Working as a Solo Engineer on a Small Team in Japan

Most tech companies in Japan follow modern development practices with full engineering teams.

However, this isn’t always the case.

When I first started looking for engineering roles, I didn't give it much thought. 

I just assumed everywhere had large dev teams, code reviews, and available mentorship.

But engineering teams can be as small as one or two people. 

And in these environments, you’re not just a developer. 

You’re often responsible for a handful of things, from system design and implementation to deployment and stakeholder communication.

And while that level of control may seem interesting, it can also come with trade-offs. 

In this article, I’ll walk through what it’s actually like working as a solo engineer or on a very small team in Japan. And more importantly, whether this could be a good fit for you.

What Is Considered a Small Engineering Team In Japan? 

What constitutes a small team can be relative. If you’re coming from larger companies, even polished startup teams can look small. 

Here, I’m referring to fully cross-functional teams of around one to five people. In these teams, each person holds responsibility for an entire product.

These types of teams appear more often in early-stage startups or smaller companies.

Additionally, I encountered more of these setups while looking for jobs as a freelancer.

Sometimes it’s the cause of budget constraints. Other times, it's the company keeping information private within a tighter scope. 

But especially in big city startup hubs like Tokyo, it’s not uncommon.

And sometimes these roles aren’t always clearly defined during the interview process. This means you may need to actively uncover what the day-to-day looks like, hopefully before accepting any offers.

What it’s actually like working as a Solo Engineer in Japan

For someone who thrives on autonomy and the freedom to wear different hats without large restrictions, it can be rewarding. 

More often than not, you have an idea, you pitch it, you own it, you build it, you ship it. 

As a solo engineer, I’ve taken on assignments typically reserved for more specialized roles.

This often includes responsibilities such as:

• Project Management

• UI/UX Design

• Solution Architecture

• Deployment & Ops

• Data Analytics

• Quality Assurance

My first small team was a freelancing gig with a small start-up comprising a scrappy gang of 3-4 people.

The person I directed to was essentially the Founder, CTO, Project Manager, and Tech Lead all-in-one.

The product was scaling quickly, and my assigned feature was an important enhancement related to the next version’s release. 

But everything started from my first day, with only a month to implement and deliver.

No onboarding, no committee meeting outlining scope and hypotheticals, and not much time to waste. 

And other than the founder, who was bombarded with managing the business, there was no one else available for questions.

This leads to pointing out that, while rapid development and constant change in small teams can be exciting for some, it’s not for everyone.

Pros and Cons of being on a smaller team

Pros: 

• Faster shipping cycles

• More variety in work

• More access to learning new skills and tools

• More freedom and independence to execute on your own

• Greater visibility and impact on the product

Cons:

• More product ownership equates to more accountability

• Less structure, which can extend beyond engineering into unclear HR policies and weaker employee protections

• Potentially little to no mentorship

• Potentially little to no guardrails on best practices or perfection

Who Thrives (and Who Struggles) on Small Engineering Teams?

Small teams require a very specific mindset and way of working.

These are the types of people who could do well in this environment:

• Those who are individually driven and enjoy full product ownership

• Those who want to make decisions and see results quickly

• Those who can communicate well with both technical and nontechnical staff

• Those who can work effectively under time constraints

These are the types of people who wouldn’t thrive in this environment:

• Those who get flustered without a clearly defined direction or guidelines

• Those who struggle with communication and decision-making

• Those who stress perfection and mastery of a single discipline

• Those in early career stages seeking structured mentorship

It’s worth mentioning that not fitting this mold precisely doesn’t automatically mean you should avoid small teams altogether.

Especially early in your career, it’s not uncommon to prioritize getting experience over finding the perfect gig. 

Junior vs. Senior Engineers on Small Teams in Japan

The impact of a small team will differ based on an individual’s skill and experience.

I’ve seen many junior engineers only aim for big, established companies.

I would know, since I was one of them.

But today, even in Japan, these opportunities are only becoming more difficult to get. Especially for those with little to no experience.

