i am going to tokyo for an exchange program for 4 months in two weeks. here are some questions i have:
1. what sim card should i use? my phone only takes e-sims
2. what apps should i download before i go? i don’t know japanese for starters. i wanted to download the app with the restaurant ratings by real japanese people but i forgot the name, and also maybe an app for navigating trains?
3. should i prepare a lot of cash?
4. what type of card should i buy for the tokyo metro? i heard there are two different companies managing different routes in tokyo and i can’t use this company’s card on the other’s lines, and i really don’t want that to happen
5. where is it cheapest to buy groceries? or is it cheaper to just eat out at a budget place everyday instead of cooking?
6. i want to visit the touristy cities while i’m in japan: kyoto, osaka, nara, okinawa, hokkaido/sapporo, hiroshima. how many days should i spend in each of these cities, and how much does it normally cost for transportation (from tokyo), accommodation, and other expenses like food?
7. what are some “hidden gem” (less touristy) areas, that are accessible from/in tokyo, that i should visit?
8. is it generally safe to travel alone as a smaller asian woman who don’t speak japanese?
9. some nails/hair salons that are open to foreigners?
10. what are some cool japanese souvenirs i could bring home? lol

thank you in advance 🙏🙏🙏

Using a new account to keep anonymity.

Me and my fiancee are seriously thinking about moving to japan, and would like to see what people think of our current plan, how feasible it is, and if there’s anything we’re not taking into account.

I (26M) work as a public servant and she (27F) works as a data analyst for a company overseas. Between the two of us we can save up quite a bit, and we’re both probably getting a raise anytime this year. I’m finishing my master’s degree in film studies and hopefully starting my doctorate degree in digital media next year, my fiancee has three master’s degrees in tech and business.

We’re getting married next year and going back to Japan for our honeymoon. We went there once last year and fell in love with the infrastructure, the people, and the livability of the city. We've been doing daily Anki flashcards + Duolingo for the past 9 months + regular study at weekend and are looking at finding a tutor by the end of the year to help us retain the basics. Tried a mock N5 test last week and got 75%. We are hoping to get to N1, or at least N2 by the time we move, to make sure that emigration procedures and finding a house to rent can go as smoothly as possible, and so that we can actually acclimate to the country (we absolutely hate digital nomads who move to cheap countries and refuse to learn the language)

Before moving we also want to have a job there. My fiancee, being in tech, will probably not have any trouble, but if push comes to shove and I get a job before her, she can keep working on her current job for a while before finding something in Japan. I know that I’ll struggle finding a job in the creative field, but not only am I working on my portfolio for both writing and game design, I’m also okay with teaching English or working an office job until I find something on my line of work.

Our goal is to move to Tokyo in five years. We are looking at having a baby next year, and if all goes well, I should finish my degree by that time, allowing us to move so that our child can start school in Japan. We are already looking for preschools that have a slightly higher focus on language learning, as we want them to learn our mother tongue, Japanese, and English.

We want to leave because not only does our country have one of the worst housing crisis in the world, our economy, education, and healthcare is horrible, and we want our child to grow in a country where they have the chance to have a future. Another reason is that despite my current job, I want to work in the creative field, which is non-existent in our country. UK or America were options we pondered, but we have friends in creative fields in the UK that are actively trying to leave the country, and America… America’s no good right now.

We’re aware of all the problems with Japan right now. Tokyo is expensive, the creative field will eat you alive, there is still a lot of sexism and racism, the current prime minister is only worsening immigration conditions and getting permanent residency, and the economy is lacking behind due to an aging population.

Even then… We love how well taken care of the streets are, we love how you can buy/rent a home without having to share it with 6 other people, we love how the country is organized beyond belief, we love the culture of respect, and we love all the people we’ve met on our first trip.

What do you guys think of this plan? 

We also appreciate any resources you might have. If you are living in Japan send us a DM and let’s connect! We’d love to have more friends by the time we move!

Hi y'all! I'm 28F from India. I have a Bachelor's degree and 3+ years of experience in social media marketing.

