Recent Articles
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Dealing with Pathological Anxiety in Japan An account of my experiences dealing with my mental health while navigating the Japanese medical system.
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Should Software Developers Take the JLPT? 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.
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What Inclusive Education Really Looks Like in Japan 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.
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Buying and renovating a 40-year-old Japanese house A firsthand look at buying and renovating a cheap used home in Japan, from securing a mortgage to handling unexpected repairs and renovation costs.
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Scam applicants are an increasing problem in Japan Paul shares red flags to look for, tips for catching scammers, and how TokyoDev is handling these fake job applicants.
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Beyond Japan’s Big Cities: Life as a Software Engineer in Kumamoto Living in Kumamoto, Alamsyah shares what remote tech work in regional Japan is really like, including the trade-offs it comes with.
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Is Japanese Citizenship Right for You? Get insight into the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of naturalizing in Japan, via the personal experiences of two IT professionals who successfully became citizens.
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What Is a Bridge Engineer in Japan? Bridge engineers help Japanese and offshore development teams work together effectively by bridging gaps.
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My Deaf Experience in Japan Living with deafness in Japan for nearly 20 years — navigating work, communication, accessibility, and daily life as a deaf resident.
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One Decade of Experience, Zero Offers in Japan—Until I Could Move A front-end developer with a decade of experience, I had no trouble job-hunting in the UK—but Japan was different. Here’s how I got hired.
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How I Used Language School to Land a Japanese Tech Job Language school paved the way to my tech job, and also helped properly prepare me for life in Japan
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Working Out, Gaining Weight, and Building Muscle in Japan—For Cheap From park workouts to budget meals, this guide explains how to gain weight and build muscle in Japan without overspending.
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Investing in Japan When You Might Leave Next Year Avoiding investing in Japan because it feels overwhelming? It’s easier than you think—learn how to get started, even if you don’t plan to stay long.
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Organizing a tech meetup in Japan? TokyoDev will sponsor you. TokyoDev reimburses sponsored events up to ¥1,000 per attendee—typically enough to cover pizza and drinks.
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How Magic: The Gathering Took Me from N2 to Japanese Fluency 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.
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How to Help Japanese NPOs When You Don’t Speak Much Japanese Practical ways to contribute, communicate clearly, and avoid creating extra work.
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A Look Into NaviDial, Japan’s Legacy Phone Service Here’s the story behind Japan’s most controversial phone service, and what you can personally do to avoid being overcharged.
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The PIP Trap: Why Performance Improvement Plans Don’t Mean What You Think in Japan A PIP in Japan rarely ends your employment—but believing it will often does. Here’s what to do if you receive a PIP.
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Raising Bilingual Children in Japan (Without Breaking the Bank) 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.
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Which Visa Makes You Most Attractive to Employers in Japan? Wondering how your visa affects your job prospects in Japan? Learn how employers rank residency statuses when hiring software engineers, from PR to Digital Nomad.
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"Japan Residents Only": Why Some Japanese Firms Won't Hire English-Speaking Developers Internationally From visa hurdles to fraud prevention, here's why many Japanese companies limit hiring to residents of Japan.
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Eight Years in Japan: Planting Early Seeds for Long-Term Success 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.
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Working and Communicating with Japanese Engineers 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.
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Thirteen Years in Japan: Richard Ramsden On Finding Your Company Richard Ramsden, CTO at Degica, talks about why which company you work for in Japan makes all the difference.
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Permanent Residency vs Naturalization in Japan: What Does the Data Tell Us? Official government statistics can help answer questions about immigration in Japan.
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Tech Conferences in Japan Discover the most popular developer conferences in Japan, with details on location, languages, ticket prices, attendance, and dates.
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Fifteen Years In Japan: Anditto Heristyo’s Balancing Act Deputy Manager Anditto Heristyo explains the importance of finding the right cultural balance at work, and why you should always choose the high road.
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Permanent Residency in Japan: Approval Rates and Key Points for Success An administrative scrivener explains important factors in having your permanent residency application successfully approved.
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Twenty Years in Japan: From Mobile Developer to Engineering Manager 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.
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Q&A: The Reality of Labour Contracts in Japan Japanese business expert Yumiko Horie interviews an HR and Labour Law Specialist on what you need to know before signing an employment contract.
