Japanese for Digital Nomads and Remote Workers in Japan
You can work remotely from Japan for a few months with very little Japanese, but a small amount of targeted Japanese makes the stay far easier: kana, polite basics, and phrases for short-term rentals, co-working spaces, cafés, SIM cards, the doctor and getting around outside the big cities. Most remote workers can reach that level with a few weeks of lessons before they go. This guide covers what to learn, what to expect day to day, and how to keep learning while you are there.
First, the visa question
Japan introduced a digital nomad status in 2024 for remote workers employed by or running businesses outside Japan, allowing stays of up to six months. It comes with conditions, including a high minimum income and private health insurance, and is open only to citizens of certain countries. Rules change, so check the Immigration Services Agency of Japan or your nearest Japanese embassy before you plan. Many shorter stays happen on ordinary visitor entry instead, which has its own limits on what counts as work.
The Japanese that matters most for remote workers
| Situation | Useful Japanese |
|---|---|
| Co-working spaces and cafés | Wi-Fi はありますか (is there Wi-Fi?), 電源を使ってもいいですか (can I use the power socket?), ドロップイン (drop-in), 一日利用 (day pass) |
| Short-term rentals | チェックイン, ごみの出し方 (how to put out rubbish), 鍵 (key), 故障しています (it’s broken) |
| SIM cards and phones | データ通信だけ (data only), 何ギガ (how many GB), 契約 (contract) |
| Quiet etiquette | Calls are often not allowed in cafés and on trains. 電話してもいいですか (may I make a call?) and 通話可能 (calls allowed) are worth knowing. |
| Health | Describing symptoms at a clinic. See Japanese for the doctor and pharmacy. |
| Getting around | Trains, buses and IC cards. See Japanese for trains and getting around. |
Daily life: what surprises remote workers
- Cash still matters in smaller restaurants and rural areas, though cards and phone payments are now widely accepted in cities.
- Rubbish sorting is strict. Short-term rentals usually leave instructions in Japanese. Reading 燃えるごみ (burnable) and 資源ごみ (recyclables) saves embarrassment.
- Time zones are hard. Japan is ahead of Europe and the Americas, so calls with home often fall late at night or early in the morning. Plan your working hours early.
- English drops off fast outside the big cities. If you want to spend a month in Fukuoka, Hokkaido or a mountain town, Japanese becomes much more useful.
- Neighbours notice. A simple こんにちは and following local rules goes a long way, especially in residential areas. See living in a Japanese neighbourhood.
A plan before you go
- Learn hiragana and katakana. Katakana alone lets you read a surprising number of menu items and signs. See how to learn hiragana and katakana.
- Learn polite survival Japanese. Greetings, asking for things, numbers and prices. See Japanese phrases for your first trip.
- Role-play your actual situations. Checking into your rental, buying a SIM, asking a co-working space about a monthly plan.
- Prepare a short self-introduction for meeting people. Remote workers often say リモートで働いています (I work remotely).
Keep learning while you are there
Being in Japan is the best time to learn, because you can use every lesson the same day. Online lessons fit easily around remote work: an early morning or lunchtime lesson in Japan time, then practise at dinner. Many remote workers find that a few months in Japan with weekly lessons gets them further than years of studying at home. You can also bring real material to your lessons, such as a notice from your landlord or a form from the clinic, and work through it with your tutor. Thinking of staying longer? See how much Japanese you need to live in Japan and working remotely for a Japanese company.