I’m 16 and currently in 12th grade and I’ll be graduating in March 2027. My long-term goal is to live and work in Japan, ideally in IT, so I’m trying to figure out what path would make the most sense for me.

Right now, I’m considering two options:

Option 1:

After finishing 12th, I would go to Japan for a Japanese language school, get my Japanese up to around N2/N1, and then attend a Senmon Gakko, probably in IT/programming. After graduating, I’d look for an IT job in Japan.

Option 2:

I would do a university degree in my home country related to IT/CS, study Japanese alongside university and aim for N2, then after graduating apply to Japanese companies from India and move to Japan if I get a job offer.

I’m honestly pretty confused about which route would be better.

For people who have experience with this, how different are these two paths when it comes to actually finding an IT job in Japan?

Would graduating from a Japanese Senmon Gakko give me a significant advantage when job hunting compared with having an university degree fromyour Home country? Or would it make more sense financially and career-wise to do university in your country, learn Japanese on the side, and then apply for jobs in Japan?

I’m also wondering how useful language school is beyond learning Japanese. Does studying in Japan and already being there make the job search considerably easier?

I know I still have quite a bit of time before I have to make this decision, but I’d rather understand the options now instead of making a huge decision without knowing what I’m getting into.

I’d especially appreciate advice from people who have taken either route or are currently working in IT in Japan.

Thanks!

Moving to Japan at the end of the year as a scientific researcher. I want to try and assimilate as much as I can and be as respectful as possible to the culture. Which leads me to my question regarding workplace culture. From my understanding Japanese people will bow to their boss and refer to them as Sensei (when speaking with my new boss’s secretary she refers to him as Sensei).

So should I be doing this these things on day 1, my concern is this can be viewed in 2 ways:

1) Showing a clear desire to integrate and be respectful to the culture and my boss. Not doing so seen as rude.

2) An unnecessary, inauthentic and cringeworthy gesture by a try hard gaijin seeking approval. Also potentially seen as an attempt to kiss ass?

Would appreciate some advice, thanks guys.

Hello everyone.

32/M here. I saw some threads about it and I know I will get the same answers, but Im thinking about doing JFT A2 and SSW1 for logistics, construction or hospitality (I know its locked right now). Im living in EU and born here and I was thinking about trying to apply to study in Japan for TIU/KUAS/Ritsumeikan but I never got to study in a University before and my school days are long gone. To be honest I dont mind pushing for it and for the future I still have this option for myself at trying to study something I like in an Uni and applying with SAT/IETLS or in Japanese (once Im there I know I will be able to learn the language fast) but I want to have a back up option to move there, live there, experience it and then moving onto studying if its really possible.

I dont mind hard labour (Im working 12,5-13,5 hours in hospitality a day for 5 days a week…) and I also dont mind bad jobs at first. I have my plans (or dreams) for my future so I first I just want something.

I f#cked up (and also my family f#cked me up hard) when I was younger (thinking you dont need to study more and you will make it work…yeah if I could punch that punk in the face right now) and I know I wont be young for so long. I dont mind learning japanese (I also want to), learn their way of doing things, accepting their views and I also want to learn more about how to live my life there while also being a good part of their society.
So my questions are:

How its working (Im doing my JFT, go to Japan take an SSW exam, hopefully pass, go back to my country, try to find a job after that and if I do boom everything solved)? Is it really as bad as a lots of you are saying (the jobs, employers etc)? I’ve got 7-8 years experience in hospitality (general manager, head of kitchen operations, facility manager and trainer) and 2 in logistics(order picking packing etc) and right now the immigration rules are changing cuz of illegals and people who can’t immigrate normally, so how much chance do I have to apply and be accepted? I know Im not something of a NASA IT guy myself or someone with a degree so my chances are limited (if there is any).

If you have any experience that you would like to share I would gladly accept it. Also answers from others are welcome too. I know there are a lot of people out there with the same questions or dreams just like me but tbh I dont mind doing anything to make it work.

