Forem: javaskr

What Tech Stacks Are Software Engineers Using in Tokyo Startups?

javaskr — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 16:41:02 +0000

Hello! It’s Thursday—let’s talk about the tech stack I use at work 👨‍💻

As a startup, we use a mix of tools to stay fast and flexible. We do use Slack for communication, but we don’t have advanced integrations like webhooks for deployment notifications (yet 😅).

🧾 Docs & Coordination

Confluence: For everything from API specs to research summaries and design docs
Jira: Occasionally linked to Confluence for task tracking
Figma: To view and comment on UI/UX designs
tl;dv: For automatic meeting notes
Mermaid: To create diagrams and workflows

💻 Application Stack

Frontend:
- Vite + React + TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
- Sometimes we use Next.js for larger frontend apps
Backend: -FastAPI (Yes, partly because someone said it's "AI-friendly" 🤔)
- MySQL with SQLAlchemy
- Depending on project scale: Supabase or TiDB as DB

🚀 Deployment & Infra

GitHub: For version control
Vercel: For quick frontend deployment (especially mockups or low-scale apps)
AWS: Main backend hosting using Docker images
Terraform: Starting to use it for infra provisioning in newer projects

Note: We don’t yet have well-defined CI/CD pipelines or full DevOps practices.

🤖 AI Tools

We have a team instance of ChatGPT
I’m not sure about Gemini, but we do have a paid Cursor IDE license for the team

There’s definitely room to grow (especially in automation), but that’s the beauty of startups—lots of room to experiment and shape the stack together.

I’d guess 50% of this is similar to other Tokyo startups.
BTW, what does your company use? I’m curious 👀

What I Learned After 1 Year as a Software Engineer in a Tokyo Startup

javaskr — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:35:30 +0000

Hello folks 👋 Let’s talk about something work-related this Wednesday.

I’ve been working at a startup in Tokyo for almost a year now. During this time, I’ve delivered quite a lot: a mini-app, a human-settlement marker and mapper, a marketplace, and more. I’ve suffered through tight deadlines, long hours, countless meetings, and constantly changing requirements.

Here are 5 things I’ve learned that help you survive startup life:

1. Balance meeting time with “lock-in” time
I’m not 100% against meetings—but let’s be honest: some meetings are a waste of time. Especially if:

You’re not speaking
Less than 20% of the agenda applies to you

In that case, speak up and ask if you can skip it. Most startups use AI note-taking tools now, so you can always catch the recap later.

You only get 8 hours a day—if you spend 3–4 in meetings, who suffers? You. Until you're in a management role, your time is better spent building.

2. You’re working solo—so either follow someone’s pace or set your own
In my case, there are only two engineers—me and another teammate—and we’re on completely different projects. Some say, “Why not do pair programming?” But when you’re working on unrelated domains, pair programming isn’t realistic. You don’t know the context, the timeline, or even the requirements.

So instead of waiting for someone to hand you feedback or direction:

Do your own research
Study how other companies build similar things
Make mockups or prototypes
Use AI to review your code and give you suggestions on performance, security, and best practices

The more you prepare, the less dependent you are on others.

3. Don’t over-plan—delivery is more important
Planning is important, yes. But in startups, plans change. Requirements shift. Meetings spawn new features that weren’t even on the roadmap yesterday.

So instead of spending 70% of your time making a “perfect plan,”
→ Build what you know won’t change
→ Deliver fast
→ Get feedback early

Momentum > overdesign.

4. If you're the PIC (person in charge), debrief your team immediately
Let’s say you joined a meeting with the PM, CTO, or senior stakeholders, and you're leading the project. After the meeting, don’t delay—spend 15 minutes debriefing your team.

Why?
You represent them. If the project fails, it reflects on the whole team. The faster you sync, the more ownership your teammates can take. My ex-senior once told me:

“If it involves others, make it your first priority to align.”

That still sticks with me.