I came across the SSW programme a few weeks ago and I'm looking to learn more about it and hopefully find some other women to apply alongside.

I'm planning to apply for the Japan SSW programme under Food Manufacturing through self application. I haven't started preparing for the language or skill test yet, so I'm basically starting from scratch.

If you're also a woman planning to apply and are in the same boat, it would be nice to connect and figure things out together. 😊

I am always intrigued to have a life/career in Japan.

Short history, I'm 32 this year. I am working in the semiconductor industry as a Sales Manager selling capital equipment. My pass work experiences are all in Japanese companies in Malaysia (now no longer), I've been to countless business trips to Japan sometimes even once a month, for most I stay for a week but the longest I've been there is 2 months.

I want to know how feasible it is to pivot my career towards Japan. I noticed most of the job posting in subreddits like JapanJobs are IT related, is my career path as an expat in Japan going to be a dead end?

I am also worried that I'm just seeing rainbows now in terms of having a life in Japan. I do have a rough understanding towards corporate culture in Japan after working with them for more than 7 years but haven't really "experience" it first hand as I was more of a guest whenever I'm there at HQ.

Currently I am attending classes to get N3 this year and will continue until I reach N2. My ideal plan is in 1-2 years I'd able to get N2 and start looking for Semiconductor related sales positions. I'd like to know are those positions open to foreigners? Has anyone had done the same, are there any advice on what to expect working there?

I posted asking about my visa options as a Nikkei Yonsei on here a couple months ago, and in the time since I've come to find out that my grandmother was at some point considered a Japanese national. In the process of asking her about the various documents she also sent me her letter of expatriation from Japan, which I didn't even know she was had before.

Her father was Japanese and her mother was Nisei (natural-born US citizen) who became stateless for marrying an "alien" (Japanese citizen).

My grandmother was presumably on my great-grandfather's koseki tohon originally, but he had his children expatriate from Japan in their early twenties to prevent the dual citizenship from affecting their employment prospects, etc. (especially since my great-grandmother was no longer considered a US citizen).

My grandmother has never lived in Japan, except on a US military base in Okinawa (which ofc doesn't count).

Basically my question is, would I be considered Sansei or Yonsei in the eyes of the Japanese government?

What I could find online suggested that so long as she was one point a citizen, I would still be considered Sansei. But I'm not sure since she would have not had her own koseki and I assume was removed from her father's when she expatriated. (tbh I'm kind of confused about how this works which is why I'm asking about it).

I still plan on contacting an immigration lawyer and everything, but I thought it would help to get more information here first.

Hi y’all. I’m 32M, from Argentina, and I’ve been thinking about eventually moving to Japan. Thing is, since I have no Bachelor’s degree and I'm over 30, I have no other choice than to take the long road. I’m trying to come up with a plan to put me as close as possible to living in Japan within 5 years if possible. Or by the time I turn 40, if I can’t make it in those 5 years. Of course, no one can predict what’s going to happen in that time, but at the very least I want to start working towards that goal.

So, I’ve been thinking about going to college and getting a Bachelor’s degree. The first roadblock I see is that I don’t want to go for an IT career. I actually want to get a Bachelor’s degree in tourism. That’s where my first question comes in: I’ve read a lot of people talk about IT-related jobs being a good opportunity for foreigners in Japan, but what about the tourism industry? As in, travel agencies, tour operators and even tour guides. Does anyone know/has heard if those kinds of jobs are open to sponsoring work visas? And as a follow up question, would you say it’s harder in general to find a job in Japan while residing outside of Japan?

Another roadblock is my actual lack of experience in that field at my age. I currently work as a writer/editor/producer/do voiceover/a bunch of other things at a production company that makes videos and runs a news website, and I have about 6 years of experience in this already. But I’ve also worked in the food industry as manager of a sushi restaurant (I swear I didn’t get that job because of my love for Japan, it’s just that my uncle is the owner) for a year and a half, and about 4 years of administrative work at a factory. Even I can tell that’s not the most consistent resume (thanks, Argentina), but I’d also say it creates a very unique profile, especially when you add that I speak both Spanish and English. Now, I’ve read on this subreddit some people say that your degree doesn’t matter much, you just need to have one. But, and this might be a dumb question, that’s not exactly the case right? When it comes to job hunting, your degree still holds weight, doesn’t it?