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TokyoDev’s 2025 Recap: A Record Year Reflections on 2025's milestones for TokyoDev and what they mean for us going forward.
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Overtime in Japan Explained: Laws, Pay Rates, and Fixed Overtime (Minashi Zangyou) A deep dive on what’s legal, why companies include fixed overtime in contracts, and how much overtime international developers in Japan really work.
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How to Make Friends and Build a Social Circle in Japan Living abroad can be isolating, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Here's everything I learned about making friends in Japan over the course of ten years.
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What Are Software Developers Called In Japan? A breakdown of some of the most common software development job titles in Japan, their practical differences, and the cultural nuances surrounding them.
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Things to Do with Kids in 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.
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The 2025 TokyoDev Developer Survey Results Are Live! TokyoDev's 2025 Developer Survey had 989 respondents. Explore insights on pay, remote work, the gender gap, job satisfaction, and more!
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Attending Vocational School to Get a Developer Job in Japan International students at Japanese vocational schools are rising fast. Two recent graduates share the costs, benefits, challenges, and how they landed developer jobs.
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Choosing Between a Company and a Sole Proprietorship in Japan 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.
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A Guide to Writing Japanese Resumes 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.
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Freedom, Risk, and Protection: What Japan’s Freelance Act Really Means for Tech Workers An overview of Japan’s Freelance Act, including who qualifies as a freelancer, what rights freelancers have, and step-by-step instructions for reporting violations.
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Crafting Job Postings Developers Actually Want to Read 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.
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Japan’s Professional Work Discretionary Labour System Of Japan’s several flexible work systems, this can be the most unfamiliar one to international employees. If you’ve signed a discretionary labour contract, find out exactly what that means for you, your paycheck, and your work schedule.
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Identifying and Fixing a Resume Visibility Mistake Resumes from 460 individuals submitted to TokyoDev were accidentally exposed on Bing. We explain who was affected, why it happened, and our response.
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Announcing the 2025 TokyoDev Developers Survey Our annual developer survey is now live! If you’re a software developer living in Japan, please help us by taking it.
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Changing Careers to Software Development in Japan Four success stories from people who became software developers after moving to Japan, and their advice for anyone who wants to do the same.
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Extending My Japanese Visa as a Freelancer My personal experience extending my work visa in Japan as a freelancer—with dependents, a new sponsoring company, a recent move, and other fun factors. Spoiler alert: it was easier than I thought it would be!
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How to Network as a Developer (Without Feeling Sleazy) Why networking is absolutely vital for developers’ long-term careers, and how to do it online, offline, or in Japanese without feeling like a used car salesman.
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Buying a House in Karuizawa, Japan I bought a house in the scenic resort town of Karuizawa. Learn about my experience, the buying process in Japan, and tips for prospective homeowners.
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Getting a Job in Japan as a New Grad Learn how new grads are hired in Japan and how to improve your chances of getting a tech job in Japan.
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A Developer’s Crash Course in Coming to Japan 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.
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How to Pass the Resume Screening Stage in Japan Nine recruiters go into detail on what causes them to accept or reject candidates’ resumes, and how to improve your chance of success.
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Is There a Japanese Equivalent of Glassdoor? How to check a company's reputation before you sign that contract.
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RubyKaigi 2025 Recap Recapping RubyKaigi 2025, three days in Matsuyama packed full of learnings, meetings, and mikan.
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How (and Why) to Get a Bank Account in Japan The benefits of having a local account, tips on selecting a bank, a list of what documents you'll need, and more.
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“Can They Change My Contract?”: Protecting Your Workplace Rights in Japan When your company suddenly changes the rules, is it possible to push back? Dennis Tesolat, General Secretary of the General Union, illustrates how both Japanese law and collective action can support tech workers’ rights.
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How to Grow Your Startup Through Community 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.
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Reduced Hours and Remote Work Options for Employees with Young Children in Japan 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?
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Top Coworking Spaces in Karuizawa Personal impressions of coworking spaces and other places to work in the town of Karuizawa, where I currently live.
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The Challenges Faced by Multinational Teams and Japanese Companies Japanese businesses discuss the two main problems they have encountered hiring internationally, and their solutions.
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Why Do Japanese Companies Hire International Developers? Japanese tech companies share their reasons for hiring international talent, and what they’ve gained from their multinational teams.
