Hello. Long time lurker. (Like many here) It has been my dream to move to Japan. I have a lot of pieces that I would really appreciate some help with arranging into a path forward.
I am a software developer with a year of experience, mainly in front-end. I have a degree, but it is not in Computer Science. I am learning the language but I am still a novice. I am continuing with these two pursuits with full force.
I have dual citizenship for the USA and UK (I don’t know if one will be more beneficial than the other). I can also get a NZ one from my family. I am past the point of getting a working holiday since I am 30 unfortunately. I have lived in several countries including Korea, and am comfortable with living abroad.
My goal is to be there in about 2-3 years time. I am curious to hear what my chances might be, what the best way forward is, and any other tidbits from those of whom my background resonates with. My biggest concern is difficulty finding work that will sponsor a visa. I am aware there are language schools that will get you in the country, and then you an look from there since it makes things easier.
Thank you for your time reading my post, and thanks in advance for any advice.
3 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Chasing the dream**
Hello. Long time lurker. (Like many here) It has been my dream to move to Japan. I have a lot of pieces that I would really appreciate some help with arranging into a path forward.
I am a software developer with a year of experience, mainly in front-end. I have a degree, but it is not in Computer Science. I am learning the language but I am still a novice. I am continuing with these two pursuits with full force.
I have dual citizenship for the USA and UK (I don’t know if one will be more beneficial than the other). I can also get a NZ one from my family. I am past the point of getting a working holiday since I am 30 unfortunately. I have lived in several countries including Korea, and am comfortable with living abroad.
My goal is to be there in about 2-3 years time. I am curious to hear what my chances might be, what the best way forward is, and any other tidbits from those of whom my background resonates with. My biggest concern is difficulty finding work that will sponsor a visa. I am aware there are language schools that will get you in the country, and then you an look from there since it makes things easier.
Thank you for your time reading my post, and thanks in advance for any advice.
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I know this isn’t helpful for your question, but how was living in Korea? Did you know much Korean before going over there?
As an American Full-Stack Developer who lives in Tokyo, I can give you some insights.
It sounds like your fairly young in your life and career so a couple of questions that you might want to ask yourself when making a life plan:
– Have you ever been to Japan?
– Why do you want to move to Japan?
– Do you have any connections or support in Japan?
– What are your financial goals?
– What are your career goals?
– Do you have any mitigating circumstances that might complicate your plans?
Since I don’t know you I’m going to speak broadly. This first part is a cautionary tale. Many people were exposed to anime and other such things early on in life and become infatuated with the idea of Japan. It is very different than what you see on TV. None of that stuff is actual culture, it’s equivalent to learning about American culture with Marvel movies.
I’m not saying this is you, but it is something to be cognizant of, as many foreigners come here and have a nasty culture shock as their fantasy/fetish falls away and they experience the full confusion of another culture they do not understand.
Before moving anywhere I recommend visiting a few times first. Get to know the customs, areas, and people. Not everywhere is the same, and you may deeply enjoy some places and not vibe at all with others. It’s hard to say if you like Tokyo or Osaka if you’ve been to neither. Don’t just walk into an unknown part of the world and hope everything works out as that is exposing yourself to unnecessary and unknown problems, and sets false expectations.
Next is your support network. Sure you can make friends anywhere, but if you cannot read or speak Japanese you really need to think about who is going to help you navigate your taxes, finding an apartment, setting up your utilities, etc..
There are deeply confusing processes here that you will need a lot of research and help to go through. It’s hard enough for first timers to ask for small things at the convenient store let alone talk to a pharmacist about nasal sprays..
Also it’s important to know that your career trajectory and income may suffer as a result of moving to Japan from America. Japanese companies are not fun to work for, salary’s are low, and most foreigners can’t hack it. So unless you’re working for google Japan or some other American company it’s a risky gamble.
Regardless you are most likely limiting your career options and growth by prioritizing living in Japan above all else.
I say all this not with the intention to discourage you from coming to Japan or to tell you to change your goals. Instead, I want you to be fully aware and prepared as you plan your next steps. If this is something you truly want to do, the path in front of you is much harder than it would otherwise be.
Once you are fully prepared against all the above then and only then can I say you will absolutely love living in Japan. It was one of the most complicated and awesome decisions of my life to leave my home country and live abroad. The quality of life I enjoy in Japan is much better than what I would experience in America and because I spent so much time carefully planning my exit I was able to adjust to Japanese life with very little friction.
Perhaps you will too one day. Good luck!