Alright so I’m gonna just say this here since I feel like some of you guys are more experienced.
Ive been debating on moving to Japan for about 2 years now and I just can’t seem to get it out my head. I did however manifested going there for a 2 week vacation alone last December as kind of like a “trial version”. And honestly it was the craziest trip Ive ever had. Long storty short, I didn’t plan 100% of the trip so most of it was improvised. I literally just went with the flow (which was kind of sketchy now that I think about it lol). But it was hella worth it. I was hopping to different Airbnbs every other day, meeting random people on the go, literally skateboarding all over Tokyo on a pennyboard with vintage 90’s Chicago Bulls jacket, etc. The only thing I really had planned was meeting with one Japanese chick in Tokyo and the other in Kyoto from Hello Talk. I met them both on separate times and had a blast. My Japanese is very basic but I managed to get along with strangers, follow rules, and built relations. I even have a “Japanese grandma” now who was my Airbnb host lol she treated me like her own child it was dope! One of my main intentions while I was there was to get the experience and create a Lo-fi album and visual based on the trip. Here’s the link If you wanna check it out:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjl96AAH0HU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjl96AAH0HU)
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*Anyway, after the trip I decided one day I wanted to actually live there but ofc the best way to do so is obviously teach English there. I have a BA in Business Management and for years I could never find the right job for it. Apparently, my peers told me that since my degree came from Devry University, its basically SHIT. BUT the only companies/organizations that would accept it are in Japan like GABA, JET, and Interac. I currently work as a forklift operator at a warehouse and its not going anywhere. I wanna contribute to something bigger other than increasing someone else’s pockets. Another thing I’m concerned about is my mother and grandmother. To be frank, I’m a 33M still staying with my mother simply to take care of things around the house and be there for her emotionally. But that’s starting to drain me.. deep down I need to get tf out and live out on my own as a man. Both my mother and grandma depend on me to be there for them, but there was something that clicked a month ago. One of my friends introduced me to a book called Narcisstic Mothers by Caroline Foster and it changed my perspective on a lot stuff with my mother. SO now I need to figure a plan on leaving sometime next year. Its really hard because if I leave ill be worried about my mother and grandma’s health.*
I love Japan and the culture overall and I want to start a new chapter in life. Deep down inside I’m an adventurer and not afraid to get out of my comfort zone ( I also traveled to Cali and Canada alone before). If I do live there, I would like to be a full time musician and do art ( I also do photography, videos, graphic design, etc). What should I do? (Sorry for the long ass post its just something that’s been bothering for a long time).
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Plotting on moving to Japan 2024 but its hard leaving family behind**
Alright so I’m gonna just say this here since I feel like some of you guys are more experienced.
Ive been debating on moving to Japan for about 2 years now and I just can’t seem to get it out my head. I did however manifested going there for a 2 week vacation alone last December as kind of like a “trial version”. And honestly it was the craziest trip Ive ever had. Long storty short, I didn’t plan 100% of the trip so most of it was improvised. I literally just went with the flow (which was kind of sketchy now that I think about it lol). But it was hella worth it. I was hopping to different Airbnbs every other day, meeting random people on the go, literally skateboarding all over Tokyo on a pennyboard with vintage 90’s Chicago Bulls jacket, etc. The only thing I really had planned was meeting with one Japanese chick in Tokyo and the other in Kyoto from Hello Talk. I met them both on separate times and had a blast. My Japanese is very basic but I managed to get along with strangers, follow rules, and built relations. I even have a “Japanese grandma” now who was my Airbnb host lol she treated me like her own child it was dope! One of my main intentions while I was there was to get the experience and create a Lo-fi album and visual based on the trip. Here’s the link If you wanna check it out:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjl96AAH0HU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjl96AAH0HU)
​
*Anyway, after the trip I decided one day I wanted to actually live there but ofc the best way to do so is obviously teach English there. I have a BA in Business Management and for years I could never find the right job for it. Apparently, my peers told me that since my degree came from Devry University, its basically SHIT. BUT the only companies/organizations that would accept it are in Japan like GABA, JET, and Interac. I currently work as a forklift operator at a warehouse and its not going anywhere. I wanna contribute to something bigger other than increasing someone else’s pockets. Another thing I’m concerned about is my mother and grandmother. To be frank, I’m a 33M still staying with my mother simply to take care of things around the house and be there for her emotionally. But that’s starting to drain me.. deep down I need to get tf out and live out on my own as a man. Both my mother and grandma depend on me to be there for them, but there was something that clicked a month ago. One of my friends introduced me to a book called Narcisstic Mothers by Caroline Foster and it changed my perspective on a lot stuff with my mother. SO now I need to figure a plan on leaving sometime next year. Its really hard because if I leave ill be worried about my mother and grandma’s health.*
I love Japan and the culture overall and I want to start a new chapter in life. Deep down inside I’m an adventurer and not afraid to get out of my comfort zone ( I also traveled to Cali and Canada alone before). If I do live there, I would like to be a full time musician and do art ( I also do photography, videos, graphic design, etc). What should I do? (Sorry for the long ass post its just something that’s been bothering for a long time).
