Rejected, Redirected, and Hired: My Rollercoaster Job Hunt in Japan

Finding a job in Japan is an adventure—sometimes exhilarating, sometimes draining, but always unpredictable. Like a game of pachinko, you never quite know where you’ll land. One moment, you’re nailing interviews; the next, you’re getting rejection emails so curt they could double as haikus. And all this for the grand prize: working eight hours a day, five days a week—or more, if you hit the infamous overtime black-company jackpot. (I did, haha)

Well that’s the journey I embarked on, and today I’m sharing my story—the good, the bad, and everything else. If you’re on the same path, trust me, you’re not alone. It can get frustrating and difficult, but perseverance will get you through it and maybe, you will also make some friends along the way.

(Psst, if you’re job hunting in Japan, I’ve put together some tips and tricks here: https://www.jpndiaries.com/post/how-to-find-work-in-japan.)

Time to get a big-girl job

My first job in Japan was at a machiya in Kyoto—a traditional townhouse filled with history and charm. It was fulfilling work, but also draining, as I was working from early morning until late night. The job was also quite physically demanding as it included cleaning up two machiya townhouses in just a few hours between the check-out and check-in times. Nevertheless, I loved working here, it was an amazing experience and lighting up incense before the check-in to welcome the guests was my favorite part of the day - it felt like a small, magical ritual to welcome them to this slice of Japanese tradition.

However, I started feeling the itch for something more—not just in terms of work, but in life.

With my visa ticking down, I knew I had to think about the future. Would I stay in Japan? Leave and come back? Either way, I had to make the most of my time here.

Leaving Kyoto was bittersweet. It has always been my favorite city, and even though there was something new to explore here every day, it somehow started to feel too small. I knew I needed a change.

My First Career Fair in Osaka

My first job-hunting step was attending the Pasona Global Fair in Kansai. I bought my first job hunting suit, put on my new shoes and with a resume in my hand I was ready to hit the interviews. I'll be honest, I was quite nervous and in the uncomfortable suit and heels hurting my feet I felt completely like a fish out of water.

When I arrived at the venue, I quickly realized I wasn’t alone in feeling overwhelmed. Seeing the nervous faces of other career fair participants made me feel an odd sense of connection, like we were all in this awkward job-hunting boat together. Just like that, my nerves vanished.

I wandered around a few company booths and lucked into an on-the-spot interview. To my surprise, I got invited to the next round! I started getting excited about this company—they seemed like a perfect fit for me, especially their global department, which focused on helping foreigners find jobs in Japan. Afterward, I dove into researching them, watching videos of their super-cool Tokyo office, and imagining myself working there. Could this be it? Was I about to wrap up my entire job hunt with the very first company I talked to? How lucky would that be?!

Well.. no. When it came time for the final interview, I fumbled. I’m still not exactly sure what went wrong, but I could tell I hadn’t impressed the panel. The rejection email was practically waving at me from the horizon. Maybe it didn’t help that when they asked if I’d consider working at their Awaji Island branch, I made it crystal clear I wasn’t interested. Who knows? Either way, the rejection email eventually arrived, and I had no choice but to pick myself up and keep the job hunt rolling.

I couldn’t quite let go of the company, so I decided to take another shot by applying to one of their subsidiaries. This time, it involved recording a self-introduction video—a painstaking process that took about a hundred takes. By the end, I thought it was flawless. I showcased how my skills and passions aligned with their mission, switched between English and Japanese to flaunt my bilingual ability, and spoke enthusiastically about how I’d contribute to the team.

But despite all that effort, a rejection email landed in my inbox days later. No feedback, no explanation—just a polite “no.” Maybe it was a group company policy not to reconsider failed applicants. Or perhaps I just wasn’t what they were looking for. Heck, they might’ve already had someone lined up for the role. Whatever the reason, it was another “thanks, but no thanks” for the books.

The worst part about rejection emails? The total lack of feedback. Was it something I said? My language skills? Or—gasp—did I have something in my teeth the entire time? (You might laugh but in my job as a recruiter I did see a candidate rejected because of this very reason) You’re left guessing, with no clue how to improve. Sure, you might be tempted to ask for feedback, but many companies nip that in the bud with a polite but firm line in their rejection email: “We cannot answer any questions about the results.” Ouch.

