Money needed to move to Japan with family?

Hello,

I posted recently about my family and I moving to Japan next year.

We are trying to figure out how much we actually need to MOVE there. That's including everything like visa costs(?), finding a rental home, furnishings, anything else we would need to live and get settled down.

Here are the variables/circumstances we have:

*Spouse has a degree in Philosophy 8)
*I have no degree; will be attending a language school possibly for a year or so before entering a professional training school.
*We have a 1-year old child.
*No pets will be coming with us
*Spouse's level of Japanese is currently at business/conversational level. Mine's a little lower, but I will be working on it every day.
*I am self employed. I do just basic freelance art work on the side. (Would also like to know how this affects the limited hours per week worked under dependent visa.)
*Trying to decide between Osaka and Tokyo area.

If you have any other questions that would help give a better estimate, just let me know.

I've heard of the $30k "rule", but I thought it only applied to student visas or something.

Is it better if my husband finds employment before we go to Japan?
If he does, then does the process become easier? I'd like explanations on these scenarios for better understanding, because there is a lot of information to consider.

Are you trying to move to Japan without your husband finding a job first?

To work in Japan, you (or your husband, in your case I assume) needs to have an offer from an employer in Japan, who will interested in his skills to hire him and to sponsor him for a work visa. I don't know what your husband's work experience he has so far, but definitely he should look for a job in Japan first before he and his family (meaning you and your child) comes to Japan. Without employment, he cannot just apply for a work visa and dependent visa.

I see that you are from the US - assuming you are US citizens, he "could" come to Japan just with his passport, get Temporary Visitor status stamped into his passport upon entry into Japan, look for a job, and if he finds a job can apply for a change of resident status from Temporary Visitor to whatever type of "work" status that is applicable, all within 90 days that Temporary Visitor status allows him to stay in Japan. If he cannot find a job and apply for that change within that time frame, he will have to leave Japan once.

And doing that with his family in Japan would be risky too, as the application for your status from Temporary Visitor to Dependent can start only at the same time (or later) than his application for his change to "work" status. With a family to support, if I were in his shoes, I would look for a job in Japan BEFORE he moves to Japan.

Thanks for the information.

Are you implying that he should take his own trip to Japan and look for employment while the child and I stay here?

OP mentioned she plans to enroll in a language school, so she can get a student visa for herself and a dependent visa for her husband until he finds a job.

Oh, no. The opposite.

My husband will get a work visa, and a dependent visa for us.
I just wanted to go to school while on a dependent visa, unless I had to be on a student visa to attend a professional school after language school?

Well, for a foreigner with a philosophy degree, I think it is safe to say that language teaching is the only realistic option for a work visa. If your husband is willing to do that, there are plenty of resources to get you started. I would advise against coming to Japan before obtaining the work visa.

Okay, thanks for the advice!

Can anyone give me an estimate of how much we would need to bring to Japan after he found employment?

I'm leaning more towards Tokyo at this point due to the animation schools after attending a language school.

don't count on getting any work doing animation after you graduate from animation school. just getting your japanese to a high enough level to be able to enter animation school will take 2-3years, then getting a job will take another 1 year and you'll be at a big disadvantage because you're foreign, have a child, and won't be as young as the rest of the people you graduated with.

IMO I would avoid coming to Japan given that neither of you have very good qualifications for getting decent work here. You're going to be living a very hard life, paycheck to paycheck, depending on fly-by-night eikaiwas to pay you properly. The first few months will be a nightmare because of how the payment system works - you won't get your first pay check for up to 2months after you first start working, and most eikaiwa won't pay for transport either so unless you live in the inner city, the train fees get expensive. It's a vicious circle - need bigger apartment for family, can't afford rent, move farther from city, can't handle commute, father moves to smaller apartment closer to the city. thus you have one of the big reasons for the current depopulation of japan..!

the other thing is you don't seem to really have a solid idea of what you plan to do once you come here. animation is not going to work out for you, i'm sorry to say it but it's true. the pay is also terrible and most of the publishers are all on the list of "black companies" that overwork, underpay and abuse employees, especially females.

i'd consider postponing your move, getting better degrees in fields you can use here, then come over.

come to tokyo for a visit, also stay in osaka for an equal length of time, and see how you like it. deciding osaka vs tokyo based on animation school availability is pretty ridiculous. go and see what they're actually like to live in and interact with the people.

in my opinion osaka is a way better city to live in if you like actual humans. the people in tokyo are cold, heartless and ruthless and in general almost none of them are originally from tokyo so they all have defensive walls around them. kansai people are usually kansai born and bred and love their culture and are open and friendly or at least more expressive than tokyo-ites. the exception being people from kyoto, who can be challenging to understand for some.

anyway take your time and don't do anything stupid! go slow. visit BOTH places first, and imo FORGET ALL ABOUT ANIMATION. that is a big waste of your time and your life. it's like dreaming about becoming a famous t-shirt painting artist. probability 0.05%. if you're single, maybe ok - with a kid? very bad choice.