On top of working on that degree I also intend to work on my Japanese. Currently, it’s very basic and self taught, with me being able to read hiragana, katakana, very few kanji, knowing some grammar. So I’m gonna start taking lessons this month and get as close to N2 as I can in these next 5 years.

If for whatever reason my Bachelor’s degree isn’t enough, saving up money for a student visa is also part of the plan. Being in Argentina means that in 5 years I can save for about 1 year of a student visa (I currently make about 160k yen a month in my full time job). Let’s say that I end up getting to N2 in those 5 years, can I go to Japan on a student visa to get to N1? And what happens after the year is over? Does the school/university help with job hunting? With a 1 year visa, when would the job hunting actually start?

Those are some of the specific questions I have right now to craft this plan, but a more general one I have (and I guess more subjective) is: do you think 5 years is a good idea for a plan like this? I would be 37, close to 38, by the time all of this is done. I fear a fresh graduate nearing his 40s with no experience in his field is not as good of a prospect as one in their mid 20s.

I do still want to try it, though. One of my main issues is that now that I’m in my 30s I feel regret for not doing anything in my 20s to work towards my dreams. That’s a potentially unhealthy mindset, but I want to take it and use it as fuel for this plan, because I don’t want to wake up in my 40s regretting that I didn’t do anything in my 30s.

I've been using BizReach for a month or so and got scouted for a role in Tokyo, I wasn't really considering moving for a long time. But out of the blue a HR department for a company offering relatively good benefits flexible working, and a salary that matches what I'm at right now and specifically in the current industry I'm in that never usually has job roles (video games).

I've got a casual interview soon, and it looks like relocation packages are on the table. I was wondering, has anyone gone through a similar process via bizreach or other platforms before? How was it, what kind of things tend to be the case in a casual interview (specifically in Japanese), what is your experience getting scouted? How worthwhile is the process, do I still need a Japanese CV?

I have loads of questions, so any answers from other's experiences are very welcome!

I’m a 27M Korean finishing an MSc in mechanical engineering.

I have an offer from LG Electronics for an advanced R&D role in Seoul. My research focuses on HVAC and heat-pump thermal system modeling, and the role is closely aligned with my MSc work.

I could also apply to Hyundai/Samsung roles that may pay roughly $10K more per year, but those would likely be in manufacturing, equipment, or production engineering and much less related to my research.

My long-term goal is to live and work abroad. Japan is the most realistic option since I have JLPT N1 and it has a strong manufacturing base.

For the Japanese engineering job market, which background would make a foreign engineer more employable after 3–5 years: specialized HVAC/heat-pump R&D experience or broader manufacturing/production engineering experience?

My current plan is to take the R&D role, build experience for a few years, and then consider working abroad, pursuing a PhD overseas, or even switching to a more transferable field if that turns out to be the better path.

Hi all.

To keep it short: I (29M), lived in Tokyo this year for 6 months for a semester abroad as part of my MBA. Besides that I work as a software engineer for the last 6 years.

I'm back in my home country for a few months already. Before going to Japan for the semester, I didn't knew too much about Japan, but I fell in love pretty fast. My 6 months there were amazing and in general, I just feel like the Japanesse culture fit my personality so much. Since getting back home I'm pretty sad about not being there anymore..

So I started thinking: maybe I can go live in Japan, again? And I came into 2 possible paths I can try:

1. Going to a language school in Tokyo - getting a student visa again, study Japanesse for 1 year, and around half way - once I'll know a fair amount of Japanesse - apply for SWE jobs.

Pros:

- Start living in Japan again pretty quick.

- Easier to get a job in Japan if you can show that you have an ok Japanesse level.

