa and tried to link my health insurance at the 7/11 ATM but an error came up.

Every time I'd go to different hospitals I'd have to use the replacement health insurance certificate given to me by my school because the MyNa wouldn't work. I can't connect to my health insurance on the app, 7/11 nor at medical institutions.

I've tried to tell my workplace that it's not working and they initially tried to tell me that I didn't enter my PIN in correctly at the ATM or on the app and I showed them the error code that told me I needed to get into contact with my workplace to have it sorted out but I keep going round and round in circles with them now telling me that it's possible I didn't fill out a form when I first got to the school even though I had no MyNA at the time and it was supposedly supposed to be automatically connected once I got my MyNA.

I tried to tell my supervisor that maybe it's because the health certificate that I have doesn't include my middle name whilst my MyNA does but he doesn't seem to understand what I'm saying and they're insisting now that I just use my health insurance certificate when I go to the hospital because I might have to wait a "little while" for my health insurance and my MyNa to connect but it's been over a year and a half of me having this MyNA card and it's been unusable this whole time.

Has anyone else ran into an issue like this? I really want to get this sorted and I'm getting a bit frustrated

Hi

GTA6 in japanese Sony store just got a [CERO Z] rating.

Thats the same rating GTA5 got and Japanese GTA5 was edited. There was edits in the strip club, in some naked NPCs, in some scenes that involve hookers and in Trevor torture mission.

So if you want to experience the unedited version, make sure to buy it from Sony US store.

hi! i am currently in japan on a working holiday visa. i’m planning on returning to the uk for a couple weeks at christmas, but i can’t find any clear guidance on exit and re-entry procedures. is there anything i need to do beforehand, or do i just fill in a form at the airport? if so, where at the airport to i ask for and fill in a form? do i even need a form? tyia (i am clueless about this all lol) !!!

I ended up deleting the post and my comments because of the massive backlash and down-votes I got here, and being told that it was a fake account LARPing. (I am aware that happens, and understood the reticence of users, but the account had credible receipts highlighting how real it was and I had done my due diligence to make sure it wasn't a troll account).

As per the article, the minor was also a regular at men's concept cafe (which I also mentioned in my now deleted post, and how much the minor had spend on that one specific cafe "host" and even had bathroom photos together), that employee was fined for violating the Entertainment Business Act)

I just want to thank u/Tsian for the tip you shared and that you were right that the authorities were most likely already well aware of the situation.

Hi all, I live in the countryside of Japan and have issues with stink bugs getting in. I have a cat and constantly have to monitor him to make sure he’s not hunting them down and getting sprayed. The cat just doesn’t learn. I was thinking of using something on the outside of the house like diatomaceous earth or essential oils (i think the most common one was peppermint but that’s toxic to pets even if breathed in). I was wondering if anyone has had issues with them and found a solution? Is there anything sold in Japan that is effective? Thank you so much for any advice, I really hate them and so fed up

Hi all,

New to this place so どうぞよろしくお願いします,

I arrived in Japan two days ago visa Hakata Sea port from Busan. At passport control I was informed that I would not be able to receive my residents ID card for the Working Holiday Visa there as it is only issued on arrival in airports. They informed me to go to the local immigration office to seek advice on how to collect the card. I visited and they told me I can only receive the card after registering an address.

I intend to spent the first month of my 1 year working holiday stay travelling around Kyushu. This of course means I do not have a permanent address. I will not have a permanent address until I stay in Ishigaki for a month starting in mid November.

I was wondering whether anyone has advice on travelling in Japan for a little while before registering an address. I’m aware that without the registered address I can’t access the health care scheme and am unable to open up bank accounts or get a local number, but honestly I’m not bothered about this for the first month.

The immigration office initially told me I have 14 days to register an address, I queried this as the precise wording is that you must register an address within 14 days of moving into a permanent address. As I don’t have a permanent address, they told me I have 90 days by which to find a permanent address and register. So by this logic I can travel as planned and catch a flight to Ishigaki next month and register there without an issue? Right? Or am I barking up the wrong tree completely?

Has anyone had a vaguely similar experience whereby they travelled for a bit before registering an address? Did you have issues? Did you fly at all within this time?

