Want to move to japan where to start
 

Hello I am 17 going to be finished with high school in the next few months, my ultimate goal is to become a citizen in japan and I know thats going to take a long time but I am determined. I know I need 5 years of continous residency but Im not sure where to start , obviously I need to learn japanese and I am enrolling in classes for that really soon but then what? I understand teaching might be a good idea but where would I start would I need to go to college in Japan or here? what degree would I need ? thanks in advance for any advice.

Few foreigners living in Japan actually become Japanese citizens.

Maybe you should think about visiting at least once before discarding your citizenship of the country you are from.

Also, do you have college in your future? That will be required for you to be able to teach.

I understand that Ill need college I just need to know like, what type of college id need and if i wanted to teach english in japan would I be able to go get the degree Id need there or would I need to do it here

I went and looked up jet it seems like a good idea so I guess ill start looking into getting the right degree, Is it possible for an american to go to japan to get a teaching degree?

So with that being said is it possible to go to japan for a that degree?

Im not particularly sure is there a such thing as a degree in japanese language and or culture?

Nice, thank you for all the info this was very helpful =) now I feel like I have a little more of a trail to follow instead of a rough idea and no map XD

It appears you have never even been to Japan yet you are convinced that you would like to become a Japanese citizen? Um can I ask why? Without ever having set foot in the country or living within it for any period of time you are convinced you would like to give up your current citizenship to live here? I would suggest getting your college degree first, get some more life experience including travelling to a number of different countries around the world and spend some time living in Japan before even thinking about things like changing citizenship!

Ever since I was a little kid I have always been fascinated with Japan, and no it's not because I read to much manga or watched to much anime, I didn't even know that, that's where that came from. I had just seen images of the country and met other kids in school from there and was fascinated, the history everything. Giving up my citizen to this country doesn't seem like a big deal to me I don't really have any ties and I am not attached to it I hate this country ^.^

I think you are taking citizenship a little too seriously. I have lived in Japan for over 20 yrs. I have family here, own my own home, have set up various companies, pay taxes & social insurance like everyone else & receive the same benefits(?). I don't have citizenship and besides not being able to vote and stand in a slightly shorter que at immigration, don't see the advantage of having Japan citizenship. Being very interested in Japan is not a bad thing and we look forward to having you with us. In any event you will need to have employment to live here. I suggest you don't get too hung up on the citizen thing just yet.

This is why I don't like to tell people of my interest in Japan.

To get a work visa you need a 4 year degree in anything from an accredited university.

My advice. Get your degree, come here through JET or an Eikaiwa company, live the life, then decide if that is what you really want.

But why, oh why would you want to forfeit your citizenship in the US to become Japanese? Working in Japan you will not pay US taxes on any of your Japanese income up to something like 85,000 dollars a year (it increases a little bit every year). The most I would recommend you going for is "permanent resident status", that in and of itself will take you a very long time to achieve.

There is no need to throw away your US citizenship. You do not even know right now if Japan is the place for you. And please remember that unless you are ethnically Japanese, despite getting your citizenship, most of Japanese society will never see you as Japanese. Is that really something that you want for yourself?

Jordanfuller, I'm sure whatever path you take you will come to this realization some day, but I think the first step in your "journey to Japan" you would find it worthwhile to get your bearigns in your own homeland.

Other people have already said it, but I'll reiterate to really drive this one home: learn Japanese. If you haven't already started, I'd say now's a good time. Believe it or not, many people lose interest in "Japan" by about their second year of Japanese study (at the college level). So consider that like your first rite of passage (I'd put that in short term goals).

I don't know if it has been established yet, but what country are you in? I came from America and majoring in Japanese at my college seemed quite easy compared to other majors (paper wise and logistically speaking... fewer essays and not a whole lotta flaming hoops at the end). It was, however, difficult in that learning Japanese is not the easiest thing to stick to. So whether or not you decide to major in Japanese, you should definitely finish college. That should be another goal and step.

