You will definitely learn how to earn money online in Japan from reading this very comprehensive and helpful article.
It reveals 25 top ways and tips for anyone who wants to make money online in Japan.
Table of Contents
Can You Really Earn Money Online (and Offline) in Japan?
Of course you can, and this article will reveal exactly how.
First things first…
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If you enjoy an evening out and enjoy a drink or two, a little bit of dancing, and singing lyrics of tunes that are played for you, you might enjoy karaoke night at your local favorite establishment.
Karaoke machines are popular.
They are comprised of a sound system, microphone, and background music to a variety of songs and can be very entertaining when the individual who sings or thinks that they can sing picks up the microphone and belts out a song whether it is a little flat or sharp.
Along with the pristine beauty of Mount Fuji, beautiful cherry blossoms, the beautiful fish known as Koi, delicious Japanese cuisine, green tea, etc., Japan has gifted the world with its uniqueness, cuisine, and beauty.
In addition, Japan is noted for its advancement in the technological world.
In particular, the next time that you are enjoying karaoke you may want to say “arigato” to the Japanese as it was a Japanese drummer by the name of Daisuke Inoue that invented the karaoke machine.
Today, Japan is a highly industrialized nation and as such is economically sound and vibrant.
Therefore, let us look at ways that we can make money in Japan whether we live there or half a world away.
25 Top Ways & Tips to Making Money Online in Japan
1. Research
If you are already living in Japan, you certainly understand the cultural differences and the value that the Japanese place on certain elements of their civilization and mannerisms.
If not familiar with the country of Japan and its culture, it is important to do your research and be aware of how to act if relocating or moving to the country Japan.
2. Teach Private Lessons
A great opportunity that may be presented to you as a foreigner is to teach a language to the people of Japan.
The language can be English, but it is also important to remember that being a country of people that enjoy traveling for both business and pleasure that they would also need to learn different languages.
If you know there are a variety of tutoring websites in which you can be involved to teach different languages to Japanese-speaking people.
One of those websites is www.tutor.com.
3. Flip Retro Games
People all over the world love to play games on the computer.
If you are a gamer and know that certain games can realize a higher price due to their popularity but are difficult for people to obtain that live outside of the country of Japan, you can use this to your advantage.
Many individuals will look for retro games and systems, purchase those items, and then resell them online.
4. Moving Services
Japan is a country that is on the move as relates to its citizens moving to a new house or apartment.
The busiest time of the year for people to move is in April.
A way that you can earn money and be of service in helping others is to help individuals with the moving process.
Some of the larger items would include refrigerators, couches, etc
This can be accomplished before the moving season by asking around and seeing if anyone needs help moving in exchange for money.
5. Sell Your Junk
Another option to make money in Japan is to sell to Second-Hand shops.
One such second-hand shop is known as Book Off which not only resells items but buys items to make a profit
If you have old things, you can engage this company to see if they are interested in purchasing what you have and provide a good offer.
6. YouTube
Japan is not only currently a rich and exciting country to live in but has a unique and storied past as well.
You could take to YouTube and set up a channel about everything pertinent to Japan.
You could provide history lessons, talk about the samurais, the metamorphosis of the country, etc.
By providing well-produced videos, you can obtain followers who may support you monetarily as well as gain affiliate advertising and a possible sponsor.
7. Freelance Work
Freelancing is a thriving option to earn money depending upon the skills and talent that you bring to the freelancing table.
For example, on websites such as http//www.upwork.com or http//www.freelancer.com, there are seen job postings for writers, grant writers, tech writers, developers, graphic designers, etc.
8. Cooking Classes
The Japanese cuisine is unique as it is delicious.
However, there may be those restaurant owners, chefs, and private individuals who wish to learn how to cook with the flavors of different countries.
You could always advertise through social media sites your availability to conduct cooking classes and earn money in the process.
9. Commissions on Artwork
An option to earn money while living in Japan is through the selling of artwork and receiving commissions.
