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Steps to moving to Japan -
08-16-2007, 10:05 AM
I'm planning to move to 東京 next February. I will have about USD$20,000 in savings. My fiance and I intend to live in Japan. I'm a IT guy with over 10 years documented experience. I'm currently working for a major US bank. However, I've always wanted to experience life in Japan. I'm at the daily conversation level in Japanese. (Native English speaker) I can read and write at least 300 kanji.
Basically, I'm trying to create a "step-by-step" list of things that must be done (in cronological order) before and after arrival in Japan. [version 5.0] ＊ sanity check - why move... http://www.crnjapan.com/prevention/en/protectselfbeforemarriage.html ＊ inform current employer of intentions ＊ get letter of recommendation from employer ＊ pack up things that will go with you to Japan... sell the rest ＊ get home-country's driver license documents ＊ get letter from friend that introduced fiance to me ＊ get phone records showing international calls to fiance ＊ get passport sized photos of yourself (L4.5 cm x W3.5 cm) ＊ get bank statement for previous 3 months ＊ stay with my parents for a week or so -- cheap rent! ＊ Buy a one-way plane tickets to Japan for fiance and a round-trip for me (have it set for 3months... ＊ ship things you want to keep to Japan - maybe use fiance's parents' place for temp storage ------ ＊ Verify Sanity check - http://www.crnjapan.com/marriage/en/ ＊ Arrive in Japan under tourist visa. Fiance is native... so no problems for her. ** be honest with Immigration: tell them you're there to visit friends and to get married! ＊ stay with fiance’s parents for a _very_ short time... --> search for apartment ＊ mail postcard to yourself, or from someone else, addressed to your new alias at your fiance's place ＊ get Alien Registration card -- from local 市役所／区役所 (card will be mailed to you??; may take 2-3 weeks to process) ＊ register an alias (such as a Japanese name) -- 登録通称名 (use postcard as proof) ＊ register hanko/inkan with alias and get the form that states you registered your判子/印鑑 1000円 ＠市役所／区役所 ＊ get the certificate of registered particulars (外国人登録原票記載事項証明書, gaikokujin touroku genpyou kisaijikou shoumeisho) from same place as your alien registration card ＊Certificate of Competency to Marry (Konin Yoken Gubi Shomeisho 婚姻要件具備証明書) from your Embassy or Consulate, affirming you are legally free to marry in your country. http://japan.usembassy.gov/pdfs/wwwf7114.pdf ＊ get apartment in her name ＊ get utilities in her name for apartment ＊ get cellphones using finace's name ＊ get medical stuff for marriage certificate done ＊ get copy of wife’s passport ＊ get married --> have photographer take lots of pictures for memories (& gov) ＊ register marriage(婚姻届 Kon-in Todoke) with local governments and the consular for my gov... ＊ get Certificate of Acceptance 受理証明書 for marriage ＊ Get two copies of the koseki!! Send one copy to my Mom in the US. ＊ update registration with marriage documents ＊"Certificate of Acceptance of Notification of Marriage" (Kon-in Todoke Juri Shomeisho 婚姻届受理証明書) as proof of marriage. --> send copy back to USA --Y1500 ＊get spousal visa documents 配偶者ビザ (expect 2month wait for visa doc's to return) http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-2.html ＊ insurance: health -- NHI if no job ＊ setup local bank account with your & wife's name... (keep some moneys in your US bank too...) ＊ have JAF translate the license info for Japanese license ＊ get Japanese Driver's license ＊ get parking space for transportation -- I prefer a motorcycle ＊ register parking space with local police - 自動車教会 ＊ get motorcycle or car (if you didn't already ship it to Japan) ＊ insurance: car/motorcycle ＊ if job offer doesn't already exist, get one. show potential employer that you have already established yourself in Japan. Wife, visa, place, car, skills, etc... ＊ continue studying Japanese in spare time.＊ make spare time ＊ Establish savings for future children - hospitals expect money up front (ins. will reimburse later) ＊In the event of any kids born, (*congrats*) be sure to update koseki and make sure you're listed as the father. Send copy of updated koseki touhon back to USA... ＊ After living there (successfully) for 4-5 years, apply for permanent resident status... this way I won't have to rely on the spousal visa... Am I missing anything??? Constructive comments are appreciated. Is there a procedure I should follow for my visa? Will I encounter any problems if I come in as a tourist first?? I intend to marry my fiance in Japan... not before moving there... 
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The heart of "Winging it..." -
08-16-2007, 12:18 PM
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You have a nice (naive) sentiment... However, it's better to have at least a half-baked idea of what to expect than no idea at all... Would anyone experienced with moving to Japan have any constructive comments to my post?
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08-16-2007, 02:22 PM
Uhhh I dunno since I've never married someone before lol.
