The service industry involves providing services to meet customer needs. For example, the hospitality industry provides accommodation and hospitality services in the form of hotels and inns for customers to enjoy a comfortable stay. The service industry offers not just “products” but also delivers professional skills, knowledge and experiences as “services”.
There are no set rules for types of services provided. The range of goods and services is broad, covering areas like food and beverage, daily life needs, real estate, and more, resulting in a wide variety of job roles and tasks.
This article introduces the types of occupations and job roles within Japan’s service industry. It also summarises the characteristics of people suited to this field and the industry’s rewarding aspects. If you are interested in working in Japan’s service industry, then use this article as a reference.
Table of Contents
- What is the Service Industry?
- 10 Main Sectors in Japan’s Service Industry
- Main Occupations in Japan’s Service Industry
- Why Work in Japan’s Service Industry?
- Characteristics of People Suited to the Service Industry
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What is the Service Industry?
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“Service Industry” is called サービス業 (Sa-bisugyou) in Japanese.
The service industry involves providing services, such as specialised skills and knowledge, to meet customer needs. It fulfils various desires like “I want to go here,” “I want to study,” “I want to eat delicious food,” or “I want to rent a house,” by offering experiences, expertise, and skills in exchange for compensation.
Often confused with the service industry is the hospitality industry, but they are not the same. The service industry refers to the entire field that provides services, while the hospitality industry specifically refers to jobs that involve direct interaction with customers.
Since the service industry centres on meeting customer needs, it evolves with changes in society and market trends. The industry requires flexibility and responsiveness to adapt to individual customer needs, making adaptability a highly valued quality in the service industry.
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10 Main Sectors in Japan’s Service Industry
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Japan’s service industry encompasses a variety of sectors. A sector (業種, Gyoushuu) refers to the type or field of business. Here, we introduce the main sectors that fall under the service industry.
1. Lifestyle-related and Entertainment Services (生活関連サービス・娯楽業)
This sector provides services necessary for daily life and entertainment. Examples of lifestyle-related services include beauty salons, barber shops, dry cleaning shops, funeral services, and travel agencies. Additionally, businesses that directly visit customers to provide services, such as housekeeping and cleaning services, are also part of this category.
On the other hand, the operation of entertainment-related facilities, such as amusement parks, cinemas, theatres, and skating rinks, falls under the entertainment sector. This sector is diverse, ranging from jobs providing essential daily services to managing entertainment facilities.
2. Accommodation and Food Service (宿泊・飲食サービス業)
The accommodation industry provides lodging and sometimes meals to guests. Examples include the operation of hotels, inns, guesthouses and campsites.
The food service industry refers to businesses that prepare and serve food based on customer orders. In addition to in-house dining, there is also food delivery and catering services, where meals are prepared and delivered to a specific location as per customer orders.
Read more about “How to Get a Hotel Job in Japan” here.
3. Medical and Welfare Services (医療・福祉業)
This sector provides medical and health-related services. Examples include hospitals, dental clinics, chiropractic offices, and health centres. It also includes social insurance organisations and elderly welfare and nursing care services. Social insurance organisations are establishments that manage social insurance services such as public pensions, public health insurance, and public nursing care insurance. Elderly welfare and nursing care services refer to work in facilities like nursing homes and group homes that provide care and assistance with daily life activities for elderly individuals.
Additionally, while nursery schools and certified daycare centres are classified under the medical and welfare service sector, kindergartens and kindergarten-style certified daycare centres are categorised under the "Education and Learning Support Sector (教育・学習支援業)".
4. Education and Learning Support Services (教育・学習支援業)
The Education and Learning Support Industry involves providing school education and supporting learning activities. The education sector includes institutions such as kindergartens, elementary and middle schools, and high schools. Learning support services encompass offerings like cram schools, piano lessons, distance learning, libraries, and museums that help individuals acquire skills, knowledge, and improve academic abilities.
In recent years, the use of the internet in learning support services has grown, with examples including online classes provided by cram schools and online lessons from English conversation schools.