If you’re job hunting in Japan, this is just part of the game. At first, it stings like a paper cut to the ego, but over time, you learn to shrug it off, keep your chin up, and march on to the next opportunity.

Tokyo Bound and more Career Fairs

I decided it was time to head to Tokyo—the epicenter of career opportunities. I booked a bunk bed in a 25-person room in a hostel in Asakusa and dove into job hunting. (Well, after I spent a week exploring Tokyo). Staying in the hostel was cheap, but let’s just say it wasn’t exactly conducive to a good night’s sleep. Between the symphony of snores, late-night partygoers stumbling back in, and the pre-dawn rustling of travelers packing up, restful nights were a distant dream.

But hey, I was young! Running on a few hours of sleep, fueled by adrenaline and ambition, was just part of the adventure.

I attended two career fairs in Tokyo: the Daijob Career Fair and a massive MyNavi fair at Tokyo Big Sight. I had a clear goal for the Daijob Career Fair - handing in my resume to a company called Princess Cruises. They operate cruise ship tours all over the world and I was ready to get on board as their photographer. I did get an invite to the next step of the process, but in the end decided not to proceed. My friend who came with me, however, got the job as a part of their crew working at one of the boutiques on board. Fun fact: he was working at the infamous Diamond Princess cruise ship that became Japan’s first COVID-19 hotspot. Thankfully, he jumped ship—metaphorically—just before the outbreak.

As I was leaving the fair, a cute Japanese girl waved me over and asked if I would be interested in hearing more about their company. Funnily enough, this was the company organizing the very fair we were attending. I had an impromptu interview for a recruiter position on the spot and was later invited to their office. My future supervisor—a confident and inspiring Japanese woman, maybe just a little bit older than me— talked to me about the job and the team I would be working with. I asked a lot of questions about the work conditions and she assured me that she left the office on time every day. (Spoiler alert: She did. The rest of the team.. not so much). They also showed me the office and I got to meet a few current employees, who all seemed lovely. I also went through what they call tekiseikensa - a suitability test. It can come in various forms, but mine was something like a personality test, asking questions about how I react in certain situations, what kind of person do I consider myself or how I usually deal with stress. There was one final interview and I received an offer! But let me come back to this a bit later.

The MyNavi fair at a massive hall in Odaiba was an entirely different beast. Picture this: thousands of job seekers, all in identical black suits, shuffling around like perfectly coordinated penguins. It was my first time experiencing something on this scale, and, honestly, it was a bit overwhelming. But there was no turning back—I pinned on my badge, took a deep breath, and stepped into the hall packed with company booths and hopeful candidates wishing to land the job.

There was one company I was particularly excited to speak to. As a passionate traveller, I was really interested in working for one of the big-name booking websites. They did reject me on the spot because I would be needing a visa sponsorship, but I got to take a pen with their logo as a consolation prize. Thanks, I guess.

There was also and event company that seemed nice at first, but raised some red flags with invasive questions about my parents’ jobs? - why that was relevant, I’ll never know. Also the fact that the employees were either old Japanese men or young foreign girls might have been a reason I felt this was not the place to be.

Then there was the tobacco company, tempting with high salaries. But let’s be real—my mom would absolutely disown me if I even considered working for them.

Before leaving the fair I came across a real estate firm that promoted a 60-hour overtime included in your pay. Mikomi zangyo - or overtime included in your base salary is common in Japan. In better cases it would be 25 hours, sometimes you might find companies with 40, but when you see 60, you better run for the hills.

As I wandered through the sea of company booths, dodging recruiters and collecting glossy brochures, I somehow made a friend. She was a bit younger than me, also on her first job hunt in Japan, and just as clueless about navigating the fair. We teamed up for a while, walking around, sharing nervous laughs, and swapping notes on which booths looked interesting. But then we split up to attend different sessions, and... I never saw her again. With thousands of people in identical black suits and white blouses, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack—except all the needles are wearing the same outfit. Wherever you are, my short-term career fair buddy, I hope you’re crushing it out there!