Another thing you might consider is a trip to Japan. Here are some options: Maybe you can take a trip with your high school (or a related or nearby high school). Maybe you could take a trip as some kind of graduation present. Maybe you could study abroad in Japan while you're in college. Maybe you could travel to Japan as a graduation present (for college this time). Or, maybe you could travel to Japan by getting a temporary teaching job (such as JET).

Living here for a period of time will be the real test. I believe the more language you know, the better time you will have. It also depends on how open minded you are. There are major cultural differences between your home country and Japan, I'm sure. That includes food, manners, traditions, work mentality, weather, household items, and way beyond. I think what you might find is that there will be positive things and negative things (from your perspective)... and I think it won't be too different from your own country when you really start to weigh things out. In this case getting a citizenship usually means getting rid of a citizenship, so you really have a lot of thinking to do. Getting to that point where you can make a choice will take years (probably something I'd put at about 10 years from now for you). It's a choice that you're making for life, so you have to do some serious thinking about it, and to be frank, I think you're a bit young to be making decisions on that level. I think it's a good idea to plan things out, and there's no harm in starting early. I think RickOShay pointed out a good alternate option that you can choose other than a Japanese Citizenship.

I also want to caution you here. You should not put Japan up on a pedestal. Or make it into some magic land where you can escape your "crappy life" back home, because if you do so, it is sure to disappoint you. Japan is just another place on earth, and you will not be getting away from reality by coming here. I am not saying this is you, but to say that you hate your country, and want to move to Japan and become Japanese, sounds a lot like what people who are thinking Japan is some sort of a cloud nine fantasy land escape might say.

Let me ask you to make things clear. What are the things you hate so much about America, and why have you concluded that those things will not exist, or be better in Japan?

I don't know, I live in what is probably the snowiest town in the world and work at one of the snowiest ski resorts on the planet up here in Hokkaido. It was always my dream to live where it snowed (and to do a hell of a lot of skiing) and frankly if I believed in such things I might actually believe I've already died and gone to heaven!! :mtongue:

I am not saying Japan cannot be a wonderful place for people. I am just warning him that his expectations for it are probably too high, and most likely the way he is imagining things will be here, are in fact not at all how they will be.

I'm sorry to intrude on this thread, but I'm 17 and have also considered working toward and seeing if a life in Japan would be right for me.

All the posts here are so helpful, especially Steven's and willgoestocollege's; thank you!

But I have a question:

I'm going to be a senior this coming year and that means really considering what college I want to pursue and what I want to major in. I'm already planning on taking college courses this fall to start and learn Japanese. And hopefully, I'll be taking a trip there as a High School graduation present after this next year.

But do you guys recommend any colleges that have good Japanese Studies programs?
I'm thumbing through CollegeToolKit.com right now to see which schools offer it as a major, but would like to hear if someone has any suggestions.

I actually really wanted to attend Temple University Japan Campus (An American University in Tokyo), but I'm looking for alternates.

I'd prefer a school on the west coast, since that's where my family is, but will appreciate any help.

And what could I do with a Japanese Studies Major?
Is the only career path going to be an english teacher?
I have nothing against teaching english (I actually think that it could be a nice experience), but I'm just curious if that's the only thing I'll be able to do.

Although I don't have any personal experience with it, I'd like to point out one thing. Many people who study abroad come back without really improving their Japanese. A reason for this is because they hang out with a limited amount of Japanese, who can usually speak English fluently, and mostly hang out with native English speakers. That's not to say it won't be a life experience... but it will certainly color your perspective on "Japan". If you go to a university in Japan, chances are you will go to a big city. There's more to Japan than just big cities, and denying yourself experiences of the more country areas would be a shame as they have a lot of things to offer.

CoreyLynn, I actually thought my college was decent for Japanese... but unfortunately some of the teachers that taught while I was there are now gone. I will say that going to a college in southern California would be a good idea. That's simply because there are a lot of exchange students from Japan there. There are really big networks and activities that they put together that you can be a part of. It's immersion without having to go to another country.