5. Academic Research, Professional and Technical Services (学術研究・専門・技術サービス業)
This sector involves academic research, testing, and developmental studies that requires specialised knowledge and technical expertise.
Examples of academic research institutions include research centres for natural sciences and humanities/social sciences. Sectors offering services based on specialised knowledge include law firms, judicial scrivener offices, tax accountant offices, and design studios. Industries providing specialised technical services include veterinary practices, civil engineering and architectural services, mechanical design services, and photography services.
6. Transportation and Postal Services (運輸・郵便業)
The transportation sector involves transporting goods or people using railway, automobiles, ships or aircrafts. Examples include railway companies, airlines, and taxi operators. Warehousing, which involves storing cargo, is also classified as a type of transportation service.
The postal services sector refers to the delivery of letters, goods, invoices, and other correspondence. It is worth noting that post offices are not categorised under postal services because they also handle insurance and banking services. Instead, they are classified under the “Mixed Services sector (複合サービス業)”.
7. Information and Communications Services (情報通信業)
This sector involves transmitting and providing information through media such as television, radio, and the internet. Examples include mobile phone companies and television broadcasting stations. In addition to delivering essential information for daily life, this industry provides entertainment content, bringing enjoyment to a wide audience. Companies involved in creating games, publishing, and web content are also part of the information and communications sector.
8. Real Estate and Rental Services (不動産・物品賃貸業)
The real estate sector involves buying, selling, leasing, managing and brokering real estate. This includes real estate companies and property management companies for apartments and other buildings. Properties handled range from residential homes and office buildings to apartments and parking lots.
The rental industry refers to businesses that rent items such as automobiles, industrial machinery and office equipment like copiers. Examples include car rental services and video rental stores, which cater to individual customers.
9. Mixed Services (複合サービス事業)
This sector involves businesses that provide multiple types of service, such as insurance and credit-related services. Post offices and cooperatives fall under this category as they provide multiple forms of services. The business content and type of service provided is defined by law. For example, the “Japan Agricultural Cooperatives (農業協同組合)” not only provide guidance to member farmers and operate direct sales outlets but also engage in deposit-taking, money lending and mutual aid services similar to banks and insurance companies.
10. Other Services (サービス業)
This sector is for services that do not fall into the other categories. Waste management, automobile maintenance, machine repair, employment agency, labour dispatch agency, etc. services fall under this category. Additionally, organisations related to politics, economics, culture and religion, such as shrines, temples, embassies, political groups and foreign public services are also part of this service sector.
※ e-Stat, “日本標準産業分類(令和5年[2023年]7月改定)”
Main Occupations in Japan’s Service Industry
The main types of work in the service industry are as follows.
1. Customer Service (接客, Sekkyaku)
Customer service is the most representative of jobs in the service industry. Examples include ticket sales at entertainment facilities like theme parks and cinemas, taking orders at restaurants, and handling check-ins at hotel front desks. In customer service, the focus is on improving customer satisfaction.
As the face of the company, customer service requires polite language and proper behaviour. It also often involves listening and responding to customer needs and making suitable suggestions, so strong listening skills are essential.
2. Sales (販売, Hanbai)
Sales is another core job in the service industry, alongside customer service. Sales involves selling a variety of products, such as food, daily necessities, and clothing at places like supermarkets, convenience stores and retail outlets in commercial facilities. It also includes selling real estate, such as houses and buildings, or promoting intangible products like travel packages.
3. Administration and Sales (事務, Jimu・営業, Eigyou)
Administration staff (or clerical staff, office staff) handle various tasks such as creating and processing documents and data entry. Responding to phone calls and connecting calls to relevant departments is also part of their job.
As for sales staff, they are responsible for introducing and selling the company’s products to assigned companies and clients. For example, insurance sales representatives introduce and explain insurance plans, aiming to close sales.
4. Technical Skills (技術, Gijutsu)
These jobs involve providing customers with specialised skills acquired through training and experience. Examples include automobile mechanics, bus and train operators, and truck drivers delivering goods to businesses or individuals.
