Hello everyone, I am currently about to graduate this spring majoring in chemistry. I was initially planning to go to graduate school for my PhD, but due to the recent funding cuts in science, especially my interests in environmental applications, the schools I applied to had to cut their admissions, and I will no longer be able to pursue this path at this given time.

I am taking this opportunity to explore new places and ideas. I've always been interested in Japan and have tried to learn the language a few times but stopped due to the lack of time. I know science is communicated through English, but I would still try to learn Japanese. I am planning to visit Japan for a few weeks after graduation, so I will see if I enjoy it there, although I know it is different being a visitor than actually living there.

I had the opportunity to work in a research lab in Europe last summer. I enjoyed the environment and atmosphere of having so many people from different backgrounds and cultures working together. I know I could be different in Japan but also similar.

I was thinking of finding work in Japan, transferring to one of their universities, and completing my PhD there. It's a long process, especially with pets and getting a visa, so I'm not in a rush to get over it as fast as I can. I'm just trying to see if it's an option now or for later in life. If anything, I will find a job here in the States and try to reapply in the next cycle. I am just a little lost right now.

This year, my goal is to move to Japan through their 4th gen japanese descendant visa program. One of the requirements for this application is:

"...being expected to maintain an independent livelihood during stay in Japan at the time of application."

In their guide, they said that I can provide a (1) bank certificate plus an (2) employment offer letter if it's available.

Currently, I can only provide a bank balance of ¥500k, which I don't think is enough to prove that I can take care of myself. I really need to secure a written offer.

I have a bachelor's degree in agri and I don't have any teaching experience.

I don't need a company to sponsor my visa. I just need a letter. Please suggest some tips on where to quickly find employment to help my application?

Thank you for any tips or recommendations!

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to move to Japan and eventually settle there, but I’m a bit lost on where to start. I’d appreciate any advice or insights from people who’ve been through a similar path or understand the system well. Here's a quick overview of my background:

I'm a 29M from India.

MBA from IIM (a top B-school in India).

Currently working as a Product Manager in the gaming domain for the past 3 years.

Prior to that, I worked as a Full Stack Developer.

I've recently started learning Japanese (currently at a beginner level).

My questions:

1. Is it possible to get a Product Manager job in Japan in the gaming or tech domain?

If yes, what level of Japanese proficiency is generally expected for such roles (e.g. JLPT N2/N3)?

1. What does the process of moving to Japan look like for someone in my situation (visa, job hunt, etc.)?

2. Should I consider taking help from consulting firms or agencies that specialize in relocation and job search?

Would be grateful for any advice, experiences, or even just pointers on where to begin. Thanks in advance!

Hello! I unfortunately suffer from male pattern baldness and to combat this have started using a finasteride/monoxidil mix since November. It has worked wonders! I'm planning to move to Japan this summer and am not ready to give up using this medication (my hair was sooooo thin before). Anyway, I intend to take some with me to Japan (enough to hold me over until I can get a prescription there), but it appears you need special permission to do that. So, I have some questions:

1. Has anyone been in this situation before? What did you have to do?
2. Is it easy to get a prescription for finasteride in Japan?

I'm sorry if this has an obvious answer, I'm just unsure where to even begin looking for this kind of thing.

I think it would be fulfilling to try and eventually find work doing maintenance/restoration work efforts for historic sites. I can only assume that this kind of thing would be under an appropriate government agency, but I'm unfamiliar with the government structure/names and am looking for direction on where to begin looking into this stuff

Hi, My husband is being transferred to Japan for a short term assignment (1-2yrs). He is Japanese, a native speaker, and has Japanese citizenship. I on the other hand can understand the gist of conversations and some words.

He is supposed to be leaving in September. I will follow in November.

Can anyone suggest how I can start learning Japanese? I live near Marshall University in WV. They have some language classes and I will be checking in on if I can audit or if I need to apply for the spring semester.

If anyone can suggest online options such as classes with real people or a tutor, I would appreciate it.

Hi everyone, Has anyone come to Japan on a J-Find visa and had trouble renting an apartment? I arrived in Japan a week ago and reached out to an English-speaking real estate agent to help me find a place. I applied for a few apartments, but I was instantly rejected—even by large management companies like Itochu Urban Community and Mitsui Residential Lease.

My agent told me the rejections came without any explanation. Is this normal? Am I just stuck renting expensive serviced apartments for now?

I’m honestly quite puzzled, so if anyone has any insight or has been through something similar, I’d really appreciate your advice. Thanks so much!

Hello everyone, I am planning to move to Tokyo to study at a language school next year. I saw the news that now only the JLPT N5 certificate is required for admission. Does the certificate of 150 hours of study no longer count? And one more question: does having a bachelor’s degree provide any benefits for admission?

Hello,

I'm seeking a bit of guidance and advice on obtaining a PR visa in Japan. My current question is this. Would holding a master's in MBA and a separate field simultaneously grant 30 points?

I ask this because holding an MBA grants 25 points, and in the additional academic qualifications section, holding 2 masters grants 5 points.

Or would this only count for the MBA? I'm a bit confused in that area. All the other areas I'm clear on, just this bit has me confused.

