This past summer, on Sunday, July 14th, we held a special workshop at TJM, “A workshop for Japanese women aspiring to be entrepreneurs overseas,” designed for Japanese women looking to connect with international partners.

When women consider their lifestyles, career and marriage often become major factors. Many women face the dilemma of choosing between pursuing their careers and prioritizing marriage and family.

As such, we introduced the idea of starting a business overseas as a potential path for women and invited those interested to participate.
Prospective husbands of Japanese women are encouraged to engage in comprehensive discussions regarding their future spouses’ career aspirations prior to marriage. Such dialogue will cultivate a deeper mutual understanding and enhance the prospects for a successful partnership.

This is a report of the workshop.

A workshop for Japanese women aspiring to be entrepreneurs overseas

Some Japanese women who aspire to marry foreign men may view marriage as the ultimate goal without necessarily having a concrete image of their life afterwards.

Many women, upon moving overseas after marriage, may feel an immediate urge to find work. However, the fact that their professional qualifications from Japan (such as doctors, nurses, lawyers, and teachers) may not be directly transferable to their new country can be a significant source of anxiety.

Unlike Japan, many foreign countries have a strong culture of gender equality where both men and women share household chores equally and women are expected to work. However, this concept is still relatively new to many Japanese women.

TJM’s seminar introduced the concept of ‘overseas entrepreneurship.’ Nevertheless, we recognize that the prospect of establishing a new business venture in a foreign country, particularly for women who have recently relocated due to marriage, may seem challenging. In fact, I have found that having a home-based business with flexible hours can significantly facilitate parenting.

Mr. Tatsuo Kono, Workshop Speaker

Our guest speaker at the workshop was Mr. Tatsuo Kono from Content Lab, Inc. Although born and raised in Japan, Mr. Kono has been supporting Japanese expatriates in starting their own businesses overseas.

I never thought I could start a business overseas, but Mr. Kono has been supporting me for over a decade. He even came all the way to Singapore when I hosted a singles event and BBQ party with 100 participants.

Many of Mr. Kono’s clients are Japanese women who have started businesses after getting married overseas. His experiences would be very valuable to the female members of TJM.

Japanese women who started businesses after international marriages

We are honored to welcome three Japanese female clients of Mr. Tatsuo Kono from Content Lab as special guests for this workshop. These women, who are in international marriages, have made the journey from Europe to participate in today’s session.

These three women are successful female entrepreneurs and business owners who have built their careers overseas. However, they didn’t start out with grand plans of becoming international businesswomen or specifically seeking foreign husbands in Europe. Their journeys began quite organically; they found themselves married to foreign partners and then began to ponder, “What should I do for work now?”

They were just ordinary Japanese women.
But their lives took a miraculous turn after their international marriages.

Now, let me introduce each of the three international female entrepreneurs who have traveled all the way from Europe to join us today.

🌟Mime（Living in Italy）

https://www.youtube.com/@mimeitalygaido
・Popular Youtuber
・Government-certified Italian tour guide:
・Online Italian language course
・Online Japanese language course for Italians
・Wedding coordinator in Italy

Her business was struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but when she shifted her focus to creating YouTube content primarily from Italy, she quickly gained over 140,000 followers and became a popular YouTuber. Interestingly, her other businesses are now thriving more than they were before the pandemic, thanks to the influence of her YouTube channel. You never know what life has in store.

🌟Yasuko（Living in Spain）

https://twostepsbehind.net/
・Life Coach for Japanese Women

Based in Spain, Yasuko is a life coach who empowers Japanese women. Her presence is truly illuminating; the moment she walks into a room, it feels brighter. Spending time with her, you’ll undoubtedly sense her magnetic aura. Her elegant dress sense and graceful demeanor are captivating. She is a life coach who has the potential to be a transformative force in your life. Although she primarily works with clients online, connecting Japan and Spain, she makes several trips back to Japan annually.

🌟Yoko（Denmark）

https://hokuoryoko.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6_oiBtJYKCB6iTVTj3oeMw

・Government-certified Private Guide based in Copenhagen, Denmark

You can see on her YouTube channel how she balances being an entrepreneur with raising a family.

In other words, starting a business overseas means taking action now, rather than waiting until the kids are grown up. It’s about running and thinking at the same time, putting your ideas into practice right now. It’s not about the past or the future, but about focusing on what interests you at this very moment and doing something about it.

Japanese women’s careers after international marriage
Our recent women’s workshop on overseas lifestyles has inspired many participants to contemplate balancing marriage and career in a foreign country.
We encourage the male readers of this blog to support their Japanese wives who aspire to have a career after marriage.

I would like to introduce our guest lecturer.

🌟Mr. Tatsuo Kono （Contents Lab）

https://www.contentslab.net/

Please find attached an audio recording of our interview with Mr. Kono. While the interview was conducted entirely in Japanese, we hope that those who are proficient in Japanese will be able to sense Mr. Kono’s warm personality through his responses.
https://youtu.be/2ybFJSWQxkc

I have been under Mr. Kono’s care for over 10 years now. For instance, when we held a 100-person event in Singapore, I met up with my colleagues from the Content Lab there. The Content Lab attracts individuals from all over the world who, rather than seeking a flashy, trendy environment, are grounded and committed to developing businesses overseas.

During the summer, many Japanese women who have married foreigners and are living overseas return to Japan with their children. With the school summer vacation lasting a full three months, from late May to late August, it provides a wonderful opportunity for their children to experience Japan firsthand.

Would you be supportive if your future Japanese wife expressed interest in starting a business?

Starting a business overseas is more attainable than it might seem for Japanese women who have relocated due to an international marriage.

Before diving into the job market immediately after marriage, your Japanese wife could take advantage of this time in Japan to plan her career path, take classes, and consider the possibilities of working abroad.

Your support will undoubtedly give her the confidence she needs to pursue her goals.

Naoko Matsumoto
Founder and CEO
Traditional Japanese Matchmaker

Traditional Japanese Matchmaker is the best dating and matchmaking service that is specialized for single international professionals and Japanese women established in 1999. Please click the link below to get started with TJM’s Free Registration if you are truly interested. We look forward to assisting you in finding your Japanese wife.

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