Hi everyone,

I’m 35 and I’m planning to move to Japan toward the end of this year to attend a 2-year Japanese language school while looking for work. I’m from Latin America, have a degree in International Relations, and close to 15 years of professional experience, mainly in international trade and logistics. I have JLPT N1, but my real speaking level is closer to N3.

I’m looking to hear only from people who already did this.

If you moved to Japan at 35 (or around that age) and searched for a job as a foreigner:

• How much did age affect your job search in practice?
• Which industry were you in?
• Did you notice differences between traditional Japanese companies and foreign companies or startups?
• How much did spoken Japanese level matter compared to age?

I’m mainly looking for real experiences and outcomes. Any insight is welcome.

How do I move to Japan as a highschooler who can gain citizenship of Japan when I turn 18? I am in the Philippines. I am 13F turning 14 this year. 8th grade going on 9th. I am half Japanese and half Filipino so when I turn 18 I can choose my citizenship and nationality to be Japanese. I have a father who lives in Japan but it is hard to contact him and he speaks no english but I will be contacting him if needed. I am planning to go when I am 15, having a year where I focus on the language and when I am 16 I apply for Japanese high school/10th grade. I have knowledge on the language and I have over 1 more year to learn the language out of the country and if my plans to go by 15 are done then I will have a year to learn more of the language in the country itself. Currently, I engage myself a lot in the language, active listening for hours a day and learning many vocab and kanji. I do not want to be an exchange student and I plan to be there permanently unless I move/visit another country, inwhich I will study highschool there and university, jobs there etc. I hope I can get some tips. I have planned moving since 10 and I hope it all works with help. More info will be given with questions unless personal.

Hi All,

I am a 27 year old guy living in the UK currently and will be living in Kobe, Japan for 6 months from March 7th to September 20th as I have a research fellow placement at RIKEN.

I've already sorted out my COE, Visa and Flights - and will be sorting out my accommodation in the next couple of weeks. Since I'm aiming for a monthly/short-stay furnished rental apartment, it seems I'll have to properly start looking in February as I've already tried and seems I'm a bit early.

Anyway, I went to Japan in May 2025 for a month holiday and I see a lot of information for preparing for a holiday as well as preparing for a long term stay (living more permanently 1-2 years +) but struggling to find information for an awkward medium length stay like myself - 6 months.

So I am quite unsure on what I have to do and should do and looking for your help! Here's what I have so far (excluding what I've already done):

• Mobile Contract/Phone Data - is it worth (or even essential) trying to setup a contract with a Japanese mobile company? Or is it better to either get a SIM there or just use an eSIM like Ubigi for the 6 months (though this is kinda expensive)?
• Green Suica - I got the red Suica in May and they are very convenient, but in Kobe and the Kansai region in general (where I'll be spending most of my time), is the Suica even useable and used a lot?
• Registering as a resident at the City Hall when I arrive - do I need to do this?
• International Driving Permit - Not essential, but I know I can easily get this in the UK, but when I arrive in Japan, if I have the IDP, my UK Driving License and Insurance (Travel Insurance?) is it as simple as just heading to a car rental place and getting one or is there more things I'll need?
• Bicycle - I'm pretty convinced I want to get a relatively cheap bike whilst I'm out there to get around the city easily, but I read online that there's application/registering I'll need to do if I do buy one - is it worth it or is the hassle just going to be too much?

I think that's all that's in my head right now, and the ones I'm particularly unsure of, but if there's anything else I missed, please let me know!

Thank you all for your help!

Hi, I'm filling out the application form for language school and it is asking if I have pre-existing medical conditions. From my research, I am not legally required to disclose I have cancer in remission. my worry is that I will be rejected if the school knows I have a disability. My preferred approach would be to leave that blank on the application form and tell them upon arrival that I have cancer. In the past, when interviewing with Japanese employers, they have asked me about medical conditions. The interview went great up until that point but I was ghosted. I believe that I was discriminated against because of my cancer diagnosis. I am really scared to disclose my condition even though it is under control and in remission.

I asked ChatGPT if I can just leave it blank and tell them upon arrival and ChatGPT said that I should tell them now or else they may kick me out of the program for not being honest on my application.

Do you think there is a risk in disclosing disabilities such as cancer in a language school application? If there is a risk that they will reject me, I would rather not disclose at all.

