A Day in the Life of a Software Engineer in Japan

I'm a software engineering manager living in Nagano city, Japan, and this is a day in my life.
Follow along as we explore the day in the life of a software engineer/engineering manager living in Japan. From morning routine, over working from home, to delicious sushi and learning Japanese!
#dayinthelife #japan
More secret content on Patreon: / japanesejourney
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Lavalier mic, perfect for KZbin: geni.us/GV9B0o
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[@marianne678]

As someone who works as a programmer (Data Scientist), I find this day in a life very honest. We just really sit in front of the computer for 9 hours. Then at the end of the day, your mind is just so tired and you just want to lay down. It's good that you're able to go out for lunch!

[@JapaneseJourney]

Going out for lunch was actually out of the ordinary :D

[@NimhaniD]

​@@JapaneseJourney Reply plz ..If I do my BSC (Hons) computer science (software engineering) degree in Sri Lanka and come to Japan, will I have jobs for this degree? (If you can speak Japanese well)

[@JapaneseJourney]

@@NimhaniD it’s possible

[@ThatsErika]

I’m in Tokyo but I want to work in Nagano too. Shokai shite!

[@flmcrw]

So many Japan bloggers have Day in the Life videos where they’re eating super healthy breakfasts. I feel like if that were me I’d be saying “Here’s my gigantic breakfast burrito”.

[@JapaneseJourney]

Not to mention the milk products ☝️

[@mazenbraika2069]

@@HankattenLucaT fruits aren’t unhealthy. White bread isn’t the best but it’s not that bad.

[@yazzers7940]

I like how basic and calming a life is in Japan

[@mazenbraika2069]

Eh, depends where in Japan

[@marcushebron5560]

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Take these youtube "day in the life" vids with a grain of salt.

[@mazenbraika2069]

@@marcushebron5560 thank god someone with some common sense. You’ll be lucky to end up like any of these videos. They’re already unrealistic enough with free food but to act like Japan is some magical fairy land where it’s calm is dumb

[@Jaykurosakii]

@@mazenbraika2069 yeah Japan is a place I would live for a temporary amount of time but I couldn’t stay there unless I had a really good job where I’m not overworked and pays good. I don’t see the point in living there if you can’t enjoy the beautiful and good sides of Japan.

[@mazenbraika2069]

@@Jaykurosakii yeah. Most jobs require Japanese too, and you'll need to factor the amount of time that will take. Japan is amazing for tourism. But for living? Not as much. But if you get a good job (probably an international company like google) that pays well and gives a good work life balance, then you should be good. But remember, unlike the USA or many parts of Europe, you'll never be considered one of them. Even if you got a Japanese passport (you'll have to give up any other passports you have) you'd still be considered a foreigner or a "long term tourist". Never will you be considered Japanese

[@NoirpoolSea]

I really enjoy the fact that in Japan, you can leave things out and they will not be stolen- e.g. the bicycle. Also, not living in a big city and working from home means you can have much more space, and more importantly, much more time where you are not expected to go out and drink with your coworkers after you leave work. Very good lifestyle. Do you do Akido BTW?

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thank you for your comment Jes.e.B.! I do Aikido indeed.

[@kana4135]

Your editing skill is great🍓 It's like magic✨

[@creeperwasfound703]

Now thats kind of video i was looking for......love ur video......and keep watching one piece it good.

[@jessszmajda3820]

Nice job making a day in the life entertaining! 😄

[@Tailacoster]

Nice video! I think it would be cool to see some videos of you going to common places that locals in your area go for recreation, food, etc. and showing them off.

[@nechellenavarro9084]

Your videos give so much hope to me as a software engineer. I wish I can work in Japan too someday. Keep on inspiring people senpai.

[@JapaneseJourney]

All the best Nechelle!

[@Sonny0276]

Great Video. Thank you for posting.

[@MuhammadNurIslomToxtamishhoji-]

Very good video, keep up the good work~

[@ThePeppermintMocha]

I love your video. Keep up the good work.

[@sherwiniravani544]

Underrated channel! Keep it up bro

[@manik92015]

Great video making skills bro, subscribed👍

[@TheRedValue]

Bloody loving these time-skip cuts!

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thanks Red!

[@daniel-panek]

Great video! Thanks!

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thank you Daniel!

[@onlytrace1385]

Great video! The outro convinced me to subscribe!🤣

[@nicoschumann6348]

Sehr gut gemacht! 👍 Sehr Positiv finde ich den Schnitt, sowie den Humor und auch die Gestaltung (den Aufbau des Videos). Negatives konnte ich nichts finden bzw ich konnte nichts finden was man besser machen könnte, es ist durchgehend Interessant und die Video Länge passt auch gut, im ganzen ein wirklich sehr gutes Video.