Are you going on your future wife's koseki? I have no idea how it works so please enlighten me! Also why do you want a Japanese name/alias? Any particular reason? The only thing constructive I can say is...you will have to go pick up your gaijin card when it's ready at the shi/kuyakusho.
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Koseki & name -
08-16-2007, 03:06 PM
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If my wife's family "adopts" me into their family, then I will be added to their koseki touhon. This typically happens with marriage... one side of the family will "adopt" the other... Historically, this also meant that the "adopted" would move in with the family -- literally joining the family. There are many reasons why I would want to use a Japanese name. I've been to Japan enough times to see how subtly racist Japanese are... If they see you as strictly a tourist, they will remain kind to you... However, there are many that will deny you access/previledges based on the fact you are not Japanese. For example, when you're looking for an apartmaent (on your own), the landlord can deny your application just because you have an American name. Despite the fact that's illegal by Japanese law, there's no law that requires a reason for the denial... Plus, I've seen Japanese men look down upon the Japanese ladies whom married a gaijin. If my (future) wife tells them my name, they will assume Japanese. In terms of job searches, companies will give my resume (CV) higher consideration if they (initially) believe that I'm Japanese. I know that this will become a conversation piece when I arrive at the job interview... Japanese don't mean to be racist... Less than 10% of the population is composed of gaijin... It's easy for them to forget that other people exists outside their neighborhood... Of course, the big cities are used to seeing gaijin. That doesn't make them more tolerant of us...
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08-16-2007, 06:17 PM
Just a random comment...
Japan is pretty lax on marriage between Japanese and "not suspicious" countries. You know, the ones that often have people getting married for less than honest reasons in order to move to Japan. There is very little you will have to prove in order to marry. They didn`t ask me for much of anything - certainly nothing to the extent of things you listed. Unless you need to REALLY prove the validity of your marriage, I highly doubt most of it will be necessary. You say you plan to stay with her family for a short time... Will *she* be able to secure an apartment? You will have no income until further down the road, and even with a wad of cash it will be hard to find somewhere that will rent to you without some proven cash flow. I see problems possibly arising with the length of the stay with the in-laws. It took a month and a half to get my spousal visa after marriage, and another two weeks to change my name.... And then more to change everything else that you have to change after changing your name. All this time, I was unable to work. Unless she has a job set up almost immediately after returning to Japan..... You may run into some serious living situation problems. Just getting married doesn`t grant you permission to work. Other than that... I would also look into having yourself listed and *maintained* on her juminhyo. I was listed on my husband`s, but somewhere along the line they failed to maintain the listing and it disappeared.
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Reason for planning -
08-16-2007, 07:39 PM
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My wife is a graphics designer working for a advertising agency in Japan... She can prove her own work history... My plan requires that my wife get the apartment in her name for many reasons. I expect to take some time to get adjusted and to get all the necessary paperwork out of the way. With my savings, I can easily last 3-4 months without a job... What is "juminhyo?" Do you mean "juumintouhyou" [住民投票] -- Resident Registration?? How would I go about "maintaining" that?
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Half Baked -
08-16-2007, 07:44 PM
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Financially speaking, I'm pretty well set... I'm estimating the worst case scenario of 3 months before I find a job in Tokyo. While I'm expecting to have _at least_ $20,000 cash, but I estimate that I'll have about $35,000... $20,000 is the minimum that I will move on...
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permission to... -
08-16-2007, 07:51 PM
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I put alot of details into my planning. I don't want to be surprised... If you read my entire list, you would have noticed that I have spousal visa listed... Everything in my list is expected to be performed in order... Some action items require a waiting period in-between... The next listed item can't be completed without the previous item's completion...
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08-17-2007, 03:58 PM
For some reason you seem to have taken my post in the wrong way. I wasn`t saying that you *hadn`t* planned. I was just noting that while you planned to stay with her family for a short time, I didn`t see any sort of hints as to how exactly you planned to end that arrangement.
I think that more than actual cash-in-hand issues, it`s going to be a problem finding somewhere which will rent to someone who is unemployed... Regardless of their employment history. If your wife is employed, you shouldn`t have trouble. However, that wasn`t clear in your first message. Regarding aliases - you cannot use your alias on *official* documents. Believe me, I`ve tried. My "alias" is the same as my official name, just the alias uses the kanji. Nope, they won`t allow it. I have to write it out in block caps in any and every official document. I am assuming that you are planning to take her last name... You can register it as an alias pretty much right away - however, if you want to have anything official in that name you`ll have to officially change it. And even then, unless you have citizenship you won`t be able to officially use Japanese ordering or characters. Just a note - marriage doesn`t give you the legal right to reside in Japan either. It just gives you the ability to apply for the spousal visa, which then grants you legal permission to reside, work, etc. Your list is very thorough, but I certainly can`t read your mind - I just thought I`d throw out a few things you might not have given too much thought to.
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About Alias -
08-18-2007, 04:03 AM
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