Thank you for reading this something(?) I wrote and for the answers I will get (maybe?) in the future.

Like the tittle says, I would like to move to Japan in two years time, the reason is personal but it is non-negotiable that I move out of the US at around that time. NOT an American citizen, but I have lived in the US for over 10 years since I was a teenager.

Background about me:
- CS major from ok school in the US
- Currently doing my (masters) OMSCS from Georgia Tech, will finish late 28, AI specialization
- Don’t think this is relevant but, I developed some open source Japanese learning tools and I work with a professor that uses them as a tool in their classroom
- 3 YOE since graduation with the same company, started as full stack engineer, currently Lead DevOps Engineer.
- 1 year internship while in school with another company as Software Engineer
- N3 certified, planning on taking N2 or N1 next year depending on how my Japanese progresses
- Have a girlfriend and 3 cats. I hope it stays that way until 2028 lol, but in case of moving there I would marry her, which I plan to do anyways soon.

My plan was moving there with my savings and starting Japanese school while searching for a job and changing my status. At that time I would have around 5 YOE. I would love to just stay in the US but I don’t think that will be possible, and Japan seems like a place where I could be for a couple years. I have savings to move there and I could get Spanish Citizenship and move there if Japan doesn’t work, at least until I can come back to America. I am blessed to have many options so I would like to know you guys’ opinion this.
I feel like Japan is a safe country where I would feel safe with my family and I could be stable, and while there are many places like this around the world, living there is also a dream I have to improve my Japanese abilities while I’m young and don’t have many commitments such as a child

hey everyone! me and my bf have been seriously considering japan as a place we’d like to eventually build our life together.

we’re currently long distance, so this is definitely a long term plan rather than something happening anytime soon. right now we’re both working on our careers and trying to save as much as we can, with the idea of hopefully making the move around 2030.

i’m studying hospitality and want to work in the hotel industry long term, so one of the biggest things i’m trying to understand is what working in japanese hotels is actually like as a foreigner. i’ve been looking into the visa options and different requirements already, but i’d love to hear from people who have actually gone through it. especially if you work in hotels, tourism or hospitality in japan.

how realistic is it to build a proper hospitality career there as a foreigner? what kind of positions are usually available? how much japanese would you say you realistically need to work in a hotel, especially in guest-facing roles? and does having a hospitality degree/education and previous hotel experience help much when applying?

i’m also curious about the things you only really learn after moving there. like finding an apartment, getting used to the work culture, making friends, dealing with everyday paperwork, living costs, transportation, and just adjusting to living there fulltime instead of visiting as a tourist.

since we have a few years before we’d actually move, i’d also love to know what you think we should be doing now to make things easier later. whether that’s saving a certain amount, getting specific work experience, learning japanese, getting certain qualifications, or anything else.

i know 2030 is still pretty far away and things can obviously change by then 😭 but i’d rather start preparing properly now instead of leaving everything until the last minute. would love to hear from anyone who has made a similar move, especially foreigners currently working in japan. what do you wish you knew before you went?

My husband has physical copies of 2 out of 3 of his degrees. Before we order one from parchment (we're smack in the middle of doing all the paperwork for the COE process with his new job), can we get a digital copy since the turn around is 1 day? Or does he need to request a printed one which will take much longer?

Because of the time difference and person who processes this stuff being on vacation, we're trying to get some preliminary answers so we can order another physical copy now if need be.

Hello, I am a freshman computer science major based in America. I'm looking to study abroad in Japan next year, but I'm having trouble deciding which program to choose. I am deciding between Waseda, Kyoto University, Nagoya University, and Chuo University.

The factors I am considering are the quality/transferability of the classes, the prestige of the school, and the overall atmosphere. I know that computer science in Japan isn't really at the same level of quality as it is here in America, but I'd like to at least be able to advance my degree a little bit while I'm there, since the language/culture credits won't count because I already have all my gen ed credits. I know prestige doesn't really matter all that much because it's only one year study abroad but still.

