Yeah, thats pretty logical.

Honestly though, if you have a marketable skill, and or capital (and a means to get yourself into the country), think it could be quite possible for this person to open their own business. I know of tons of foreigners who have opened their own businesses in Japan. Granted mostly Eikaiwa schools, and "international bars", but restaurants and bakeries are not unheard of.

What the OP will really needs to work on is learning to mix Japanese tastes with whatever he specializes in, and getting his Japanese to a high level. (and acquiring capital somehow and a visa somehow).

I'm a part owner of a bar in Hakodate in Hokkaido. It is not foreign bar though as there are only about 30 foreigners in the whole city and 300,000 Japanese, so if we want to make money no point going for the foreign market. We've hired a Japanese guy to run the bar full time and a couple of casual staff to help on busy nights. Not exactly going to retire anytime soon off the income we get but at least it's not losing money.

I dont see why they would hire a foreigner at all, if it cost them money to sponsor a visa.

Can you actually get a degree in cooking? or do you mean i should get a degree in something unrelated to cooking to increase my chances?

Why not do something like a BA in culinary management? Maybe check and see if an associate degree would be viable, as they tend to be more flexible. You may also be able to combine with a cordon bleu certification or similar accreditation. Here, two seconds googling found me this: http://education-portal.com/articles/Career_Information_for_a_Chef's_Degree_or_Certification.html
I'd advise you to put your brain in gear, do some homework and then go hunt out some solid careers advice from somewhere more viable than the internet. Contact universities, ask for advice, ask for prospectuses. Research top chefs and see where/how they trained.

Japan might have preference for a foreign chef if he's a specialist in his native cuisine or has locational training; same as England- you find more Indian native, Indian trained chefs cooking Indian cuisine than white British chefs. We even have a special immigration policy over it.

Rick O'Shay pretty much got it when he said "What the OP will really needs to work on is learning to mix Japanese tastes with whatever he specializes in, and getting his Japanese to a high level. (and acquiring capital somehow and a visa somehow)". You will also need talent and the qualifications and working history to prove it. You won't need to be the best of the best, per se; even a maître pâtissier still doesn't wear the M.O.F stripes, all he's done is finish his training with success. But you will need to be good at whatever you chose to do.

You still need 10 years of experience (for the visa) even though you have a chef degree, right? not that im in a rush...


Thanks for the good advices, you have been really helpful. If you have any more information, feel free to share :)

I would do that if i could, it seems Sweden is not included in the arrangement. But you are right, moving there without knowing is not smart.. i've heard you work longer and harder than in a western society..