What does Live Work Play Japan do?

I’m Charlie Moritz, founding director of Live Work Play Japan.

I started my Japan journey a few years after graduating university, and moved to Japan without knowing any Japanese and only romanticised views of Japan.

I had grown up loving videogames, Studio Ghibli and the history of Japan, so when I landed I had so many expectations. I remember reading Hiragana tables on the plane thinking, “Am I really doing this?”

Very quickly on the ground I realised that there was a lot more to Japan than meets the eye. I started learning Japanese to a higher level and this helped me improve my jobs from eikaiwa, to an international school in Nagoya, a world famous kindergarten in Tokyo, and now one of the most prestigious private high schools in Tokyo.

After working in Japan for nearly 4 years, I decided that being a full-time teacher wasn’t enough for me – so I went part-time at my job, and found enough part-time jobs to stitch together and make as much as I was making the previous year, but only working 15-20 hours a week. I started Live Work Play Japan with my friend Martin Bragalone (no longer in Japan) to help people figure out how to live the kind of life they want here.

This lifestyle gives me plenty of time to hang out with my friends, visit family around the world and take time off when I want to. I want to empower others to do that too.

My Skills