About Us

Who Does He Think He is?

 Start-a-business-in-Japan.com is run and edited by a former government speechwriter, comedian, and radio DJ from the U.S.  Soon after coming to Japan, Mark started carving his way out of the confines of  English teaching jobs  by writing, publishing,  and selling his own textbook to English students and by teaching Japanese to foreigners in Japan, after which he found his way back to radio jobs.  After he made it to an industry other than English teaching in Japan, he started taking note of the needs of Japanese and foreign residents and founded businesses to cater to these needs. These businesses and those of other successful foreign entrepreneurs now employ thousands of successful foreign residents in Japan. For information on hiring opportunities or for tools to help you succeed in Japan, visit the sites at the bottom of the page, or Contact Us.

About Me...

My name is Mark.  I’m originally from the U.S. east coast, where I worked as a stand-up comedian, government speechwriter, and radio DJ.  I am considered fluent in Japanese according to the Japan Ministry of Education standards, and have lived in Japan since 1990. I taught myself without formal courses how to pass the Japanese proficiency exam’s highest level, and use Japanese regularly on my radio show and in the businesses that I founded. I have also taught Japanese to foreigners and speak several other languages: Italian, Hebrew, Spanish, German, French, Russian, etc. with language certification in 10 languages to varying degrees.
I am a language nerd, meaning that it has been a fervent interest of mine since childhood.  However, due to the number of successful foreigners that I have seen starting businesses for the first time in Japan, I firmly believe that anyone can quickly acquire the spoken Japanese that they need for their own business or work purposes if they apply diligence and some easy time-saving methods.  To learn more about how you can use diligence and shortcuts to learning the Japanese language, Contact Us.
Like most foreigners coming to work in Japan, I started teaching English and soon found that I missed working in radio, so I started researching how to get a job in radio in Japan. I found out that no one else knew how a foreigner could find radio work and that Japanese ability was crucial to working in radio. To find out the fastest and easiest way to get a job in radio or narration in Japan, Contact Us.

During my residence in Japan, I started to meet many foreigners who wanted to get more freedom in their work options and were eager to do work besides teaching English.  I soon realized that I wasn’t the only one that wanted to work in a different career in Japan.  I learned that eventually, most foreigners in Japan eventually yearn to be their own boss in Japan.  This most often leads them to starting their own businesses, and that’s what we want to help foreigners in Japan do as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Foreigners in Japan have started their own businesses in imports, food delivery, meatpacking, language schools, translation services, dance schools, bars, restaurants, comedy, magazine production, antique furniture sales, talent agencies, security services, personnel dispatching, car exports, or practically any other industry you could think of, it’s being done successfully by foreigners in Japan. In most cases, these entrepreneurs were pioneers in their business niche in Japan, often single-handedly starting industries that never before existed in Japan.  For professional consulting and friendly support for your dream business in Japan, Contact Us.

After coming to Japan, I learned that there were secrets to getting the job you want in Japan. For example, I learned how to get a university job in Japan, how to get wedding minister jobs, how to get radio jobs, how to get narration, modeling, comedy, and acting jobs in Japan.  I also learned how to get language certification in Japanese and other languages while living in Japan, in the most painless way possible. But the most useful skill I learned in Japan was how to spot and capitalize on a need for a product or service that was not being filled in Japan.  For professional counseling on how to spot an unfilled need in Japan and how to turn it into a business, Contact Us.

Hiring Opportunities and Tools for Success in Japan

Askport Japan - a gourmet food import company

Guardfellas - a bodyguard service for foreign clients

Minatobridal Services - a wedding minister and English teacher dispatch service

Radio-results - a talent and training agency for radio and TV, narration, translation and production talent for radio/TV commercials

Gaijinboss - A webzine dedicated to spotlighting successful foreign businesspeople in Japan.

To learn about foreign businesses that succeeded and how they did it, visit gaijinboss.com

ITdigiresults - an information technology production service for worldwide clients.

Shortcuts to English

For life-changing moments when you need support and guidance upon the death of a loved one in Japan, visit: plangoodbyes.com

For foreigners who are faced with marital problems, visit the following site for advice and support: divorceinjapan.com

Shortcuts to Japanese

Do you have an artistic touch and want to try your hand as a face-painter or learn how to do it while in Japan?  Visit the following business site: bestfacepainters.com

For musicians and recording artists that are currently unsigned or independent, contact us about featuring your music on our online label: bayshout.com

For positions in distribution and sales of our unique coasters, visit: nagoyacoasters.com