Staffing agencies

I dabbled with a couple of staffing agencies during my job hunt, focusing on the ones that specialized in global positions and helping foreigners find work in Japan. The process was straightforward: you apply on their website, and voilà—an agent reaches out for an initial chat. You share your experience, skills, and dream job wishlist, and they do the heavy lifting to match you with opportunities.

But here’s the catch: everything hinges on your agent. Are they competent? Do they see you as a “hot prospect” worth placing so they can snag their commission? If the answer is “yes,” you’re in luck—they’ll pull out all the stops to help you. If not? Well, you’re better off trying your luck with another agency. When you find the right agent, though, they can make the whole job search feel a lot less like a maze and a lot more like a guided tour.

One agent arranged an interview for me at the upscale Cerulean Tower Hotel in Shibuya. We met at a café beforehand for a quick prep session, and then he even accompanied me to the interview—it felt like I had my own personal cheerleader. After a short conversation with the recruiter, they seemed optimistic about me as a candidate and gave us a tour of the hotel, including the VIP floor. It was incredible—I felt like I’d accidentally wandered into a five-star episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Even my agent was practically glowing, saying it was the highlight of his week.

Then came the catch. The position started as a “bell girl,” with the hope that, after years of loyal luggage-lugging, I might one day climb the hotel hierarchy. While the hotel itself was stunning, I had to admit, the idea of spending the rest of my twenties shouting “Irasshaimase!” to suitcases didn’t exactly spark joy. So, I decided to keep looking for something more up my alley.

Another agency introduced me to a machiya company in Kyoto. Funny, right? I had traveled all the way to Tokyo, only to get a job offer that would send me back to where I started. It was quite tempting, but I wanted something new—something different so I refocused on searching for jobs outside of the hospitality industry for now. I would not know it then, but this was the right move given the pandemic would start less than a year later and the hospitality industry in Japan would suffer a huge blow.

As I went to the agency to talk to them a bit more about the offer, they were conducting a group interview for a translation job at a gaming company and they asked me to join. It was a fun experience, but not for me, as I was never a big video game enthusiast. But I can imagine this being a dream role for someone who is bilingual and loves Japanese video games.

Throughout this whole process, I was also scouring job boards and portals, occasionally tossing my resume at positions that caught my eye. With my limited experience, I rarely made it past the resume screening stage. Sometimes I’d get a polite rejection email; other times, I’d hear absolutely nothing—ghosted by a job listing. At first, it stung, but after a few rounds of this, I became pretty immune to rejection. It’s amazing how quickly you can go from “Why don’t they want me?” to “Meh, their loss!”

Decisions, decisions..

By the end of my search, I had a few offers on the table. The final decision came down to two options:

The Kyoto machiya company and a recruitment/job board company in Tokyo. I though about it really hard and considered all the aspects, consulted with friends and family and after a lot of overthinking, I was able to make my decision.

As tempting as it was to return to my favorite city and put my experience and education to good use (fun fact: my master’s thesis was actually about the renovation of machiya townhouses), I decided to take a leap and give “Tokyo life” a shot. I mean, if not now, when? Little did I know that just six months later, the pandemic would hit, and my grand Tokyo adventure would kick off with... staying home, endless online meetups, and slowly losing my patience with my company’s COVID policies. Not quite the glamorous city life I had envisioned, but hey, we adapt!

When I fist started working in Japan I though two things: I would never want to work at a Japanese company and I never want to live in Tokyo. Well here I was a few years later accepting the offer of a Japanese company in Tokyo. Funny how life sometimes takes you places you never expected. But honestly, I am really happy it did.

At that time, they actually had an Osaka branch, and we discussed that if I wanted to go back to the Kansai area it might happen in a few years, but the branch actually closed down a few months later. I worked for this company for four and a half years and it gave me invaluable experience, allowed me to meet some amazing people and was great start to working in Japan. It also made me burnout pretty hard and hate my life, but that is a story for another time.

The journey wasn’t smooth, but it was a great expereince. If you’re searching for a job in Japan, stay positive, keep learning, and don’t give up. 頑張って (Ganbatte)!

Stay tuned for my next post, where I’ll share the chaotic story of finding my first Tokyo apartment.

Until then, I’d love to hear your job-hunting stories in the comments! 😊