To be straight up honest, I don't see the point of majoring in Japanese. If you couple it with something like business, then maybe. Let's face it thoguh... the economy isn't doing too hot. Who knows though? Maybe in 5 or so years from now it will go back to normal. Even if you DO major in Japanese, chances are you won't be close to fluent by the time you're done. Most people I knew could barely hold a conversation (unless they were Japanese themselves). Studying a language isn't about going through a textbook and checking off "grammar points". It's all about real life experience.

Willgoestocollege gave you a book title... that's the type of thing that will help you the most. You need to read up on books about the cultural differences. Some of the books have things that are far fetched or out dated, but for the most part it will give you a good idea of what to expect (as some people in Japan DO do far fetched and out dated things). I can say that the book "Communicative Styles of Japanese and Americans" is a good book. Another one is something like "How to Walk and Talk like a Japanese". One more is called "How to do Business with Japanese Men: A Guide for Women". I remember thinking my teacher was crazy for telling me to read that (not being a woman, for starters... and not being interested in doing business... especially with Japanese men). However, the book turned out to be way more than the title suggested. It's all anecdotal, but it provides many real life experiences (from real people) about things that happened to them while in Japan and how they dealt with them. Go to Amazon and get some of these kinds of books. You can often find these books for less than 25 cents used.

I think you should listen to RickOShay though... if you're not having a good time where you are now chances are you're not gonna have a good time after you've displaced yourself half way around the world in a country that may be hard to relate to. So even if you travel to Japan, chances are you will have a super great time... but living here is a different story. Reality will settle in, and reality is basically whatever you make of it.

Well, the first thing I can tell you is that probably no matter what Japanese Studies program you take you will more than likely not be fluent in Japanese when you graduate from it. I have met a lot of Japanese majors and many of them were not beyond an (old) JLPT level 3. I mean, when it comes to language your progress is mostly up to you I think, but the pressures of other studies will probably water down your language efforts during college.

As a far as what you can do with your degree, well you mentioned west coast so I assume you are from the States, so you could probably work towards being a Japanese language teacher, or possibly a translator or interpreter.

A degree in Japanese studies is one of those degrees that does not give you any specific marketable skills (other than Japanese language perhaps), like a degree in Finances, Engineering, Business Management, Computer Science etc would. But that does not mean it is worthless or that you will not be able to find a job, you just will need to hone your networking skills and learn to sell yourself in another fashion. In a way I think it gives you freedom, but it could be limiting in that many places will probably take the person with a degree in Finances, for example, over you say if you tried to get a job at a bank.

Honestly if I could go back and do things over, I would have got my degree in Business Management, or Human Resources, and then with that degree in hand, I could market my Japanese skills as a secondary bonus to give me that edge of the person with just the basic degree in those fields.

I'm glad that you pointed this out, because I've read this is on various posts here, as well as on a few others.

The reason why, though, that I was considering Temple University in Japan is because I really wanted to see if I could actually handle living there. I thought that it'd be a good way to really test my own perceptions with what Japan actually is.

Thanks for the suggestions on more books. I buy from Amazon quite often so I'll be sure to look for those books and/or books similar.

: )

I'd really like to make it clear that when I say that I'm considering pursuing a life in Japan, that doesn't mean that I'm miserable here in the States.
I'm content with my life and I adore my family. My parents and my sister along with my older brother and his girlfriend are my best friends. They're the most supportive, loving, and caring people I could ever hope to know.

So, I'm not trying to run away to this place that I perceive as a sort of paradisal and perfect place.

x ]

And, though I know that I'll miss my family if I do decide to pursue Japan, I want to find what'll make me happy; whether that be in Japan, Europe, or still here in the U.S.

^^

More questions:

I would like to ask people who weren't born in Japan and who live there now:

How did you decide on what you wanted to do in college? And how did you decide on a career?
And if you don't mind me asking: What are do you do as a profession overseas?

I'd just really love to hear all of the opinions that I can so I can understand my options, whatever they may be.

Thank you to Steven for answering my questions and thanks to anyone who replies to my new ones, haha.

: )

Thanks for the tips!

x ]

I'm trying to gather all the information and suggestions that I can, so your post definitely helps.