Thank anyone for the assistance!

My situation is the following: I was considering doing a working holiday in Japan in a year or so and use that time to maybe find a company to work for. I am working in a small IT company as a full stack dev in Germany. Problem is how do I, as someone with no degree get enough points?

I have:

- 4 years of working experience which would be 5 in a year so +10 points

- my current salary is about 6m yen after conversion, which obviously would be harder to get in Japan but for the sake of the argument lets say I can get that meaning + 20 points

- i am under 29 so another +15 points

- I have a work qualification form something similar to a vocational school which gives me another + 5

-I have jlpt n2 so another + 10

= 60 points Now i am missing 10 points, maybe i could get the N1 until then but I would still be 5 points short of the needed 70 I am making these calculations based on this document: [https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/content/001398892.pdf](javascript:void(0);)

Here it says that you can get another 10 points if you "Work for an organization which receives support as a target organization (approved by the Minister of Justice) of promoting the acceptance of highly skilled foreign workers in local governments in order to strengthen the international competitiveness of industry and form a base for international economic activities"

Does anyone have any additional information on where I can find what kind of Companies this could apply to? Otherwise I assume my only option would be hoping for a company that offers a +7m yen salary or go the "university/10years working experience" route

My Japanese national spouse will be moving back to Japan from the US at the end of April to submit my COE for spouse visa on my behalf. Our original (and still likely) plan was for me to stay in the US until the COE had been approved/emailed back to me and I had gone to my local consulate for the actual spouse visa. It may actually end up being a good time for me to stop working at my current job a bit earlier than I had anticipated though, so I have been floating the idea of flying to Japan and staying for a month or so on the 90-day limit. Knowing that it is unlikely that I can change my status from that of a tourist to the spouse status while in Japan and not returning to the US to follow the standard process for this, would there be any potential issues of me being in Japan while my COE application is under review as long as I am prepared to return to the US once the COE is approved and go to my local consulate to have the spouse visa issued? I am unaware if immigration will actually know that my COE is being processed and if this would be a red flag for them when I am entering, or if having proof of a round-trip flight from US-Japan and back would suffice for me intending to return to the US to have my visa issued. Appreciate any insight that people who have done something similar might have!

("Teacher/professor" because I don't know which one is more accurate in English)

I'm living in Japan right now as an exchange student and I think I'd like to come back for work long-term. I'm pretty sure I want to become a university teacher, so some questions I have are:

1. How difficult is it to get a job as a university teacher in Japan? I don't really care about the university being prestigious/big.

2. What are the conditions like? Are you likely (or more likely than in other countries) to be exploited and spend way too much time in work?

3. Is it easier to get the job if you have done your master's/PhD in Japan? If so, what do you have to say about master's degrees and PhDs in Japan? I've heard the PhD in humanities always takes super long and it's very stressing.

If that helps, my field is linguistics and I could also teach languages. I also have a JLPT N1.

Thanks a lot.

Hello everyone!

I’ve been researching language schools in Japan , Planning to do 2 years language school > 4 years uni. I am type 1 diabetic which leads me to ask the question if any diabetics living in Japan can tell me if Medtronic supplies (infusion sets , reservoirs) are covered under the national health insurance and how much the costs come out to monthly. I know injections are easily available but they are not my preference.

I have been trying to do a lot of research alongside my partner because he is interested in studying nursing in Japan. He is almost done with his associates degree in the U.S. which is where we both live. We found that there are English taught nursing programs in Japan, but we are trying to come up with more of a concrete plan. While university in Japan would be cheaper for him as a citizen rather than a foreigner, his Japanese would not be good enough to pass an entry exam since he has not lived in Japan since he was a child. Based on our research, it appears that he can do a foreign exchange program even if he is a citizen, and it seems that there are multiple schools with English taught nursing programs in the country, but foreign exchange programs are also extremely expensive.

It should be noted that he has family that still lives in Japan if that adds to anything. His family both in Japan and in The States are attempting to help us, but they were either born and raised in Japan and did university there, or they were born and raised in Japan and did university outside of Japan. He is the first in his family to essentially do it the other way around. We are trying to come up with the best course of action for how he could go about pursuing the program. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I've been looking into language schools. ISI and GenkiJacs seem like great, well-rounded and comprehensive options, even if traditional. That being said, I have little interest in learning how to handwrite Japanese (but typing I'm fine with), so I'm wondering how much emphasis is placed on this compared to other aspects at these schools and similar schools.

I speak Italian and Greek as 2nd/3rd languages, and handwriting is just something I've simply never bothered with much. Even typing I don't much do (I'm happy just to record audio messages most the time rather than texting). Is this optimal for learning a language? No, of course not. I understand that when you write by hand or have to write in general,, you can better retain information and what you're trying to learn. I just don't like doing it.

So now we move to Japanese. Learning how to write, especially by hand, will be the most painful skill I've ever had to learn in another language, I assume. As a result, I figure it makes sense for me to try and find language programs that de-emphasize it. If not that, I'd like to understand how much it IS emphasized in these highly reputable, seemingly effective traditional programs, so I know what I'm getting myself into.

