Do I need a Degree to live in Japan?

yllwsmrf,
i see your point and it isn`t and never was my intention to put it down like this. I was trying to say "hold your horses". I read a lot in another forum, one in my native language, where about 10 new posts appear everyday like this:
"i want to move to japan in the next 2 years". after asking for reasoning, and mind me I usually just read and don`t answer myself always, it comes down to the same point in 90% of the time. People love mangas/anime, put in some half-truth they heard about the country and ask how they can live here, without ever visiting before. I may come over like a bad person, but I actually feel it is better to be honest about some points. Japan is just way different than what you would expect (or most people at least). I have seen lots of disappointed people, that could not do anything here.
mangawill seems like a nice guy, but like you said, his problems will not disappear here. And Japan is definately not the easiest immigration country.
Like you said gaming/manga/anime might be a good start to get interested in a country, but then you have to move up and check out whats behind that image

Rintaru83,

No worries. I don't mean to come across as overly critical of your post. I just wanted to bring up that manga/anime themselves aren't necessarily bad, and I think we are both coming from the same viewpoint.

yllwsmrf and Rintaru83 I don't mind what you say no problem and anyone I know all that reply back are trying to help me that's all, i can accept the facts, am willing to learn more about Japan if people like you two and others can tell me more about it I really want to know more about Japan my Japanese friend said Japan is a lovely country he lives there and knows a lot about it he must be in his 40's or 50's at least can't tell by his age lol. Rintaru83 thank you very much for saying to me am a nice person or nice guy.

I don't mind asking any questions on here but if some aren't acceptable then I won't ask them so please can people remind me and I want to say again I have autism so that doesn't help and thank you very much to all the people who have helped me so far.

What is daily life like in Japan because am willing to get my autism better and my other illnesses and move and live in Japan in 2-3 years time but go on there for a few holiday coach tours first? What I think is that if I respect the Japanese they will do the same back?

move and live in Japan in 2-3 years time

So you will be finished with your degree in 2-3 years?

Another thing is that visiting a country for a few days to a couple of months versus immigrating to the same country to work and live are two very different experiences.

As a tourist you don't worry about being able to make money to eat, find a place to stay etc. because you do have enough money for the trip..and local people like you because you bring money there.

As an immigrant you compete with them for everything..it can be quite hard at first...especially when one doesn't master the language and customs well..getting a job may not be easy and you see your savings go down and down..
Eventually it does gets better..but some people can't hack it and have to go back home.

Am going to do some film training and internships in London in the UK then be a movie director, producer etc with what i mean by etc.

Am not going to give up with my choice to live in Japan forever no matter what it takes.

I heard Japan is becoming more westernized in what way is that the technology or what is?

Does Japan still have discipline still now brought down?

Are the Japanese very cooperative in jobs?

To answer your first question about degrees, the answer is actually No. You need a diploma at minimum. After dropping out of high school and getting a 1-year diploma in computer programming at a technical college I was able to get a job in Japan as a video-game programmer.

I have read something about you being Chinese in previous posts. While there are differences for Chinese trying to live here (much harder), I donft think that is one of them, although I could be wrong.


Related to directing, I am an actor and frequently appear on Japanese TV and in movies, so I know a bit about the film industry from the inside.
Frankly put, your goal is unreasonable. If your plan to get into Japan is by being a director for Japanese shows, your chances are extremely slim at best (0.1% maybe?).

#1: The Japanese film industry is more hierarchical than most other industries in Japan. This is why Japanese TV is so bad. There is a gchainh of respect and directors have to work for many years to climb that ladder. As a result, once getting to the top, everyone must bow to him and he listens to no one else. In America, the director and his staff pool their ideas in order to make the best show possible, whereas in Japan others are typically not allowed to question anything the director says. The directorfs pride is more important than the quality of the show.
This goes so far that the director with whom I worked last week literally punches and kicks his staff for any tiny mistake, and yelled at me (luckily he canft touch the actors) for a slight movement in my hand.