I'm still really ignorant when it comes to college courses and majors, so I have to research a lot more on that.

: )

I was a Sociology major, and originally wanted to become a university professor, however, I found out about an opportunity to study abroad in Japan my senior year. I got the scholarship and I loved it here, and decided I wanted to come back. So I have been working at an education center here for 5 years, training Japanese teachers of English, at all school levels, and translating. I have been able to save a lot of money, and I have gotten my Japanese skills to the point where they are usable on a professional level.

I do not plan on staying here forever, I will probably be moving back to the States in about a year or so, and if I can I will hopefully get a job in the Human Resources department of a Japanese company based in the states.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you get your job working at this education center?
Did you go through a program like JET or do something else?
And,
you had to get your Bachelor's degree to get your working Visa, first, right?

By the way, thanks for the reply.
: )

Yes, I know.
Haha
I really want to try and figure out what I want to pursue soon, but I don't just want to pick something without feeling confident about it, so thanks for the post.
: )

And I would love for the books and websites recommendations.
I'm actually browsing Amazon.com right now for some cultural and society books, so I'd love for more suggestions.

Whatever help you can give is greatly appreciated!

I'd really like to make it clear that when I say that I'm considering pursuing a life in Japan, that doesn't mean that I'm miserable here in the States.
I'm content with my life and I adore my family. My parents and my sister along with my older brother and his girlfriend are my best friends. They're the most supportive, loving, and caring people I could ever hope to know.

So, I'm not trying to run away to this place that I perceive as a sort of paradisal and perfect place.

I apologize if I made it seem like something like that. On the other side of the coin, though, if things are perfectly fine where you then I think you will have a hard time living far away from that.

As far as books go, I think I would listen to suggestions people make and definitely read reviews of books (where reviews are available). Choosing at random might be dangerous as there are sometimes books that paint Japan as the "mysterious oriental far east land of wonder" to varying degrees.

Right now I'm in Japan with JET. I studied Japanese in high school and studied it in college because I had to study a foreign language. The more I studied it the more I liked it. I ended up majoring in Japanese instead of graphic design, which would have been a pain in the A anyways. Upon finishing up my major I realized there wasn't much I could do with it in America. I thought about going to Toyota and looking for jobs, but I'm kinda glad I didn't do that now! I then signed up for JET, got accepted, and moved here. I sold most of my stocks befoer I came (which was right before the market crash). So I've had some lucky timing. I ended up in an area that I love. I've made tons of friends and a lot of them are really into music so it's like everything I've ever wanted... but it just happens to be in Japan. I'm gonna try to stay here after JET by either getting a job with the board of education or city hall (which does happen around here with people who are fluent... contrary to what a lot of people say on the internet about the matter).

Have you ever thought about working at the US consulate in Japan, Steven?

Oh please, really, you don't need to apologize!
<: )
Thank you, though.

And I completely agree; I think that being so far from my home and my family may be too much for me.

However, I'd still like to see if I could handle it, especially if Japan turns out to be something that I really do love.

I'm hoping to do some sort of exchange program, possibly in college or even for my last year in high school. That way I'll have a better grasp as to what I can handle. Because if it turns out I can't handle a month or a few away, then I'll definitely have to consider some other options, haha.

And I'll definitely be reading up on reviews of anything I consider buying!
^^
Some of the ones I've already found on Amazon are amazingly affordable (4 dollars or less for used ones!) and they're the ones that have been suggested here on this thread and they also have reviews from Amazon buyers.

And I've heard a lot about JET; it really seems like the best way to go if you're looking for an english teaching job in Japan.

I'm sure there are other teaching jobs out there, but JET seems like the safest bet. However, that's not to say it's without its short comings as well. For example, sometimes (and not unlike most other teaching jobs in Japan) you will have to jump between schools like a pinball every day. I've seen people with 7 or more schools before. This is especially bad for people looking for teaching experience as having to deal with that many schools means less student-teacher interaction, which is really important. The kind of teaching you can do is also limited which makes it a bum deal for the boards of education doing this type of thing, too (but I believe they do this to save money). I don't know if that is the majority of the cases or not, but I only have to go to one school (reduced from 2) and it's an extremely satisfying job.