[@bryanislas9256]

You have a new subscriber from México!! I will practice my english with this great videos. Cheers.

[@AdministratorWarrior]

The workout routine my bro amazing salute

[@mahekshaikh8656]

Your video's are really amazing, full of knowledge and very very interesting. Your sence of humour is 😂😂😂. Your channel is my favorite channel on KZbin 👌👌👌👌👌

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thanks so much for the kind words Mahek, I really appreciate it!

[@37kaustubhjagtap97]

Relaxing! 😌

[@Mazoane]

Nice! I can relate to many situations, specially regarding the “over-wrapping” tendence in Japan. Even one plastic bag for one cookie. I live in Nagoya, it’s kinda close to Nagano but it has a totally different weather. I don’t get to see as much snow as you. I kind wish I could see more.

[@GeorgeoBrooks]

Ichigo. Fun video! I like your sense of humor

[@selassie9015]

great video ! I wish you the best ! Iam currently in school for computer science and I hope to live in Japan one day too!

[@asifahmedsourav6355]

Liked your content man. I think it's kind of aspiring for people who are into tech and want to move to Japan. But, what about your journey before coming to Japan, I mean how you end up in Japan, your preparation and activities for coming to Japan - this information will be helpful. Is there any content on this topic from your channel? And what about your current Japanese language proficiency? Thanks in advance.

[@alexandervs3369]

Japanese ambivalence: A robot cashier for self-service, but you have to feed it with coins and bank notes ;-)

[@fiveten2791]

The video editing is insane on this one! 💯 And I love One Piece

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thank you!! Please share and all that! I've just arrived at Skypia 🙈 (started over in Japanese)

[@fiveten2791]

Will do! One day I'll re-watch it in Japanese too 😁

[@AllEntertainmentwiththreebros]

Last was amazing 😂😂😂

[@patricksmith3135]

Wow! I really loved this video. It is 9:45 AM CST here in Louisiana and you are the first one I have seen today. I am waiting for my daughter and son in law to come to help me with some chores. I am impressed very much with your content for today. I am fascinated with your work as I have so much difficulty making computers do what I want. I am always reading a new post about how to do something on the computer. I like your breakfast choice; I was so surprised to see twelve empty dishes from lunch. How much did that cost you? 😹😹 Here too, I take my own sacks along to the market but only because I hate wasting those wee plastic ones they give you. I look forward to your future videos as you have laid out today. I recently watched a video from another Japanese type show who highlighted Miso and its curative properties. Miso apparently is a big industry in Nagano Prefecture. What do you think about that for a video? Have a blessed day or night for you now. Auf Wiedersehen Johannes. Patrick

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thank you Patrick! And thank you also for the previous comments you made. I might not reply to all of them, but I certainly read them! I think the sushi was about $14 if I remember correctly. Nagano is indeed big in the Miso game. I think about 40% or so of Japan's Miso is produced in the perfecture. I have a rough idea how to turn this into a video, so it might happen! Have a great day Patrick!

[@SiilverEdit]

Dude is living my dream keep it up man im coming, currently studying in china as a foreigner, next visiting you c ya in 5 years

[@KacyJanna]

I’m in college for computer sciences. It’s always been my dream to move out to Japan and maybe doing software engineering in Japan. It’s kinda the goal after I get my masters.

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thanks for sharing and all the best Kacy!

[@delano6572]

@@JapaneseJourney how did you migrate to japan?

[@shukrantpatil]

how about do your masters there itself , I'm planning on doing masters in automobile engineering in japan itself as that way it would be easier to land a job in Japan's automobile giants .

[@otismilburn1052]

Me too, but language is the main problem there, im from india

[@ruleaus7664]

I hope it's not because of anime or cute Japanese guys.

[@nellyowings7222]

Lol loved the ending

[@kuldeeprana1908]

today i found your channel and i am hooked....i am second year computer science student and planning to move to japan...your channel helps a lot

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thanks for stopping by Kuldeep! I hope you'll enjoy the upcoming content as well!

[@kuldeeprana1908]

@@JapaneseJourney yeah waiting for new video

[@mazenbraika2069]

Some advice: don't come here after college. Get work experience (3 years). You'll get some good jobs and make more than your Japanese colleagues

[@abidisyrine7384]

the songs transition like funny in a good way it made me feel better hh

[@JapaneseJourney]

So did this comment abidi syrine. Have a great day!