You could develop your website and reflect your portfolio by listing your work on your site.
Also, the Japanese culture prides itself on being very polite and if you make up business cards, the possibility of them keeping that card is very plausible.
It is important to showcase your work, keep your site up to date with your new artwork and promote your artistry to individuals for the possibility of purchasing.
10. Food Stall
One of the popular activities as it relates to an event in Japan, or some type of festival is the abundance of food stalls at these events.
A way to earn money would be to take advantage of these food stalls and provide a different type of food for the eating pleasure of the participants at the festival or event.
As an added tip, some of these stalls can be expensive to rent, and therefore, going in with a friend or other participants in the event and sharing the cost would be advisable.
11. Rent Out a Home
If you own a home in Japan or have a spare room a way that you can earn money while living in Japan is to let out that room through Airbnb.
As an added precautionary note, it would be important to check with your lease agreement to ensure that no clause in the lease prevents you from letting out a spare room.
12. Mystery Shopper
This opportunity to earn money in Japan requires that the individual take on the assignment of going to a store or restaurant and acting as if they are a customer, enjoying their shopping or a pleasurable meal out.
Following the adventure, the individual is required to fill out some forms about their experience.
A website where one explores opportunities to be involved with mystery shopping is www.gaijinpot.com.
13. Model
You may not think of yourself as “model material” but the periodicals in Japan are not necessarily looking for individuals that have perfect figures or faces but that represent the diverse world that we live in.
Therefore, there may be an opportunity for you to be a model in some of these magazines to portray or promote their product.
Also See: How to Get Paid and Make Money Online in Zimbabwe.
14. Announcing
Japan is a diverse nation and is famous for the number of advances that they have made with its transportation.
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As such, at the airport or train station, or other public areas, the need for announcements to be in both Japanese and English may be needed.
You could present yourself as an individual with that particular language to provide the needed announcements translated.
15. Usability Tests
Developers of software and various websites are always looking for individuals to test out their products and provide feedback as it relates to the site being user-friendly or if there are any issues.
A way to earn money in Japan would be to participate in usability tests and provide this service and get paid in the process.
16. Pet Sitting
The Japanese population enjoys their household pets.
For a citizen of Japan to utilize professional services that care for dogs and cats and other pets can be expensive.
If an individual is going on an extended vacation or leaving the city or country, they may need someone to pet sit.
This would be a great opportunity for you as a pet lover and an opportunity to earn an income.
17. Service Staff
There are a significant number of opportunities for an individual to earn income by being involved with service-oriented businesses.
For example, the need for service staff at restaurants, bars, cafes, convenience stores, etc is a strong possibility for you to earn money.
In these establishments, you could work as a dishwasher, waiter, busing, etc.
Often, many foreign-born individuals utilize this opportunity to supplement their ongoing jobs.
The added benefit to the money would be the opportunity to learn the Japanese language on a more conversational basis.
18. English Tutor
If your native language is English, and you have the credentials and enjoy teaching, you could be earning money as an English tutor.
Also, you could utilize an opportunity where an individual is just simply looking to learn conversational English and doesn’t need someone to have all of the credentials.
This is an increasing demand for Japanese-speaking people as they realize that a lot of the businesses conduct transactions utilizing the English language.
19. Game Tester
An individual who has a love for gaming and has a critical eye as to how games work can be a game tester.
A game tester usually tests out the video games before they are released to the public.
A game tester will provide positive and constructive feedback to the developers of the program to make the game more enjoyable and to work out any potential bugs.
20. Delivery Rider
A delivery driver is an opportunity for an individual to earn income while living in Japan because more and more established delivery firms that are popular in America are now making inroads into Japan.
Because of the nature of the city and the complexities of travel, the transportation that you can utilize is motorcycles and bikes to make the deliveries to the customers from a variety of restaurants.
21. Vlogger
A vlogger is an individual who utilizes a camera or the camera on their phone and creates videos that are entertaining and informative.