Dreams,

Thanks for making wild assumptions about my future.
You could have at least asked me, or not have been a "dream killer" at all when responding to this.

Do not talk to me as if I'm a 12 year old girl who watches anime all day and doesn't know anything about the real world.
For one, I make my LIVING drawing anime. I have been for over 7 years. Pretty sure I'm not a mediocre otaku that just wants to sprout fairy wings and live life in Japan as an IRL "animu".

I do not need someone telling me what I should and should not do with my life. I'm asking for advice to do what I WANT to do.


Thank you for staying up-to-date with the rate of foreigners, including Americans, who have been working with animation studios in Japan.

Also, thank you for assuming I wanted to live my life out in Japan, as if I never did my research, nor asked my friends who work in Japan as animators their take on being an animator in Japan. Lord knows I love the idea of working for peanuts, despite the fact that I have a dependent to look after. I mean, it's like... Maybe I actually want to attend a college in Japan so I can take back what I learned to America? Guess that's too farfetched of an idea for you, with your assumptions and all.

I've been thinking about this for years. I don't need to be lectured by some anon about what I'm doing in my life. Thanks, but no thanks.

I'm not sorry for coming at you. You were seriously asking for it.


Again, if you want to reply to my thread more sincerely, and not just order me around, feel free to do so. If not, shoo.

Charliesaurus,

You need to grow thicker skin. Dreams is spot on in everything they say - there is nothing in the Japanese anime industry for anyone - Japanese or foreign. Maybe YOU don't plan to set up shop in Japan, but the other 999 kids which come along and ask such questions, do. If you plan otherwise, you're the exception. Dreams is giving the right answer in 99.9% of cases, and you're chewing them out for not guessing you're in the 0.1% group?

Regards to jobs, basically, Dreams is right - the best your husband can hope for is teaching at an English school - 250,000 yen a month. Probably you need 100k a month for rent. If you're planning on school, figure another 50 - 100k a month for tuition. The remaining money has to cover everything else - travel, food, healthcare, gas, the occasional trip home. My guess, on a 250k salary, you're probably 50k short every month. Multiply that up by the number of months, and add it to your moving costs.

However, if you're determined to do it, your husband should look online for jobs, apply, and if he's lucky, he gets one in Tokyo or Osaka. More likely, it would be a rural location.

If you read anything in this thread, other than what Dreams said, I am the exception.

I am a successful artist on my own. Why the hell would I downgrade myself to work in a cramped, horrid environment for basically no pay?

Did you not read anything I said, or did you just skim over it?

I am not trying to work in Japan. I am NOT trying to take permanent residence in Japan.
What are you all not understand about the fact that I'm trying to further my skills and gain more knowledge in my field of art?
The reason I chose Japan was because that over 90% of my income is from anime art. With a skill in animation, that would improve my chances at obtaining more contracts for work.
Anime is not acceptable form of "art" in America. Everyone will tell you that. I actually want to learn how the Japanese animate. Also, it was a cheaper option, to be honest, considering most art schools are private here and cost at least 30K in tuition a year.
So why the hell not?
I don't need to be told what to consider if it's basic knowledge.


Neither of you considered that I have my own income, that I have talked to a consulate about being able to continue in Japan (which I could; same restrictions).

Dreams is not wrong when talking about any weeb trying to go to Japan, but he is not talking about me. Point blank. It's not relevant to me whatsoever.

Dainichi Heater's post still stands if you are not looking for work. In reality, your husband could probably only get a job teaching English, which is not high-paying; trying to support a young family in an expensive city, as well as paying your tuition costs, would mean a very hard life while you are in Japan. And your child is only one year old - who will take care of them when you are at school and your husband is at work? Now you're looking at extra costs for childcare too.

Definitely take a holiday in Japan first, if you haven't already before. Then REALLY consider if you want to live a paycheck-to-paycheck (or less) lifestyle for a few years in Japan.