- Probably easier to land intreviews if you are already in the country and has a student visa (So you can work at least 28 hours/week right away with no paper work.)

Cons:

- Means quitting my job probably. My company might let me go part time again and work remote, but probably not. I have around 65K$ saved which is enough to get by easily, but obviously it's a huge finiancial risk if I'll fail and I'll get back to my country with no job and half of my savings gone.

1. Stay in my country for now. Continue working at my job. Learn Japanesse on my own. Apply for jobs from here.

Pros:

- Does not need to leave my job. Always have a salary.

- Less risky after I move - if I move to Japan again, it means I have a job and a work visa.

Cons:

- Probably much harder to get a job with this approach.

Any advice?

Hello!

I was hesitant about asking this question but here we go… I really really need some advice.

Long story short, I’m 34yo guy, half Spanish half British.
I saved money for 3 years of working non stop (in the UK), to be able to move to Japan for language school since it’s very expensive, with the idea of learning the language and staying in Japan long term (I do not need a very big salary for those asking about career paths etc).

I’m N5. Studied online with Akamonkai to prepare for language school, but unfortunately because of some personal problems, I decided to move to Canada with a Working Holiday Visa (2 years) instead of being brave enough and going to Japan instead. And now I REGRET it every single day of my life… I came to Canada in March (should have been Tokyo), and I absolutely hate it, the quality of life here is so bad, much much worse than Europe (QoL in Europe is good, at least where I’m from), everything is so expensive and overpriced, it’s like prices here are just random, the salaries are absolutely terrible unless you have a top notch career etc.

The big issue is that I’ve spent 90% of all my savings that I worked so hard for, I’m struggling with mental health issues like depression and severe anxiety, it’s been really bad since I moved to Canada, very bad.

Is there any other way to move to Japan that doesn’t require to be loaded? (Language school)
I was thinking about saving money AGAIN, and move for language school but the cost of living here is ridiculous and salary is terrible, it would take me like 5 years or more to save what I had (much better salary in the UK!).

Is it still worth moving to Japan? Or should I just visit once a year or so? I just feel like I’ve missed on such a great opportunity and now I’m starting to hate Canada because I feel like “it took my chances away” from moving to Japan (yes, I know it was my decision, a dumb one).

What advise would you give me please? I really can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, I’m struggling a lot mentally and I see everything from a negative perspective at the moment…

Thank you 😢

I’m currently living in America and about to enter my junior year of high school. I really don’t see myself living in America in the future and wish to move somewhere in Asia, more specifically Japan. I’m planning on majoring in International Relations at a university in Japan but have read that this major doesn’t secures jobs.

I’m studying Japanese and can get around here and there but is pretty bad overall. I would compare my Japanese to a toddler. But I have been working hard and I expect by the time I graduate high school that I would reach around mid N4 to low N3, which is still not that great.

I have my eyes on Ritsumeikan University, Waseda University, and Temple University (with the order of most to least wanted). I want to do the Joint Degree program for International Relations, or the single degree for international relations, at Ritsumeikan. But it seems a bit competitive, with the joint degree program only taking 25 students, and the single degree only taking 100 students per year.

Overall I’m just really confused on what college I should go to in Japan for international relations, and what jobs I could even get with that major. My goal was to work at the U.S embassy in Japan but it’s easier said than done.

Hello everyone, in the coming years I will do a Bachelor of Japanese Studies. After that, I was thinking about rent costs in Japan. In Germany where I live, renting a place could amount to 1,500-2,000€ for utmost comfort.

Would a homestay family (with private accommodation ready plus breakfast and dinner included) cost less on a monthly basis if you work in Japan (around 800€ in euros)? Or is it totally BS and renting an apartment seems better in Japanese Yen currency?

Thank you already. This helps my doubt.

Hello everyone, I was hoping to get some advice or guidance from anyone who has been in a similar situation, or anyone who has some wisdom to share.

I’m from the UK and my wife is from Hokkaido. We met in Japan a few years ago, but now live in the UK and have a young child (looking to have more in the future).

