< See All PostsPlanning to move to Japan for language school + game industry career, is this realistic / worth it?
by shadowhilal on Mar 24, 2026
Hey everyone,
I’m looking for some honest advice from people who have experience with Japan, language schools, or the game industry.
I’m 24 (turning 25 soon), currently living in Germany, and I recently graduated with a Bachelor’s in Game Design & Interactive Media. My focus is mostly on 3D art, environment design, and some level design. I also did a 6-month internship as a 3D artist / junior technical artist.
Right now I’m considering applying for a 1-year Japanese language school starting in October, with the long-term goal of working in the game industry (ideally in Japan).
My situation:
German citizen
Bachelor’s degree (game design)
Portfolio with 3D/environment work
Internship experience in a small studio
Currently about -2500€ in my bank account, but starting a new job soon (\~2000€/month income with tips)
My plan (rough idea):
Save money over the next \~6 months
Apply for a 1-year language school (student visa)
Work part-time in Japan (how possible is it?)
Improve my portfolio while studying
Aim to reach JLPT N2 and then try to enter the game industry
My questions:
Is this plan realistic financially?Especially considering I’m currently in debt but will be saving over the next months.
How realistic is it to go from language school → job in Japan?I’ve heard mixed things, especially about needing N2 Japanese.
Is it worth moving to Japan for this, or would I be better off starting my career in Europe first?
For people in the game industry:Should I focus purely on becoming a strong environment artist first, or try to push toward game design roles early?
Any major mistakes I should avoid?
I’m really motivated to do this, but I want to make sure I’m not making a bad long-term decision or underestimating the difficulty.
Would really appreciate honest feedback, especially from people who’ve gone through language school or are working in Japan 🙏
Comments
by ApprenticePantyThief on Mar 24, 2026
Nobody can answer whether it is worth it for you because only you can know the answer to that. It is a deeply personal life choice and nobody here knows about your or your life.
It is not very realistic, though. Not impossible, but the game industry is tough to break into anywhere, let alone when you're depending on it to get you a visa sponsoring job. You'd be much better off getting into game development in Europe and then moving to Japan as a mid-career transfer.
Though, I'm not sure why anyone would choose the industry in Japan vs. Europe. Coffee Stain Studios in Sweden shuts down for a month every year and the whole studio goes on vacation. Meanwhile studios in Japan overwork their talent with limited time off for slave wages.
by Naomi_Tokyo on Mar 24, 2026
I guess the way I'd put it is, I see about a dozen posts a month from foreigners wanting to be game devs in Japan, and I've met one foreigner here who is a game dev for a Japanese company.
by tslilzur on Mar 24, 2026
your money situation is tight as..... immigration wants to see like 2mil yen saved up before they even give you the visa. you’re gonna be eating cup noodles and praying your part-time job doesn’t fire you if you go now.language school → job is possible *if* you already have solid pro experience. you don’t yet. without that, you’re basically gambling on finding a studio that’s desperate enough to sponsor a fresh grad with N2-ish japanese. they exist but it’s rare and stressful.the smart (boring) move: stay in europe, grind 3-5 years in the industry, save cash, study japanese on the side. then come over with a portfolio that makes them drool and a work visa that’s easy to get. way less pain.
tldr: your own advice to yourself was right. don’t speedrun poverty in tokyo just because you’re excited. build the foundation first, then come here and actually enjoy it instead of panicking about visas.
by ILSATS on Mar 24, 2026
Unless you can join top 3 companies (Sony, Nintendo, Bandai) right now, you should not start your gaming career in Japan.
Getting 4-5 years of experience with a good portfolio in the West, along with learning to N2-N1 during that time will land you a much better job in Japan. Don't rush the move.
by tuxedocat2018 on Mar 25, 2026
You didn't mention your current Japanese level. If you are starting from 0, 1 year might not be enough to achieve N2. If you start from at least N4, that's probably doable, a little hard but somewhat possible. If you start from N3 it's even better.
Re: part time, if you're in language school you can get a work permit that allows you 28 hours of work max per week. Tokyo minimum wage is around 1100 yen/hour and other cities will be less than that. It's not enough for fully supporting yourself during your studies so you will still need to use your own savings mainly.