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TokyoDev’s 2024 Recap: Challenges, Milestones, and the Road Ahead As the year winds to a close, I’ve been reflecting on both the accomplishments and the challenges we’ve faced, and how they’re paving the way for what is to come.
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So You Want to Be a Game Dev in Japan 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.
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Remote Worker Rights In Japan An overview of the recent increase in return-to-office orders in Japan, and the various courses of action remote workers can take.
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TokyoDev supports the legalization of same-sex marriage in Japan Japan’s lack of same-sex marriage affects people I care about, so TokyoDev joined Business for Marriage Equality, a campaign with 500+ companies involved.
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AI Disrupts The Traditional Hiring Process TokyoDev will instead improve the traditional hiring process.
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The 2024 TokyoDev Developer Survey Results Are Live! TokyoDev's 2024 Developer Survey had 814 respondents. Explore insights on pay, remote work, the gender gap, job satisfaction, and more!
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The English Paradox: Four Decades of Life and Language in Japan A personal perspective on the complex role English plays in Japan.
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How I Got a Digital Nomad Visa for Japan 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.
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Japan Needs International Developers How Japan's labor shortage equals career opportunities for certain international developers.
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A Win-Win: Multinational Development Teams at Givery What is it like to work as an engineer in a multinational team at a Japanese company? Givery offers a case study.
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Helping Japanese companies build global engineering teams TokyoDev has launched a new Japanese language blog focused on aiding Japanese companies in building English-speaking engineering teams.
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To -San or Not to -San? Addressing Japanese People in English What is the best way to address a Japanese person in English? There isn't a clear answer, but this article discusses the nuances of the different approaches.
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The "No, I Don't Live In Tokyo" Series: Developing in Kansai To get the real scoop on living in Kansai, TokyoDev asked three developers working in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefecture to share their experiences and advice.
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Announcing the 2024 TokyoDev Developers Survey Our annual developer survey is now live! If you’re a software developer living in Japan, please help us by taking it.
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LinkedIn’s Broken Automation Took Down My Company’s Page Without Warning TokyoDev's LinkedIn page was taken down due to broken automation on their side. Here's what happened.
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Become a Great Communicator in Japanese What is “reading the air”? Why do Japanese people ignore me sometimes?
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How TokyoDev improves your job hunt This article covers TokyoDev's role in your job search, detailing how we earn money, curate and improve job listings, and help you become a better candidate.
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How Cybozu Built an International Engineering Team How one of Japan's first B2B software companies has built an English-speaking team from scratch.
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What is a “casual meeting” in Japan? 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.
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There’s No Place Like Home: Finding an Apartment in Japan 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.
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Guesstimating Your Lifestyle in Japan How much money do you need to make to live comfortably in Japan? This article helps you build a rough estimate
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Japanese Language Proficiency, Job Requirements, and You How to understand Japanese language requirements on job postings.
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The Fundamental Information Technology Engineer Examination: My Experience Learn how the Fundamental Information Technology Engineer Examination opens doors to Japan without a degree or extensive experience. Thomas shares his journey.
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Permanent Residency in Japan Explore paths to Permanent Residency in Japan with insights from Michael’s experience via the highly skilled professional scheme. Learn about eligibility and the process.
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If You Want To Hire Great Engineers, Let Engineers Do The Hiring Discover how Eugene designed a hiring process that reviewed 1,500 applications to hire 15 engineers, focusing on technical skills and mission-driven passion.
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Bringing Your Pets to Japan Thinking about moving to Japan with your pet? Read this article now, as you might need to prepare almost a year in advance.
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Job Hunting as a Junior Developer in Japan Ismael came to Japan on a Working Holiday Visa right after graduating from university. He explains his journey of job hunting as a Junior, and provides tips for others.
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Paid Leave and Vacations in Japan 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.
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Recruitment Agencies in Japan: How To Get Them To Work For You 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.
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From Mongolia to Japan as a Software Engineer Azjargal shares her journey of finding a job as a software engineer in Japan, and introduces some Mongolian communities in Japan.
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How to buy a house in Japan A guide to the basic steps in buying a house in Japan, including the financing and purchasing process.
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Bringing Your Family to Japan How developers can bring their spouse and children to Japan.
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RubyKaigi 2024 reflections A summary of TokyoDev's activities at the world's largest Ruby conference.
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Japanese vs International Schools: Which Will Work for Your Children? An overview of Japanese vs. international schools, and what you can expect from the public school system.
