Online booking for Japanese teachers
Half your students are in Japan and half are not, and the single most tedious part of the job is working out what 20:00 in Tokyo is in Lisbon.
A 50-minute lesson event type, paid online in yen, video location, with your availability set in Asia/Tokyo and left alone.
Time zones, and the students you lose to them#
Every enquiry from abroad starts with a negotiation about when. Get it wrong once and a student sits waiting at the wrong hour, which is the kind of mistake that ends a booking before it starts.
The setup to start from#
Students are foreign residents and overseas learners, so lessons are booked across time zones and almost always online.
| Duration | 50 minutes |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 12 hours |
| Max bookings per day | Six a day |
| Location | Video |
| Payment | Paid online in yen |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Worth asking on the booking form: Current level, roughly — JLPT or self-assessed · What are you studying for? · Your time zone
An overseas student sees your times in their own time zone automatically, so you never have to do the arithmetic. Keep your availability in Asia/Tokyo and let the booking page convert it.
Set your hours once, in Tokyo time#
Your availability schedule is in Asia/Tokyo. A student in Berlin opens the page, their browser says Europe/Berlin, and they see your times converted. Their confirmation and reminders show their own time zone; yours show Tokyo. Nobody does any arithmetic. Time zones
Levels are different products#
Beginner conversation, JLPT N3 preparation and business Japanese are three different lessons with different preparation. Separate event types, with the level in the name, let a student choose correctly and let you charge differently.
Paid in yen, from anywhere#
Students abroad pay by card in Japanese yen into your own Stripe account. There is no invoicing and no bank transfer to chase.
Getting started#
- Sign in at app.marubox.jp with Google or Microsoft. There is no card and no trial clock.
- Create an event type with the settings above. Event types explained
- Connect your calendar so your teaching hours never gets double booked. Google · Outlook
- Set your real hours, and close Japanese public holidays in one tick. Availability
- Put the link in your bio, or the widget on your site. Adding it to your website
Common questions
How do students in other countries see my availability?
Automatically in their own time zone. You set your hours once in Asia/Tokyo and the booking page converts them for whoever is looking, including in confirmations and reminders.
Can overseas students pay in yen?
Yes. Payment runs through your own Stripe account in yen, and any card works. The money is yours and Business Box takes no cut.
Can I charge different rates by level?
Yes — make each level its own event type with its own price and duration. They sit together on your booking page.
Set this up in about ten minutes
Business Box is free for as long as you like, with no card required — booking pages, Google and Outlook calendar sync, availability, Japanese public holidays and the website widget. Taking card payment for bookings is ¥1,200 a month, tax included, with no commission on what you sell.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026.