5. You won’t always get credit from the company—but always give yourself credit
Sometimes you put in 120% effort. All you get in return is a “thanks.” (In Hong Kong I’d at least get a drink 😅)

Let’s be real:

In demo meetings, people don’t always know who did what
When your senior presents the project, the credit might go to them
They might even get the bonus or promotion

But here's what matters:
You did the research.
You wrote the code.
You made the architecture decisions.

Even if no one sees it, you learned. You grew. You sharpened your instincts and built your muscle memory—and that is what truly lasts.

Startup life can look messy and chaotic from the outside. Sometimes it even has a bad reputation. But if you fix your mindset and become a proactive problem solver, you’ll realize:
💡 The more dirt you dig into, the more potential you uncover.

If you found this post helpful, feel free to follow—I'll keep sharing stories from the trenches.
And hey, do you have any lessons from startup life? I’d love to hear them 👀👇

Week in Tokyo: Startup Grind, Side Projects & Posting Routine 🧑‍💻🌱

javaskr — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 13:26:37 +0000

Hello from Tokyo 👋 it's Sunday—time for a weekly recap! 👀

This week has been a productive one:

✅ I wrapped up the login integration with an external API
🎨 Started implementing the draft design (you know the drill—startup life means we build it first, then tweak it later 😅)
📄 Currently working on the Items page and the dialog component for displaying item details
🧠 Also took time to update some parts of the existing app based on our UX/UI designer's feedback

Looking ahead to next week:

Crack the dialog component logic
Provide API design feedback to teammates
Try inserting real data from the API

Outside of work:
📱 I challenged myself to post more regularly—while I didn’t post every day, I'm slowly building a routine around sharing my thoughts
🌐 For those who noticed, yes—I have a personal blog now! It's built with Payload CMS, which I self-hosted so I can publish anytime 👨‍💻
🎓 I’ve been working through an online backend development certification on Coursera and aiming to finish Module 6 by mid-July

🤫 On the side, I’ve been helping a friend with an LLM-related project in the education space—can’t say too much yet, but it’s exciting!

🚀 Last but not least, I’ve kicked off a new side project—an upgraded version of my final bootcamp project! I’m teaming up with a friend and currently handling the backend setup using Prisma + PostgreSQL + Node MVC.

That’s all for this week—thanks for reading and see you in the next update! 🙌

Follow for more: javaskr.com

AI Won’t Replace You — But It Will Move You

javaskr — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 18:37:22 +0000

It’s Future Friday. Let’s talk about something we all keep hearing lately — AI.

Ten years ago, we never really imagined AI would end up where it is today. Now it's everywhere. Some say it’s taking over our jobs, our industries, maybe even our future.

But is that really the full story?

Jobs are changing — some faster than others
I’m not here to predict anything groundbreaking. But let’s be honest — if your job is mostly repeatable, filled with forms, or doesn't require much judgment, it’s probably at risk.

Especially in countries like Japan, where the birthrate is low, and the workforce is aging, automation isn’t optional. It’s happening already — not because we want it, but because we need it.

But here’s something people forget:

Just because a machine can do something, doesn’t mean it can do it well without help.

Human work isn’t disappearing — it’s shifting
Even if AI gets better, someone still needs to guide it, set the goals, and make sure it doesn’t go off-track.

We’re not being replaced.
We’re being moved — from doing the work to overseeing it.
That includes fixing things when they break, making judgment calls, and asking questions machines don’t even know they should ask.

AI doesn’t think — not really
People talk about “AI managing AI” or reaching the point where humans are no longer needed. But let’s be real.

AI doesn’t:

Understand human context
Catch nuance in emotion or tone
Decide right or wrong in a gray area
Wake up and go “Oops, I made a mistake. Let me fix it.”

It only knows what we tell it.
And when we give it the wrong thing? It just runs with it.

Even when tools are powerful, someone still needs to stay in the loop. Not to be in control all the time — but to be responsible.

So what now?
We can’t escape change. But we can choose how we grow with it.

The way I see it:

Don’t try to outcompete machines. Learn how to work with them.
Stay curious. Tools come and go, but mindset lasts.
And most importantly, don’t let fear stop you from moving forward.