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Why do so many Japanese homes have bars over the windows? Curious about the barred windows in Japan? This article explores three key reasons: window placement, fire code regulations, and traditional architecture.
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Childcare Options in Japan 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.
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The rise and fall of D&D in Japan 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.
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A Four-stage Approach for Hiring Women on your Engineering Team Strategies for not only attracting more women as candidates, but also helping you to hire and retain them.
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Grad school in Japan: my experience doing a Master of Sciences in Computer Science Johannes describes his experience doing a master’s program in computer science at the University of Tokyo.
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How I obtained a J-FIND visa in Japan Discover personal insights into the J-Find Visa, a pathway for recent graduates to job hunt, start businesses, and pursue income-generating activities in Japan.
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You’re Too Old For That: Age Discrimination in Japan Tech An overview of the legal and cultural context for age discrimination in Japan's tech industry.
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Converting a Japanese Sole Proprietorship to a Company How to transfer contracts and IP from an individual to a Japanese company.
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TokyoDev has a new logo! In this article, we introduce TokyoDev's new logo, and talk about the process we took to arrive at it.
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Winning a Coding Contest Got Me a Free Trip to Japan Dmitrii won a coding contest at the Polish-Japanese Tech Job Fair & Forum, which landed him a trip to Japan and meetings with possible employers.
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TokyoDev 2023 Recap Highlights include 74 devs getting a job via TokyoDev, going from me being the only author to having 13 others contributing, and sponsoring 8 different organizations.
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All About Working Visas for Hiring Foreigners Full-time in Japan Understanding the importance of residence status when hiring foreign nationals in Japan. This article covers the 'working visa' required for full-time employment.
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How I Obtained a Business Manager Visa in Japan Bryn recounts his experience of obtaining a Business Manager Visa in Japan which he has used to do contract software development.
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Web Accessibility in Japan: What Developers Need to Know An interview with Makoto Ueki, the founder of a web accessibility consultancy that services large Japanese clients, about web accessibility in Japan.
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Unbricking my MacBook took an email to Tim Cook 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.
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The Remarkable Decline in Home Burglary Rates in Japan From 2003 to 2022, the number of home burglaries in Japan decreased by a factor of 12! Reasons behind it include a lower unemployment rate, an increase in crime prevention volunteers, and higher building security standards.
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Personal Blog to Profitable Business: the Story of TokyoDev 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.
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Working as an Indonesian Software Engineer in Japan My story of moving my family from Jakarta to Yokohama to work as a software engineer.
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The 2023 TokyoDev Developer Survey results are live! This year’s survey had a total of 713 respondents who shared their experiences working as an international developer in Japan.
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My experience with Vulcanus in Japan, a training programme for EU engineering students Vulcanus in Japan is more than just an internship, it’s a complete package including an intensive language course, cultural lectures and accommodation support.
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Transferring from the Philippines to be a QA Engineer in Japan Mary Grygjeanne Grace Icay talks about her experiences in Japan as not only a QA engineer, but also as a woman from the Philippines
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Not setting up Find My bricked my MacBook How I had paid ¥77,619 (500 USD) to have a bricked MacBook returned to me.
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Announcing the 2023 TokyoDev Developers Survey If you’re a software developer living in Japan, please help us by taking it.
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How to Write Resumes for Jobs in Japan A guide for how to format an English CV when applying to a company in Japan.
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Software Developer Internships in Japan, Attending Japanese University, & Job Hunting as a New Grad Lai Huynh Binh Minh speaks about his experience moving from Vietnam to Japan and breaking into the world of tech as an intern.
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8 Proven Strategies for Making Every Candidate Fall in Love with Your Company Turn applicants into fans with an exceptional candidate experience. This guide offers proven, cost-free strategies and practical examples to enhance your hiring process.
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Mental Health in the Japanese Tech Industry This article describes the mental health challenges a foreigner working in Japan may experience, and the available resources.
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Tech Meetups in Tokyo A guide to tech meetups in Tokyo, including where to find them and the differences between Japanese and English meetups.
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What if We Had a Party, but the Entertainment was a Conference: Tokyu RubyKaigi 14 Recap Tokyu RubyKaigi was one of the more unique conferences I've been to — and it was a lot of fun.
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Working with Tech Recruiters in Japan Advice about using a recruiter to land a tech job at a Japanese company.
