7 Lucrative Ways to Make Money Online in Tokyo

Teach Private Lessons Online ($10-$25/Hour)

You can easily teach private lessons online in Tokyo, whether its teaching English or even Japanese to English speakers. Even if you speak other languages, there are tons of Japanese who travel the world and need help speaking them. 

Maybe you come across a student who is moving to Italy and needs to learn Italian before moving, or a housewife who is about to make a move to Berlin and wants to learn German so she can earn money in Germany. 

To get started, there are multiple websites that I would recommend who support Japanese and tons of other languages:

From here, you should easily be able to get started on your translation journey. While you are at it, you can also test out products specifically in Tokyo on Freecash. Sign up only takes a few minutes, and you can eventually start earning up to $25 an hour.

Make Videos on Youtube ($30-$50/Hour)

Youtube is a great place to get started on your own side business. As someone who is making money in their 20s, I would highly recommend this as a way to make money in Tokyo.

There is a huge market for entertainment in Tokyo, and being a streamer on Youtube, or posting your own aesthetic videos of life in Tokyo would definitely bring in thousands of views. 

Most Youtubers who end up earning thousands a month are hustling daily about 4-5 hours. However, you can easily get yourself a decent $30 an hour even if you spend about an hour or two a day on your Youtube projects. Once the ball starts rolling, then you can expect to spend a little bit more time to earn more and more. 

I would also suggest trying out affiliate codes, as a majority of Youtubers make over 50% of their profits from affiliates alone. I would recommend using affiliates like Freecash who offers a huge sign up bonus along with a percentage for each dollar their sign up colleague makes. 

Be a Freelance Writer ($10-$30/Hour)

In Tokyo, there is so much to write about and to explore. Not to mention, it is one of the most researched locations when it comes to places to eat, things to do, and where to visit. I have a few friends who are writers that have travelled to Tokyo, and their experience in freelance writing has been extremely profitable.

You can write about anything, even if it snot about your life in Tokyo. From gaming, food, to traveling, there are plenty of avenues you could take writing. All you need is a bit of experience in SEO, journalism, and maybe basic technical skills. 

Take Comissions as a Freelance Artist ($50-$350/Piece)

Art, especially local art in Tokyo, can be sold for a decent price. You can easily earn money by selling your art pieces whether online or even in stores. 

Any kind of art can be easily sold, all depending on your talents. If you can make copies of your art, usually it is sold at a lower price, but handmade unique items can be sold for very high prices. You can easily make $350 a piece, or even more if you made a name for yourself. 

To become a successful freelance artist, I suggest promoting your art at festivals or at online galleries including Etsy. I know a few friends who even have their own social media profiles where they can gain a wider reach in sales, not just in Tokyo. Which could be useful when you first start out. 

Translation Services ($10-$25/Hour)

Similar to tutoring, however taking a different approach to translations. There are thousands of people needing documents translated. Whether its a blog, legal documents, or even signs, translation work never rests in Tokyo. 

To get started, you should already speak Japanese rather fluent, along with knowledge of at least one otehr language. Of course, the more languages you know, the more money you could make from this side gig. 

To find some of the best translation gigs, you can easily find some on Upwork or Fiverr. You may spend a day or so landing one, but just keep applying. A few tips I recommend to help you land more gigs in translation:

Once you have atleast these three down, you are sure to find a gig instantly. Otherwise, you can alternatively fill out surveys on Freecash to potentially earn up to $25 an hour. 

Rent out Your Room or Home ($500-$800/Month)

If you are a seasonal Tokyo fan, or maybe you have an extra room in your apartment, this is a great way to earn some extra money in Tokyo. Using services like Airbnb, or local real estate websites like Oakhouse, you can rent out your space from 70,000 to 113,000 Yen easily. 

To make sure your space is rentable, you need to guarantee the renter will have access to their own private room, possibily bathroom, and you are open to share a kitchen (if its a rented room situation). Making sure your flat also passes all of the legal requirements for rentability is also important. 

Alternatively, you can also rent out garage storage, which is a cheaper way to earn money, but has much less paperwork involved, and you can earn money by allowing others to store in your empty garage. 

Participate in Market Research ($5-$30/Hour)

You can easily sign up for product testing and earn from $5 to even $30 an hour. Whether you are a nurse looking to earn money by offering research time, or an average joe wanting to try out Amazon Prime, now it your chance. 

Freecash offers a large variety of products to test such as Amazon Prime or even free clothing from brands like On That Ass. You can easily earn not only money, but also free products. 

To get started, you just need to do the following:

How much you earn is up to you and how much you participate. Just like any other side gig, it takes some time. But I can safely say Freecash has been one of the best, most honest reward apps I have ever tried out.