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— Guides

Read this before you commit to Japan.

Four guides that answer the questions every founder asks on the first call: what it costs, who should own it, how Japanese enterprises buy, and what changes if you are a fintech. Written from engagements, not from a desk.

  1. 01 · Cost9 min

    How much does it cost to enter Japan? Three 12-month budgets

    For the CEO or CFO building the business case

    Line-by-line budgets for validating without an entity ($80k–$175k), a lean subsidiary ($130k–$235k) and a full-time Country Manager ($440k–$680k), plus the six costs every first spreadsheet forgets.

    Read the guide →

  2. 02 · Options8 min

    Hire a Japan Country Manager, go fractional, or use an agency?

    For the founder deciding who should own Japan

    Five routes compared on year-one cost, time to the first qualified meeting, who is accountable for revenue and how hard each one is to unwind — and the three questions that settle it.

    Read the guide →

  3. 03 · B2B sales10 min

    B2B sales in Japan: how Japanese enterprises actually buy

    For whoever will run the first meetings

    The buyer unit, ringi and nemawashi, the 12–18 month cycle, the fiscal calendar, system integrators and trading companies, and how to read what a Japanese buyer is really telling you.

    Read the guide →

  4. 04 · Fintech10 min

    Fintech market entry in Japan: selling to banks, insurers and payment companies

    For fintech, Web3 and financial-data companies

    Who buys and how, which activities need an FSA licence and which only need a security questionnaire, the Japan Fintech Week calendar, and a 90-day plan.

    Read the guide →

  5. 05 · Visa8 min

    Japan’s ¥30 million Business Manager visa rule: does it apply to you?

    For founders deciding whether anyone needs to relocate

    What changed on October 16, 2025 (¥30M capital, a qualifying full-time employee, B2 Japanese, a reviewed business plan), who it affects and who it does not, and the three ways into Japan — only one of which needs the visa.

    Read the guide →

— Free PDF

The First 90 Days in Japan playbook.

The guides explain the market. The playbook is the week-by-week plan for the first quarter: the decisions to make before day one, who to meet, what a realistic pipeline looks like by month three, and a one-page scorecard to print.

Get the playbook →Book a 30-min Japan fit call →

— Start here

Six articles that answer the questions buyers actually ask.

  1. 01The bilingual unicorn problem: why your Japan Country Manager search has failed for 6 months
  2. 02What a Japan Country Manager Really Costs: Why a $250k Salary Becomes $400k+
  3. 03How Much Does It Cost to Set Up in Japan in 2026? A Line-by-Line Budget After the ¥30M Visa Rule
  4. 04We Launched in Japan but Sales Are Half of Other Regions — Why, and What to Do
  5. 05Why Your Japanese Pilot Never Became a Contract
  6. 06Japan Market Entry Timeline: What Actually Happens in Months 1–12 (and When Deals Close)
All articles →

— Ready when you are

Japan can be your next chapter.

Start with a 30-minute fit call. We'll listen to your Japan ambitions and tell you, honestly, whether we're the right partner — or not.

Book a 30-min Japan fit call →Not ready to talk? Get the 90-day playbook →

Available within 48 hours · Tokyo & Amsterdam time zones