City guide
Teach English in Tokyo, Japan
The biggest eikaiwa market in Japan plus international schools.
Tokyo concentrates the largest share of Japan's ESL hiring. Eikaiwa chains run hundreds of branches across the metro. JET and ALT dispatch positions place teachers in surrounding wards and prefectures. Cost of living is the highest in Japan but pay scales with it.
Moving to Japan? Visa and cost guide →
Neighborhoods
Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Roppongi for the eikaiwa core. Yokohama for a quieter commute. Setagaya and Suginami for family-friendly housing.
Cost of living
120k to 200k JPY per month for a small apartment outside the absolute center.
Best for
Teachers who want the maximum job pool and don't mind paying for it.
Japan at a glance
Salary: JET: 4.02M JPY before tax for the first appointment, rising to 4.32M by the fourth. Eikaiwa: 250k to 280k JPY per month. ALT dispatch: 230k to 270k JPY per month. Cost of living outside Tokyo is reasonable.
Visa: Instructor visa or Specialist in Humanities visa. Bachelor's required. Since 15 April 2026 Japan's immigration agency also expects CEFR B2 in the working language for language-based jobs on the Specialist status (see our B2 rule explainer). Native English speaker preference for most roles. JET requires application by November for the following August start.
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What you need to teach in Tokyo
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