Japan calling: foreign digital nomads embrace work and travel lifestyle in Tokyo and beyond

Japan is laying the welcome mat to attract foreign digital nomads to work and travel in cities and towns across the country

More tech-savvy workers from around the world are already embracing the freedom of such a lifestyle in Japan

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Remote working at a house overlooking Japan’s Mount Fuji. The East Asian nation Japan is looking to appeal to digital nomads who combine work with travel. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:30am, 17 Sep 2023

With the pandemic having accelerated innovative ways of working, Japan is now keen to appeal to a new generation of digital nomads who combine work with travel.

The Portuguese island of Madeira was a pioneer in recognising this emerging trend, opening the world’s first digital nomad village in 2021. Since then, remote working has become a way of life for tens of thousands of mostly young and tech-savvy workers around the world.

Digital nomads are individuals with online-based jobs who travel freely to different places.

Digital nomad Theo Eftimiades has been working and travelling in Japan and around the world in the past few years. Photo: Handout

Theo Eftimiades, a well-travelled American digital entrepreneur, has been on the road since 2021, when he spent three months in Guatemala. This was followed by spells in Colombia and Portugal before he arrived in Japan earlier this year.

The 31-year-old founder of two education start-ups said living in Japan offered him a cultural experience while growing his businesses.

Eftimiades had spent some time in Japan as a child and developed an interest in anime and other cultural aspects of the country.

Since returning to Japan, he has spent time working and travelling in Fukuoka, Nagoya, Yokohama, Takamatsu and the islands of Naoshima and Teshima in the Inland Sea. In late September, he will be in Beppu and Fukuoka once again.