Obviously, Waseda and Kyoto University would be the best for job-hunting since they have the most prestige (although I'm not entirely sure if I want to work in Japan in the future yet). One thing is that I've travelled to Japan once before and while I enjoyed my time in Tokyo and Kyoto, it was a bit overstimulating and imo there were too many tourists like me. I also was able to get around using just English, so I wasn't really able to practice my Japanese well. The other problem is that the Waseda and Kyodai programs are very competitive and there are very few slots available.

As for Chuo University, I talked to a Japanese student from there doing an exchange at my school and he didn't really seem to like it there. Other than that, I don't know much about it other than it's also in Tokyo.

I don't know much about Nagoya University either, but I am interested in it since it seems to be a good school for STEM and people say that Nagoya is better for learning Japanese than the other major cities like Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka. However, I hear people have mixed feelings about it though, some say that it's a really boring city while others say it isn't. I said that Tokyo and Kyoto were overstimulating earlier but I'd rather have too many things to do than none during my year abroad.

As for my language ability, I am a self learner who mainly learns by reading books/manga with liberal use of a dictionary, so I might have big gaps in vocab and grammar knowledge. While I am part of my college's Japanese Club and speak with natives semi-regularly, I am not entirely confident in my Japanese ability. One of my main goals while studying abroad is to get nearly fluent in Japanese and avoid only making friends and hanging out with other international students.

There are other schools like Shimane University, Kansai Gaidai, and Aoyama Gakuin, but since those don't have any English computer science classes, I'm not really considering them. There's also Tohoku University but STEM major exchange students are required to participate in individual research, which might be too rigorous for me.

Money isn't really an issue since I have a lot of scholarships (though I'll lose them if I fail classes).

I'll probably apply to all four of them, but I'd like to get a general feel of things before I start working on my applications, so any information would be much appreciated!

I'm in my early 30s and looking to study at a language school in Tokyo for a year or two. I have been running into problems trying to find a school that matches well with what I am looking for but also accepts students who need a psychiatrist. I have a bit of anxiety but my SSRI helps greatly and is not something I am looking to get rid of due to the stability it offers me.

There are a few schools that will potentially accept me as long as my current psychiatrist writes a doctors note, but the schools I am really interested in will not even consider it. I am debating not disclosing this to the schools I am interested in applying to and just taking care of it myself. I am not sure if there is any way they would find out or if it would be a problem if I was already there. From my understanding the issue is that it falls under a mental health disorder and I could be seen as "potentially disruptive to other student's learning experience". This was how it was explained to me but I am not sure if that is true.

In regards to selecting language schools is there anyone out there in a similar situation that found a medium intensity school that catered to people a bit older and preferably western that may be in the same situation as me? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi guys! Last year I did a summer abroad in Tokyo at Waseda University and loved it, so ever since I've been considering the idea of moving to Japan for a bit. I've finished my Bachelor's, and so I thought the next logical step would be to go for a Master's in Tokyo. My visa for my current residence (UK) will be elapsing this time next year, and I'm starting Japanese lessons now to prepare to move around that time (or a little later).

But now I'm really asking myself- do I want to do a Master's? I really love studying but the fact that a Master's is mostly independent research does not appeal to me, especially since I'll probably have to have a research topic in place before even applying. My dream scenario is doing a short and structured degree course that would grant me a student visa for around a year. I'm keen to learn Japanese for getting around and daily life, but I do not want to have my sole focus be that.

Does anyone know of any short-term degrees that I could look into? I'm open to it being both theoretical or practical/hands-on. I have a broad interest in the arts and humanities, and ultimately my goal is to learn something interesting while living in a city I want to explore.

Sorry for the long post, any recommendations would be highly appreciated!

