How to Become an Entertainer in Japan: 5 Important Things to Do

A shot of me from the Variety show, Joshi Ana No Batsu.

For anyone looking to become an entertainer, Japan can be an interesting place to start off. While the pay scale is not on the same level as that of the states, if you are good at what you do, and patient enough to become established, you can make a decent living here; particularly once you get into the larger projects where all the real money is. Beyond that, as it is a considerably smaller industry, and there isn't a SAG requirement for even the biggest projects, it is also much easier to get into those large scale projects as well.

If you are coming to Japan, or already living here, and are interesting in giving it a go in television, film or entertainment, here are five things you can do to set yourself apart from the pack.

1) Learn Japanese
I absolutely cannot stress enough how important this is. While there are a lot of people working as a actor in Japan who don't speak the language, you will do much better if you do. There are a myriad of reasons for this. 1) If you speak the language, you are much more likely to understand the culture, be patient with the way they do things and not get into cultural clashes on set. 2) If you speak well, then that means that your agent can send you on jobs without their having to go with you to translate. This makes their lives considerably easier and also opens up the doors for last-minute, short-notice jobs that come in when they have already planned for their staff to be elsewhere.

If you watch Japanese TV, all the most successful entertainers can speak or articulate themselves in the language. (Which isn't so different from the states- how often do you see people on American TV who can't speak English?) While learning Japanese in Tokyo can be quite costly, it also doesn't have to be. Each ward offers free Japanese classes for its residents , and these are a great place to start.

2) Don't be shy about your experience
One of the other mistakes that novices to the industry often make is that they are much too shy about their previous experience. If you have previous acting experience, that makes you a more valuable commodity to any agency than if you don't. Even if it was only on small scale projects. Keep in mind that most of the people who get into entertainment work in Japan do so purely because its an easy thing for westerners to do here. Kind if like how everybody does extra work on the side in LA. As such, if you have actually taken the time to learn and study acting, have done it before (in theatre or TV commercials, television) then your chances of actually getting the job you are sent to audition for is greater because to some degree, you already know what you are doing. This means more money for the agencies as well, so naturally that means they will send you to more or better auditions. If you haven't come to Japan yet, and are interested in getting into the industry here, it may pay to take an acting class or two before you come just to have it on your résumé.

3) Get good headshots
Nothing says "professional" like good headshots. In the case of mine, I paid about $150 to get them done right, and get a huge stack of them, and at this point, that is money that I have made back at least 50 times over. Not just in terms of getting casting directors to take me seriously at auditions, but in terms of getting agents to take me more seriously when I register as well. As with any other kind of career investment, you will often hear people say, "I don't wanna pay that." but these are generally not the people who get anywhere. (Mainly because they have to compete with the people like myself who are willing and committed enough to pay for it).

Like learning Japanese however, getting good headshots doesn't have to be expensive. The easiest and cheapest way to get some great pictures is simply to check Tokyo classifieds such as the Metropolis or Craigslist for up and coming photographers. They are trying to build their own portfolios as well, so they will oftentimes photography models in exchange for being able to use the prints in their portfolios. You'll get no money yourself, but you will however get the prints, and these are a great start. Beyond that, free fashion shows like Tokyo Fashionista are also a great way to get experience and also get some great pics out of it at the same time.

4) Make a portfolio or demo reel
Again, it's all about looking like you are a professional already. If you have any shots or pictures from previous work you've done, collect it together and put it into a book. My portfolio consists of modeling work, shots from commercials and posters from movies that I've done. This can work out very well because every so often the casting director will recognize something that you have done, and that's credibility. Even more so if they personally know the production company or the director of one of your works. In cases that that's happen, I've almost always gotten the job, simply because one they know we had a mutual associate, they knew they could "trust me".

If you have no previous experience to put into your book or demo reel, then your next best option is to simply create it. Again, get your shots from up and coming photographers, and/or see if you can get into non-paying film work to get some footage. (or create a film project yourself!) Even non-paying experience is still experience, and if it is well done, you can't tell it from the paying stuff anyway.

5) Don't give up
This, by far, is the hardest part about becoming a successful entertainer anywhere. Regardless of which big city you go to, there is always far more people that want to work in entertainment than the industry has room for, and as such, you are always in a position where you not only have to compete against throngs and throngs of others to gain any kind of a substantial position, but also to keep and maintain what you've got while continually pushing to move forward. The fact of the matter is, this process is exhausting. Calling in sick for a job can mean losing respect with an agency, and losing respect can mean being replaced. The good thing is however, the fact that it's so hard will also continually weed out the weak-hearted, and oftentimes you can find success not because you are the best or the most talented, but because you were the one who had the heart to hang in there while everyone else turned tail. In business, for every 100 people who start a company, 50 will quit, close their doors, or go bankrupt in the first 5 years. Then within the next 5 years, 50% of the first round survivors will do the same thing...and so on and so on until you get that rare company that has the honest right to brag about being able to celebrate their 30th or 50th anniversary. Such is the same with entertainers. As such, more so than anything else, if you can hold on through the slow or hard periods, then much like those rare companies you can develop the long term industry relationships, successful habits, and good sense that can carry you for a lifetime.

How to EASE your way into Japan

The Tokyo skyline at dusk as seen from a friend's place in Toyosu. 

