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Japan Remotely, Okayama-shi (2026)

20/04/2026

October 2025 changes to the Business Manager visa resulted in a stark 96% drop in applications. Monthly applications for management-related residence statuses fell from 1,700 to just 70. The message is clear: the traditional “start a company and move to Japan” path isn't what it used to be.

But this doesn’t mean your visa plans are hopeless! It just means the strategy needs to change.

There are still viable paths, whether you’re a remote worker, freelancer, or building a business from abroad first. The people who adapt their approach can still make it work here.

📌 BUSINESS MANAGER VISA PLANS SPOILED? YOU AREN’T OUT OF OPTIONS

We’ve made it our business to understand every realistic pathway to living in Japan.

→ Book a free consultation at japanremotely.com and map out a strategy that will work for you!

17/04/2026

Feeling the zen with me? 😆 It was a long road to get here, but I’m relieved to report to you from inside the wash*tsu (tatami room) of our new place! The rest of the apartment is slowly filling up and starting to feel like home, but this room we’re keeping empty… my son and I have been sleeping in here for the time being. We’ll be ordering some futons to get the full Japanese sleeping experience soon. In the morning, we can pack the bedding up and use the room as we see fit during the rest of the day–that’s the beauty of wash*tsu!

It’s not all been so zen, though. We’ve hit a few speed bumps, namely getting air conditioning and internet installed, which in Japan can take surprisingly longer than you might expect. Still, we feel incredibly grateful and excited to be here, and with the kids finally starting school, it feels like our life here is truly beginning now. Stay tuned for more updates!

If you’re searching for your own slice of zen, feel free to reach out over on japanremotely.com. I help people move to Japan–I’ve done it myself, more than once! Schedule a free consultation and learn what your options are.

09/04/2026

🚨Japan Announces New Naturalization Requirements

Japan’s Ministry of Justice has announced it will double the number of years required to apply for citizenship from 5 to 10, as well as impose stricter requirements for social insurance and tax payment records.

Effective April 1, 2026, naturalization applicants must have lived in Japan for 10 or more years consecutively. Additionally, they must now submit two years of social insurance records and five years of tax payment certificates, up from the previously required one year.

Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi announced at a press conference that the changes are intended to make the requirements for citizenship more in line with those for permanent residency, which also generally require 10 or more years lived in Japan. Lawmakers had previously raised concerns that obtaining Japanese nationality was easier than getting permanent residency.

On top of the newly announced requirements, the previously established rules still apply. Applicants must demonstrate that they are in good social standing, without any criminal convictions, that they can speak Japanese to a basic level, and that they can financially support themselves. The candidate must also renounce their former citizenship, as Japan does not allow for dual citizenship.

Want to live in Japan long-term? Obtaining Japanese citizenship is just one pathway. Schedule a free consultation on japanremotely.com - moving to Japan is our life's work.

06/04/2026

Japan is continuing to tighten its approach to foreign workers, with a new requirement for B2-level Japanese (JLPT N2 equivalent) being introduced for certain work visas. This comes alongside recent updates to permanent residency eligibility, including stricter conditions such as needing a 5-year work visa status before application eligibility. These both signal a broader shift in policy.

There are still critical gray areas. For example, it remains unclear how authorities will determine which roles officially “require” Japanese language ability, and how consistently that standard will be applied across industries and employers. Based on anecdotal feedback we've heard from visa/PR applicants and our lawyer partners, immigration has already been examining cases with heightened diligence.

The overall direction is clear. Japan is placing increasing emphasis on language ability, job-role alignment, and long-term contribution when evaluating foreign workers. This has real implications not just for getting a visa, but for renewals, stability, and eventual permanent residency.

If you are considering working or building a life in Japan, now is the time to think more strategically about your path. In many cases, there may be alternative visa routes, structuring options, or timing strategies that better position you under these evolving rules.

If you’d like to discuss a personalized immigration plan or explore different pathways, sign up for a free consultation on japanremotely.com

02/04/2026

Which prefectures in Japan are the safest from natural disasters? There really are none! But when it comes to earthquake risk, fault line proximity, historic flood tendencies, tsunami vulnerability, landslide and volcanic risk, there are 5 prefectures that tend to be seen as lower risk than others:

🌞 1. OKAYAMA: The “Land of Sunshine," known for its dry, stable weather, low seismic activity, and mountain ranges that protect it from Pacific typhoons.

⛰️ 2. GIFU: Entirely inland with no risk of tsunamis, Gifu is outside the "highest risk" earthquake zones, and its mountain terrain provides natural protection from typhoons.

🦌 3. NARA: Completely landlocked, so no tsunami or storm surge risk. It also suffers relatively few earthquakes, with its ancient structures (temples over 1,000 years old) demonstrating its long-term geological stability.

🚣 4. SHIGA: The lakeside prefecture boasts strong local disaster preparedness policies and is protected from typhoons by surrounding mountains, with relatively low earthquake frequency and fewer extreme weather events.

🏖️ 5. TOTTORI: Far-off Tottori faces the relatively calm Sea of Japan rather than the Pacific Ocean, with a low direct-hit typhoon history. It had the lowest calculated risk for direct-type earthquakes in a Gross National Safety assessment.

Want to find out the top 12 safest prefectures in Japan? We have a complete list included in our "Granddaddy of All Japan Natural Disaster Planning Resource Guide" available on the Japan Remotely blog! Head on over to japanremotely.com/blog for more.

28/03/2026

🔥 Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, and more! Though day-to-day life is mostly pretty peaceful, Japan can seem scary when you think about how many natural disasters there are here.

Disaster preparedness is thus good common sense for anyone living or visiting Japan, and thankfully, some of our favorite apps make it easier than ever to stay safe and up-to-date on natural disasters as they occur.