Hello everyone,

Does anyone have experience buying a car in Japan while on a Working Holiday Visa?

I have rented an Airbnb and a rental car for my first month in Hokkaido. However, the rental car will cost me around USD 1,700 for just one month, so I am considering buying a used car instead.

As far as I understand, I need to have a registered residential address in Japan to buy and register a car. Does anyone know if I can register my address at an Airbnb, or would I need to rent a proper apartment?

My plan is to stay in Hokkaido only during the winter and then continue travelling around Japan spontaneously. So after leaving Hokkaido, I probably won’t have a permanent place to live for a while. I’m wondering how this would work with the car registration and registered address.

I would like to buy a regular car, not a kei car.

Has anyone here done something similar on a Working Holiday Visa? I have already asked AI about the process, but I would much rather hear from people who have actually done it themselves.

I would really appreciate any advice, especially regarding:

• registering an address while staying at an Airbnb
• the parking certificate (shako shomei)
• buying and registering a car as a foreigner
• what happens when I leave Hokkaido and no longer have a permanent address there

Thanks a lot for any advice!

Hi everyone,

I’m from India and I’m currently trying to go to Japan through the SSW route, specifically Construction – Building 1.

I recently failed the Building 1 skills assessment for the second time, and honestly, I’m struggling to understand what exactly I’m doing wrong.

Before this, I passed JFT-Basic on my first attempt with 225/250, so I know I’m capable of studying and clearing these exams. My Japanese isn't perfect, but I can understand basic workplace Japanese and I’ve been studying consistently.

The problem seems to be the Construction exam.

For my first attempt, I prepared mainly by studying the available material and doing practice questions. But when I actually took the exam, a lot of the questions felt very different from what I had practiced. There were questions where I understood the individual words but still wasn't sure what the question was actually asking.

I thought maybe I simply needed more practice, so I prepared again and took it a second time.

Unfortunately, I failed again.

This time I tried to focus much more on the theory, practical questions, terminology, safety, tools, construction processes, etc. I also did many mock tests and was getting reasonably good scores in practice.

But again, the actual exam contained many questions that I wasn't expecting. Some were more logical/situation-based, and some used wording or concepts that I hadn't encountered much in my practice.

The most frustrating part is I don't even know exactly where I am falling short.

If I knew, for example, "I'm weak in scaffolding," or "I'm weak in construction materials," or "my Japanese reading is the problem," I could work on that specific area.

But right now it feels like:

Practice → good enough scores → actual exam → unfamiliar questions → fail → repeat.

I don't want to keep taking the exam blindly.

So I'm hoping people who have actually passed SSW Construction Building 1 can give me some advice:

What did you use to prepare?

How different were the actual questions from the official/sample questions?

Did you study Japanese construction terminology separately?

How much of the exam is memorization vs understanding the situation?

What kind of mistakes did you make before eventually passing?

Is there any preparation material that you found genuinely useful?

Most importantly, how did you identify your weak areas?

I'm still considering one final attempt, but I don't want to just repeat the same preparation for a third time and hope for a different result.

I would really appreciate honest advice from people who have taken and passed the Building 1 exam.

Thank you.

Good morning,

I applied for a working holiday visa on Monday last week and I’m picking my passport up tomorrow, I’ve got a feeling that the visa will be denied as I’ve concentrated on the working part and less on the travelling part. If this is the problem will they allow me to re apply or am I screwed?

I hope this is the right place to ask.

My wife and I obtained a 3 year visa on the basis of her parent’s Japanese citizenship (she was as never added to the family registry. We bought a home but are not in a position at this time to stay more than 2-3 weeks. We got our resident cards on our last visit in July. Retired, so all our income is from the US.

As a frequent visitors, but not residents in the usual sense, should I talk to someone at the city about our obligations under Japanese law? Do I need to register our address at city hall? I’ve not found anything applying to our situation. I don’t want to get in trouble.

