// Featured Article
What is it like to be openly gay at work in Japan? Four men in tech share their experiences of acceptance, workplace culture, community, and LGBTQ+ rights.
// TokyoDev Basics
Survey 2025
TokyoDev conducts annual surveys on developer compensation, demographics, remote work opportunities, job-searching, technologies and more.
// Collections
// Living in Japan (Show all)
From Tokyo recruiter to rural farmer: one foreigner’s journey into regenerative farming, community, and a different way of life in Japan.
At 40, a longtime Japan resident decided to join a band. Here’s what he learned about finding bandmates, rehearsing, and playing live shows in Japan.
Learn what daily life is like for a Muslim software engineer in Japan, including halal food, Friday prayers, Ramadan, and workplace accommodations.
Feeling overwhelmed by Japan’s intensive gift-giving culture? Here are my personal experiences, suggestions, and survival strategies.
This article is informed primarily by my experiences as a deaf American living in Japan for the last 16 years. It covers the challenges someone with a disability will face and the accommodations available.
Learn how public libraries in Japan work, including who can get a library card, how to register, borrow and reserve books, and find English-language books.
What is Toastmasters like in Japan? A personal look at joining a Fukuoka club, improving public speaking, and making friends across cultures and generations.
// Developer Experiences (Show all)
Ann Kilzer relates her crash-landing in Tokyo, the work and lifestyle changes she’s observed, and why it’s so important to take time to understand Japan.
Richard Ramsden, CTO at Degica, talks about why which company you work for in Japan makes all the difference.
Deputy Manager Anditto Heristyo explains the importance of finding the right cultural balance at work, and why you should always choose the high road.
Engineering Manager Matthew Gillingham talks about the engineer shortage in Japan, the pros and cons of not being Japanese, and his top two tips for other developers.
Five developers share the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a game developer in Japan, and their top tips for entering the industry.
What is a black company in Japan? A foreign software engineer shares the warning signs, labour-law issues, and tactics they experienced—and how to avoid them.
Living in Kumamoto, Alamsyah shares what remote tech work in regional Japan is really like, including the trade-offs it comes with.
// Job Hunting (Show all)
Learn how new grads are hired in Japan and how to improve your chances of getting a tech job in Japan.
This article aims helps you understand the structure of recruiting in Japan and assist you in your job search, with a focus on those looking to work as an engineer in Japan.
A guide to understanding your chances of getting a job as a programmer in Japan are, and what the first steps you can take are.
// Working Conditions (Show all)
This article will help you understand what holidays you’re entitled to receive in Japan, along with what you can expect to be able to actually take.
An overview of the legal and cultural context for age discrimination in Japan's tech industry.
A PIP in Japan rarely ends your employment—but believing it will often does. Here’s what to do if you receive a PIP.
A deep dive on what’s legal, why companies include fixed overtime in contracts, and how much overtime international developers in Japan really work.
// Visas (Show all)
Curious about living in Japan? Learn from Christian, one of the first digital nomad visa holders, as he shares his experience and tips for obtaining the visa.
The complete guide to visas that permit you to work as a full time software developer in Japan.
Learn what Japan’s Temporary Visitor status allows, including remote work, business trips, internships, job interviews, and incidental paid activities.
Get insight into the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of naturalizing in Japan, via the personal experiences of two IT professionals who successfully became citizens.
// Japanese Society (Show all)
While Japanese agencies continue to dominate the industry, non-Japanese VTubers are forging their own unique paths to success.
How Japan's labor shortage equals career opportunities for certain international developers.
In 1985, D&D had a massively successful release in Japan. However, its popularity quickly waned. This article chronicles the rise and fall of D&D in Japan.
// Working in Japan (Show all)
What does 20 years of improv comedy teach about leading product teams in Japan? Four practical habits for listening, collaboration, and resilience.
A guide to tech meetups in Tokyo, including where to find them and the differences between Japanese and English meetups.
The benefits, conflicts, and cultural caveats of balancing executive leadership and board director roles in Japan.
If you’re a software developer in Japan, you may wonder if the JLPT is worth your time. Here’s my take on the exam, and who it’s really good for.
