[sarasi]

Seven forms? It depends on what visa you are applying for, but I don't remember it being anything like seven. Residency, as in permanent residence, requires that you have lived in Japan for at least 5 years before applying, so I'm assuming you mean a working visa when you say "residency".

More important than the forms is having an employer to sponsor you for the visa- worry about the forms once you have actually found a job. The sponsoring employer does a lot of the paperwork anyway.

Your question is kind of vague- anything that you may be missing in this search? See if you can be more specific if you want helpful answers.