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Anyone here using the start-up visa? or own their own businesses in tokyo?
Seems like it's a great opportunity, appreciate any insite, cheers~
i had a friend who went through the start-up visa process a couple years back, he runs a small web dev shop now. he said the key is getting a good recommendation from one of the approved support orgs like the Tokyo Startup Station near Ebisu. they helped him tweak his pitch and connect with a mentor, which made the TMG interview way easier.
for me personally, i skipped the start-up visa and went straight for the business manager visa with a small IT consulting gig. it was more paperwork up front but the 1-year initial period felt more stable than the 6-month renewal cycle. just depends what you're building, if its tech-based the start-up visa's network is prob worth it.
honestly the biggest surprise for me was how much the ward office stuff matters. like the small business tax registration thing the other person mentioned, that's real. also you gotta file a blue tax return to get any deductions, which means getting a certified accountant early. costs like 50-80k yen a year but saves you way more in the long run.
if you're serious, spend a month just networking at events like the monthly startup meetup at FabCafe in Shibuya. you'll find other founders on the same visa, they'll tell you which ward offices are easiest to deal with. Shinjuku's a nightmare for permits, Setagaya's way more chill.
yeah i got the start-up visa about 8 months ago. the process was smoother than i expected tbh, way less paperwork than the business manager visa. the main thing is you need a solid business plan and you gotta show you can actually fund yourself for 6 months at least. i had to present at the TMG office in Shinjuku, they asked a lot of questions about market research but nothing crazy.
i run a small cafe in Shimokitazawa now, its going okay but i wont lie the first few months were rough. rent in Tokyo is brutal even for small spaces, and the margins on food are thin. if you're doing tech or consulting you'll prob have an easier time, the visa is really aimed at innovation stuff not traditional businesses.
one thing nobody told me is you need to register with the local ward office for small business tax stuff within 2 weeks of getting the visa or they fine you. i found out the hard way, cost me 15,000 yen. also the visa is only 6 months initially, you gotta renew and show progress, so dont slack on keeping records.
I've been running a small translation and localization business in Tokyo for about three years now, but I came in on the business manager visa rather than the start-up one. My co-founder went through the start-up visa process though, and what I noticed was how much the support organization matters. He used the one at Shibuya Startup Support and they were much more hands-on than some of the other groups he looked into, even helped him find a cheap shared office near Yoyogi Park for the first few months.
The thing that caught me off guard was the health insurance situation. On the start-up visa you're on the national health insurance, which is fine, but the pension system is where it gets tricky. You have to opt into the national pension and the payments are based on your declared income, which can be rough when you're not making much yet. A lot of people don't realize you can apply for a reduction or exemption in those first six months if your income is low enough, but you have to do it at your local pension office before the deadline.
If you're planning to do anything with import or export goods, look into the customs broker requirements early. I almost got stuck because I didn't realize my business needed a specific license to handle certain documents for international clients. The TMG business support center near Shinjuku station has free consultation sessions in English on Wednesdays, they're worth booking even if you think you have everything figured out.
Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.
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