For juniors, working on a small team can work well. If approached as a stepping stone, it can be a great chance to level up while getting paid. 

It's also not uncommon to find these types of gigs at meetups or in-person events. Startup founders are actively networking and scouting talent. This can work as an alternative solution to traditional job hunting.

As for me, I remember agonizing the day before signing contracts with startups, contemplating whether to accept or decline. 

With initial high expectations, almost any and every offer that didn’t meet my personal standards looked chaotic.

Eventually, I realized some of these opportunities could still move my career forward.

With no formal professional background, it was evident gathering experience was important if I ever wanted a shot at a “dream gig”.

You might not get the standard, market average for your first pay or a full time gig with benefits.

And you might not get the perfect work-life-balance with covered professional and self-development expenses.

But the key is being honest with yourself, understanding what you’re willing to sacrifice in return for what you’ll gain, and ultimately, knowing what makes the most sense to you.

Because at that stage, some experience was better than none.

For senior engineers, they’ll find contrasting benefits in small teams. 

Small teams allow faster progression, meaning for seniors, decisions can be better reflected and unblocked by bureaucratic formal processes. 

With this level of ownership, senior engineers have more freedom to express creativity and personal input. 

I’ve seen senior engineers leave big companies for early stage startups for exactly these reasons. 

But no matter whether you’re a junior or a senior, you should always ensure you fully understand what you’re stepping into. 

What to Look for During the Interview Process

With less company organization comes space for potential exploitation, whether intentional or unintentional. 

You may find some small companies operating without an official HR department. It’s important to familiarise yourself with Japanese labour laws and practices. 

This is especially crucial if you’re an expat in Japan. Employment expectations and protections can differ significantly from what you might be used to.

There is no shame in walking away from deals that simply don’t feel right.

From a high level, here are a few important questions to ask beforehand:

• How many engineers are on the team?

• Who reviews code?

• Who handles deployment?

• Who do I report to daily? 

What I’ve looked for is confidence, consistency, and transparency in answers, even if they say it’d be all up to me.

Because I’ve noticed the real red flags surface if any of the above are provided with vague answers, discomfort, or inconsistency. 

Most importantly, if all correspondence has been in English up to this point, you definitely want to ask: how much Japanese will I have to use and to what extent? Which depending on your fluency, is something everyone needs to be aligned in expectations. 

There’s a clear difference between joining a small team with intention and one where you’re a misaligned solution to a much bigger problem.

And for small teams, the interview isn’t just about getting the job, it’s also about really understanding what you’re walking into.

What Feedback and Accountability Look Like

Unless you are effectively the CTO or Engineering Manager, you'll report to them. 

There should be a centralized codebase aided with tools like GitHub, Git, or other version control systems. 

And based on where the code can be referenced is where you’ll receive code reviews.

I’ve received traditional code reviews where code is managed and merged through pull requests. 

I’ve also worked in places where formal review processes may be minimal or less structured.

And don’t be surprised to receive direct feedback from someone like the CEO or owner of the company.

In cases where they’re non-technical, this can get tricky. Sometimes, they may not fully understand the technical trade-offs behind your decisions, which can lead to misaligned expectations or overly simplified feedback.

For these reasons, I had to seriously level up my communication skills, or rather, how to explain technical decisions into clear business impact.

How to Succeed in a Small Engineering Team

Communication is important in any engineering role, but in a small team, it becomes even more critical. 

With fewer structural layers, miscommunication can escalate into larger problems if left unchecked.

This can make things, at times, feel unsustainable if you're not careful.

One of the most important skills to develop is learning how to advocate for yourself. This starts with having a clear understanding of your own capabilities and limits. 

That means: 

• Managing your own deadlines without overcommitting

• Accounting for unexpected issues and delays (which are inevitable in development)

• Knowing when to push back and set clear, realistic boundaries

It’s important to understand not just what to communicate, but how to communicate as well. 

In more traditional teams, you might be expected to surface every detail to a manager who can filter and translate the information.   

