Moving to Tokyo on a HSP Visa – sanity check

Posting from a throwaway since a few colleagues know my main account.

Hi all,

Been doing a lot of research on planning a move to Tokyo in 4 years, and have arrived at a point where I’d like some input on how realistic this plan actually is. Please don’t hold back!

Please see below for a *largely irrelevant* backstory, but I’ve included it to hopefully dispel any questions to whether or not this is something I’ve just decided to do on a whim/escaping a poor life situation. But please do feel free to poke holes, I’d be glad to respond. Otherwise, please do skip!

>!Since I was a teen, Japan always fascinated me. Yes—this meant being somewhat of a cringy weeaboo that watched anime and played Japanese video games, but we were all young once. Those days are thankfully past me, but after travelling to Japan a few times now for extended periods of time, a draw to the country honestly still remains.!<

>!Moving to Japan had always been at the back of my mind, but I chose to chase a career over what seemed at the time to be nothing than a immature fantasy. Well, I’m 25 now and have no regrets, but a move to Tokyo hasn’t really went away. So in the best interest of my own self-actualisation, I realised I should probably stop ignoring the thought and take action. !<

>!And as for cultural differences, (not sure how else to describe this without sounding like I’m “Orientalizing”) I am acutely aware that sensationalising Japan is really ignorant and doesn’t do anyone any favours. Japan is just a country, and Japanese people are… just people. Nevertheless, there must be some degree of idolization or something wrong with me if I’m willing to go through this amount of effort to plan a move, which I acknowledge. !<

Some background. Last year, I finished my bachelor’s degree in Information Systems, and began working a role as a Pre-Sales/Sales Engineer/Solution Engineer at a large cap SaaS company in the US. Those in tech probably know what this role is but for those that don’t, we basically demonstrate the value in a technology solution to prospective customers, and convince them to purchase it.

I probably don’t need to say that this same kind of role would require a business/native level of Japanese, since you’d be conducting complex technical demonstrations and public speaking to native audiences. Nevertheless, I still think this would be an exciting challenge!

If I want to do this, then I want to do it right. And for me, that means hitting the ground running (or trying to at least) with a HSP Visa.

To do that, I plan on achieving the following within the next 4 years:

* Achieve N1 in the JLPT alongside learning an advanced level of Keigo (I’ve already started learning, and am currently at N4 level)
* Round out my professional career to 7 years (I have 3 years of previous work experience while studying)
* Transfer to the Japanese branch of my company or apply for a job at a similar company that pays >10 million yen
* Be 29 (probably the only guaranteed thing on this list, lol)

This should put me well over the 70 point threshold, and should put me in a good place to build a life for myself in Japan.

**As someone who’s experienced moving to Japan and are currently working and living in the country, is this a realistic plan? or am I deceiving myself.**

Your opinions and advice is very much appreciated.