Misericordias, I don't think I'd be suited for a job like that. For starers, I think most of them are located in bigger cities. I really enjoy the inaka too much to do a job like that. I'm not so sure I'd be qualified to do a job like that anyways! To begin with, I just don't think I have the brain power. It seems like you have to know all the laws in America as well as all the laws in Japan and you have to know all kinds of things. I can't imagine what they have to deal with either... like people losing passports, expired passports, full passports, visa problems, criminal issues, babies being born, marriages, divorces?, etc. As far as everyday things, that's what I picture, although I'm sure there's more. It's not something I would want to do, as far as I can tell. It seems like it would be a job without much humor. Why do you ask, out of curiosity?

I need to add "all you can drink" specials to the pros.

Also that "high cost of living" con is regional.

I think Japan is expensive for tourists. But if you do not live in a major city, living here is not all that expensive compared to other developed countries.... now.. standard of living is arguably a different story.

Why Japan? I wouldn't necessarily rate Japan as an upgrade from America. Honestly, there are probably far more Japanese who would want to live in America than Americans who want to live in Japan.

Once again (as this topic has been gone over several times), the reality of Japan is often much different from the expectation. I know many people who have come to Japan to get the experience of living and working here, and most return home after one year. A few die-hards stick it out for longer, but I wonder if they truly love Japan, or if they are simply mentally unstable.

Personally, I like living in Japan, which is why I am still here going on 3 years. I visited 3 times before making the decision to move, so I knew what I was getting into, and I had lived in other countries in the past, so there was no culture shock or homesickness to deal with.

Contrary to what others have mentioned, you don't really need to know much Japanese to get by in Japan, particularly if you live in one of the larger cities. If you are coming to work as an English teacher, you'll get even less chance to use Japanese, as your coworkers and students will primarily use English. I spent more than a year studying Japanese before coming here, and I can honestly say that I could have done fine without it. It's better to know it, but it's far from necessary.

As for English teaching as a profession, I don't recommend it, unless you like minimal pay and minimal benefits. There is a lot of competition in the teaching industry, but surprisingly little room for advancement or good pay, unless you have a masters degree or higher and teach in a university. I enjoy teaching, but it's truly a dead-end job. But in my case teaching has become a sideline, as I've finally been able to go into business for myself.

There are other opportunities for foreigners in Japan outside the education market, but you'll need a professional degree of some type to qualify. The most useful degree in Japan is economics (boring as the subject is), with others being in engineering or such. Japanese studies would be an absolute waste of time and tuition as it wouldn't qualify you for anything in Japan, and it would be worth even less in America or Europe.

Keep studying, get into university learning something useful, and visit Japan a time or two before packing your bags and getting a one-way ticket.

That reminds me of a good number of my Japanese working holiday friends in Canada who graduated university with a degree in English literature.

Sure, they ended up with the English skills of a junior high school student in N. America but they quickly realized that their degree was pretty much useless in both Japan and Canada. So, they ended up working in Japanese restaurants.

I can see how majoring in Japanese studies could have some merit over here, such as in international trade but IMHO, going to Japan with a degree like that is pretty much the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Here's what the dreamers should do. Put yourselves in the shoes of a potential employer and ask yourself what you bring to the table. Why should they go through the effort in hiring you when there are tens of thousands of university educated Japanese natives who are looking for a job.

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To me, that's the equivalent of the "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" thing. Just as it seems ugly people like to quote this phrase, telling people any degree shows dedication holds the same value to unwise people who got their degree in underwater basket weaving.

Sure, a degree shows that you may have learned something, but that something may have nothing to do with the job you're looking for, and many companies won't spend their time and money re-teaching you skills you should have learned in school to prepare you for that type of work.

To me, it's almost insulting to hear someone think they can get a "general education" degree and think they can march into the same line of work I've been preparing for by studying business and marketing since I enrolled in college. Not saying it doesn't happen, though, which is unfortunate.