im going to school in japan

im going to school in japan in july and was wondering if i will be able to get a job. my money will be tight as it is and im going to need a job. i speak enough japanese to hold a light conversation. ill be in tokyo. so any info would be helpful.

You don't mention your age- are you over 18? You may be able to get part time work teaching English if you are a native speaker. Most other jobs will require fairly good conversational Japanese, plus some reading ability.

Ill be 20 in June and yes im American so English is my native language

After you start your studies, you can look around for a part-time job. To work part-tiime on a Pre-college visa (language school), or Student visa (university/college) you need to apply for permit from Immigration, after a few months of good attendance and good records. There will also be a limit on the number of hours per week you can work.

Plan carefully in terms of finance, though. I believe to enrol in either language schools or to a college, you need to be able to show that you do have enough funds to cover your tuition and living expenses, so if you "need" a job to continue studying, that would be difficult.

Most other jobs will require fairly good conversational Japanese, plus some reading ability.

What kind of job? Coffee shop?

i have the tuition and everything done. my parents will be paying for that and i have relatives ill be staying with in Tokyo. its just that my parents will only be paying for the tuition and nothing else so i need money for my leisure time. any kind of job will work as long as i get decently payed

Well you can always teach English. It will make you more money than any random odd job I'm sure. You can make as much as 3000 yen an hour. I'm not sure if it's in high demand in Tokyo, but my friend who stayed in Nagoya found plenty of work at random cram schools and private lessons, with no teaching experience.