Success stories from those who moved to Japan after 40?

6 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Success stories from those who moved to Japan after 40?**

   Hey all,

   I’ve read some older posts about this topic, but have lately been really discouraged by some of the recent posts/comments…plus, a lot of the old posts are usually highly specific about how the OP can prepare for the move based on their background.

   So… I am hoping for just a bunch of different stories to lighten this discouragement I’m feeling.

   If you moved to Japan when you were 40+, would you be open to sharing:

   1. How old were you?

   2. How did you get there (eg how did you get your first visa)

   3. What is your situation now (eg are you still there? Did you ever switch visas? Are you a PR now?

   I am particularly wanting to hear from people who had no relationship to anyone in Japan or Japanese at the time.

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   If anyone is curious, our situation and plan is this:

   Husband and I (US citizens) are almost 40. No kids. We have an elderly dog and are waiting until he passes, and then we will try to move overseas. That means we will be over 40.

   We have enough to cover the cost for both us to do language school for 2 years (and will both be at N5 level or higher by then). During those 2 years we will work hard to look for a job and/or see if we can switch to the business starter visa (I might have the name wrong for that one, but the one where we run a business).

   We already run our own company here and have reasonable confidence that we’d be able to do this in Japan, especially because we wouldn’t be starting from scratch and I would continue to have an international customer base. What we do now, we can do in Japan. We both have degrees and work experience in the design/creative fields.

   But that’s a lot of work if ultimately Japan will just reject us for being old, ya know?

   We’d be 55 or so by the time we apply for PR…which is likely what we would want as a long term goal.

   There are plenty of people saying it’s impossible, so a little ray of hope would be really, really, appreciated.

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2. It’s been said before but bears repeating that it matters what kind of “40” you are. Will be easier if you are still youthful, in shape and lots of energy.

3. Yes it would be nice to hear of stories where people managed the move successfully who weren’t coders, married to a national or both…

4. Was recently divorced, and a bit lost, honestly. I grew up in Japan, but lived most of my life in the US, so had a good grasp of the language (but not fluent). Opportunity came up to transfer to Japan staying in the same company and department without sacrificing salary or stock options, wth a nice relo package.

5. Hm, have you visited/lived here before, at least?

   You should probably state the nature of your business. That might help in prompting those who have started businesses here to provide better responses.

   40 isn’t “old.” However, seeing as you plan on essentially self-sponsoring by starting a business, you will probably need to ensure that you have more than enough funding, and an absolutely rock solid business plan that demonstrates why this business needs to be based in Japan.

   Bear in mind that simply transplanting your existing business here, where your customers are all overseas will probably not cut it. Unless it’s something like an export company, where your suppliers are all here.

   The thing to remember is that:

   * You cannot become a burden on society.
   * You need to contribute positively to society.
   * Immigration wants a reason for you to be here.
   * Immigration has a hardon for tax contributions, which is what the above really boils down to.

6. Well, I’ve been in and out of Japan for many years — and always avoiding the 5 year tax rule (also eligible for PR, but have no interest).

   But I recently moved back to Japan a couple of years ago and I’m over 40. Highly educated and with a gold plated CV.

   I’ve lived in several countries and have always had the immigration philosophy of setting my apart from a local hire. I fully expect any company to not give one iota to hire a foreigner over someone already in country that can do what you can do. So I set my career to ensure *no one* can do what I can do. That opened up doors to allow me to work anywhere and on my terms.

   Now scale that back — how do you make yourself indispensable for employers in Japan (either local companies or international firms)? Answer that and the doors will open for you regardless of age. What can you offer that others cannot? Either other immigrants from your home country or local nationals?

   What are your goals? To live a simple life in a kominka village? Bust your butt as a salaryman in Tokyo? Live the lavish expat life in Azabu? Teach English as a vagabond?

   Some of those are not possible at your age unless you are already at a career or financial position that makes them possible.