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Paternity Leave in Japan An overview of Japan's paternity leave system, including the options and benefits available.
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Working as a Software Engineer Intern in Tokyo Advice from an intern who has worked with several Japanese companies in a software engineering capacity.
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Living with a disability in Japan 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.
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Bank Account, Mobile Number, Apartment - Which Comes First after Moving to Japan? The process of setting yourself up in Japan can feel like it's full of circular dependencies. Here's a basic guide on how to get started.
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Renaming an Active Record has_one_attached Attachment: A Step-by-Step Guide A step by step guide on how I used a migration to fix the typo in the has_one_attached association.
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Progress and Challenges: Reflections of a Working Mother in Japan This article explores the challenges I've faced as a working mother in Japan, along with those of society as a whole.
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A Guide to Salary Negotiations in Japan’s Tech Industry Wading through the cultural differences to maximize your salary as an expat in Japan's tech industry.
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Discount coupons for babysitters in Japan via a government subsidy Save up to ¥4,400 per child on a babysitter with this government subsidy.
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Tips for Interviewing at Japanese Tech Companies Sharing my experience and tips based on interviewing with 30 Japanese tech companies.
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Software Developer Salaries in Japan Compiles various sources for software developer salary data to help you judge the market.
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The Difficulties of Getting a Software Developer Job in Japan in 2023 Theories about why it is more difficult to get a job as an international developer in Japan in 2023 than a couple years prior.
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Coworking Spaces and Other Places you can Work Remotely in Tokyo Everyone knows about coworking spaces, but what are some of the other options when looking for places to work remotely from.
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Working as a Filipino Software Developer in Japan This article aims to provide insight and help for Filipinos software developers looking for a job in Japan.
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RubyKaigi 2023 Recap Recapping my first RubyKaigi - an unforgettable community experience.
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Cover letters in the era of ChatGPT ChatGPT seems like it is a powerful tool for writing a custom cover letter for a job. But what it produces won't help you.
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Rails Girls Nagasaki 1st Recap Recapping the first Rails Girls event held in Nagasaki
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Will a company in Japan find out your previous salary? Companies in Japan can roughly figure out what you made at your previous job, so you might be caught if you exaggerate your compensation.
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Employer of Record (EOR) Services in Japan EoRs can help your business expand to Japan and beyond, and they might be an option if you're looking to work for an overseas company from Japan.
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Working as a Female Software Developer in Japan Telling the experiences of women who work as software developers in Japan, covering the positives and negatives of working here.
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Supporting communities that empower women in technology TokyoDev sponsors communities that are working to empower women in technology.
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Keeping your job board legal in Japan In October 2022, new regulations were put into place that put legal requirements on job board operators.
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The 2022 International Developers in Japan survey results are live! 558 international developers living in Japan answered our survey about themselves and their work.
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Announcing the 2022 International Developers in Japan Survey If you're living in Japan and working as a developer, please take our survey by November 6th, 2022.
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The 2021 International Developers in Japan results are live! 435 international developers living in Japan answered our survey about themselves and their work.
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Announcing the 2021 International Developers in Japan Survey If you're living in Japan and working as a developer, please take our survey by November 22nd, 2021.
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Why I sold Doorkeeper After working on it for more than ten years, I sold Doorkeeper, an event management platform I bootstrapped.
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From Paperclip to Active Storage: An incremental, zero-downtime approach This article covers a zero-downtime approach for migrating from Paperclip to Active Storage in Rails, focusing on best practices for smooth transitions.
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Skyrocketing software developer salaries in Japan a portent of a seismic shift Software developer salaries in Japan have dramatically increased since I first came here, but this isn't without its downsides.
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The 2020 International Developers in Japan results are live! 362 international developers living in Japan answered our survey about themselves and their work.
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Running a job board in Japan can land you in prison Operating a job board in Japan can lead to legal issues if not properly licensed. This article explains the legal requirements and guidelines for running a job board without facing penalties.
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Recruiters and Human Traffickers: A Short History of Employment Agencies in Japan If you recruit without a license in Japan, you could go to jail. The surprisingly interesting historical origins of recruiting in Japan explains why.
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Generating social images with static site generators 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.
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COVID-19 and IT Jobs in Japan An overview of how COVID-19 affected the software developer market in Japan soon after the pandemic started.