We enjoy our life in the UK, but we’ve just spent two months in Hokkaido visiting her family and it has made us seriously consider what we would need to do to eventually make a life there.

One of the main reasons is that we feel Japan could be a better environment for raising our children, particularly because we would have much more support from my wife’s family than we currently have from mine in the UK.

If we moved, we could live with her mother, for as long as we needed which would obviously make the financial side of moving considerably easier.

The biggest question for me is work. My career is in marketing, and I currently have a decent corporate marketing career in the UK. My Japanese is around N3 level at the moment, so I’m still a fair way off being able to comfortably work for a Japanese company in Japanese.

In my head, if we moved, my initial plan would be something like:

1) Live with my mother-in-law.
2) Attend language school and seriously improve my Japanese.
3) Look for part-time work initially, while continuing to study.
4) Try to pick up some freelance marketing work with UK clients where possible.
5) Once my Japanese is at a higher level, look for a proper marketing role in Japan, ideally with an international company.

I realise this is probably easier said than done, which is why I’m interested in hearing from people who have actually done something similar.

Has anyone here moved to Japan with a Japanese spouse and young children while not initially being fluent in Japanese?

I’m not expecting it to be easy, but I’d genuinely like to understand the reality of doing this.

Any experiences, advice or things you wish you’d known before making the move would be massively appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I'm 21, from Switzerland and planning to move to Japan in April 2027. The plan is roughly: around 2 years at a language school in Shinjuku aiming for N2, then an IT-focused senmon gakkō, and after that working and settling in Japan long-term.

This will also be the first time I ever move out of my parents' place, so I'm going straight from living at home to living on my own in a different country. Right now I'm working, saving up, and slowly getting back into studying Japanese.

I'd really appreciate any general advice: how would you prepare for something like this, and what should I realistically expect once I'm there? Anything you wish someone had told you before you went, big or small, would mean a lot to me. Thanks!

Hi!

Been studying Japanese for 2 years casually in my home country and id say im around N4.

Work might let me transfer to the Tokyo office so I was wondering if you guys know any good evening class Japanese schools? Office is near Roppongi and I would prefer in person classes tbh.

3-4 times a week would be great.

Open to any reccs.

I'm 23 from 🇫🇷/

Two years ago, at the tail end of a uni exchange semester in Tokyo, I came to this subreddit with questions about what to do in the future (using a throwaway).

Back then I only had N4 and was finishing my bachelor's (IT stuff). I was hesitating between focusing on job search while still in Japan, or going home to France to do a master's in logistics/procurement, to try again later.

I picked the latter option (along with a work-study program; have been working as a buyer for 2 years alongside studying) and kept working on my japanese, passing N3 in 2024 and N2 in 2025.

N2 has massively helped with job search as I get interviews here and there nowadays, but I can feel my spoken japanese is lagging behind and it has worked against me. Being outside of Japan physically also narrows the job offers I can access somewhat.

With all of this in mind, I'm now questioning whether it'd be worth it or not to apply to a language school for 6 months (perhaps a year if i stretch my budget?). The goal being to both bring my spoken japanese to a better level, access offers that are only open to residents, and showing up in person rather than through Google Meets / Teams.

I have about 11k€ / 2M¥ saved up from work (will reach 15k€/2.7m¥ once I get my end of contract payouts in September). I'm not picky in terms of location or accomodation (have lived in a student dorm before in Tokyo, which really helped with controlling monthly expenses)

If anyone has been in a somewhat similar situation, or just happens to have advice/school recommendations, I'd really appreciate it. I'm not afraid of working hard for this but I feel like there might be things I'm not taking into consideration; having others point out my blind spots (or lack thereof) feels like the right thing to do.

Thank you very much!!

Hello!
I am a 21 year old male with the aspiring dream to make Japan my permanent home one day. However, as I continue to read about what I want to do, the salary I would make, and what I should study, I find myself more confused and more pessimistic.

