4 ms·

How hard is it for foreigners (American, in my case) who aren't already in Japan to get into the Tokyo startup scene? I'm guessing you'd need a work visa, somet

by srunni 14y ago

How hard is it for foreigners (American, in my case) who aren't already in Japan to get into the Tokyo startup scene? I'm guessing you'd need a work visa, something startups would have a tough time providing. I've studied Japanese and studied abroad in Japan, so I'd definitely like to return, but it seems to me that the easiest way to do that would be by getting a job at a big company like Rakuten.

S4M 14y ago
I was going to ask the same question (even though I won't have visa problem because I am married to a Japanese). Also, is it necessary to speak Japanese to work in a start-up owned by foreigners? And how about the paperwork to create a company there?
- pwim 14y ago
  It depends on the startup, but there are opportunities at Japanese and non-Japanese owned startups alike, for people without Japanese skills. If you have someone who can help you through the paperwork, creating a company isn't so hard. It took us about 60,000 yen and one month to create at Godo-Gaisha (similar to a LLC).
  - evoxed 14y ago
    Do you have any more info on the paperwork part? I've been putting it off for a few months now and considering just registering in the US first to make things easier with US-based clients.
    - pwim 14y ago
      We haven't had issues when dealing with US-based clients (granted previous to this we didn't have any clients, so I don't have much to compare it to). I didn't actually do the paperwork, so I don't actually know how complicated it was. We're actually incorporated in Chiba, and at that time (Nov 2008), the government office responsible for the paperwork wasn't very busy, so they were happy to help out. Unless you are fluent in Japanese, you probably will need help from someone else. If you don't have a Japanese cofounder / spouse, probably the best thing is to pay someone to help with it.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
pwim 14y ago
I'm trying to help people like yourself come to Japan. Feel free to contact me: http://www.tokyodev.com/jobs/ http://www.tokyodev.com/jobs/ If you have a university degree, it is actually pretty easy to get a visa here. While you might have trouble getting a job at a 3-person startup, something a bit more established shouldn't be an issue (as the article mentions, Gengo recruits non-Japanese, and they'll even hire people who aren't already in Japan). The easiest way to get a job here is the same as anywhere else: be exceptional at something that is in demand.

by srunni 14y ago

S4M 14y ago

I was going to ask the same question (even though I won't have visa problem because I am married to a Japanese). Also, is it necessary to speak Japanese to work in a start-up owned by foreigners? And how about the paperwork to create a company there?

pwim 14y ago
It depends on the startup, but there are opportunities at Japanese and non-Japanese owned startups alike, for people without Japanese skills. If you have someone who can help you through the paperwork, creating a company isn't so hard. It took us about 60,000 yen and one month to create at Godo-Gaisha (similar to a LLC).
- evoxed 14y ago
  Do you have any more info on the paperwork part? I've been putting it off for a few months now and considering just registering in the US first to make things easier with US-based clients.
  - pwim 14y ago
    We haven't had issues when dealing with US-based clients (granted previous to this we didn't have any clients, so I don't have much to compare it to). I didn't actually do the paperwork, so I don't actually know how complicated it was. We're actually incorporated in Chiba, and at that time (Nov 2008), the government office responsible for the paperwork wasn't very busy, so they were happy to help out. Unless you are fluent in Japanese, you probably will need help from someone else. If you don't have a Japanese cofounder / spouse, probably the best thing is to pay someone to help with it.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

pwim 14y ago

I'm trying to help people like yourself come to Japan. Feel free to contact me: http://www.tokyodev.com/jobs/ http://www.tokyodev.com/jobs/ If you have a university degree, it is actually pretty easy to get a visa here. While you might have trouble getting a job at a 3-person startup, something a bit more established shouldn't be an issue (as the article mentions, Gengo recruits non-Japanese, and they'll even hire people who aren't already in Japan). The easiest way to get a job here is the same as anywhere else: be exceptional at something that is in demand.