The bottom line is that you arenft going to come here and just suddenly be a director. The only way you will get that position is to be a Japanese child who started young, studied long and hard, and worked up the ladder.

#2: As a result of #1, I know of no directors in Japan who are not Japanese, however due to the number of Korean-owned studios (or studios with a large share from Korea), there are likely a few (very few) Korean directors.
It is inconceivable to me that there are any directors from any other nationality, nor will there ever be unless you are wealthy and can fund the film yourself. But that doesnft get you a visa\that is self-employment.

#3: You will never get a visa for such a position. Unless you are Steven Spielberg with a long history of block-buster films, there is no reason any film agency would sponser you for a visa given #1 (it would be a smack in the faces of all the directors working their ways up, and you would NEVER have the full respect of your staff), and given that they can instead just hire a local Japanese who has credentials and has been working through the system.

#4: You donft speak Japanese as far as I know. You will never be a director in Japan if you donft speak Japanese.


* I heard Japan is becoming more westernized in what way is that the technology or what is?
In my opinion it just means they are being slowly more open-minded to the western world.
I donft personally see much else changing.


* Does Japan still have discipline still now brought down?
What?


* Are the Japanese very cooperative in jobs?
That probably depends on the job. In my game company yes.
If you are a Chinese director, I think the answer will be No.



L. Spiro

Shawn W what you told me is it the facts or from what you know?

The question you didn't understand I mean is there discipline everywhere in Japan still and manners because the previous posts said not all like what an idiot?

I will have enough money to fund my movies and i will make movies in Japan with my own scripts and direct them myself and be a producer of my own movies. Not sure what you think now about what I posted today?

Am willing to learn Japanese also.

Which part do you question as fact?

#1: I got into Japan with only a diploma, not a degree. That is fact. It is factual that you need only as much as diploma, though again some things are different for Chinese\but probably not that one.

#2: In regards to being a foreign director, everything I said was from my own knowledge of how things work internally, but I fact-checked all of it on Google while posting. Google agreed with everything I said.
As far as I was able to find, there has historically been only one case in which a non-Japanese was able to come to Japan and direct a Japanese movie, and that was Aaron Woolfolk and his film The Harimaya Bridge.
However he only came to Japan for the filming of that movie, not for a visa to stay here, and his Japanese is native level.

I have not found any historical evidence that any human has ever come to live in Japan via a career in directing. Nor will such a thing ever happen. This is my own knowledge of the industry backed up by fact-checking online.


And as I said, having enough money to fund your movies does not mean you can live in Japan. In other words, being self-employed does not grant you a visa. That is not an option for living here.
Your own scripts, your own money, your own producing/publishing\all that means is that you can visit here for the production of your movie(s), not live here.


Discipline and manners?
Even I, an American, have had a few (very few) encounters with racism. But those people aside, generally people are polite.


L. Spiro

Another thing I forgot to mention was my job I want to be a freelance computer game tester first in the UK then in Japan since I will be able to test games from home as a freelance.

You just said you wanted to be a director. Suddenly a game tester. Which is it?

Either way you havenft increased your chances in the least.

The best way to get a visa is to get a job. That means to join a company and have the company sponsor you for the visa.
Some companies will sponsor you for visas on just contract work, but once again why would they bother? What do you offer that their in-house or local Japanese donft?
There is no shortage of people who are both ready and willing to be testers in Japan, so this is basically the same thing as if you had said, gI want to go Japan and work on a convenience store.h There is just no reason to hire a foreigner when there are so many people all around who can do it.

Besides that, there is no such thing as a diploma or degree in ggame testingh. If thought that you could use a diploma or degree in directing to get a job testing video games, you have misunderstood.
Your degree/diploma must be in the same field of study as your job.
Since you canft get a diploma/degree related to game testing, you canft get a job here with that unless you marry a Japanese woman and get a spousal visa.

