

Show HN: Geek Bridge – Find dev work in Japan without knowing Japanese - jamesknelson
http://www.geekbridge.co/

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astrange
I know wages for programmers are low in Japan, but 200,000¥ a month for
automotive programming? That's about $25k/year.

Would a company really be willing to help with relocation or a visa for that?

Anyway, I'm not looking right now, but maybe someday.

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goshx
Does anyone know the cost of living in ¥ at those locations?

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jamesknelson
For Gifu/Nagoya, it really depends on what kind of lifestyle you want, but I'd
say anywhere from about ¥120,000 to ¥200,000 a month if you're single, or
¥200,000+ for a couple.

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patio11
Approximately correct to my experience. Note that foreigners will blow past
the low end if they are not willing to live like Japanese people, particularly
with regards to food budgets (with some exceptions, food like you're used to
is systematically more expensive than Japanese food) and rents (middle-class
Americans would often not tolerate the kinds of housing arrangements young
Japanese people do).

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pwim
If you are interested in working as a developer in Japan, it's a topic I've
written about a bunch:
[http://www.tokyodev.com/jobs/](http://www.tokyodev.com/jobs/)

One thing you might be clear is whether the positions are for English speakers
living in Japan, or if they are open to developers worldwide.

In my experience, most companies where Japanese isn't necessary still prefer
people to already be in Japan, as bringing someone from abroad is seeing as
more risky, as even if the candidate ends up liking the company, they still
might not like life in Japan.

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jimeuxx
Thanks for the link. Looks like you've put together some useful stuff.

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jamesknelson
Hi everyone! This is something our Startup Weekend team from Nagoya, Japan is
building. We'd love to hear any feedback!

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kstenerud
I'll be back in Nagoya in late September to visit family. I'd be interested in
checking out the startup scene there. Give me a shout. My email is in my
profile.

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thirdtruck
Even though I'm not actively looking to move, thanks for making this. Love the
Final Fantasy VII reference. :) Perhaps I can finally make use of all those
semesters of Japanese.

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jwatte
$2500 for a mobile developer job in Tokyo? Does that even pay for taxes and
rent and food? The going rate in the bay area (also expensive) is about 4x
that. Why would anyone with mobility choose Japan then? (Other than as a
language immersion class, perhaps?)

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jimeuxx
It's borderline if you live by yourself in the city, especially if they don't
cover travel expenses. There's a chance your health insurance and pension will
be deducted from that too, assuming they cover it.

If you're working for a Japanese company, you'll probably be working a lot
more hours, and taking a lot less holidays than you would be in the US or UK.
4x is a low estimate for the actual amount of work you'll be doing.

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equil
the minor hue difference between the logotype and the header bothers me
immensely [https://i.imgur.com/U0DxLKt.png](https://i.imgur.com/U0DxLKt.png)

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grimtrigger
Pretty cool. You should post this in /r/iwantoutjobs

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grimtrigger
ps, you should have an email subscription box. None of the jobs there seem
right for me, but I like the concept

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jamesknelson
Thanks for the idea - I'll try and add this today

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kimar
Does anybody have experience getting freelancing gigs in Japan? What does the
supply/demand look like? Any ideas for finding prospects?

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benguild
Technically this is illegal, as far as I know.

You're not allowed to work in Japan without a valid visa. If they find out
that you're working in Japan on a tourist visa you might not be allowed back.

It'd be a grey area (also as far as I know) to say you're freelancing/working
for a Japanese company while in Japan by coincidence, and I doubt that they're
very forgiving if you're sidestepping a tourist visa's restrictions.

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chvid
Japan has a fairly relaxed visa system at least if you are from the western
world. If you are under 30 - a working holiday visa may be good to start with:

[http://www.au.emb-
japan.go.jp/en/visa/visit_japan_workinghol...](http://www.au.emb-
japan.go.jp/en/visa/visit_japan_workingholiday.html)

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benguild
Not available to USA folks.