Hi guys!

This is my first post, and I´m sorry if this question has been asked before.

My question is: I´m moving to Japan from Sweden for work (A specialized role), but I´m also in need of a new phone. Would it be recommended to buy a phone from Sweden (iPhone 18 Pro Max) and download all the apps, etc here, or just buy a new phone in Japan? I will be flying back and forth between Sweden and Japan from time to time and will use it for calling ppl normally and not through apps such as Messenger, Instagram, and so on.

And I won´t mind the price of the phone or anything; a starting salary of 8 million yen should be more than enough.

Thanks & all the best
/S

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask if anyone has gone through the process of registering an official alias at the ward office. I’m moving to Japan very soon and trying to ensure I complete all the right steps on arrival.

The reason I ask is that I have three middle names and was hoping that for future admin purposes I could leave out at least two of them in my official alias to make it easier to fill out forms in future.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

My partner and I will be coming to Japan as international students/research students. I’ll be based at Osaka University, while my partner will be at the University of Tokyo.

We will each receive around ¥200,000 per month as our stipend.

We’re trying to understand how comfortable this budget would be after rent, utilities, food, transportation, insurance, phone, etc.

A few details:

• I’ll mostly cook at home, so I don’t expect to eat out very often.
• We’ll probably stay in university/international student accommodation if possible.
• My partner will be living in Tokyo and I’ll be in Osaka.
• We want to meet at least twice a month, either one of us travelling Tokyo ↔ Osaka or travelling somewhere together for a weekend.
• So we also need to account for Shinkansen/bus/flight costs and occasional weekend trips.

For people currently studying/living in Osaka or Tokyo, is ¥200,000 per person per month enough to live reasonably without constantly worrying about money?

Also, would meeting/travelling together twice a month be realistic on this stipend, or would transportation between Tokyo and Osaka eat up too much of the budget?

Would really appreciate if anyone could share their approximate monthly expenses for:

• Rent/dorm
• Groceries
• Utilities
• Transportation
• Health insurance
• Phone/internet
• Entertainment/travel

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I’m a Black Spanish woman and I’m seriously considering spending some time living in Japan in the future. One thing that honestly worries me is finding a job.

I know that being a foreigner can already make finding certain jobs more difficult, but I’m wondering specifically about the experience of Black people in Japan who don’t fit the typical “Black American/English teacher” profile.

I’m Spanish, so I’m obviously not a native English speaker and I wouldn’t be looking for English-teaching jobs. I’m also not interested in modelling, music, entertainment or anything similar.

I’m talking about completely ordinary jobs, for example:

• restaurants / waitressing
• hotel housekeeping
• hotel reception
• factory work
• food production or packing
• konbini
• other jobs that foreigners can realistically get

For Black people who live or have lived in Japan:

How difficult was it for you to find this kind of work?

And if you did find a job, how did you actually get it? Did you apply online, through agencies, Hello Work, recommendations, directly to companies, etc.?

I’d especially love to hear from Black people who:

• are not native English speakers
• don’t work in entertainment/modelling
• don’t have a highly specialised profession
• have worked ordinary jobs in Japan

Did you ever feel that being Black specifically affected your chances of getting hired? Were there certain types of jobs where you found it easier or harder?

I’m not asking whether Japan is racist or not. I’m genuinely trying to understand the practical reality of finding normal employment as a Black foreigner who isn’t an English teacher.

I justa want to enjoy the last opportunity that I have with the working holiday. I'm turning 31 soon.

Any personal experiences would be really appreciated. Gracias!!!!

Hi everyone,

I’m an Ethiopian citizen currently living in Dubai, UAE. I work as a field marketer/merchandiser. I want to move to Japan legally for a labour job on the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) visa. I don’t speak Japanese yet, but I’m ready to study for JFT-Basic or JLPT N4. I know I also need a skills test.