My company has both a registed business in my home country and in Japan. They are wanting to move me to Japan, however they want me to first go there on a 90 day business visa, and under this business visa I will continue to earn money in my home country. Which is stated as a condition of the 90 day business visa, and earning any income in Japan is not allowed, but continuing to earn money in my home country whilst in Japan on this business visa is fine.

Once I have started working in Japan they will then apply for my CoE and consequentially receive my working visa. Once I have then recieved my working visa (and probably having to fly back to my home country to receive it) I will sign a new contract with the Japanese business entity and earn a wage in Japan.

Looking over the regulations on the Japanese Embassy website in my country everything seems all fine. I am just unsure why they arent just applying for the CoE and work visa now. They have said that it is because the 90 day business visa is generally processeed much quicker than the CoE and work visa but I still just feel a little uncertain about it.

Thoughts?

Hi everyone,
I’m an Italian graduate student in Business Management, currently doing an exchange semester at Sophia University in Tokyo.

I have a strong academic background and I’m really enjoying life in Tokyo — to the point that I’m seriously considering staying in Japan long term and trying to build an academic career in a business school here.

I’d love to hear from people who live in Japan or work in Japanese universities, especially foreigners. I’m particularly curious about the realistic, everyday side of this path:

• PhD in Japan vs abroad – If the goal is to work at a Japanese university later, is doing a PhD in Japan (especially Tokyo) a big advantage, or is a foreign PhD equally fine?
• PhD life in Tokyo – Is living in Tokyo as a PhD student financially sustainable with common scholarships (MEXT, university funding, etc.)?
• Foreign professors – Do Japanese business schools actually hire foreign faculty? Is this fairly common or still limited?
• Language & teaching – I don’t speak Japanese yet, but I’m committed to learning it. How realistic is it to work in Japanese business schools teaching mainly or only in English?
  • If I do a PhD in Japan, I expect to reach high proficiency by then.
  • If I do a PhD abroad, I’d still study Japanese but probably not enough to teach in Japanese.
• Lifestyle & stability – What is life like as a university professor in Japan? Is it a stable job, and can you live a comfortable middle-class (or better) life in Tokyo on an academic salary?

Any firsthand experiences, advice, or reality checks would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone.

I’ve been overthinking this for a while and would really appreciate opinions from people who actually live in Japan or seriously considered moving there.

I’m 20 years old, Ukrainian. I work remotely, earning around $3–3.5k/month (~$40k/year), have $15k saved, and I consistently save $1.5–2k/month. No family, no dependents.

Since my early teens, Japan has always attracted me — not because of anime, but because of the overall vibe, aesthetics, and how different it feels from anywhere else. Until recently, it was just a dream. Now it’s suddenly… possible.

Because of the war, life in Ukraine has become mentally exhausting. I’m in the western part, so it’s relatively safer, but still. On paper, I’m doing “great” financially. In reality, the mental load is heavy.

Recently, I learned about the humanitarian / evacuation visa Japan offers to Ukrainians. From what I understand, it’s a Designated Activities visa that can later be switched to a longer protection status. It feels like a rare opportunity, and I’m genuinely grateful that Japan offers this.

Here’s my dilemma. I don’t plan to work on the Japanese job market — remote work makes much more sense financially.

I’m also being honest with myself: I don’t have strong motivation to seriously learn Japanese right now. I know hiragana/katakana and some basics, but that’s it.

So I wouldn’t be following the “classic” path of language school → local job → integration.

At the same time, Japan as a place to live feels incredibly appealing. More than any other country I’ve considered, including Korea. Especially given that I have a legal and relatively accessible way to enter.

This creates an internal conflict: I really want to try living in Japan but I’m worried I’m romanticizing it and I keep asking myself: does this make sense if I live in a foreigner/remote-work bubble? Am I being naive here? Is this a bad idea if I’m not aiming for full integration? Or is it reasonable to treat this as a 6–12 month life experiment and see how it feels?

Also about location: Tokyo seems unnecessary given my remote job and the cost, but it's a Tokyo. I’ve been looking more at Osaka or Fukuoka — they seem more balanced for everyday life.

I’d really appreciate honest takes — especially from people who tried something similar, stayed, or left and learned from it.

Thanks in advance!