// Relocating to Japan (Show all)
International students at Japanese vocational schools are rising fast. Two recent graduates share the costs, benefits, challenges, and how they landed developer jobs.
We’ve gathered statistics, other developers’ experiences, and advice from industry professionals to help you decide if you want to move to Japan, and what your best visa and job options are.
This guide to finding an apartment in Japan helps you understand the costs involved, and how to go about looking for a place to call your own.
Thinking about moving to Japan with your pet? Read this article now, as you might need to prepare almost a year in advance.
How much money do you need to make to live comfortably in Japan? This article helps you build a rough estimate
Learn how the Fundamental Information Technology Engineer Examination opens doors to Japan without a degree or extensive experience. Thomas shares his journey.
// Family Life
How developers can bring their spouse and children to Japan.
An overview of Japanese vs. international schools, and what you can expect from the public school system.
Navigating childcare in Japan? Discover a variety of options tailored to your location, your child's age, and the season. Start here for a comprehensive guide to common childcare services.
An overview of Japan's paternity leave system, including the options and benefits available.
Drawing on my experience raising a neurodivergent child here, this article explores the support available in Japanese schools and what families can expect when navigating the system.
Research shows that speaking two languages at home doesn’t ensure your children will become bilingual. Here’s how I'm raising my children to comfortably speak both English and Japanese.
A recent update to the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act expands the benefits available for employees with small children. But are there downsides?
Save up to ¥4,400 per child on a babysitter with this government subsidy.
// Resumes and Interviewing (Show all)
Nine recruiters go into detail on what causes them to accept or reject candidates’ resumes, and how to improve your chance of success.
A guide for how to format an English CV when applying to a company in Japan.
How to write a Japanese shokumu keirekisho (職務経歴書) for developer jobs in Japan—when to use it, what to include, and how to impress recruiters.
The Japanese-style "casual meeting" is a terrific way to find out whether you're suited for a particular company and whether that company is a good fit for you.
// Business in Japan (Show all)
An overview of the gotchas when incorporating a company in Japan based on my personal experience of incorporating three of them.
How starting a meetup in rural Japan helped build community, create business opportunities, and connect local developers, designers, and entrepreneurs.
Considering starting a business in Japan? Learn when a sole proprietorship is enough, when a company makes sense, and the real tradeoffs in taxes, liability, and ownership.
How to transfer contracts and IP from an individual to a Japanese company.
In October 2022, new regulations were put into place that put legal requirements on job board operators.
// Diversity & Identity (Show all)
What is it like to be openly gay at work in Japan? Four men in tech share their experiences of acceptance, workplace culture, community, and LGBTQ+ rights.
A trans woman shares her experience moving to Japan, from finding gender-affirming healthcare and work to building friendships and navigating daily life.
Telling the experiences of women who work as software developers in Japan, covering the positives and negatives of working here.
// Technology in Japan (Show all)
A behind-the-scenes look at identity verification in Japan, from eKYC and MyNumber to residence cards, foreign resident edge cases, and upcoming changes.
The humble Suica card was developed in the 90’s and has kept Japan moving for almost three decades. Here’s the story of how it came to be.
An interview with Makoto Ueki, the founder of a web accessibility consultancy that services large Japanese clients, about web accessibility in Japan.
// Japanese Language (Show all)
What is “reading the air”? Why do Japanese people ignore me sometimes?
Passing the JLPT N2 is one thing, but actively managing projects in Japanese is another. This is how I used Magic: The Gathering to bridge the gap from academic study to professional confidence in Tokyo.
Working on an international tech team comes with communication challenges that go beyond just language. Here’s some practical advice I’ve gathered in my ten years of working in Japan.
// Hiring Developers (Show all)
Practical tips for writing job postings that attract the developers you want to hire, based on reviewing 1,000+ postings and seeing what truly works.
Strategies for not only attracting more women as candidates, but also helping you to hire and retain them.
Japanese businesses discuss the two main problems they have encountered hiring internationally, and their solutions.
Discover how Eugene designed a hiring process that reviewed 1,500 applications to hire 15 engineers, focusing on technical skills and mission-driven passion.
