**About Me:** I was born in the US with both my parents being Japanese nationals so I have both an American and Japanese passport. The rest of my family reside in Japan and I’d assume that my parents will eventually make the move back as well. I have been to Japan multiple times throughout my life and even spent a short kindergarten term there. Since I’ve lived all of my life in the US, I can only speak Japanese conversationally and cannot read or write fluently (I can “speak” and use kanji fairly well if I am using my mobile device/computer though). I have an undergraduate degree in advertising and have been employed since graduation. I do have tattoos, a large one on my forearm and one on my shin, I would assume I would have to cover my forearm one the most.
With that, I was thinking of trying a year (or even longer) in Japan to refine my language skills, understand more of my Japanese background, and spend time with family. I will note that my family does not live in the larger metro areas of Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka, so I would probably start my time out with them and then consider that additional move.
**Some initial questions:**
* I have heard that Japan does not allow dual citizenship so I may have to renounce my American passport? Is there a way to avoid this in the case that I transition back to America?
* If I end up not enjoying the experience, is there a formal process when re-entering to US or do I just pack my bags and go back?
* I would be quitting my job for the move. I could potentially work through family or friends (more manual labor jobs) but was wondering what other opportunities there may be for me?
* What does post-graduate education look like in Japan if I wanted to explore this option?
* The only thing I have tying me back to the US are student loans. Does anyone have experiences in regards to repayment from abroad?
* Are there things that I need to set-up beforehand like bank accounts, identification, etc?
* In terms of housing, I would ask family and friends to see if I can crash for a bit but I would eventually like to have my own place. What is the process to begin looking into this or get something set-up?
* How much money would you recommend having saved up for a transition like this?
​
Thank you! I appreciate any and all insights here.
4 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Japanese American Looking to Move to Japan**
**About Me:** I was born in the US with both my parents being Japanese nationals so I have both an American and Japanese passport. The rest of my family reside in Japan and I’d assume that my parents will eventually make the move back as well. I have been to Japan multiple times throughout my life and even spent a short kindergarten term there. Since I’ve lived all of my life in the US, I can only speak Japanese conversationally and cannot read or write fluently (I can “speak” and use kanji fairly well if I am using my mobile device/computer though). I have an undergraduate degree in advertising and have been employed since graduation. I do have tattoos, a large one on my forearm and one on my shin, I would assume I would have to cover my forearm one the most.
With that, I was thinking of trying a year (or even longer) in Japan to refine my language skills, understand more of my Japanese background, and spend time with family. I will note that my family does not live in the larger metro areas of Tokyo, Kyoto, or Osaka, so I would probably start my time out with them and then consider that additional move.
**Some initial questions:**
* I have heard that Japan does not allow dual citizenship so I may have to renounce my American passport? Is there a way to avoid this in the case that I transition back to America?
* If I end up not enjoying the experience, is there a formal process when re-entering to US or do I just pack my bags and go back?
* I would be quitting my job for the move. I could potentially work through family or friends (more manual labor jobs) but was wondering what other opportunities there may be for me?
* What does post-graduate education look like in Japan if I wanted to explore this option?
* The only thing I have tying me back to the US are student loans. Does anyone have experiences in regards to repayment from abroad?
* Are there things that I need to set-up beforehand like bank accounts, identification, etc?
* In terms of housing, I would ask family and friends to see if I can crash for a bit but I would eventually like to have my own place. What is the process to begin looking into this or get something set-up?
* How much money would you recommend having saved up for a transition like this?
​
Thank you! I appreciate any and all insights here.
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>* I have heard that Japan does not allow dual citizenship so I may have to renounce my American passport? Is there a way to avoid this in the case that I transition back to America?
While Japan does not allow dual citizenship, it also has never renounced the citizenship of a dual citizen who had both at birth. Congratulations, that is you! They might ask you to renounce one, in which case you’re “thinking about it”. They will not press the issue further.
>* If I end up not enjoying the experience, is there a formal process when re-entering to US or do I just pack my bags and go back?
Since you have both citizenships, you just enter the US on your US passport.
>* I would be quitting my job for the move. I could potentially work through family or friends (more manual labor jobs) but was wondering what other opportunities there may be for me?
You don’t say what exactly your current job is, but there are many foreign companies in Japan that always look for bilingual people. They’d be mostly in Tokyo though.
>* Are there things that I need to set-up beforehand like bank accounts, identification, etc?
You might want to figure out where your Koseki is. Everything else can be done once you’re here. City hall tends to be extremely helpful and friendly.
I paid off the remainder of my student loans while living in Japan. Earn money, send it back with [Wise](https://wise.com/), and use it on loan payments. It’s not a difficult process, per say, but with the current yen to dollar exchange rate, it could take you quite some time to do.
I would consider just going for a green card (Permanent Resident). From what I understand, you will gain all the benefits except for voting in elections.