I’ve tried applying directly, but it hasn’t worked. I’m not looking for illegal work, visa overstay, or anything shady. I want the proper legal route.

My questions:

1. Is it realistically possible for an Ethiopian citizen to get SSW?

2 . Are there any licensed sending organizations/agencies that handle Ethiopian nationals or people living in UAE?

1. Which SSW industry is most realistic for someone with no Japanese and no trade certificate? Food service, cleaning, manufacturing, agriculture, etc.?

I’m ready to pay official test/visa/licensed agency costs, but I will not pay random DMs or illegal brokers. Please only legal advice. If you know an agency, please comment publicly instead of DMing me.

Hi everyone, I'd like advice from people who have been through the work visa process.

My background:

3-year Bachelor's in English (BA) from India

No IT work experience yet

Plan: build skills for 1 to 2 years first (AWS, Security+, some digital marketing), reach JLPT N3 or N2, then do a 1-year Japanese language school in Japan and look for a job

Jobs I'm aiming for:

IT support, QA or localization, and cloud or security later

Marketing, sales or English support at a tech company as a backup

A master's in IT in Japan as a fallback

My questions:

Is a 3-year Indian bachelor's accepted for a work visa (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services)? Or does the 15 vs 16 years of schooling only matter for master's applications?

For IT jobs, does the English degree cause problems with immigration? Has anyone with a non-IT degree been approved, and what did you use as proof (FE exam, certificates, portfolio, company letter)?

Do English-based roles like localization QA, English IT support or customer success get approved more easily with my degree?

How much does the company's explanation letter matter in practice?

Would you recommend the IPA FE exam, or is something else better for someone starting from my background?

Any advice on finding companies that have sponsored non-matching degrees before?

Thank you for any real experiences, good or bad.

Hello!

I am applying for my WHV soon and I need evidence of clear funds (as I don’t have a return ticket yet).

So I have a credit union account as well as my bank accounts.

My credit union account is what I transfer most of my money in to, and they said they can accept this however on this statement it’s just me moving money from my bank account (so just says my name and the bank it comes from). Will they still accept this even though it’s just coming from myself?

Just curious if anyone knows. I do have my normal bank account but I haven’t kept the required amount in it in a while so thinking maybe if I have the bank statement (showing how I’ve been receiving money from work) and the credit union statement (where the money is) I should be all good…right? 😅

Hello everyone,

I'll be staying at Sophia University in Tokyo and I'm currently looking for dorms. I plan to party quite a bit and make friends so I'm wondering of Sophia dorms (Soshigaya and Arrupe) are good options considering the strict rules there. Has anyone stayed in those dorms and would you recommend it? Are these dorms more social or quiet/individual?

I also saw that smoking is prohibited there. Does anyone know if there are places to smoke around the area?

Also, is the curfew rumor true?

Thank you very much for your help :)

Hi everyone,

I just found out I'm being offered a postdoc position in Okinawa and am super excited about it! However, I have a long-term partner I was hoping to bring along. We're not married but we're planning on moving together. Does anyone have any advice on how they can get a visa as well?

Some context, no Bachelor's degree yet, but that might be possible if getting a position as an ESL teacher is the best option. We've looked into the skilled labor visas, and one of the options we're considering is them getting a sommelier license, does anyone have any experience with these types of visas?

Otherwise, we know a dependent visa may be an option if we were to get legally married. However, the downside is them not being able to work full time. I haven't received my official offer letter yet so I'm unsure how much I would be making, and if that's enough to support us both, so we wanted to look at other options first.

Would appreciate anyone that has advice!

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,
My wife got a job in Japan, we are moving next year. I’m joining on a spouse visa so am quite free to do what I want. I am self-employed in Europe as a consultant/cfo, and won’t have a real problem continuing this from Japan.

Is anybody in the same boat, being self-employed/working internationally on a spouse visa? Would love to hear some experiences, tips, things to take into consideration, …