// Startups (Show all)
Investing 1000+ hours and ¥8 million in developer communities hasn’t brought much in direct returns but has still been the key to my startups' success.
This is the story of how the site has evolved from its humble origins as my personal blog to a flourishing job board and community that serves tens of thousands of visitors per month.
After working on it for more than ten years, I sold Doorkeeper, an event management platform I bootstrapped.
Learn to calculate your business’s growth ceiling using key metrics like churn rate and customer acquisition.
// Salaries (Show all)
Compiles various sources for software developer salary data to help you judge the market.
Wading through the cultural differences to maximize your salary as an expat in Japan's tech industry.
Companies in Japan can roughly figure out what you made at your previous job, so you might be caught if you exaggerate your compensation.
// Software Development (Show all)
As adding more code to a product will slow down development, we should view all code as technical debt.
A step by step guide on how I used a migration to fix the typo in the has_one_attached association.
This article covers a zero-downtime approach for migrating from Paperclip to Active Storage in Rails, focusing on best practices for smooth transitions.
Learn how to generate social images for static sites using tools like HCTI API and Middleman, ensuring a smooth process for creating shareable visuals at build time.
Safari 12.1.1 has a bug causing crashes when clicking ruby tags, particularly with Japanese kanji readings.
// Studying in Japan (Show all)
An American MEXT scholar shares the pros and cons of doing a PhD in Japan, from funding and part-time work to university life and career options.
A MEXT scholar shares what graduate school in Japan is really like, from lab culture and language barriers to landing a tech job before graduation.
Johannes describes his experience doing a master’s program in computer science at the University of Tokyo.
// Mental Health
This article describes the mental health challenges a foreigner working in Japan may experience, and the available resources.
Mental health leave in Japan is nothing to be ashamed of. Learn how the country's medical leave system can support your recovery.
An account of my experiences dealing with my mental health while navigating the Japanese medical system.
// Announcements (Show all)
TokyoDev reimburses sponsored events up to ¥1,000 per attendee—typically enough to cover pizza and drinks.
Our annual developer survey is now live! If you’re a software developer living in Japan, please help us by taking it.
Paul shares red flags to look for, tips for catching scammers, and how TokyoDev is handling these fake job applicants.
Reflections on 2025's milestones for TokyoDev and what they mean for us going forward.
TokyoDev's 2025 Developer Survey had 989 respondents. Explore insights on pay, remote work, the gender gap, job satisfaction, and more!
Resumes from 460 individuals submitted to TokyoDev were accidentally exposed on Bing. We explain who was affected, why it happened, and our response.
// Freelancing
Learn how a freelance Data and ML Engineer built a successful career in Japan, including setup, finding clients, what clients expect, and the financial side.
// Event Reports (Show all)
Recapping RubyKaigi 2025, three days in Matsuyama packed full of learnings, meetings, and mikan.
Recapping my first RubyKaigi - an unforgettable community experience.
A summary of TokyoDev's activities at the world's largest Ruby conference.
Tokyu RubyKaigi was one of the more unique conferences I've been to — and it was a lot of fun.
Tokyo Rubyist Meetup’s first pair programming event brought Japanese and international developers together through hands-on collaboration—here’s how it unfolded.
// Company Profiles
What is it like to work as an engineer in a multinational team at a Japanese company? Givery offers a case study.
How one of Japan's first B2B software companies has built an English-speaking team from scratch.
Forkwell is a platform for engineers to showcase their skills and network. It allows users to endorse each other's abilities, helping engineers find jobs and companies find talent more efficiently.
// Misc
TokyoDev's LinkedIn page was taken down due to broken automation on their side. Here's what happened.
After my lost MacBook was returned to me with an Activation Lock on it, Apple refused to unlock it. Only after emailing Tim Cook could I get it unlocked.
How I had paid ¥77,619 (500 USD) to have a bricked MacBook returned to me.
// Karuizawa
A parent’s guide to the best things to do with kids in Karuizawa, from playgrounds and easy hikes to ice skating, pools, museums, and nearby day trips.
Personal impressions of coworking spaces and other places to work in the town of Karuizawa, where I currently live.