Thanks for reading my Future Friday post.
I’ll keep sharing thoughts like this — not just about tools and tech, but how it actually affects the way we work and live.

👉 javaskr.com

Let me know how you feel about all this change. Or how you're adapting to it in your work.

Announcing My New Weekly Blog Theme Schedule

javaskr — Sat, 21 Jun 2025 14:42:07 +0000

To bring structure and consistency to my writing, I’m introducing a themed posting schedule — one topic for each day of the week. It’s a simple way to organize ideas and help readers follow along based on their interests.

📅 Weekly Themes:

🧠 Mindful Monday – Reflections, goals, or thoughts to kick off the week
💻 Tech Tuesday – Tech tools, tutorials, experiments, or insights
🛠️ Work Wednesday – Workflows, productivity, or career-related topics
🧪 Tech Thursday – Deep dives into technology, frameworks, or builds
🚀 Future Friday – Trend forecasting, predictions, and big ideas
📚 Study Saturday – Notes and learnings from courses, books, or self-study
🗂️ Summary Sunday – A wrap-up of the week or plans for the next

Feel free to follow along on any day that resonates with you.
Let’s keep learning, building, and sharing.

What’s a Software Engineer’s Daily Routine in a Tokyo Startup?

javaskr — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 18:22:18 +0000

Hey, I’m Timothy — a software engineer based in Tokyo.
If you’ve seen me post here and wonder why I keep going despite the low view count — honestly, this is part of a personal challenge. I’m building a habit of documenting my journey to understand myself better, one post at a time.

So today, I want to give you a glimpse into what my typical day looks like in a Tokyo-based startup.

I work at a company with 100% Japanese management, but around 70% of the team are international members. Meetings are bilingual — usually a mix of Japanese and English.
We work in a global rhythm, but with a Japanese sense of structure and formality.

So, what’s the daily flow like?
🧩 Daily Standups
We begin with a daily sync — sharing progress, blockers, and questions. These aren’t just status updates. They’re mini strategy sessions where we exchange ideas and solve problems live.

📝 Requirement Digestion
Once a task lands on us, we break it down. That means creating lightweight documentation, proposing timelines, and often attending meetings that only include the core members. We’re expected to debrief the rest of the team afterward.

🔁 Review & Feedback
We hold regular review meetings. These are where concerns, blockers, or hidden dependencies surface. It’s a constant loop of adjusting priorities, schedules, and scope.

🎨 Cross-functional Collab
We don’t work in silos. One feature might involve inputs from designers, feedback from seniors, and contributions from multiple engineers. A lot of my time is spent syncing with teammates on overlapping areas.

🚧 Building During the Chaos
Here’s the honest part: actual coding time is limited.
Requirements change quickly — sometimes after every meeting. So instead of waiting, I start mocking dependencies, building rough drafts based on early design files, and researching technical concerns in parallel.

🧪 Testing (When There’s Time)
In a perfect world, I’d write full unit tests and automation suites. In reality, most testing happens during QA or via functional testing in staging — especially when timelines are tight.

🚀 Deployment Crunch
Imagine this: the product’s release is in 3 months, but we only finalize requirements by week 3. That leaves about 2 weeks for development, QA, debugging, and deployment.
You get used to shipping fast — and learning fast.

TL;DR: It’s not all code
✅ Meetings
✅ Documentation
✅ Syncs & cross-functional handoffs
✅ Handling changes
✅ Very little time for deep coding

But that’s startup life — and honestly, I’ve learned a ton through the chaos.

👀 Curious about how engineers work in Tokyo startups?
I’m documenting everything — not just the polished highlights, but the in-betweens too.
If you’re into tech, international work cultures, or just like seeing how messy building things can be, follow along here or at javaskr.com.
Let’s figure it out together.

Why I Left Building Services Engineering

javaskr — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 16:09:05 +0000

Hi — I’m Timothy.
I’m now a software engineer based in Tokyo. But before I ever touched JavaScript seriously, my path started in a very different place: engineering, mechanical systems, and eventually, Building Services Engineering (BSE).