And you can't just show up in Japan and expect to be allowed to stay. Any small amount of reserach would have shown you that your husband must be offered a job before he can get a work visa, or you need a student visa for study. Your husband could go to Japan and find a job while there, but it would be a lot less risky and a lot less expensive for him to find the job while still in the US. Also note that for you and your child to receive dependent visas, you will have to show Immigration that you have enough money to support both of you while only your husband works. This will probably mean that you will need a large amount of savings given that the only likely job your husband can get is English teaching, which doesn't pay fantastically. You could also get a student visa (for either language or animation school; language first would be best), which means you'd only need one dependent visa.

Calm down, and stop taking everything so personally. The previous commenters were being realistic and making sensible assumptions based on the information you provided. You did not say that you were an artist and that you didn't plan to stay in Japan forever. It is an unfortunate reality that moving to Japan is not as simple as packing your bags and umping on a plane. Japan takes immigration very seriously.

I understand what all of you are saying... but I've already explained everything, so everything being brought up, once again, is repetitive and irrelevant to me.

I asked one, major question.

Not one person answered it.

Stay on topic.

I know what I need to do. I know that my husband has to find work before going to Japan, as previously stated. We HAVE been to Japan. My spouse has actually resided there longer than I have, specifically in Osaka.

I KNOW about childcare. I know how much my husband would make a year, even at a minimum. Guess what? There's no restrictions on how much I make a year, even at 28-hours a week cap (which even in America, I don't work that much and can full provide for myself and a child and two damn needy dogs).

Stay on topic...

If you cannot understand why I'm frustrated, read the original post, because my question is still unanswered.

If there's a will, there's a way. If you are in Japan, you are living proof.
Nothing about any of this seems like a problem to me, considering I've talked to schools, I've talked to the embassy or consulate, I've talked my ass off pretty much to anyone that matters to get the answers I need.

Have you tried contacting the embassy about this? They would probably have a better idea about how much money you will need to take, given your situation is more specific than most.

Also, and I am not an expert so do not know if this is true, but I have heard that if you live in Japan for a certain number of months that you must be tax on any income you make, even if it is not in Japan. You might be paying tax in both the US and Japan, if this is the case, which could impact on your income.

As has already been said, realistically, your husband's best chances of getting a job is in English teaching - initially. Securing that first job is the key, and the best way to do it given what information you have posted would be for him to get one before moving to Japan. While not impossible, this is quite difficult given that visa sponsorship is necessary.

One options would be the JET Programme (if he meets the requirements). I also suggest searching online for companies who hire from overseas and are willing to sponsor. Additionally, of course, look at all employment fields, it is just that English teaching is probably his best chance of securing a job. Search this website's forums, along with the countless others out there. Also seek out specific companies and check their websites for ads. You might just find one that is willing to sponsor someone from outside Japan, or one that conducts interviews in the USA.

I would not worry too much about living in Tokyo or Osaka for the time being. Your goal is to get your family to Japan so if offered a job in a rural area, I would take it. Over the first year in Japan, you can work out your future in Japan and make plans. Opportunities can be found in many different fields so it is best to network and seek opportunities to get you where you want to be.

As others have said, finances will be difficult. Probably extremely difficult if you are on one income of a basic English teaching job. Living in a regional area will be much easier, but still quite difficult in my opinion. To answer your original question about funding - take (or have access to) as much as possible. You will need maybe up to 500,000 yen to tie you over for the first couple of months - possibly more depending on your expenses. Take only the essentials with you and get into a habit of living cheaply from day 1. Once you have an understanding of costs in terms of rent and living expenses, etc. in relation to income, you can adjust your spending habits as necessary.

Lastly, if you haven't been to Japan before, I encourage you to go as a family for a holiday. I understand this might be costly, but this will benefit you in the long run and give you at least some indication of what the country is like. You could even use the trip as an opportunity to source information regarding jobs, language schools, daycare, etc. I see great value in such a trip.

Good luck

So your question is about how much you'd need to "move" to Japan. I started asking about the job situation (the first ...(guest) here) because I thought you might not yet have a good understanding about the visa/resident status. I still think it's a bit of a risk to come with no job and with family, IMHO.

Having said that, considering that you might possibly have to move back out to the States if your husband fails to secure a job and complete the work resident status application within the first 90 days , you would at least want to come with full living expenses sufficient for three months, including accommodation cost (probably you might not be able to rent an apartment - you'd be limited to hotels, hostels, or "weekly rental" apartments that come furnished). You could look at the "Living" section of this website to give you some ideas about living expenses. Please search online for "weekly manshion" or "weekly apartments" to see the size and the monthly charges usually associated with this type.

