What do I need to do to move to Japan?

Question

I've decided to move to Japan for a variety of reasons, i'm currently at the age of 14, and I would like to move as soon as possibly, most likely after my GCSEs, I will start learning the language in a few weeks, apart from that, what else do I need to do?

Answer 1

If you have family in Japan who can bring you over, then you should be fairly set.  If you have no ties with Japan other than simply wanting to move there, I doubt anyone in the country would hire or sponsor you at the tender age of 14, in order to obtain the visa to enter the country as anything other than a tourist.  They would assume you should be in school, at the country's expense, and would not want to create a burden on the country by assuming responsibility for a minor.  I seem to recall that you will also need to prove literacy in Japanese, which usually takes several years (literacy means memorizing 2,000 kanji, not just the katakana and hiragana syllabaries and grammar).

How do you plan on supporting yourself?  What unique skills do you offer to employers that they would risk hiring you  -- at 14, at that -- over native citizens?  Japan is fairly homogenous and fairly xenophobic; while wonderful hosts -- with the outsider as a defined role as guest -- it can be difficult to attempt to join the culture and live within it, especially without any direct tie of your own, since you are still "outsider" but trying to break out of the role of guest.

Answer 2

It’s not impossible to obtain eijuken (permanent residency), but it takes connections, money, a good guarantor, and up to about ten years.  

Some more information here:

http://answers.google.com/answers/thread...

Here's the forum of expatriates in Japan, who could give you specific info and advice:

http://www.alloexpat.com/japan_expat_for...

Answer 3

Bring your parents. Also if you can't speak Japanese yet, it ain't happening. They don't speak that much English down here. What do you plan to do out here anyways? All that anime, manga and etc isn't going to get you anywhere. When you come over here to Japan to live you have to be an established professional that usually makes 60k to a six figure income. So finish school and then finish college then may be just may be...Hey but you and your parents are more than welcome to visit!

Answer 4

You need to realize that it's not that easy. You just can't move there. Period. You need a four year degree just to work there. You need a work visa to get a job. And a solid job offer before you get there to get the work visa..

Japan has a closed immigration system.

  You're looking at something that's at least six years into the future. Alot of things will change in that time period.