Ask HN: Moving to Tokyo as a software engineer

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16228317

by japanaway • 8 years ago

17 30 8 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I have noticed that there are many folks living in Japan as a software engineer on here, and I figured this would be one of the best places to ask this.

How hard is it to find work in Tokyo for someone that does not speak Japanese? I'm in my mid-20s, at the 'senior' level equivalent at a FAANG company, and willing to take a pay cut for the experience.

dvhh• 8 years ago

You might need to find a company that provide visa sponsorship, some recruiting company are willing to do the paperwork, there is a surprising amount of company in Tokyo where you could work using only English.

Although Everyday life could be difficult without knowing a little of Japanese language and renting apartment is quite expensive at the start.

TokyoKid2• 8 years ago

There's a secret way to go to Japan on a very long visa: start your own company with a Japanese co-fouder and go there on a management visa. You can get up to a 5-year visa and it does NOT require a $50k investment.

If you want to stay longer, the only option through marriage.

japanaway5• 8 years ago

start your own company with a Japanese co-fouder and go there on a management visa

Will look into this, thanks!

agibsonccc2• 8 years ago

This is what I did. I hired someone already local and he handed the company to me (didn't want risk, mainly wanted the salary, we were already well funded) Be aware it does take a bit of capital though.

TokyoKid2• 8 years ago

Is there anyway we could get in touch? I'd like to have someone I could ask questions once I do this myself.

seanmcdirmid6• 8 years ago

Tokyo in general pays less than America or even China for software engineers, just be warned. If you are at Google, you can see if you can work in their office there. Facebook also has a Japanese operation, but most of it is localization rather than worldwide R&D. A friend of mine worked as a designer for Phillips for a few years and enjoyed it, but I don't know of many engineers who did the same.

To be honest, if you really are that senior, it would be much easier and financially rewarding to work in China if you are interested in Asia.

japanaway5• 8 years ago

Wow, I knew that Japan compensated engineers poorly but didn't realize that China pays well in comparison.

Unfortunately, money isn't as much the issue. I can afford and would be willing to live in Tokyo for a couple years and work on side projects, but this is not possible visa-wise.

seanmcdirmid6• 8 years ago

It isn't that Japan compensates senior engineers poorly, it is just that China compensates them well.

If all you want to do is work away there and you aren't concerned about pay, maybe you could get a job as a visiting researcher or teacher.

etatoby3• 8 years ago

If your only problem is the visa, you can do what I'm planning to do starting this July: enroll in a Japanese language school in Tokyo.

They have very affordable tuition (compared to college), they will take care of the visa for you, up to 2 years, you will have half the day and the weekends off, to see the country and/or work on side projects on your own, and you will be learning the language to boot.

wingerlang3• 8 years ago

Do you know if China have hard requirements of a degree? Or is X years of working experience good enough?

seanmcdirmid6• 8 years ago

Yes. Not that I’m aware of.

One of my ex bosses came to china without a degree and they wouldn’t issue him the work permit. He had to beg the university he attended but barely didn’t graduate from to issue him a degree with his work experience used for the remaining credits.

carlmr2• 8 years ago

I'm more interested in China than OP. How would I go about finding a job in China? Ideally 1-2 years. My Chinese is mamahuhu.

seanmcdirmid6• 8 years ago

If you are a good experienced programmer, try Microsoft China.

jason_slack• 8 years ago

As someone (who is white) that works for a China company, mamahuhu (马马虎虎) may or may not be enough. I have been learning for years and still have speaking gaps, however I can read and write way better.

dbosch2• 8 years ago

I don't know your citizenship. But if you are from an eligible country (france, UK, Germany...) you are still eligible for a Working Holiday visa. It's a 1 year visa, quite easy to get. Unfortunately, the US citizens are not allowed to obtain this visa.

I lived in Tokyo for a year, and it's actually quite easy to get a job as a computer engineer there. Several of my friend came with a tourist visa (or Working Holiday visa) and managed to get a visa sponsorship from companies who wanted to hire them. I'm not saying it's super easy, but it is doable. And believe me, there is a shortage of web / mobile engineer in Tokyo.

Finally, don't worry too much about the gap year. Just go there and you'll find something. Go to events and meetups and you ll find plenty of people to talk to. You'll find a lot of opportunities that way.

Wish you the best

japanaway5• 8 years ago

Unfortunately my US citizenship precludes the working holiday route. I will look in to attending meetups the next time I'm over there, though.

dbosch2• 8 years ago

check out the '500 startups' meetup: https://500startups.jp/bilinguals-gaijins-in-startups/ plenty of startups of their portfolio looking for engineers

you can also have a look at this guy blog: http://www.tokyodev.com/ lots of tips on how to work as a gaijin engineer in japan

cattlefarmer• 8 years ago

You're also welcomed to join the hntokoy slack channel. There was a thread just last week asking exactly the same question.

https://hntokyo.io

japanaway5• 8 years ago

I'll check it out, thank you!

zumu• 8 years ago

Try to work for a western company -- you will most likely get paid more, and the culture will be much more relaxed. Being in Japan will be enough of a culture shock, imho.

Ask HN: Moving to Tokyo as a software engineer

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