Three distinct mobility routes of migrated academics to Japanese higher education are identified by analyzing the individual narratives and drawings of the interviewed migrated academics. These mobility routes are: (1) English-medium-instructed (EMI) liberal arts program teaching-focused lecturers, (2) Japanese doctorate holders, and (3) full-time foreign doctorate holders. These mobility routes are closely related to the participants’ academic positions, work roles, host institutions, and associated trajectories. The mobility routes entail distinctive capital accumulation and habitus development features. Each mobility route group collectively represents the participants’ unique upward academic mobility strategies to navigate the institutional structures of Japanese higher education.