If your husband manages to secure a job within the first 90 days and your family starts living in Japan, count a bit extra for accommodation still, because you'd need to furnish your apartment when you move in, plus 4, 5 months worth of rent for deposit/key money. Depending on how big a place you want, this will be quite an amount.

About your freelance work: the immigration rules, as they were established many years ago, do not really have clear rules abut online/remote work and taxes on them. So cannot really say much about it.
Best wishes.

I'll just go straight to the point and give you some guidelines to how much you should bring to Japan and the purpose of each expenditure.

1) Air tickets (calculate this on your part)

2) Rent (keep in mind that some places charge deposit, key money, guarantor fees, insurance etc). It may cost you up to a good few thousand $USD. I paid about $1200 just to set up for a small tiny one-person shoe-box size apartment OUTSIDE of Tokyo/Osaka. Expect to pay more for a 2-person apartment (plus a baby) and especially if you're looking at places such as Tokyo/Osaka....

3) At least 1-2 months worth of your monthly expenses. Most likely you'll not be paid during your first month in Japan as the payroll system here is based on the preceding month's work.

4) Childcare. Most kids here go to a childcare/preschool at 1.5 - 2 years old. If you're planning to send your child to one, be prepared to fork out 60,000 to 80,000 Yen a month for a private English/International preschool.

5) And of course, living expenses. This is tied to point # 3.

To give you a better idea, I personally earn 250,000 a month as an English teacher - before tax. After monthly tax and social insurance/national pension deductions, I'm left with about 207,000 Yen.

To break it down, this is how I spend:

My personal rent (1 person apartment): 46,000 Yen
Food: 30,000 Yen
Japanese lessons (part-time): 10,000 Yen
Transportation: 10,000 Yen (I walk to my workplace, so this excludes commuting to work)
Utilities + Mobile: 15,000 Yen
Miscellaneous (shopping etc): 30,000 Yen

Total: 141,000 Yen (on average)

207,000 - 141,000 = 66,000 Yen (balance)
Note: This is for ONE person.

This is a regular/minimal wage for English teachers in Japan. Decide for yourself if your family is able to live off this salary (plus whatever income you have).

How do you guys find an apartment? What is the best way to contact landlords?

I have sent an email but still no reply. How can i call japanese phone number using the internet? Need help. Thanks

Have your husband passed JLPT N2? If not, no companies will give him opportunity to take an interviews.

If I understand correctly, the main point of this move is for you to study; first Japanese and then professional training?

If so, then surely it's best to find a language school suitable for you and arrange a student visa (and a dependent visa for your child). The amount of money you need to bring will then be defined by your school and immigration's requirement. If you want to study, you'll have to get student status eventually anyway.

Your spouse can come along with you and enter as a temp visitor, with 90 days to find suitable work near your place of study. Will be much easier to find work in country than get someone to sponsor a visa from outside and have to do all the work.

I think you also wish to continue freelancing remotely. This might be difficult to arrange. Once you have a status of residence (student or dependent), you need to apply for permission to engage in activities other than permitted. This process could take a few weeks or more; so there could be a gap in your earnings for that time so take that into account with the money needed to bring over. (The system is set up for you to be employed by a Japanese company - so getting permission for remote working might be a problem as you need to specify the employer on the form and potentially show contracts etc. Don't worry about double taxation though. US and Japan has a treaty covering this. You will still have to declare these earnings in Japan, but you can offset your US tax bill against it, but it is possible that your Japanese tax will be higher so you will have to pay some extra. Also don't forget to account for compulsory pension and health insurance in Japan, based on your earnings so probably about 50,000 yen a month.)

Unlikely to be able to get city subsidized childcare as you won't both be full time, so could be 50,000 yen a month if you are in the city.

As for settling in costs - will depend on where you want to live, how big a place you can need, and how much of your "stuff" you bring with you. For a Tokyo/Osaka - probably 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 yen will set you up (fees, key money, rent in advance, key money, some furnishing/electricals, living expenses until paychecks/permission to work) for a cheapish 2-3 LDK place in the suburbs or a good sized 1DK in the city. Plus, you'll most likely want to budget to stay in an hotel for a couple of weeks or so to sort this all out (you'll get a better deal doing this locally and you'll have a chance to check out the areas to live in).