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Visas for Software Engineers in Japan The complete guide to visas that permit you to work as a full time software developer in Japan.
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2019 International Developer in Japan Survey Results The results of a survey of international software developers in Japan. Breakdowns based on several criteria like language, tech, and company size.
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Safari bug with ruby tag Safari 12.1.1 has a bug causing crashes when clicking ruby tags, particularly with Japanese kanji readings.
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Calculating your growth ceiling Learn to calculate your business’s growth ceiling using key metrics like churn rate and customer acquisition.
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All code is technical debt As adding more code to a product will slow down development, we should view all code as technical debt.
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How to screen developers Streamline your developer screening process with this guide, focusing on coding tests, interviews, and minimizing bias to attract top talent, especially for startups
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Facebook didn't try to change the world Mark Zuckerberg's focus on creating a simple, relevant product for college students shaped Facebook's success. Learn how his early strategy became a key lesson for entrepreneurs.
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How to Get a Software Developer Job 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.
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Marketing yourself as a developer While solid technical skills are necessary to land great jobs, your ability to sell yourself is as important, if not more so.
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Writing Developer Job Postings Learn how to write developer job postings that attract the right candidates by highlighting company culture, clarifying job expectations, and defining remote work policies.
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Hiring a Japanese Virtual Assistant I’ve hired several Japanese virtual assistants to help me with various small tasks. Especially if you’re not a fluent Japanese speaker, knowing where to look for one can be tricky, so I’ll share my tips for finding one.
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Recruiting Developers Through Conferences Developer conferences are ideal for recruiting—if approached correctly. Learn how companies can sponsor events, support their engineers, and build credibility in the developer community.
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Adoption of Ruby by Japanese Businesses This article explores Ruby's evolution in Japan, from a niche language to a mainstream choice for startups. It highlights Ruby Kaigi sponsors and the shift to in-house development.
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Proof Bitcoin is Overhyped Bitcoin's hype is challenged by its low daily transactions. This article examines why Bitcoin is far from replacing traditional payment systems and proving its viability.
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How to Survive and Thrive as an Engineer in Japan The experience of an Australian software engineer working in Japan.
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How to Create a Company in Japan An overview of the gotchas when incorporating a company in Japan based on my personal experience of incorporating three of them.
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The Best Resources for Entrepreneurial Developers A curated list of the best resources for developers starting a business—from blogs and podcasts to conferences and real-world advice from entrepreneurial engineers.
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International Developer in Japan Salary Survey 2014 In our first survey, we only got fifteen replies. Future surveys would do much better.
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Getting a job at a Japanese startup How a developer living in London got a job at a Japanese startup.
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The Downside of Thanking Security Contributors After adding a security contributors page to our small startup’s site, we were flooded with low-value bug reports. Here’s how a simple thank-you turned into ongoing security noise—and what we learned.
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Pair Programming Event a Success Tokyo Rubyist Meetup’s first pair programming event brought Japanese and international developers together through hands-on collaboration—here’s how it unfolded.
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A Horrifying User Experience A moving company estimate site overwhelmed me with constant calls, creating a frustrating experience.
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A Proposal for the Translation of RubyKaigi How RubyKaigi and Sapporo Ruby Kaigi handle real-time translation, the challenges of live IRC-based interpreting, and a proposed process to deliver clearer, higher-quality bilingual presentations.
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Memories of Sapporo Ruby Kaigi 2012 (#sprk2012) A reflection on Sapporo Ruby Kaigi 2012—its international atmosphere, community serendipity, and how it helped open Regional RubyKaigi events to the world.
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Service Introduction: Forkwell 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.
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Entry Level Jobs in Japan Why you won't find junior developer positions advertised in Japan.
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How I landed a software developer job in Japan The story of my personal journey of coming to Japan straight out of university and finding a job as a Ruby developer at a Japanese startup.
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Good Design Sells Open Source Good design can set your open-source project apart. This article highlights how a well-designed interface, like Octopress’ theme, can significantly boost project visibility and appeal.
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Japan's Earthquake and Technology How technology played a critical role during Japan's earthquake, from early warning systems to social media and online communications, helping people stay informed and connected.
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Facebook is Japan's LinkedIn In Japan, Facebook is becoming a leading professional network, similar to LinkedIn, as users maintain a more business-like presence compared to other platforms like mixi.
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