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.<p>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.
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.<p>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.
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.<p>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.<p>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.<p>Wish you the best
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.
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.<p>Although Everyday life could be difficult without knowing a little of Japanese language and renting apartment is quite expensive at the start.
You're also welcomed to join the hntokoy slack channel. There was a thread just last week asking exactly the same question.<p><a href="https://hntokyo.io" rel="nofollow">https://hntokyo.io</a>
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.<p>If you want to stay longer, the only option through marriage.