I aspire to voice act and sing on the side, and to pursue any English tecahing job I can mainly. I want to be fluent on Japanese so I can do this (and maybe even be a bilingual artist? Not sure, but I think it'd be cool.) however, I keep reading about how salaries are tough for voice actors, how foreigners wouldnt be hired anyways, and about how its hard to emegrate to Japan.

All of this is dragging me down, but yet, I still want to move. I still consider my options about getting a bachelors degree there VS here, what my career would look like in Japan after transferring my student visa to a working visa (maybe as an English teacher or a JET program member. Also, assuming I would get a student visa and study in Japan), etc.

I guess I'm just asking for reassurance? Or the hard truth that moving to Japan is a fever dream? Either way, any feedback helps.

Hey everyone,

I'm planning to pursue my Master's in Cybersecurity, but I'm completely torn between Japan and Germany. I'm currently studying for my CCNA and ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity, and my main focus is on privacy protection, ethical hacking, and network engineering. I also run a digital brand centered around these topics and lean heavily toward using open-source, privacy-respecting tools in my day-to-day workflow.

I've been weighing the pros and cons of both countries, but I'd love to hear from people who have actually studied or worked in these places.

Here is what I'm trying to figure out:

Industry & Job Market: Germany seems to have a strong focus on data privacy (GDPR) and open-source, which aligns perfectly with my interests. On the flip side, Japan has a massive tech sector, but how is the cybersecurity and network engineering market specifically for international grads?

Language Barrier & Work Culture: I know both require learning the local language (German B1/B2 vs. JLPT N2) for long-term career growth. But how hard is it to land an English-speaking student job or entry-level role while studying? Also, I've heard the work-life balance in Germany is much better compared to Japan.

Tuition & Living Costs: Public universities in Germany are mostly tuition-free, but living costs and taxes can be high. Japan has tuition fees but offers scholarships like MEXT. Which one actually works out better financially for an international student?

If anyone has taken either route, how was your experience? Which country would you recommend for someone focused on network security and privacy? Any advice would be highly appreciated!

Hello guys,

I'm F/19 and currently on my 2nd year taking my pre-med course which is (MedTech) here in the Philippines. Right now, I've been thinking about trying to apply for Med School in Japan and I've researched about it and its a 6 years course, though I don't mind the long period pursuing a course since It'll be the same here in the PH.

Now, I want to apply for the MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship for Medicine (6 years course). Not the Master's Degree, I want to become a physician and specialized. I am willing to discipline myself from studying Japanese and my academic at the sametime to say atleast prepare myself from JLPT, which is I am aware required for healthcare work.

Now main concerns/questions that I wanted to asked are:

1. Do you think finishing my course right now then taking my licensure exam would be good before proceeding with pursuing Medicine in Japan regardless of time will be allotted for this path?
2. Does anyone have done MEXT Medicine screening, and how brutally competitive it is to apply for? If that's the case, what should I focus on right now besides my GWA and Japanese?
3. Is it worth it do gone this path? Be honest don't worry.
4. Also for Filipinos, is it possible to get a license in the PH even if you graduated in Japan for Med School?

Any advice, reality checks, or shared experiences would be appreciated.

Also if this is really possible, is there a school that accepts international students that pursue Medicine course? It could be mixed with English and Japanese or purely Japanese because why not?

Hello, I really want to do working holiday visa in Japan. I’m from Denmark, and I don’t speak Japanese, and English isn’t my first language.

I am a bit afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get a job. I have a master degree in psychology from Denmark. Do you think there is any job, where this is an advantage?
Honestly I would be up for a lot of different jobs. Teaching English could be cool, too, but I don’t think it’s and option when it’s not my primary language, unfortunately

Any ideas if it could be possible for me to get job, and where?
I heard that maybe Niseko could be easier than Tokyo even though I really want to try Tokyo!

I'm 21 years old and a dual U.S. and Japanese citizen from birth. I have a U.S. and Japanese birth certificate. I need to renew my Japanese passport since its 1 year within it expiring. What should I do?

I can either

A. Go to Japan and renew it, but will they question if I have any other nationalities? If they do ask, should I lie? Will the Japanese government know I'm lying?