There are several other problems with your plan anyway.
Firstly there is no demand what-so-ever for freelance game testers.
I have worked in several major game studios in Japan. My current studio makes a game series called gFinal Fantasyh.
In all of my companies testing has always been done in-house. When a project is coming to a close, the leader of that project sends a mail to the whole staff of the company asking for anyone with enough time to volunteer as a tester. Testing is always done in-house to avoid legal issues and because, quite frankly, it is easy to get people to do it.

Secondly, even if you did get a job, you wouldnft get to work at home. They will have computers set up at their offices.

Thirdly, Japan rarely makes PC games. Even if everything else worked out for you, you would die of starvation waiting between jobs.



I tend to speak directly without sugar-coating my words.
Frankly, my impression of you is that you are lazy and looking for an easy way in.
The fact that you want to be a game tester already means you are lazy (everyone and his or her dog wants to gjust play gamesh all day), but you donft even want to leave your apartment. Your plan is to come to Japan to sit in your apartment and play video games all day? Seriously?
How much Japanese do you know? Have you put any effort into studying Japanese?

If you arenft willing to put in the necessary effort, you donft deserve to live here.
Learn a real skill. Make yourself a valuable contribution to Japan. Learn their language and culture. None of this, gI will!h, crap, and definitely no excuses regarding disabilities.
It takes effort and commitment, and there are no easy ways in nor any shortcuts, so stop looking for them and start learning a real skill.


L. Spiro

Well the thing is i have autism so please can you speak more better to me and if i sound rude it's because of my autism like i said before i will and am going to get my autism and other illnesses better before going to Japan. I will learn Japanese before going to Japan, I will do movie internships in London in the UK for over 3 years so 3-4 years and work really really hard and lastly the games testing work from home am planning to get a Tiga Diploma in it from a course i will study and get experience as a games tester in a games studio in the UK for 1 year then work from home and have UK companies hire me to work from home and am not going to sit around doing nothing i have my games to test seriously not for playing computer games i know and lastly am not lazy because am really really hard working want to get into the movie industry.

I'm really sorry to say this, but someone just doesn't "decide" to get better with autism. Most people with autism have difficulty with independence and holding a menial job. Treatment is expensive.

Am planning to not get better with autism but cope with it before going to Japan i mean.

Mangawill- It seems that there is some odd things about what is being told to you. First, I hope you can follow your dream. According to visa applications, most jobs require a 4 year degree, not a certificate, not an Associates Degree (2 year), but a Bachelors degree. Instead of the 4 year degree, if you have over 10 years experience, you MAY qualify for a visa but you also may not. It is the government's discretion. Autism might be a hindrance but it may also be an asset! Did you know that some famous Japanese artists are Autistic? My husband is high functioning Autistic and he is an artist. I think you would enjoy living in Japan and it is a reachable dream. I do advise you getting your 4 year degree and learning at least conversational Japanese.
Please disregard the info that Shawn W (or is it L. Spiro? Seems he has two names and two occupations as well but no degree? I know Engineers require a degree. Two relatives are Engineers, one chemical and one Mechanical. Both have graduate degrees. There is no certificate in Engineering, not legitimate engineering anyway.As for acting, if someone is a big talent or experienced in the field in their home country, then they could find work but it is not the same as getting a regular work visa. The visa would be for the time period for the filming,etc. Foreigners can find some work as actors but the argument that Shaw, Spiro, whatever had applies to that as well. Why hire a foreigner when there are Japanese actors who speak the language and need no visa?
As you have never visited Japan, Mangawill, I advise you come visit for a few weeks or a couple months to see how you feel. I think you will enjoy it and will inspire you to do all you can to get your degree and find work. Depending on where you live in Japan, the area can be busy and noisy or quiet and serene. I find nights back home to be so peaceful and easy to enjoy quiet walks safely. Here where I am studying it is not very safe and people are much more rude and noisy than Japan. Good luck on your dream! Feel free to message me with any questions!
Umi