Questions
 

Hello!

Let me quickly introduce myself - I am a 20-year-old finnish guy, who spent an exchange year in Japan 2004-2005. I left for Japan out of curiosity and I knew hardly anything about Japan before I arrived here. After massive culture shock I started to adapt to the life of gaijin in Japan, and met a nice girl of my age from the very school I attended. The same girl followed me for an exchange year in my country and now we've been happily together for 3 years.

I am finishing my studies in my country this year and will be doing compulsory military service for 6 to 12 months starting from july, she will graduate spring of 2009. Now this has raised series of questions. We both want to move to a same country. Currently living 7900km apart, even though we meet quite often (I've spent almost 2 years in Japan altogether) and skype makes staying in touch easy, it's still pain in the ass.

We haven't really thought about all this that much, but I've been gathering info from here and there recently. But there are quite few things I just don't seem to find easy information about.

First of all, I'd like to know what are our chances for living together in Japan? How easy it is to acquire a visa on the basis of merely having a relationship? Working holiday-visas are not an option, as Finns can't have one.
Also, in reality, how easy it is to get a job in Japan, especially in northern Kyushu, without other than high school and army schooling? How about applying for universities/colleges/other schools in Japan as a foreigner?
My girlfriends parents offered marriage as an option but we were eating dinner out and they were quite drunk, and admitted that they don't let their daughter get married quite yet :P.

So these are my few questions, I'll probably have more laters.

Very hard to impossible to get a visa for "just a relationship", and without a 4 year university degree, you also won't get a visa. And finding work in Japan without a degree won't be easy at all.

I don't know the immigration laws in Finland, but you may have an easier time having her move there instead of you moving to Japan, at least until you can get a 4 year degree. Or maybe both of you could move to the US, Canada, or some other country...

Yeah, we've been thinking of having her move to Finland (a way lot easier), but there's just the sad fact that I am damn bored to live in Finland :D

What surprises me, that I've met more than 10 people who have moved to Japan when they were 19, without any kind of education other than high school, yet they have succesfully lived here ever since... so how does this even happend? :D

Did they get married?

Sadly, I have no idea as I never really asked them that... they always merely stated that they had been in Japan since they were 19 or so.

Maybe they went there as a tourist and illegally overstayed their visa? I know that I had to prove I had a 4 yr degree when I went at the age of 25.

Finland is a participant in the JET program. See if you qualify.

He'll need a 4 year degree just to apply...

well...
 

is she japanese if yes al you need to get is a spousal visa and you can pretty much live there forever:D

well, u need to get married for that.

many north european countries issue "civil union" visas, meaning that u don't have to get married for ur non-eu partner to get a visa. all u need to do is live together. if finland doesn't issue such a visa try the country to ur west.