Welcome to Japan Dev Podcast #5! In this episode, Eric talks with Kamil, a software engineer from Poland who's lived in Japan for over a decade.

Kamil shares how his love for Japanese culture — starting with anime — led him to study at the Polish-Japanese Academy, and ultimately move to Japan and build his career in Tokyo.

In this episode, you will learn:

✅ How Kamil transitioned from freelancing to a full-time job in Japan

✅ The challenges of adapting to life and work in Japan, including language and culture

✅ His experience starting and growing Remote Index (a remote job board) and Apply/Ads (a programmatic ads platform)

✅ How the startup scene in Tokyo is changing

✅ Visa strategies for long-term residency in Japan

✅ His thoughts on raising children with a global mindset

✅ Practical advice for expats who want to build their careers in Japan

If you're interested in working in Japan, freelancing, or starting a business here, this episode is for you.

More from Kamil 👇

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwiecienkamil/

X: https://x.com/kamil_shman

Kamil's businesses 👇

Apply/Ads: https://applyads.com/

Remote Index: https://remoteindex.co/

Timestamps

00:00 - In this video

00:53 - Meet Kamil ( His journey and insights )

08:57 - Career journey post-graduation, intense work

15:42 - Living and working in London as an engineer

19:51 - Financial/work challenges while studying in Japan

21:51 - Secured engineering visa, partnered on projects

25:38 - Supportive companies are key in Japan

27:32 - Networking helps with housing in Japan

31:21 - Challenges of living in Japan, starting a business

33:20 - Sole proprietorship is simpler and cheaper

37:11 - Transitioning to engineering manager

43:05 - Moving to a remote job board

45:11 - From SEO to programmatic job ads

49:07 - Productizing job board services

51:05 - AI automation and small teams

54:54 - Easier business visas and PR

1:02:34 - Japan attracts digital nomads

💬 Have questions about tech jobs in Japan? Drop them in the comments — we’ll read them. And we’ll do our best to answer them!

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👉 Find your dream tech job in Japan:

🔗 Website: https://japan-dev.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/japan.dev

🐦 Twitter/X: https://x.com/jpn_dev

💼 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/japan-dev