Japan can be an amazing country to live and work in. Food quality is exceptionally high (mention French food awards), petty crimes like theft and litter are virtually non-existant, virtually everywhere is sparklingly new and clean, the health care is solid, and (with a few exceptions) pretty much everyone you meet is polite in the extreme.

At the same time though, it's also quite expensive, mainly written in Japanese, and for people who want to live and work here, but have no job connections, hard to get your footing in. As a function of this, I've had a lot of people contacting me asking what exactly is the best way to get here and stay for a while, and for all of those folks, (and the ones to come) this blog entry is for you.

The following is the best way to come here systematically, get to doing what you want, and get established with a minimum of wasted time or struggle. It is based both all the things I've done right (and more importantly done wrong) and also off of the experiences of all of the friends I've had that have stayed here for a while. Hope you find it helpful.

STEP 1: Start saving before you go

The fact of the matter is, as great as it is, Japan is expensive. And pay checks usually only come once a month. As such, even if you find a job right off the bat, if you arrive at the middle or end of the month, you may still have to wait two months before you receive a full paycheck. As such, having at least $1500 - $3000 to be able to ride on for your first month or two can make things exceedingly easier.

STEP 2: Educate Yourself on the Culture

If you have never lived in a foreign country before, even if it is save, clean and logistically easy to figure out, if you don't take the time to learn and understand the culture there, you can still run into all kinds of trouble. In Japan, most people are quite understanding that foreigners may not know anything about their culture (most are even surprised if you can use chopsticks) but even so, being completely culturally ignorant of how they think and see things can put them off, and cause them to ever so quietly (and politely) distance themselves from you. Conversely, if you are one of the people who is trying to learn their language and understand their culture, usually, they will love you to death...despite other shortcomings.

As such, before you come, it is a good idea to take the time to pick up a book or two on the basics of the language, and on understanding the culture. Even if you only have time to read up on one of the two topics, you will find it increases your friend-making-ability exponentially, and when the times get hard, your local Japanese friends are often the greatest resource you have.

STEP 3: Apply to English Teaching companies that recruit abroad

For those with an established job connection, or those who are experts in your field and as such are being flown in, you can skip over this part. Japanese hospitality is amazing, and you can expect to be treated very well.

For the rest of us however, who have no such connections, (or may not even have any real world job experience yet) by far the easiest way to come here is as an English teacher. While the JET program may be hard to get into, most companies hiring English teachers for Japan only require a college degree...and not even a teaching related one at that. Companies such as Aeon or Geos, or any of the myriad of others that recruit for junior high school and high schools (such as Interact) will fly you in, set you up with a place to say, get you to work as soon as you arrive, help you get a phone and generally let you choose where you want to be. They also have a ton of English speaking staff who are comfortable with foreigners and experienced in dealing with the kinds of problems they have. More than anything however, I feel that this is important because it gives you the opportunity to really explore working and living here without having to burn through all your savings to do it. In fact, even if you aren't satisfied with life here, if you play your cards right save, and finish out your contract, you can leave with quite a lot more money than you came with.
Furthermore, once you find that thing you really want to do, you can network in the field, learn about the industry, and start figuring out how to work your way into it while still earning and saving money....and while you have a visa. The downside? Most of these companies want at least a one year commitment. Personally, I came over through Aeon, and had a helluva great time working there. In fact, the only reason I didn't renew my contract for another year was because I found other things I wanted to do. Within my training group (the people who came over at the same time as me), about 50% of us renewed our contracts to stay on with the company longer.

STEP 4: Join a language school

The next thing you can do to help smooth over your journey into a Japan is joining a Japanese language school. While this may sound expensive, in actuality, it doesn't have to be. Every ward of Tokyo (there are twenty-three in total) offers it's residents free Japanese classes that run a few times a week. As it is only taught by volunteers, the quality of the teaching may not be something to stop the presses over, but hey it's free. Especially in the early stages, these are more than enough to get you started. From there, depending on what you want you do with yourself or which job field you wanna go for, you can decide whether or not you want to join a formal Japanese language school. Although depending on what you want to do, joining a school and studying full or part-time may not be really necessary, I've yet to meet a single person who's ever regretted it. The better your Japanese, the better your chances are of getting any job, as well as understanding the culture, the people and what's going on in general. Among the people who were the most frustrated, and angry (and ignorant of why things work the way they do here) it was always the people who didn't speak the language well.

While following these four steps, may not guarantee you a perfect life in Japan, I can guarantee that they will substantially improve the quality of it...and better your chances of doing what you really want to do there. If you are unsure as to whether or not Japan is really for you, I still think that the English conversation school route is the best way to go to find out...simply because you can make and save money in the process. If the one-year commitment seems too long for you, then you there are of course other ways. Westgate for example recruits for 3-4 month contracts, but requires a bit of teaching experience. Programs like Volunteers for Peace can also be a great way to come here for 2 weeks to a month, but they will require you to pay for your own flight over and of some of your expenses.
If you do decide to come however, I think the most important thing to keep in mind is that Japan is a country where things are generally done carefully, meticulously, ...and slowly. As such, aside from vacationing here, if you really want to enjoy life here without teaching English, it might take a minute to make that happen. Such is the same with going anywhere (particularly big cities) though, I guess. Great opportunities usually take time to find. As long as you keep that in mind however, you can not just enjoy reaching your goal, but the process of getting there as well.