As a vlogger, you could capture your various experiences in Japan including big city life and in the country.
You can post your encounters on various social media sites and perhaps gain support from followers as well as potential sponsorships to receive money.
22. Translate Menus
An opportunity that presents itself as it relates to dining out is the translation of menus.
Often, the menus in Japanese are translated in a disjointed manner as it relates to the food that is being offered.
A good way to earn money is to provide English translation to a Japanese restaurant that needs a little help in defining what the restaurant is offering.
23. Rent Out Extra Space
Living space is always a premium within any culture and Japan is no different.
If you have extra space within your home, you could always rent out that extra space for individuals to store items and charge them a monthly fee.
24. Host Workshops
If there is a special skill, talent, or hobby that you enjoy and are fairly proficient at, you could always host a workshop.
For example, if you are good at writing, you could host a writing workshop and provide materials, invite guest speakers and teach individuals practically how to write a creative piece.
You could instruct about writing techniques, the importance of the introduction, developing the various characters and plot, building the story, keeping the reader in suspense, etc.
You could charge a fee for participants to attend the workshop and this would be added income that you would earn.
Tips could also be provided on having someone proof the document, provide constructive criticism, and how to even publish their manuscript.
25. Blogging
Many individuals both in the country of Japan and back in the United States would find it completely interesting and enjoyable to hear your perspective through your blogging site.
You could talk about the transition that you have made, the appreciation of the culture, the differences in attitudes, etc.
Monetization of your blogging could come through support from your followers as well as affiliate advertising and possible sponsorship.
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Personal Story
Being a baby boomer and born in the late 40s a significant number of adults in my life had been involved in World War II.
However, in our household there was never any talk that I can remember about any of my family’s involvement in the war, and never did I hear any disparaging remarks about any of the countries involved.
The only negative conversation that I can recall was in history class when our history teacher made a joke about one of the nations involved in the war which was completely lost on me.
I can remember, however, loving music at an early age and in the 1960s a beautiful song was released that I didn’t have a clue what was being sung about.
All that I knew was that the melody was easy to listen to, the voice of the singer very pleasing and I knew that it was being sung in the Japanese language.
The name of the song was “Sukiyaki” and was a story about sadness and loss.
This was my first encounter with something being sung or spoken to me in a foreign language that language is Japanese.
It’s just amazing to me that less than a generation later that a war between nations can be a distant memory and that the language of a former enemy can be embraced by people that once conflicted with one another.
Making Money Online in Japan FAQs
What is the National Economy of Japan Worth?
The economy of Japan is very robust and is a highly developed free-market economy.
In size, it is the third-largest in the world as it relates to nominal GDP and the fourth largest in the world when it comes to purchasing power parity.
Japan is also considered the second-largest developed economy and is a member of both G7 and G 20.
What is Japan’s Greatest Import and Export?
The greatest import for the country of Japan is crude petroleum at an amount of $72.3 billion.
The greatest export of Japan is the cars that are manufactured.
This industry exports $83.1 billion in automobiles and trucks.
You Can Do It
Although the nations of the world still speak different languages, that communication gap is decreasing continuously.
Many bonds unite us together and one of those bonds is the services that we can provide to each other in enhancing our personal and professional lives.
Even for us who live half a world away, the country of Japan is an opportunity for us to not only be of service and receive money in the process but help us to knit the world even closer together.
Conclusion
The karaoke machine is only one of many gifts that the Japanese have gifted to the world.
The street known as service is a two-way street in which the Japanese culture and people have served others and we in turn have reciprocated.
This process can continue and there are many ways how an industrious individual can make money in Japan.
Again, this company has paid $25+ million to members:
SurveyJunkie (only USA, Canada, Australia residents allowed). You can earn money sharing your thoughts. They have already paid $25+ million to their 20+ million members just for sharing their thoughts and opinions. Click here to join SurveyJunkie for FREE