5. Specialised Knowledge (専門知識, Senmon Chishiki)
These jobs involve providing services based on specialised knowledge. Examples include lawyers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and childcare workers. To work in these professions, individuals must complete specialised educational programs at universities or colleges tailored to their field and pass national certification exams.
6. Public Services (公共サービス, Koukyou Sa-bisu)
Public services are primarily provided by the government or municipal agencies. For example, city hall employees handle tasks related to births, deaths and marriages, and issue documents like residency certificates, family registers and seal registration certificates. Other institutions like police departments, tax offices and fire departments also provide public services. These agencies are funded by taxes and operate without a motive for profit.
In recent years, public services have increasingly embraced digitalization, aiming for greater efficiency to provide accurate, fair, and timely services.
7. Creative (クリエイティブ, Kurietibu)
Examples of jobs offering creative services include designers, television producers, publishing editors, and actors. These roles do not have strict manuals to follow, but rely on individual creativity and innovative thinking to carry out their work.
Why Work in Japan’s Service Industry?
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The service industry offers various fulfilling experiences and can be a rewarding job. Hearing words of gratitude directly from customers and having your skills recognised are some of its most appealing aspects.
Receiving Gratitude
Service jobs often involve direct interaction with customers. When you meet their needs, it’s not uncommon to hear words of thanks. Witnessing the joy or smiles of customers as a result of the services you provide is one of the most rewarding aspects of this industry.
Immediate Feedback
Another appeal of the service industry is the clarity of customer feedback. Your skills and knowledge directly influence customer satisfaction and your performance, with less dependence on company policies or management strategies. This transparency allows you to track your progress and growth easily, helping maintain motivation.
Everyday is a New Day
In the service industry, you interact with different customers daily, each with unique needs and expectations. This variety keeps the job dynamic and engaging, allowing you to approach your work with a fresh perspective every day.
Characteristics of People Suited to the Service Industry
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Working in the service industry requires understanding customer needs and providing courteous, helpful support. If you’re considering a career in this field, here are some traits that can help you succeed:
Strong Japanese Language Skills
For non-native speakers, good Japanese skills are essential in the service industry. Many roles involve talking with customers, understanding their needs, or handling inquiries over the phone. Teamwork is also a big part of the job, so being able to communicate clearly with coworkers is important.
If you’re aiming for customer-facing roles like sales or customer service, fluency is a huge asset. Jobs often require a JLPT N2 level or higher, but even if your Japanese isn’t perfect, there are still opportunities available depending on the job.
Great Communication Skills
If you’re good at talking with people and building connections, you’ll thrive in the service industry. A big part of the job is understanding what customers need and helping them in a polite and professional way. If you can communicate confidently, even with new or unfamiliar people, you’ll have an edge.
Adaptability and Problem-Solving
Being flexible and able to adapt to different situations is crucial. You’ll encounter a wide range of customers, and meeting their needs often requires quick thinking and a calm demeanour. If you can stay level-headed and handle unexpected situations, like complaints, effectively, you’ll do well.
Physical Stamina
Service jobs can be physically demanding, requiring long hours on your feet or lots of movement. Depending on the role, the level of physical effort varies, but being physically fit and having good endurance is definitely an advantage.
Attention to Detail and Thoughtfulness
In the service industry, being attentive and considerate is just as important as technical skills. If you’re good at noticing what people need or figuring out how to make someone’s experience better, you’re a natural fit. Being thoughtful and offering personalised solutions can make a huge difference in customer satisfaction.
To Close
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The service industry involves providing services tailored to meet customer needs. It encompasses a wide range of sectors, such as “Accommodation and Food Services”, “Medical and Welfare”, and “Lifestyle and Entertainment Services”, making it an essential part of people’s daily lives.
Working in the service industry offers unique rewards, such as receiving direct feedback on your work and expressions of gratitude from customers, making it a highly fulfilling career path.
Depending on the products or services offered, roles may require advanced Japanese language proficiency and strong communication skills. If you’re interested in the service industry, explore various fields and roles that match your abilities and consider applying.
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