How to Make Money in Japan

Making a lot of money in Japan with a regular job can be very difficult for Japanese people who often are required to work long hours with excessive amounts of overtime.  Pay is low, stress is high and it’s virtually impossible for the average worker to save a lot of money.  For a foreigner living in Japan though, making a lot of money is quite do-able and it relies simply on using your native language, English.

Teach English

Forget the larger chains such as the JET Program or Geos because you can’t make decent money by any standards working for companies like these.  There are a couple of options to make a lot of money.  One is to start your own English school, or find a part time teaching job and tutor private lessons in public locations in your time off.  Many Japanese would feel uncomfortable letting a foreigner who they hardly know into their home, which is why public locations are desirable.  Places like Royal Host or family restaurants near a train station are perfect.  Another great spot would be the local community centre in your area.  There are free tables available for anyone who wishes to use them and it’s quiet.

As for the money, for a private one-on-one lesson you can charge 4,000 yen, which is around $40 per hour.  This may seem quite high, but larger English schools in Japan often charge in excess of $60 or more and sometimes it could only be for 40 minutes.  For $40 per hour you’ll want a bit of experience behind your belt first, but if you are just following a book which your students feel comfortable with, you should do fine.

If you decide to start an English school, take note that the highest paying classes are children classes.  Many Japanese parents are busting to give their children a head start in English before junior high school, which English study is compulsory and of course hope that in the future their children become successful.  It’s quite acceptable to have up to 6 or even 8 children per class and for $15 a head, you can definitely make some solid cash.

As for adult customers, you would be likely to get a lot of house wives who seemingly have cash to burn and younger Japanese women who are interested in traveling abroad.  The next step would be to setup a home stay program using your parents or even friends back home.  Both younger and older Japanese people are often interested in someday doing a home stay so why not take advantage of this opportunity.

Buy land

Land in Japan is extremely expensive and it’s only going to become more expensive with time as property almost always does.  The average person probably can’t afford to buy land in Japan but if you can, you will definitely reap the rewards in years to come.  With purchased land there are a number of options to make some serious cash such as…

Build an apartment block

Apartments in Japan are small and expensive, meaning for X amount of land you can have more apartments and thus make more cash each month.  Not to mention that in almost all cases, tenants are required to pay “key money” or gift money to the land lord when they first move in.  Key money is different from bond money and is basically a “thank you” for letting them pay you rent each month and is usually between $1,000 to $2,000.  On top of key money, tenants just like in your country also are required to pay bond money.  If you can own your own apartment block in Japan you will become a guaranteed rich man.

Build a car park

You think owning a car in your country is expensive?  In Japan, not only do you have to have enough money to run and maintain your car, you also need money to park your car.  There are no side streets anywhere to park because of the limited space so people must use car parks and they are always full.

On top of parking space in towns and cities, you also need to rent car space at your apartment building which varies in price depending on the location, but it’s common for a single car space to go for $200 a month.  In downtown Tokyo, a single parking space goes for much higher.   Outrageous, isn’t it?  But, if you’re the owner then you’ll definitely be the one laughing.

Translating

If your Japanese language ability is high enough then there is a lot of money to be made from translating.  In a country where English ability is low, there is a high demand for skilled foreigners in this area since Japan’s economy is heavily dependent on business.  The opportunities for someone who can speak both English and Japanese are endless.  Providing you have the right looks, you could even land small acting roles in Tokyo.  I have seen some horrible English acting on Japanese dramas before by foreigners and I know you can definitely do a better job than they did.  It would not be hard.

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