About

Padma Raj Lama

Principal Software Engineer in Tokyo, Japan. 12+ years building production software — and a few products of my own.

About

Engineering that holds up after launch

I'm a Principal Engineer at Deerhold in Tokyo, where I work with Showcase to build full-stack SaaS products across healthcare, education, and fintech. 12+ years in — these days mostly React, Vue, and Next.js on the frontend with Node.js and NestJS on the backend, plus a few earlier years in Java/Grails and PHP.

A lot of my work has been building component systems that hold up across React, Vue, and plain Web Components, and bringing tools like Tailwind CSS, Storybook, and CI/CD into teams that didn't have them. I also taught JavaScript and the MERN stack part-time at Deerwalk Institute of Technology for three years, and have mentored junior engineers at every company I've worked with since.

Outside client work, I've been teaching myself AI by building with it — Ajako Taja, a news platform that scores and summarizes trending stories from hundreds of sources, came out of that.

Tokyo, Japan
Open to interesting full-time and freelance opportunities

How I work

Reusable foundations
Component systems that work across React, Vue, and plain Web Components, so teams stop rebuilding the same UI.
Modern tooling, adopted gradually
Bringing Tailwind CSS, Storybook, and CI/CD into teams that didn't have them — without stalling delivery.
Teaching as part of the job
Three years teaching JavaScript and the MERN stack part-time, and mentoring engineers at every company since.

Languages: Nepali (Native) · Tamang (Native) · English (Limited Working) · Japanese (Elementary)

Interests

What I'm focused on

AI-powered products
Learning AI by building with it — grounded LLM summaries in Ajako Taja and an AI travel assistant in Recent Visits.
SaaS platforms
Products for healthcare, education, and fintech, from secure APIs and webhooks to the interface.
Web platform & component systems
React, Vue, Next.js, and Web Components that teams can share across frameworks.
Developer tools
Open-source tooling like GuidedReel, and the CI/CD, Storybook, and testing setups that keep teams shipping.

Independent work

Products I build and run

Products I designed, built, and run myself — from the data pipeline to the interface.

Career history

Independent product
Live
Ajako Taja
AI-powered news platform that monitors hundreds of sources, scores stories for real multi-source traction, and delivers concise, continuously updated summaries.
- Next.js
- React
- TypeScript
- Supabase
- +4 more
Live sitefor Ajako Taja (opens in a new tab)
Independent product
Live
Recent Visits
A travel discovery and AI travel-planning platform, starting with Nepal — destination, trek, and activity guides alongside an AI travel assistant.
- Next.js
- React
- TypeScript
- Payload CMS
- +5 more
Live sitefor Recent Visits (opens in a new tab)
Independent product
Open source · Beta
GuidedReel
An open-source script-to-video editor: write a script, choose a format and template, add your media, and export an MP4 — in the browser or on the desktop.
- TypeScript
- React
- Remotion
- Next.js
- +3 more
GitHubfor GuidedReel (opens in a new tab)