English website for Japanese companies – written for the people reading it

What makes an English website for a Japanese company work

Results start with who you write for. A buyer in Germany, a tourist planning a trip to Kyoto and an expat living in Osaka all want different things from the same company page.

• Pick one main reader: an overseas business buyer, an inbound traveler, a foreign resident in Japan or an international online shopper
• Write in English from the start: use the Japanese content as the source, then shape sentences, length and tone the way a native speaker expects
• Give a clear next step: a quote request, a booking, a sample order or a checkout that works fully in English

The third point is the one most often missed. A visitor who likes what they read will leave if the form is Japanese-only or the only contact is a phone number. Before building, check that someone can answer English inquiries within a reasonable time.

Why many English versions of Japanese sites fall flat

If you already have an English page and it stays quiet, several of these are usually at work. Use the list to review your current version.

• Machine translation left as is – understandable, but stiff and sometimes wrong
• A long formal greeting from the president before any useful information
• Japanese context with no explanation: local place names, industry jargon, Japanese era years
• No prices, minimum order, lead time, shipping countries or payment options – the facts a buyer needs to decide
• Only the home page is in English; every detail link leads back to Japanese
• Long English words break the layout on phones

If you want to build on your existing Japanese site, our guide to website translation explains which pages can simply be translated and which are better rewritten.

Content foreign buyers look for first

A strong English site goes deep on the points a foreign reader uses to decide. Details vary by industry, but these come up on most sites:

• The opening line: what you do and whose problem you solve, said in the first few lines
• Company facts: address in English with a map, founding year, what you make or offer, which countries you serve
• Terms of business: price guidance or how quotes work, minimum order, lead times, shipping and export
• Proof of quality: materials, methods, certifications, and real people with names and faces
• Consistent formats: Western calendar dates, imperial units next to metric where useful, one name order throughout
• Contact: an English form, expected reply time and working hours across time zones

For restaurants, hotels and salons that serve visitors to Japan, the most-read details are how to book, which payment methods work, how to get there and whether an English menu exists. Write down what your own customers need to know before they reach out – that list becomes the backbone of the site.

How an English website project runs and what to prepare

When the Japanese site can serve as the source, a small English site of a few pages typically takes one to two months. The steps:

• Goal and reader: overseas sales, inbound visitors or recruiting – choose the action you want more of
• Structure: decide which pages carry over, which exist only in English and which are left out
• English copy: written from the key points of the Japanese text, with names and terms kept consistent
• Design and build: spacing and type set for English text length, checked on mobile
• Pre-launch checks: forms, the language switcher, page titles and descriptions for search
• After launch: see in GA4 which countries and pages perform, then refine

It helps to have ready: your Japanese site URL, any fixed English spellings of your company and product names, existing English brochures or catalogs, your target countries and the person who will answer English inquiries. To get found in English search, see English SEO.

Site structure: add English pages or build a separate site

There are three common ways to set up an English site. The right one depends on how closely it follows your Japanese site and whether more languages may come later.

• English pages on the same domain (for example /en/): one site to manage and it benefits from your existing domain. The standard choice for most companies
• A separate English-only site: suits brands whose overseas products differ a lot from the domestic range, at the cost of running two sites
• A single English page: a quick start when you mainly need a URL to send to overseas partners; build it so it can grow

Whichever you choose, place the language switcher where people expect it and add hreflang tags so search engines know which pages belong together. If Chinese, Korean or other languages are on the roadmap, read about multilingual website development.

How UNANOBO builds English websites: a free demo first

Before you commit to anything, UNANOBO builds a free demo of your English site from your current Japanese site, materials and brand. The demo contains real English copy written for foreign readers, so you can open it on a computer and phone, read it as your customers would and decide once you are happy with how it comes across.

The process is simple: free demo, feedback, launch, growth. The founder works in both Japanese and English and handles every project personally, so your team can discuss intent in Japanese while the copy is finished in natural English. Everything runs by message. If you are an overseas company that needs a site for Japanese customers, see websites for entering the Japanese market.