This post is a reflection — not about regret, but about understanding how we end up making the choices we do… and how sometimes, we grow out of them.

The First Shift: Into BSE
Before I studied BSE, I was doing general engineering. I had some exposure to programming early on — C++, MATLAB — and when I moved into mechanical engineering, I picked up more.

But I never thought of software as a career. At the time, the word “developer” to me meant IT support, someone fixing printers or helping you reset passwords. I couldn’t yet imagine that people like Elon Musk or Bill Gates also started with code — and used it to build entire systems and companies.

When it came time to choose a major, I followed the advice around me. People said BSE had good career prospects, it was practical, and in demand. So I transferred universities and committed to the path. I didn’t know much about HVAC systems, fire services, or green buildings — but I was accepted, and I began learning.

It felt like the safe choice.

A Quiet Realization
For two or three years, I tried to make it work. I studied, took internships, and did what was expected — but something always felt slightly off. There was a gap between what I was learning and what I enjoyed.

It wasn’t just that the subject matter was technical — it was the lack of ownership. Most of the work was about maintaining or documenting existing systems, not creating new ones.

I didn’t hate it. But I didn’t feel alive in it either.

A Turning Point: The Final Year Project
Everything changed when I started my final year project.

I chose a topic that involved sensors and Arduino — something more experimental, something I could design myself. For the first time in years, I felt excited about what I was doing. I spent time thinking through the design, building the setup, and troubleshooting the code. I rediscovered what it felt like to work with autonomy and intention.

Looking back, it wasn’t just the tech that drew me in. It was the process of deciding what to build — not just how to follow instructions.

After Graduation: A Quiet Discomfort
After university, I started work as a contractor in BSE. Most days were filled with paperwork, site inspections, and coordination meetings. The pattern was predictable. And maybe that’s what made it difficult.

At some point, I realized:
If this continued for the next five years, I might never get back to the kind of work I loved in my final year.

So I left.

A New Start
I signed up for a coding bootcamp.
Not because I knew it would change my life, or that I had a grand plan to move to Japan. But because I remembered how I felt when I was building something I cared about — and I wanted more of that.

It was a quiet decision, but it was mine.
And that made all the difference.

A Note for Anyone Else in That Space
I don’t think BSE is a bad field. It gave me structure, a way of thinking, and a lot of discipline. But I wasn’t building the kind of future I wanted.

Now, as a software engineer, I feel much closer to the work I enjoy — the building, the problem-solving, the ownership. It’s not always easy, but it feels right.

If you’re at a crossroads — between something that’s “safe” and something that feels more you — I hope this helps you reflect. You don’t need to burn everything down. You just need to give yourself permission to explore what else is possible.

— Timothy
(Check my portfolio blog)

👀 I’ve grown the most from working with teams that value curiosity, speed, and empathy — happy to connect with folks who share that — or you’re just curious about how I made the jump — feel free to check out what I’ve been working on (via LinkedIn, Medium…)

How to Find Your First Tech Job in Japan (From Someone Who Did it)

javaskr — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:09:18 +0000

Hello, it’s Timothy here.

If you don’t know who I am — I’m a software engineer based in Tokyo. You can check out my intro post for the full backstory. Today I want to share something I wish I had when I first arrived:

How do you find your first tech job in Japan?

We all hear that “Japan’s IT market is growing” and “there are tons of jobs” — and while that's technically true, finding your first role isn’t exactly a walk in Shibuya Park.

But it’s also not impossible.

Let’s talk about why it’s weirdly both hard and not hard at the same time — and how to actually make it happen.

🤔 Why It Feels Hard
Language barrier. Even if the role says “English OK,” you’ll be surprised how many meetings, documents, or team vibes skew Japanese.

Unfamiliar recruiting style. Forget Silicon Valley-style coffee chats. Japan still loves resumes, career agents, and very structured interviews.