[@oluwaseunakinmukomi1459]

Nice video!. Would really like to know more about what you do, tech stack used, and also sofware job opportunities for foreigners in Japen.

[@mazenbraika2069]

I can answer the last question. You can find them, but your best bet would be to join an international company (google, Amazon etc.) instead of a Japanese one. You'll be payed more and have a better work life balance. The best part about being a software engineer is that your Japanese skills don't have to be high, so you can spend less time studying Japanese and more time improving your skills.

[@manvendra_singh]

love the video senpai! i'm going to watch all of your videos! I'm currently doing a software engineering degree in Australia and was wanting to know how is it like working in Japan as a foreigner.

[@mehdi179]

Nice video from japan :)

[@jewljuju]

🍓I’ve visited Japan several times, but I’ve never lived there and always wanted to try experiencing that. I was born in the east coast (USA) but I’m slowing migrating to the west! 😅 went to college in the Midwest and now I’m living in the west coast with my first post-college job.

[@developejr2370]

Your video is the best!

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thank you!

[@developejr2370]

@@JapaneseJourney I am from Brazil, my dream is done my course of Software Engineer and live in Japan. (You have now a new subscribed to your channel)

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thanks a lot @@developejr2370 ! All the best with achieving your dream!

[@ahmednafiunoman5040]

Beautiful video brother....planing to work in japan ..love from bangladesh

[@Zeitstill]

Moin, freut mich, dass du die Ideen aufnimmt und jetzt so ein "a day in a life" video machst und ich denke die werden auch gerne gesehen. Ehrlich gesagt, Schrecken mich z. B. So 40min rede videos immer eher ab. Von daher gerne weiter so... Vielleicht als nächstes mal eine andere Person begleiten? Wäre toll. Viel Erfolg und Spaß weiterhin :)

[@PujDK]

Great that you can go to restaurants, here they are closed since November pretty much (with like 2 weeks open in December before holiday) so I live off delivery pizza and my mediocre homecooking. But at the same time as someone who does not really enjoy winter I am living my dream right now, only leaving my appartment twice a week so it is not all that bad On the side note, I have same headphones just in pink, we are pretty much headphone bros!

[@spirosanas5785]

That was a funny video to watch and entertaining 😄

[@saardean4481]

When you were doing the rolls on the floor it reminded me of a game called Tumble Panda .. ....

[@yuanbohua]

Like your vids, you deserve more subs

[@JapaneseJourney]

Cheers Ed, thanks a lot!

[@familiarshadow1]

Nice HHKB lite!

[@brunopaniaguajimenez7307]

yo I love it, you're living my dream life lol

[@hezekiahsaifpalmes8545]

I searched for this video hoping to get any ideas on what life as a foreigner living in Japan would look like. Now I think it would be better to learn 日本語 right away and become fluent in speaking.

[@bakriahmed5064]

i like your video so much :)

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thank you Ahmed!

[@zacklegrone5352]

keep doing this style of video,im sure this tip or suggestion will benefit your views well

[@mohamadkarimi6806]

I like your videos❤

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thank you Mohamad!

[@JapanPotato]

Nice video again! Grüße aus dem fernen Deutschland.

[@etherdog]

Johannes, do you miss siebenkornbrot as much as I do? When I lived in Berlin in 89-90, it was as precious as a baguette was to a French person (where I lived in 84).

[@hafidzarkhamseptianto4978]

I like how you make this video ...

[@haremprotagonist1118]

Please make another day in the life video when your office would reopen. (For reference: paolo from tokyo day in life videos, Purijit day in the life as a software engineer)

[@MarutanMentama]

長野のスーパーって、カートに雪がかかるんだと初めて知りました。寒いところですもんね🍓 Nagano is too cold. Because snowing that shopping cart.

[@rodrigolanesmeneses]

Nice routine. That's all I expected it to be. I'm brazilian, and I'm really thinking about applying to a engineering graduation in Japan. I freaking love One Piece, but never considered watching it without subtitles, hahaha, that was quite unexpected.

[@ultraali453]

The promo was very surprising

[@Sasaki_Kenchiro]

Hey there, I'm planning to work in Japan as a web developer but since my Japanese is not that fluent, I'm a little bit concerned about whether I can find a decent job in Japan as a developer. Do you think fluent Japanese is kinda like compulsory for all job positions in Japan? Thanks!

[@JapaneseJourney]

That of course limits your options, but it's far from impossible. There are plenty of companies without Japanese language requirement.