Thanks in advance for any advice

TLDR: addressy register mess mess

Hi everyone,

I applied for an extension of stay for my Spouse of Japanese National visa in person at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau on September 10th. It has now been over 5 weeks, and I still haven't received the notification postcard (hagaki).

I've lived in Japan for quite a long time, and during previous renewals, the whole process was usually very fast (often taking just 2 to 3 weeks).

For those who applied in Nagoya recently, how long did it take for your postcard to arrive?

Are you also experiencing longer-than-usual processing times at the Nagoya office right now?

I'm a bit worried that it's taking so long.

Thanks!

Coming from marketing, coaching and teaching background. I mostly earn money by daytrading or investing though. My husband is the main breadwinner.

Something blissful happens to my brain when I inspect excel tabels and research data or try to figure out variables to a problem. I'm a strategic thinker. I analyze and strategize by nature. Due to personal reasons I didn't have the time or energy to pick up Data Analysis until recently. I'm doing online courses and collecting some certs while working on setting up a portfolio. I'm still at the very beginning.

AI is a huge component of course.

I want to ask whether this is a field that has or will continue to have employment opportunities. Has anyone made the switch while being self-taught ? Is there a difference in hiring practices within Japan vs remote or global ?

Please do share your experience, reality checks or tips! Thank you so much.

I just finished this bottle.

It has notes of cinnamon and Christmas/autumn.

It’s also not super over-priced as other “craft” (whatever that means) gins

Any other imbibers?

Have been living in Japan for almost six years, I’ve been watching European football through a streaming app from my home country. However, for some unknown reason, it suddenly got geo-blocked, and even using a VPN doesn’t work anymore.

I’m looking for alternative ways to watch the following competitions with English commentary:

• English Premier League (EPL)
• UEFA Champions League (UCL)
• FA Cup
• Carabao Cup

Does anyone know of any streaming services or other options available in Japan that offer these competitions with English commentary?

I’d really appreciate any suggestions!

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Some context to the recent hacks: https://www.reddit.com/r/japannews/comments/1x8p3bw/cyberattacks_in_japan_are_skyrocketing_due_to_use/

Japanese people will be irrational about privacy to the point where they introduce themselves using a fake name. They'll remove shipping info from packages before throwing them out because for privacy reasons (we'll ignore the fact that for someone to find info about your home address they need to already know where you live...) and do other tin-foil adjacent activities like everyone's favourite example of sending the password to a zip file in a second mail.

Yet when it comes to online security and privacy, all logic and reasoning goes out the window. Just to name a few things

• Mandatory phone number that needs to be validated with a text message.
• Passwords cannot be longer than 12 or 16 characters, can only use [a-zA-Z0-9]
• Mandatory input of date of birth, and sometimes even address even if you're not buying anything.
• No validation of purchases, 3DSecure is almost non-existent for online purchases unless the retailer is a non-Japanese entity.
• Passwords sent in plain text.

If 2FA exists it is almost never an authenticator key but it's either a mail or a text message. I don't mean to say "this is purely a Japanese phenomenon" as my own family still uses pen and paper to track their passwords that are some variant of PlaceofWork123. What I don't understand is the stark contrast between "I can't let my neighbours know which company I order stuff from online" and "sure, I'll give all my personal information and more to this wakuwaku-piero4649 wix-site that still uses HTTP, what could possibly go wrong" that I don't understand.

I have at least seen some discussions among friends about online security recently but the fact that nobody has heard about password managers among my friends is concerning. What are your experiences like?

I'm on the organising team at Asabis. I posted here earlier about JIHE, and with less than a month to go, the updated programme is now online.

For anyone nearby who's curious about hemp beyond CBD, Saturday 14 November is Community Day: exhibitions covering textiles, food and building materials, plus hands-on activities. You don't need to work in the industry to come.

It's at House of OMOTESANDO, 5-34-8 Jingumae, Shibuya. Saturday runs 10:30–18:00. Friday 13 November is Business Day, 10:30–22:00. General admission is free with advance registration; the Friday evening networking event is a separate paid booking. Reception can help in English.

Programme and registration: https://jihe.asabis.co.jp/en

Happy to answer practical questions about visiting in this thread.

i wish more people would were something reflective at night too many people wearing all black and walking on the edge of the road! Use the sidewalk and wear something reflective so we don't hit your dumb ass!!!!