Is it possible for me to ever move to Japan?

Hello, ever since I was a little kid I have always loved Japan, though I have never visited the country I have always been amazed by it and have always seen myself moving there one day when I get older, well I am now 20 years old and that dream is still alive and strong. I've never been able to put my finger on just why I love the country so much but its just always felt like the best idea for me.

But is it possible? I don't know any Japanese at all as I have never had much time to learn it but of course I would love to, I am not sure what I would even want to do work wise if I was to move there, but of course I am not just going to simply pack my bags and move there next week, I want to visit the country first to see it first hand and get use the their way of life because I know its much different to the West.
So for anyone that has moved there I would just like to ask, how did you prepare it all? What is the best/common work out there? I know this may be simple questions and I know I have not put much effort into this most and given more reason but I am only in the first stages of wanting to move there, I want to at least visit the country a few times and hopefully meet new people out there so if I was to move there I know some people, but back to the main question, is it possible and what would be the best advice?


Thank you.

Get a college degree first as it is the easiest route to a resident visa, after that you should have no problem moving to Japan.

because I know its much different to the West.

How do you know if you have never gone? (No, it's not.)

I would just like to ask, how did you prepare it all?

Get "a degree" , not just any degree; and master the language .

You need a reality check first. It seems you have only images and stories to go off of. Talk to native Japanese people.

And learn japanese asap.

English teaching with a degree in almost anything

OP: because I know its much different to the West.

Firas: How do you know if you have never gone? (No, it's not.)

I dunno Firas... you can take that approach if you want because there are some similarities for sure but in many many ways, Japan IS pretty different from the West.

Are you having a bad day today? I've seen a few of your posts where you just seem to want to be contrary for the sake of it...

I say things how (I think) they are. No more, no less.

Also, in no two countries is life exactly the same, you could find as many difference between, say, Japan and the US as between the US and France. (Yes, I've lived in all three.) So a first issue is treating "the West" as if it were a country. It's not.

But those are all details. I'd be curious to hear of what you consider a fundamental difference between life in Japan and in any Western country (I'll allow you to choose the Western country).

"a fundamental difference between life in Japan and in any Western country"

You are unlikely to suffer from street crime in most of Japan. You needn't feel uncomfortable or nervous despite being in one of the largest and most populous cities on Earth, even if you are walking around with a large chunk of cash in your pocket, at night. You don't have to be aware of everyone around you all the time. You'll lose the need for the area of personal, defensible space around you, which will be useful on the Yamanote line during the rush hour. Although litter does exist in Japan, it isn't the ever-present carpet that you'll see in most Western cities. Taxi drivers are polite. Children are polite. Yakusa doormen are polite. Everyone is polite.

Going to Japan is a little like stepping into the alternate universe in 'Fringe'. It's almost the same, but everything is slightly different.

It's not all positive: healthcare costs more and is very variable, organised crime is built into society rather than being, well, crime, there is often little flexibility in how anything is done, social and cultural inertia is fearsome, some aspects of life will feel like you've gone back to the 1970s, and when the novelty wears off, there will be plenty of things that bug you, being different to what you have been used to.

Oh, and the environment persistently tries to kill you. Spiders, Other Crawly Things, Bitey Things, volcanoes, quakes, tsunami, unbearable heat and humidity, mud slides and flooding.

In general, I think the positives outweigh the negatives.

You should visit Japan a few times for extended periods before making a decision to move there, and work at getting some of the language under your belt according to your linguistic abilities, as a priority.

Ah Firas, our resident pedant. With an almost obsessive need toward literalism, he often brings up good points. Other times it feels like boderline trolling...

I do not agree with Japan not being different from the West. Though, the west is made of so many countries it is impossible to stereotype it.

Monarchies exist in both east and west.
Republics, democrats, and communism exist on both sides.
Gun may or may not be legal.
Few if any country, legalizes happiness drugs.
People aren't polite to the level of Japan but both Eastern and Western countries have their share of nice and not so nice nationalities.
Crime rate may a differentiating factor.
Prudence and traditional ways of thinking are more predominant in the East.
Usage of roman characters as the alphabet.

Can't think of much else. I blame the internet and airplanes.