[@thaneshwardhimal6357]

Which are most popular programming languages used in japan?

[@anjanbanerjee4818]

Beautiful video. Nice to see doing daily exercise with yoga. Thanks for sharing. Greetings from India. ☘️☘️☘️🌺🌺🌺

[@jorgeshimada6934]

いちごIchigo, as you said in the video. How is your Japanese level? When I came to Japan at the first time, I couldn't understand, read nor writing, but after studying I could learn and now I could say that I understand. Very nice video!

[@auggustas9551]

Hey i recommend u doing more vlogs because u get more views and its very entertaining

[@duvanxo3033]

I like the way you put the cheese on top of the bread LOL. I am 31 years old and I am just starting to learn to code. Do you think I am too old to star learning code?

[@JapaneseJourney]

Definitely not!

[@beulaieon]

awesome, I'm planning to be a programmer in japan after I graduate in college. :)

[@mazenbraika2069]

Don't do that. Never go to Japan right after college. You'll probably not get a job (why hire a foreigner who can't speak the language and needs a visa when I can hire a Japanese person?) and you'll be paid BADLY. the magic number when it comes to work experience is 3. So work in your home country or any other country for 3 years, then come. You'll be making more than your Japanese colleagues, because of your international experience. Just, don't come here without experience

[@beulaieon]

@@mazenbraika2069 Omg, thank you for telling me that, I really appreciate it!

[@mazenbraika2069]

@@beulaieon yep. Come to Japan after 3 years of work experience. You'll be able to enjoy Japan much more

[@kil_zoldyckedits1859]

9:00 I almost forgot to subscribe 😂

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thank you for watching guys, I hope you enjoyed the video! Let me know what you thought about it below! Edit: By popular demand, a follow-up is available here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJKQq5uBiZ2DhKc

[@valeriipopov9863]

Where new videos about a developer life in the Japan?)

[@ankitaburman5406]

Amazing ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@zwwx2142]

Es muy difícil trabajar como ingeniero en Japón ?

[@karidesana8977]

Commenting for interaction 😆

[@JapaneseJourney]

Replying to +1 that

[@SivakD]

Hello. I saw you are based in Nagano. Is the company you're with also based there? It seems like a rarity to find companies in central Japan.

[@JapaneseJourney]

My company is based on Tokyo.

[@SivakD]

@@JapaneseJourney Thanks for the reply. That's reassuring that Tokyo remote is a possibility. I've been looking into more of that recently.

[@belfiorebianco]

Cool

[@shivamkatoch5313]

bro i wanna come to japan as a software engineer at google in tokyo , but i dont know where to begin so any advice

[@kirirath3]

I like this sponsor :D

[@JapaneseJourney]

The best one I've had so far.

[@xbello5128]

what keyboard and mouse are you using. Sorry can't help..I'm a keeb geek!

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thanks for asking. The keyboard is a HHKB lite 2, the mouse is a Speedlink DESCANO.

[@jamestanaka686]

Nice video. Which is better, working in North America (Canada), Japan, or Germany in terms of work-life balance, salary, skills/career development? I am Japanese staying aborad for so long, forgetting a lot about Japan and not sure if I should go back to Japan to work as software engineer.

[@ciello___8307]

north america for work life balance /salary for sure

[@mazenbraika2069]

North America for sure. Maybe Germany too if you want. But you'll have a work life balance and be paid well

[@MrJ4ckie]

@@ciello___8307 Compared to Germany, work/life balance in America is pretty horrible (on average). In SE, salaries can be way higher in America though, even though the difference gets a lot smaller if you factor in cost of living.

[@AkiZukiLenn]

5:05 pm and you are already shopping for dinner Me 5:05 is still figuring out that compiling error . Or any other magical code that some legend wrote in the past .

[@MrKeepDying]

peeling apples before eating them is kinda weird 😁 healthy breakfast is good tho. :D

[@JapaneseJourney]

Weirdly, you're not the first person to say that :D

[@elianefranceschetti]

Man.... Is this oven very clean!!!!!

[@abhishekprasad5066]

Background music seems like typical German style .....nice 🤩...it sounds really good

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thank you Abishek 😊

[@abhishekprasad5066]

@@JapaneseJourney Yōkoso

[@sheriffcrandy]

Bro I'm a CS student living in Japan and I will be graduating next year. Do you think there are good opportunities for entry level engineers here? Thanks 🤙

[@mazenbraika2069]

I can help. No, not many. Even if you got a job, you'd be paid badly. Get 3 years of experience (the magic number) outside of Japan. You'll be making a lot more than if you started in Japan and worked for 3 years

[@No1x3N]

That hhkb there, sir you have good taste.