Company expectations. Some startups want bilingual engineers. Others want you to be a quiet ninja who just "fits in." It’s a moving target.

🛠️ What Actually Works
Here's what helped me (and friends around me):

Polish Your Resume — Japanese Style
Not just the content. The format. Many local recruiters still expect a Japanese-style 履歴書 or at least a bilingual PDF. Include:
- Basic info + visa status
- Education + work history (reverse chronological)
- Technical stack, in context (not just buzzwords)
- Japanese level (JLPT score or “daily conversation OK”)
Use Both Local & Global Platforms
- Wantedly – for startups and design-conscious companies.
- LinkedIn Japan – underrated, but more tech-forward companies post there.
- GaijinPot Jobs – hit or miss, but good visibility.
- BizReach – more serious, recruiter-heavy.
- Japan Dev – great for remote or international-friendly teams.
Talk to Recruiters (the Good Ones)
Some of them actually help. They’ll give feedback, prep you for interviews, and explain company culture. Others will just blast your resume. Try:
- Michael Page Japan
- Robert Walters
- Daijob
- Leverage Agent (if you're bilingual)

Bonus: You don’t need to say you’re “job hunting” publicly. You can just say you're “open to tech conversations in Tokyo.” Keep it subtle.

Start Building in Public
That’s honestly what helped me the most. Blog about what you’re learning, share side projects, build something on top of a Japan-focused API. People will find you — and ask about what you’re up to.

🙌 My Advice If You’re New

Don’t wait for “perfect” Japanese.
Apply even if you only match 70%.
Follow engineers already working in Japan — many are open to chat.
Show that you can ship — that matters more than just saying you're a “hard worker.”

If you're currently navigating this or thinking about moving to Japan, feel free to reach out or follow for more insights from inside the Tokyo tech scene.

Let’s figure it out together.

From Bots to Mini Apps: My First Real Build in a Tokyo Startup

javaskr — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 17:24:33 +0000

こんにちは、Timothyです。
This is my second post — and it’s about the first project I picked up after joining a startup in Tokyo.

I’m not sure what comes to mind when you think of “startups in Japan.”
Something international? Scrappy and fast-moving? Or maybe more traditional, just with hoodies?

In my case, it was somewhere in between.

While exploring Web3 use cases for the team, I stumbled on something in a product backlog:

Telegram Mini App — let’s try one.

No docs. No handover. But I’d built Telegram bots before — back when that was all there was.
So I picked it up, asked for a deadline, and got full freedom to run.

That’s just the beginning.
The full write-up is now live — with all the messy, fun details of building and shipping something real in Tokyo:

👉 Full post here

🧩 If you’re into Telegram bots, fast-moving projects, or curious about what engineering looks like inside a Tokyo startup — take a look.

And if you’re someone who works with developers — PM, founder, hiring

I think you’ll get a sense of how I work just by reading it.
Let’s stay connected.

From Hong Kong to Tokyo — A Nonlinear Path into Tech

javaskr — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 17:06:18 +0000

Hey, I’m Timothy. I’m a software engineer based in Tokyo, originally from Hong Kong.

This isn’t one of those stories where everything goes according to plan.

In fact, it rarely did.

I didn’t get great grades in high school.
I didn’t enter university right after.
I even changed majors — and later, careers.

My path was all over the place.

One day, while working in my old industry, I found myself asking:

Why am I doing this? What’s the point?

That question led to action.

I quit.

I joined a coding bootcamp.

I studied full-time for 4 months.

I landed my first role at an international blockchain company.

Then I left again—this time, for Tokyo.

After a year learning Japanese, I restarted my career here as a full-time software engineer at a startup.

It’s been uncertain, messy, and totally worth it.

🧠 What I’ve learned so far:

You don’t need a perfect start to end up in a good place.
Progress isn’t always loud — but it compounds.
Your past doesn’t disqualify your future.

📝 I’m now documenting my thoughts on career, software, growth, and things I’m building — both technically and personally.
👉 javaskr.com

You never know who you’ll be tomorrow. Take the step today.