Visa question
 

Okay so I got back to the states from Yokohama/Tokyo on the 8th and settled back in, got my jet lag lined out, etc.
My girlfriend and and I have finally decided to get married. She lives in Japan;
the thing is she's half Filipino and half Japanese, with a current Filipino citizenship only, she's not gotten her Japanese national yet, and she's just living off of a permanent residency visa at the moment.
We went to the city hall in yokohama, I think the one in Sakuragicho, I'm not sure.

The man said we simply needed to fill out this big white paper and get some marriage documents from our home embassies. We've decided to start out living in Japan with her parents, and her parents have agreed with everything. My question would be how would the easiest method of doing this would be? Marry her in the states, then move to Japan? I checked this and it seems tough and strenuous.
How about marry her in Japan? But then would that mean going on a tourist and then requesting a visa change after we're legally married?
But what if it takes longer than 90 days to get married?
She's already talked to the city again and they said I can definitely work there as long as she's got her permanent resident visa.

We've been planning on this for a while and are at a point now where we can do it, it's just we don't really know where to start. Any help would be absolutely amazing. Thank you so much.

Have you considered applying for a new visa?

The papers you will need from the US are proof that you are not already married to someone your home country. These are pretty easy to get.

Getting married in Japan is also easy, and can be done in a few minutes at the city office. Simply fill out the papers, and get them stamped, and you are married. It would be better to get married in Japan than in America.

But getting a visa is not necessarily so easy. Since your wife is a permanent resident, you can qualify for a spouse visa, but, she has to sponsor you, meaning that her income will have be be sufficient to support the both of you. If she's working part-time, you probably won't be able to get a spouse visa. If she has family in Japan, they may able to sponsor you, so long as they meet the income requirements. Otherwise, you'll have to go the typical route of getting a regular work visa.

Thank you so much.
Excellent, and that's the 婚姻要件具備証明書 that I get from the US embassy in Tokyo right? Cause I can't get one in NC, it's only valid for NC.
I read that I need a Affidavit of Competency to Marry, then get it notarized at the embassy in Tokyo. Is that what you're talking about?
I hate the us embassy, we walked there and there was some guard standing outside, I think he said to Mikki you can only get in with an appointment. Hopefully that won't take too long.

Thanks for the visa info. Can her parents sponsor me? I'd be living with them. Dad is a carpenter and mom does something with real estate, so I guess they have enough income.

How was your airport experience? Not as difficult as you thought? :)

Haha yeah! The airport was really a breeze, and even the strangers were polite, I needed to use a man's cell to call my gf at one point, and was called "alan-san" hah, it was a great first impression of Japan, and immigration was super easy, all I did was show them my passport and the immigration papers I got on the plane.

Something to be aware of - you will need to have a *translation* notarized if the original document is in English (which it was for us, and probably always is. We just translated it ourselves.)

I have no experience with the embassy in Tokyo. I don't recall having to do anything special for the one in Osaka... But we only went to an actual embassy to pick up the form - everything else we did at the local consulate. (Much easier to get an appointment.)

Her father should be able to sponsor you with no problems... She herself may be able to sponsor you if she has a full time job...

However, if you are her dependent and she only has a PR visa, you probably will NOT be able to work. As far as I can recall, the dependent of a PR visa holder - which is what you will be visa wise - doesn't necessarily receive work permission. I would check into that.
Does she plan to switch to Japanese citizenship?

Hey Nyororin, thanks a lot.
So the Affidavit needs to be translated, and then back to the embassy to have it notarized?
So two total trips to the embassy?

The one in Tokyo is terrible, the nag who answers the phone is a witch and apparently we couldn't get in by walking there, you apparently need an appointment in advance. Maybe that's how all embassies are though..

Thanks for the info, I don't think her dad sponsoring me would be an issue.
But I had the same thought as you, and we asked around and the immigration bureau said I'd most definitely be able to work if I married her. Maybe they mean after I got a workers permit or something? I'm not sure. Since she's a "technically" a foreigner I think I'd only be able to get a Dependent Visa at first, then apply for a workers permit.
Yeah, her Japanese citizenship is a whole different story. She hasn't spoken with her real (Japanese) dad since she was a child. And she needs to get up with him if she wants her visa. She sent him a letter recently but no response yet. And it'll take up to 9 months to get it without communication with her real dad.

My big concern is making sure we can do everything within the 90 day tourist visa, and make sure I have every document I'll need before I get on the plane.
Third, how easy is it to transfer visa from the 90 day to the dependent/spousal?

How often are you allowed to use the 90 day tourist visa? Is it only once a year? Once every two years? I'm curious to see how many times I'm allowed to visit japan.