How to Earn Money Online in Japan

There’s no denying that many people believe that grass is greener in Japan. After all, it’s one of the best countries to live in (currently ranked 15th by the Quality of Life index). However, despite being the world’s fourth biggest economy and having the fourth largest purchasing power parity, Japan can be difficult to navigate economically, whether you’re a foreigner or a native.

Perhaps one of the biggest issues in Japan’s modern society is the lack of work-life balance, with people frequently working long hours to get ahead in their careers. While the country’s public transport system is one of the most organized in the world, the high cost of living in larger cities can make it inconvenient to live close to where you work.

That’s why it can be a good idea to supplement or replace your income by learning how to earn money online in Japan. Luckily, there are a few excellent ways you can capitalize on your experiences online.

The Benefits of Learning How to Earn Money in Japan Online

Of course, it’s not only part-time gigs that can be done online in Japan. You can replace an in-person office job with a fully remote, online career. Here’s why this might be compelling.

Independence

If you’re interested in working online, your first idea of an online job might be to pursue work as an independent contractor or freelancer. It can be liberating to be your own boss and set your own schedule and working pace. However, note that this also comes with a few caveats. You will likely need to invest more time in learning the ropes and, if you’re your own boss, your motivation has to come from within.

Polishing Your Talent

Working 9-to-5 doesn’t typically sound like anyone’s life’s calling, and chances are neither is it yours. Luckily, the advent of remote jobs and online earning possibilities have made pursuing your passions and using your talent much more lucrative. With the right mix of skill and preparation, you can earn money in Japan in a way that doesn’t feel like it’s a job at all.

Higher Earning Potential to Make Money Online in Japan

Sure, Japan is one of the biggest economies in the world. However, most office jobs are still lagging behind their U.S. counterparts, especially if you lack a postgraduate degree (master’s or above). The minimum wage in Tokyo is actually lower than in the U.S. (at $7.16 per hour), and it gets even worse as you move out of the capital city. That is contrasted by the country’s extremely high cost of living in the cities (per square foot), where a one-bedroom apartment typically rents for $680 per month. This is a comparable price to Western Europe (think France or Germany).

As such, moving your business online allows you to live in a lower-cost area of Japan, save up on travel expenses, and potentially earn more money overall.

Keep Travelling

Japan might seem small, but it’s still a massive country with plenty of places to see and people to meet. One of the best benefits of maintaining an online job is that you can keep traveling the country while still being connected to your main workspace, and you don’t have to sacrifice your career to do so.

Ideas on How to Earn Money Online in Japan

If independence, the chance to pursue your talents, and the possibility of outearning your peers excite you, here are a few excellent ideas you should consider for spearheading your online career to earn money in Japan.

Making Educational Videos Online

We’ve briefly discussed how you can utilize your talent or skills to make a career. If you’re already particularly skilled at something (whether that’s woodworking, playing chess, piano, or even home workouts), chances are you’ve probably tried to teach others.

The main issue you encounter with in-person or one-to-one classes is that they take a significant chunk of your time depending on the number of people you’re teaching. Sure, hardly anything beats in-person instructions, but there are only so many people you can teach per day this way.

With educational videos you post online, your ability to reach—and teach—people can skyrocket. Of course, you won’t be able to charge the same premium rate as you would with in-person lessons. However, online educational videos are one-and-done. You make a video. You post it online. People can see a preview and buy it. Then they get inspired and contact you for more comprehensive lessons or buy more videos.

Suddenly, you’ve become an educational coach at a fraction of the effort. Plus, with online videos, your audience doesn’t have to be Japanese. You can teach people across the world and make money online in Japan.

Becoming a Language Instructor

If you have an excellent grasp of the English language and can communicate well in Japanese, then a career as an online English instructor might not be that far off. All things considered, the Japanese people have relatively poor English skills, with surveys suggesting that between 15% and 30% of the population are able to speak it but only at a beginner level. A much smaller number can be considered fluent, which is odd considering how many international companies are based in Japan.

If you can get an official Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) qualification, then your prospects of being able to find a job at an online school improve. Additionally, Japan has a concept of Eikaiwa, or English conversation, cafes where English speakers converse with locals to help them practice conversational skills (but that’s blurring the line between online and in-person jobs a bit).

One of the advantages of teaching English in Japan is that you don’t have to work exclusively with kids. Plenty of adult learners could benefit from your lessons.

Language instruction isn’t limited to English, either. Knowing other popular languages such as French, Spanish, or German could make you a lucrative prospect for Japanese people who want to travel abroad.

Freelancing

You might also want to stick to things you know and have proven experience with, such as your existing career and working for a boss. That’s also an excellent avenue to learn how to earn money online in Japan. Freelancing can encompass a variety of roles, from being a personal assistant to an independent contractor.

Web design and development services are always in demand, with industry experts expecting a steady international yearly climb of 8% in job outlook for the latter half of the 2020s (16% for the U.S.). This means that it’s not too late to transition from an in-office career to one that’s fully online. Depending on your level of experience, you can quickly advance through companies or even become fully independent.

One of the more interesting areas for game enthusiasts out there is game localization and testing. Due to the aforementioned lack of English skills, most foreign games need to be translated into Japanese, and Japanese exports need to be translated into English. If you’ve got an excellent grasp of both languages, you can help bring some of the best games to the Japanese market.

Additionally, freelancing for a company outside of Japan means you don’t actually have to know Japanese. It allows you to make your dreams come true and move to Japan while still maintaining your existing career, then immersing yourself into the local culture and the language.

Content Creation

Marketing is yet another “future-proof” industry with a significant potential for growth, and influencer marketing is among its stronger points. This comes as a consequence of Japan having among the world’s highest social media penetration rates—yes, it sounds bad, but it means the percentage of people who use social media—at over 80%.

Unlike most of the Western world, Japan is somewhat unique with its biggest social media being neither Facebook/Instagram nor Twitter/X. Instead, LINE is the Japanese social media giant (actually a chat app), so influencer marketing works slightly differently since Instagram and Twitter don’t have the same reach as in the West.

However, Japan is also no stranger to traditional online marketing tactics such as content writing, blogging, or vlogging. One more recent popular practice is “J-vlogging” where people post videos about their experience as either foreigners living in Japan or as natives interacting with the increasingly diverse population, teaching other hopeful Japanese residents about the reality and “quirks” of living in the country.

As far as video-sharing platforms are concerned, YouTube is still king in Japan, so you can get the biggest possible reach by posting videos there. Plus, 30% of Japanese marketers use YouTube for their campaigns, allowing you to get lucrative partnership or sponsorship deals if you get popular enough.

If videos don’t strike your fancy, you might be interested in photography work instead. Grab a good camera and start traveling across Japan to take snappy photos and maintain an interesting diary. Or use your photo editing skills to create high-quality stock photos that can make a stream of passive income or land you gigs as a professional photographer.

Make Money Online in Japan as a Native

There are a few other avenues of extra income you can explore if you’re a Japanese native and want to get some spare cash, or even build a passive income stream:

• Renting out rooms or houses: Space is at a premium in Japan, so you can earn a decent sum by renting for tourists or students.
• Online surveys: While this isn’t a particularly notable stream of income, it can give you a bit of spare cash in your downtime.

Start Learning to Start Earning in Japan

With so many possibilities of how to earn money online in Japan, it can be difficult to start. If you’re a naturally creative and supportive person, make educational video content that you get paid for. If you build up a solid social media following, viewers can come flocking to you from all over the world.