Hello!
I am a half Japanese who’s grew up and lived most of her life from another southeast asian country. Although I’ve been to Japan with family every now and then growing up and I’ve worked there for 3 years – giving me enough idea about how to live there and what people are like and I have enough Nihongo to work (I still use Nihongo in my every day work but to a certain level – N3 to N2 level maybe) – I have little idea on how the documentations/government related processes would go, especially since I am a citizen.
To give you an idea, I have my JP passport, koseki, My Number card, bank account (just one), and nenkin (although I stopped payments last 2020 after resigning from my job and I just recently found out I had the option to continue). I no longer have any known living relative there to help me out and I only have my boyfriend – who I met in my home country who is also half-Japanese – to help me out. He and his family live in Japan and we’re planning to move there together in the next year.
What things should I take note of to make the move smoother? And what should I be doing to prepare now?
We’re planning to move and settle down there, build a family and all. I’d also like to hear what I can expect for job hunting and maternity care in Japan.
Thanks in advance!
2 comments
You sound prepared for the bigger things, I’d say most of the rest depends on you. For example, where you’re coming from and where specifically you’re going, someone coming from Manila going to Tokyo will want to bring different things than someone coming from Singapore to Sapporo. IMO, that basically boils down to things from your home city/country that you won’t be able to easily/cheaply find in your new city. For me, I bought some Mexican spice mixes with me when I left California, bc those are expensive and difficult to find in Japan.
>I have little idea on how the documentations/government related processes would go, …I have my JP passport, koseki, My Number card, bank account (just one), and nenkin
That all sounds great.
However, what about your driver’s license? Getting a new driver’s license in Japan is painful and expensive, but converting from a foreign license could save you more than ¥100,000 *and* many tears.
Check with you embassy to see what you need to convert from your SE Asian country’s license to a Japanese one. For example, to convert you need “proof” of having your country’s driver’s license for at least three months. Become a [ペーパードライバー /paper driver](https://takashionary.com/paper-driver/) and save yourself the expensive grief in Japan* https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/traffic_safety/drivers_licenses/index.html
Also note that listing on your résumé that you have a driver’s license can be valuable skill for getting a job in Japan.
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*How to convert:*
> * … 7. Document, ID, etc. which proves that you have stayed in the license-issuing country or region for a total of three months or more since you obtained your license (e.g. passport) https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/multilingual/english/traffic_safety/drivers_licenses/index.files/convert_license_english.pdf