But in smaller teams, as I alluded, you might be working with non-technical stakeholders. And sharing too much technical jargon can create confusion or unnecessary worry and concern. 

With non-technical management, it’s often most effective to communicate impact: what the issue is, how it affects the product, and what the next steps are.

I’d focus more on highlighting things like what the change does, why it matters, and how it affects the user or business.

In practice, this meant illustrating mockups or flow charts in advance, walking through proof-of-concept demos, showing before-and-after comparisons, and clearly explaining risks and rewards at a high level.

The smoother you can make that transition layer, the easier the review process becomes regardless of whether or not the reviewer is technical.

In the end, knowing who your reviewer is and what they expect plays a pivotal role in your success. Balancing transparency and clarity is key to building trust and keeping projects moving forward. 

And in small teams, how you communicate is often just as important as what you build. 

How to Keep Growing Without Mentorship

For junior engineers in particular, this is where working on a small team can come with a cost.

In an ideal scenario, there’s at least one experienced engineer or technical lead you can learn from.

And if available, this can actually offer ideal, hands-on mentorship.

However, in practice, it's not always like this. Even when senior engineers are present, company demands can make mentorship inaccessible. And especially as a solo engineer, you may not have anyone to guide you at all. 

In these situations, growth becomes something you have to consciously prioritize. 

One way to approach this is by actively seeking support outside of your immediate team. 

Local meetups, networking, or finding mentors through online communities can help. 

Even casual conversations with other engineers can be beneficial.

Another option is contributing to external or open-source projects. Here, you can collaborate with others and receive feedback in a more structured environment. 

Beyond that, self-directed learning becomes essential. This means: 

• Regularly reading official documentation to deepen your understanding of the tools you’re using

• Staying up to date with industry trends through newsletters, forums, or technical articles

• Exploring certifications (such as cloud platforms like AWS) to see if they align with your work

While I’m not the biggest advocate of online courses and tutorials, they can still be useful when approached intentionally. Especially if they help reinforce best practices or provide alternative ideas to aid your knowledge. 

And sometimes, it’s not the traditional engineering issues that’ll push your growth.

It’s one of the other hats you may have to wear.

You might find yourself making decisions related to product direction, design, or even business priorities.

And it’s very possible you haven’t the slightest idea how to approach these types of roles. 

If it ever comes down to this, it’s not about mastering everything.

Instead, it’s more on identifying priority, and how to execute accordingly.  

For me, the goal wasn’t to become an expert in every domain, but to become competent enough to move the product forward without blocking progress.

Before my first small team, I only understood a product from a software engineer’s perspective.

And I remember my first big project, the gap between the leadership’s vision and what I needed to build was jarring.

Filling in that gap required having to understand what was missing, and learning how to connect it all together. For example, communicating clearly and aligning these expectations and deadlines with the stakeholders through productivity software and kanban boards.

Learning how to identify product goals and the right features.

Learning design basics, and Figma to draft mockups and flowcharts. 

Had I avoided bridging these gaps as strictly a software engineer, I would have limited my ability to contribute beyond code, both slowing down the product and my own advancement.

And over time, these skills compound. While they may not be part of traditional engineering roles, they can be invaluable, unique traits, whether it’s carrying it into future roles or just having a better understanding of how the full production cycle works.

Arguably, this is the most invaluable growth and true value to be gained from working on a small team.

Ultimately, growing in this kind of environment requires discipline and consistency. Without a built-in feedback loop, it’s up to you to stay curious, challenge your own assumptions, and continue improving over time. 

Final Thoughts

Working as a solo engineer on a small team in Japan isn’t better or worse than joining a larger, structured company. But it can be different.

For the right person, it's an opportunity for faster growth, more ownership, and real impact. For others, it's an overwhelming thought without the support systems they need.

Recalling my assumptions on joining a structured team, for many engineers in Japan, that’s not always the reality.

But the key is understanding which environment aligns with how you work best. Afterwards, it’s all about making that decision intentionally.