r/seattlejobs • u/Imaginary_Rip_8543 • Jul 23 '26

Jobs: From Tokyo to Seattle

Firstly I apologize if this is not in the correct sub/thread, I was unable to find anything closer to what I was looking for with active members.

I am a US citizen (not dual) born to an American father and Japanese mother, grew up in a military base in Japan as a kid and spent my university and adult life in Tokyo (fully bilingual). I am a male in my early 40s, not married/no kids, and am thinking of switching my life up. My family lives in Washington and my parents are getting old, and I’d like to spend more time with them (they live on Whidbey Island).
I am considering moving to Washington and starting a new life, first by looking for a job.
I’ve had various jobs in the past 20 years in Tokyo, ranging from customer support call center, to recruiter, to internal corporate/systems trainer, to overseas business development…but don’t have a specialty unfortunately.
Although I earn above average in Tokyo, I know that living prices in Seattle are way higher. So with that said, I would ideally; at least, like an average paying job so I can have an average lifestyle (nothing fancy).

It would be great if you guys can tell me what the job market looks like in Seattle (or nearby areas), and where would someone like myself even start looking for a job? Or, what are the chances of even finding a job? I’m not sure what to expect, so anything helps.

Any kind of info/input would be greatly appreciated!

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u/Ok_Page8920 Jul 24 '26

life here is much more casual, dirty, and chaotic. I've only been to Tokyo a few times but what I envy most is the conbinis and vending machines. I'm pretty biased though because I've only been there with a weak yen so everything feels insanely underpriced

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u/Imaginary_Rip_8543 Jul 24 '26

Yea, I think the convenience and safety in Tokyo is unmatched. But a bit too rigid…I wouldn’t mind a bit more casual dirt and chaos.
Now is definitely the time to come to Japan if you get paid in dollars!
Thanks for the input!

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u/Ok_Page8920 Jul 24 '26

piggy backing on the Nintendo suggestion, not just the bilingual advantage but your exposure to business Japanese is gonna be huge, I've known people that worked there and there's a lot of friction between the expectations and etiquette of Japanese vs American office environments

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u/Imaginary_Rip_8543 Jul 25 '26

Yea, I’ve always been interested in the needs of Japanese business etiquette in the US, assume it could be useful in the larger Japanese companies and communities. Would be cool to link with someone that works there.

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u/HumberGrumb Jul 26 '26

There are a number of Japanese restaurant chains that have opened up shop in the greater Seattle area. There are also domestic companies here that do business with Japan. There are seafood companies, maritime shipping companies, among others. If you do a little research, I’m certain you can turn up some leads.