How can I move to Japan from the US?

Hello, I have a great interest in moving and living in Japan. I think their culture is beautiful and I would love to learn and experience what Japan is.

I come here because I have really no idea how to go about my dream. I understand that to work at Japan you need a work visa and I would just like to clarify some things. But about me:

- I am 18, going through my 2nd semester at community college. I plan to transfer and graduate with a bachelor's in Film Production.
-At the moment, I am a Legal Resident of the US but I will obtain my citizenship in a few years.
-I am fluent in both Spanish and English, and I will learn Japanese before I move there so I can have the odds a little bit more in my favor.
-Although this is just kinda a hobby I just picked up, I do enjoy drawing a lot, especially in the manga style, so that's that.

Hopefully, I can get some help on how to go about this :)

Thank you.

do yourself and other a favour , please read the forum.
tonnes of these question had been answered.
use the search function.

Since you say you want to "experience" Japan, I take it that you want to stay maybe a few years, not pursuing a career in film production in Japan over the long run.

Finish university and get a bachelor's degree in the US.
(If you grew up in the States and are considered a native speaker of the English language) see if you can find an English teaching position in Japan, or maybe teaching Spanish (though the demand is less).

Or if you do want to pursue a career in Japan, you'd need to get your language ability to a working level, which would take at least a few years of intensive studying in Japan.

But as the earlier "guest" mentioned, there is plenty of information on this question forum for others who want to something similar.

Maybe you've already been there, in which case disregards this, but: I'd also suggest going and visiting there for a while before making a decision. I've known people who were set on living in Japan but had a change of heart after visiting for a while.

Other than visiting as a tourist, you need to be able to do a job in Japan in Japanese (unless you do the language teacher gig), or as a student. Look up the visa categories on the Japanese immigration website.

You can't just turn up and stay - even if you had a million dollars.

Not sure if JapanCustomTours was saying that in relation to my post, but just in case, I did mean to visit as a tourist, then come back to the US and if you still want to live there, try to line up a job and the proper permissions, etc. Sorry if that was unclear!

As others mentioned, the best would first to come to Japan as a tourist first.

If you really want to come to Japan, the best path is to first learn the language. As you seem to be aware, that will give you a head start (and improve your chances to get a visa though it seems it would not be too difficult in your case anyway). Learn at least the basics in the US. Then apply to get a student visa. Study for one year in a language school, pass JLPT N2 (proficiency test) and that will open many doors, including going to a vocational school (to become a mangaka or whatever your goal is then) , for instance.

Sorry - I was unclear. I was meaning that people coming to Japan cannot just turn up and stay - the immigration rules are cumbersome and quite strict.

When we were looking at how to move to Japan our local embassy basically said what we wanted to do was impossible because we are not students or language teachers, or working for someone else. So we used an intra-company transfer option - we had some good legal advice along the way, but even then the first immigration lawyers we approached were not so good.

The other point which might have gotten lost is that if you want to work locally you are competing with local, native Japanese speakers - don't expect special dispensation if you can't communicate fluently unless it is a special job where you don't need to.

Employers will be looking for evidence that you are actually good at your chosen line of work AND be able to communicate with you co-workers (spoken/written/reading). If you are an electrician or film maker you can still be expected to know the local requirements and beat out other people to a position.