⚠️ Our favorites include "NERV," offering superfast updates and a clean UI, "Safety Tips," which includes evacuation flowcharts and helpful Japanese phrases for use in a disaster, and "NHK World," which, on top of the news, also sends disaster notifications in 19 languages.

We also have "The Granddaddy of All Japan Natural Disaster Planning Resource Guides" available on the Japan Remotely blog, which we think is the most thorough guide on the web! Head over to japanremotely.com for more.

22/03/2026

SHOULD YOU MOVE TO JAPAN?

This one question is the reason why people never move to Japan: Is it right for me or not? So many people freeze because it's a difficult question to answer... especially if you've never been here before. But there are a few clues we can offer to help determine if it makes sense to move:

1. Have you visited before? Have you seen what it's like? This is absolutely the first step - come here and stay for a while (longer is better!)

2. Do you really love Japan? People who are looking to just leave their home country, get a cheap house or do something different will likely not last long-term. There are a lot of challenges here. People who can survive the punches are those who have a reason to be here.

3. Is it your first choice? I know the viral good deals on cheap housing and cost of living are tempting, but there are plenty of countries where you can have decent quality of life for way less money. If cost of living is your number one concern, go somewhere else. Just being honest!

20/03/2026

Hand in hand, walking towards their futures in Japan! An exciting moment for both our kiddos as we went to the consulate to pick up their visas. Moving internationally with children is quite the task, and I'm looking forward to getting settled in. We touch down in Fukuoka on April 1st!

Our son was actually born in Japan (but he was too small to remember). Fun to return with another little one! I'm glad we can raise our kids to be bilingual.

Interested in making the leap to Japan yourself? Ask me! I help people move to Japan. DM or schedule a free consultation on japanremotely.com.

10/03/2026

Permanent residency is visa-free status providing nearly complete professional freedom to those living in Japan, but until recently, obtaining permanent residency via a work visa required living in Japan for 10 long years. Today, however, several visa programs offer a "fast track" to PR.

1. Highly Skilled Foreign Professional status(HSP) can get you access to PR in as little as 1-3 years if you score enough points, primarily based on income, language ability, schooling, and other specific qualifications.

2. The J-SKIP Visa allows those with a master's degree or higher, or those with 10+ years of professional experience PLUS ¥20 million in income to qualify for PR in as little as a year, making it the fastest option.

3. A slower but easier path than HSP or J-SKIP is simply to obtain an ordinary work or business manager visa. You are then allowed to use a points system to apply for PR early, so long as you can maintain those points for 3 consecutive years.

Wondering how you can make yourself a permanent resident? Our 2026 PR Fast Track Guide offers in-depth coverage of these options and more, empowering you to pick which path is right for you. Find it on japanremotely.com!

03/03/2026

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: Japan Announces MAJOR Change to Permanent Residency Requirements

Amid a wave of recent visa policy changes, Japan’s Immigration Services Agency is taking a harder stance on those who wish to live in the country long-term, announcing this week that the requirements for permanent residency will change in 2027.

Starting April 1, 2027, all applicants for permanent residency will be required to possess a 5-year visa (excepting fast-track or spousal applicants). Those who apply within the next year (until March 31, 2027) will be allowed to apply under the old rules, but after that, anyone with 1 or 3-year visas will need to wait to be granted a 5-year visa first.

While Japan has taken steps to liberalize its immigration policy in recent years, this has come hand-in-hand with tighter restrictions to close loopholes and curb visa misuse. But for long-term residents who have dedicated years to building a life in Japan, the new 5-year requirement represents a major potential hurdle, especially as the criteria for a 5-year residency status is not clearly stated.

What does this mean for you? The highly skilled professional visa is the most reliable track towards permanent residency.

Questions? Schedule a free consultation on japanremotely.com - moving to Japan is our life's work.

26/02/2026

Tokyo isn’t just a great place for shopping, food and culture. It's a great place for business. 🚄🇯🇵

If your goal is to level up your career or grow your business in Japan, bigger cities like Tokyo give you a serious advantage. Everything you need for international business is in easy access.

Maybe I'm a bit biased. I worked for years in Tech in Tokyo. During that time, I had days where I was meeting with companies like Toyota, Mitsubishi, Dell, and major research centers all happened within a manageable schedule. Try doing that in the U.S. ✈️

Still growing as a professional? That's why you might want to live in Tokyo: proximity = momentum. When everything is close, progress happens faster.

If you’re deciding where to base yourself in Japan, don’t underestimate how much geography shapes opportunity. 📍

20/02/2026

I often talk about the logistics of moving to Japan: visas, work, business. But being in the middle of it myself, I want to share a more personal note on what it actually feels like to move your life and business here.

Moving internationally with a family is really challenging! Alignment with your spouse matters a whole lot. With kids, everything requires more coordination. It took a lot of time to do in-person daycare visits to make sure our foreign kids would land in an environment aligned with our values. Very important.

Entrepreneurship feels heavier at this stage of life. These are my “prime career years.” I stepped away from a tech management role. Dare I say sometimes there is a bit of career FOMO and paycheck instability. On top of that, my visa is tied to the success of my business. I am grateful I built a remote income stream before making the jump.

Moving to Japan, everything takes longer than you think. Apartment hunting, approvals, bank accounts, pension, healthcare, taxes, furnishing a home. Productivity drops while you manage it all. If you are considering a one year business visa, ask yourself: can you realistically move, set up, and turn a profit that fast? Your plan better be razor-sharp.

The big pieces are in place. Apartment secured. Five year visa approved. Company and bank account operational. Kids enrolled. I'll be glad when things are all settled. Eyes on the prize. 🍣

Are you considering a move abroad? What is holding you back?

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