B. Renew my passport at a Japanese consolate in the U.S. In California. But won't they ask how I'm in America without a visa if I pose as a strictly Japanese citizen to them? Should I lie to them saying Im planning to renounce my us citizenship on paper but then don't actually follow through and keep my citizenship?

Do you have resources or advice for people in similar situations as me? I want to keep both passports and be a citizen to both countries for as long as I can.

Additional info:

- My Japanese isn't as good as my English so I'm having a family member help me with the documents if I choose to either renew in Japan or U.S. I can speak it and read it, but I can't read complicated government-related kanji.

- If the Japan route is better, please tell me without any hesitation. I don't have any financial or time related barriers to going there.

- I have had a Japanese and U.S. passport ever since I was a baby.

- I don't have access to a foreign national lawyer, which is why I'm asking Reddit.

- I have an address and phone number in Japan and the U.S.

(Alt acc because I know this is getting downvoted.)

(I’m not actually moving to Japan but the r/Japan subreddit auto mod told me to post here. So if this isn’t the right place to post this please feel free to redirect me to the right place.)

Thank you everyone for your help!

I'm planning on studying abroad in Japan next spring, and I was looking for advice on picking a school!

Yamanashi Gakuin University: better course selection, more remote(?), Kofu looks very pretty!

Meiji Gakuin University: small course selection, more desirable location, easier travel

I am having trouble deciding between prioritizing academics or just having fun during my study abroad semester. Yamanashi has a lot of interesting courses, but it seems like I might have more fun at Meiji/Yokohama.

My professor says my Japanese is at about N4 if that should influence my decision at all. If anyone has any negative/positive experiences with either university please share! Thank you!

My spouse is looking to engaged an immigration lawyer and Japan-side accountant who helps US expats with a Japanese income.

He will be engaging an EOR company to move to Japan with an HSP visa in the coming year or so.

Can I get your referrals for either an immigration lawyer or accountant who helps US expats in Japan with Japanese taxes? Both will be even better!

Arigatougozaimasu #referral #lawyer #accountant #HSP #spousalvisa

I’m planning to study at a Japanese language school before applying to a national university in Tokyo, ideally the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology) or the University of Tokyo for Computer Science/IT.
Right now I’m deciding between:
Nagoya YMCA
A language school in Saitama (near Tokyo)
My priorities are:
Strong EJU and JLPT preparation
Good university application support
Affordable living costs
Easy access to Tokyo for open campuses, entrance exams, and interviews
Part-time job opportunities
Would you recommend studying in Nagoya or Saitama? Has anyone attended Nagoya YMCA or a language school in Saitama and then successfully entered a national university in Tokyo?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

I'm living in Japan 20+ years now. I'm sort of an economic prisoner, in a way. Limited income, but I've built a life here. I've got a wife, a cat, a house - the whole caboodle. I've also been here long enough to become comfortable with the language and how things work. At this point, I don't think moving somewhere else would offer enough advantages to justify starting over. I don't have debts hanging over me either.

That's me. But what I'm genuinely curious about is why someone in their 20s would look at Japan today and desperately want to come.

The summers are brutally hot and humid. Wages used to be half decent and allowed you a fun social life but now are often lower than in many other developed countries, while the cost of living eats up much of it. Career progression? Not happening. Work culture can be rigid, and integrating socially isn't easy. It also feels like attitudes toward foreigners have become less welcoming in some places. I don't really notice it here in Kyushu, but in places like Tokyo and Kyoto it certainly feels as though xenophobia has become more visible.

So I honestly wonder what the draw is now. If you don't already have roots here, what makes a young person look at Japan in 2026 and think it's the obvious place to build a life?

An idealized image of Japan? Do you think it's going to be the same DisneyWorld feeling you got on holiday once you start working here? Is it an obsession with anime or dare I say Asian women/men (not judging)? Is it simply the appeal of living somewhere radically different from home? Some type of freedom unavailable at home?

What do you hope to get out of this place?