[@JapaneseJourney]

A delight to write on. Might annoy others though 😅

[@AbhayPrasada]

You could do a video telling how did u become a programmer in Japan. I am starting my carrer as programmer and I would live to programming in Japan. Best wishes

[@mazenbraika2069]

Go to college (NOT IN JAPAN). Get at least 3 years of experience. Apply for an international company (don't go for Japanese companies). Transfer to the company's Japan office.

[@snehabhat4876]

Why did you choose to work in Japan instead of your own country? I'm curious. Is the economy better for software devs ?

[@nizarismail1858]

It's very different from the Japanese life in Oshin, Rin Hanekoma, Maero Attack, Chiaki or Wasabe. No drama, no yakuza...

[@marh122]

Any tips how to get to japan to work as a programmer ? :)

[@shukurullohjamolov8737]

Hi bro, can I get a job(web developer) without degree or I need to apply University in Japan?

[@tl8776]

Is it normal to finish work at 5pm in Japan?

[@mazenbraika2069]

It depends on the company, though lots of people stay overtime

[@amabdi5759]

Only a German would describe an off the beaten path area as "highly underutilised" lol

[@JapaneseJourney]

It most accurately describes my feelings

[@AbaperPH]

Nice video. I'm also a Software Engineer from the Philippines. Keep it up :) I'm also starting a youtube channel.

[@bloodraider4437]

I want to be a software engineer someday

[@magudesh5872]

Nice❤️

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thanks Magudesh!

[@magudesh5872]

@@JapaneseJourney you're welcome dude❤️

[@liammacdougald9217]

How long should I study Japanese before planning to move there if I am a complete beginner, I still have 4 years left of my masters degree in engineering so I have time I hope. And how many hours would an engineer work in a week because I’ve heard some people working 80 hours but I’m hoping those are just scary stories to tell people who want to move to Japan, I’m not sure if I’ll be working as a software engineer either but if you know anything about on average how much engineers work I’d really appreciate it

[@JapaneseJourney]

It depends on your goals. If you want to become as close to a native speaker as possible, you should start as soon as you can. If you are more concerned about surviving, that's doable without Japanese, albeit certainly not as fun. Lastly, how fast you progress in learning Japanese strongly correlates with how many hours you invest, so you could be at a really high level of fluency if you studied for 4 years, or still at a beginner level. For work, it also depends. Legally, you are not allowed to work more than 100 hours of overtime per month. But there are also companies ignoring that. If you get an offer, it's probably a good idea to look the company up on glassdoor and see if there are any comments about their work culture.

[@liammacdougald9217]

@@JapaneseJourney Do you work in a Japanese company or a international one? And are there many English speaking/non Japanese companies for engineers to work on in Japan? I still want to learn the language as much as I can but considering the difficulty of it and the standard required to work in some Japanese companies I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get to that level by the time I have the opportunity to move

[@JapaneseJourney]

@@liammacdougald9217 I work for an international Japanese company. There are some, but again it depends what you consider as many. It depends all on the time you are willing to invest into Japanese, or in other words what priority you give it. If you are able to go all in, really commit and do something like AJATT or Refold, you'll be at a high level in no time. If not, then not.

[@musicblower8368]

I want same job. Which degree did you take. Btech or BE computer??

[@user-ur3sj5eh1h]

great video! even better taste in anime ;p

[@JapaneseJourney]

Thanks 😆

[@japan-flanders1078]

What is name of music? Source of songs?

[@JapaneseJourney]

I think all the songs used are from Artlist.

[@chrisaltec2992]

あんきはめっちゃいいアプリだよね！ ほぼ2年間それしかしてなかった。。。 日本語がんばって

[@mariahamilton5305]

Nagano - in one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world - cold enough to hold a Winter Olympics - no.central.heating... what's the explanation for that?

[@JapaneseJourney]

I guess it has something to do with earthquake or cost efficiency.

[@mazenbraika2069]

It isn’t too technologically advanced. It’s nothing special, the way the media portrays it is unrealistic

[@yadlapallimeghana2568]

How many levels of JLPT have you completed???

[@JapaneseJourney]

None ..

[@amolhadke8802]

Hello sir I've completed my graduation in IT engineering 2020 can you please help in job searching can you make a video on this love from INDIA

[@kingkong-zn5yx]

Man what is software engineering do in japan and what i most to learn and get job there