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> I wanna contribute to something bigger other than increasing someone else’s pockets.
I got some bad news
Have in mind that visiting a place and living there are 2 completely different monsters (there are many people way more experienced than me here when it comes to JET and all that, so I’ll skip that part)
About the “leaving mom” situation… I’d say go for it, it might hurt them emotionally for a while but they will eventually deal with it, some mothers really want their “children” always with them, and may even be overly dramatic if you talk about leaving as some sort of emotional “manipulation”, but after some time they do have to realize that a bird gotta learn how to fly on its own, you have your own life and your own dreams, and in the end if you’re happy there, she will most likely be happy for you
>I wanted to actually live there but ofc the best way to do so is obviously teach English there
You and I have very different ideas of what’s best.
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>my degree came from Devry University […] the only companies/organizations that would accept it are in Japan like GABA, JET, and Interac.
Its more that you’d need to see if Immigration would accept it. To find out you should contact your nearest Japanese embassy/consulate as they’re the ones responsible for verifying school accreditations for immigration purposes. If you can use your degree for a visa, then you should be able to find ALT or Eikaiwa work (although JET is extremely competitive so I wouldn’t expect you to find success with that program).
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> deep down I need to get tf out and live out on my own as a man.
No argument here. Although moving out of the house and starting to build your own life doesn’t require that you move to the other side of the planet.
>If I do live there, I would like to be a full time musician and do art ( I also do photography, videos, graphic design, etc)
These are not professions that are likely to provide you with visa sponsorship. Well, graphic design *could* if you were able to function in Japanese at a professional level and had a pretty good portfoilio and some professional experience.
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>What should I do?
My advice is generally to figure out a career plan first. Forget about the ‘In Japan’ aspect for now. Figure out what it is that you’d like to do all day that earns you a living. Then figure out what sort of education you’d need to get to enable that. If you want to be a graphic designer, consider going back to school to study it. Along the way, if you want to find success in Japan you should also be studying Japanese. But that should be secondary to your primary goal of finding professional fulfillment.
Moving here is a big step.
You’ll miss parents grow9jg older, miss birthdays, holidays, etc.
You can’t just fly back whenever you want either, tickets are expensive.
Just know it’s also extremely more expensive here now with electric prices to be raised up to 12-42%.
>but I managed to get along with strangers, follow rules, and built relations.
These are things you managed to do in kindergarten every day.
>but ofc the best way to do so is obviously teach English there.
Getting a low wage service industry job isn’t considered “the best way” for most things.
> I wanna contribute to something bigger other than increasing someone else’s pockets
How does working in Japan align with this goal of yours?
It doesn’t sound like you understand the seriousness of moving.
1. You are basically resetting your life. Completely.
2. You wanna contribute to something bigger than increasing other people’s pockets? That really sounds like you don’t understand how the entirety of the first world works.
3. If you are at all worried or have such strong ties to your home, don’t do it. I’d only suggest moving if you have nothing left at your brith place. For me I had no friends or anyone, so it was easier. It sounds like you still have friends and a foundation at home. So don’t move.
If your plan is to live in Japan solely to bang lots of girls, that’s a crappy plan on many levels.
As everyone said, you’re not gonna get a Visa to be a full time musician or artist….
Also taking vacation, especially as an English teacher, is not going to be easy. Flights will be expensive during the times you are off because everyone gets those big holidays.
Also, if you are going to miss your family that much, maybe taking baby steps is better than hopping the pond to Japan.
And remember, you cannot escape life moving here. The “I need to get away” is not really getting away. 100% life will happen to you there and Japan won’t make things magically better (source: me)