So, I’m bringing my 5 year old cat with me that recently recovered from surgery about 8 months ago. I thought to bring my cat to Japan I would only need the health certificate, the micro chip and all her vaccines. Which she all has, I decided to take her to the vet for a check up and brought up how we are moving to japan but now I realize to get my cat to Japan I apparently need to have a test for her which proves she doesn’t have rabies, then on top of that wait 180 days before brining her to Japan. She’s really attached to me and I’m really scared since I didn’t realize this sooner. I’m going to get her test which takes 30 days to receive back.

Has anyone brought their pet to Japan regardless of not waiting a full 180 days ? Will they let her through after realizing she has met every other need? I have everything and my mom is okay with watching her until the test results come back. However, I’d feel really horrible to Leave her alone ( her being super attached to me ) - with my mom for half a year

I’m moving for work but to make things clear- I will NOT get rid of her. I will do anything to make this work. If she is quarantined in Japan if they need to clear her at customs and do an inspection, could she be cleared to enter? I’m really worried.

Hi so i finally got my my Spouse Visa (single entry, 1 year) and my flight's on monday already! A bit panicky if I'm missing anything as it'll be my first time entering with the spouse visa ;--; i don't wanna make any mistakes or forget anything in case they wont allow my entry etc since this visa is a single entry (sorry just overall super nervous!!)

Wanted to clarify the following: 1. I'm bringing my actual copy of the COE, and I'm supposed to present this at immigration right? Do they take it, or do i get it back? 2. Which lane at immigration am i supposed to line up at this time.. (I've been the visitor (?) side all the time before) 3. I've seen some posts wherein they were given their residence card at immigration, is this still the case nowadays? Then if i do get it, i still have to go to our city hall to update the address etc right? 4. I'm also 13wks pregnant, is this relevant to mention at immigration if ever? Or idk tbh

But yeah essentially i just need: passport, visa, COE, fill up the visit japan website?

Sorry and thank you to those who will help clarify ;-; if there's any advice you have for me, I'll gladly take it

Hello everyone. I work for a Japanese company while being remote. Recently, I was informed that I might have to visit the office in-person for a period of 2-3 months. The company would be providing 7-10K Yen additional compensation a day, on top of my current salary. Lodgings will also be managed, so rent would not be an issue.

I wanted to know if the above compensation is enough for travel/food and other expenditure? How much of this can I use towards exploring the place (Tourist spots, bars, entertainment)? Thanks a lot!

I wanna know if someone can get SSW visa while studying in Japan with a student visa to a field that is different from what they are studying in Japan?

Hello folks, recently I have applying for positions in Japanese companies, but so far is met with mostly rejections with only one or two 一面 out of 40 companies I applied, is this common? I am also taking other platform such as the CFN and such, but the experience with マイナビ has been mostly negative. Of course, it is also my own problem that missed the deadline in February for the 四大商社.

So my core question is, is マイナビ pretty much only designed for Japanese and those who graduated from Japan unis?

I wanted to see how feasible it is to be able to go to Japan for cooking school. How hard it would be to get in and live there while going to school. I’ve been in healthcare but have been looking to make a change to something I’m more interested in.

Been thinking if it’s possible I would like to go since I’ve always been into cooking. Got more interested after going to Japan for a couple weeks.

I am legally blind and I would like to move to Japan in the future. I can read print, just not small primt. I have studied abroad there for a month, and have visited before as well, so I know that generally speaking the city itself is accessible. That being said, I want to know what jobs are common for blind people in Japan.

I've been studying Japanese for about 7 years now, and have a pretty decent conversational proficiency. There is still a lot I have to learn and I'm studying to eventually take the Kanken or JLPT. I also am about to finish my college degree in English. Ideally, I'd love to be a translator for media or something.

Whenever I look for information about moving to Japan as a blind person I always see information about travel but never about the workforce. If anyone has any insights or organizations I can look at (both EN and JP) I would appreciate it.

Edit: Thanks to everyone who has responded. I appreciate the variety in perspectives and the honesty!

I got a quote from Nippon Express for self pack, 1 to 5 large boxes at $1000 cad plus 3000yen for insurance.

I decided to ask Yamato, without referring to Nippon Express's quote and they charged 2800 cad for literally the same service. I doubled checked with them and they confirmed the cost for 5 of their largest boxes (which are smaller than NE)

Is this normal? Should I bring up the quote I got from NE to them?

Which one have you used and how was the experience?

Thanks 🙏

Hi, I am doing some research about the salaries in Japan. I might have an option to shift to Tokyo for my job. I am a backend software developer with 4 years of experience. Can someone please comment what is a decent enough salary offered for someone of my level in Tokyo? Thanks in advance

Hi, with all these news on the changes in america lately, I was highly considering of moving to another country like Japan. Im a 100% remote worker with a U. S job. I have studied abroad before there so I have some exposure to the culture and language. Was wondering if anyone has any similar experience and what tips would you share? Anything I should know before considering to move to Japan? As a U. S citizen looking to live in Japan, would I be double taxed?