Make it to Japan without working or studying?

Hi there, I am Male, 24, East Asian, and have a business undergraduate degree. I have always loved Japan but am aghast how hard it is to actually move to Japan.

I am semi-retired and do not want to work a difficult job. I also am completely done with college so I will not be doing any schooling for the rest of my life. I also am not confident at all to get a JP partner so the marriage route is not going to work. I also do not want to run any businesses so the business route won't work.

How can I make it to Japan besides visiting it twice a year as a tourist?

I have been looking at countries with easier immigration requirements such as Portugal, Mexico, Brazil and Paraguay. But Japan is just this pain in my chest that I really do not want to forgo in my short lifespan. Please let me know as much as you can.

Please note that Japan doesn�ft have a visa that allows non-Japanese to simply move and live. Japanese immigration authorities grant visa/resident status based on �gif needed�h basis – meaning there are work visas for those whom local businesses want to hire for their skills and experience so that the applicants can work for them in Japan, student visa for those who want to come to Japan to study, family based visa so that the family members can stay together in Japan, etc. There is no simple immigrant visa – in that sense Japan is not an immigration-friendly country.

If you want to come stay a few months at a time, Temporary Visitor status (if it applies to you) is available, and there is a longer term holiday visa (I forgot the exact name) for up to one year I believe, with a certain savings requirement.

But reading what you wrote, regardless of the location, what do you WANT to do in life?? I mean, no studying, no difficult work, beyond the tender age of 24??

Odd question to ask - but when you say East Asian do you mean origin or which passport you hold?

Your profile states that you are currently live in the US. If you have a US passport - then you may be eligible for a working holiday visa after COVID has lifted. Note that you will also need a good amount of savings for this type of visa as well.

But onto living in Japan permanently - this is difficult even for people with a job and the right credentials. To put it simple - Japan and most countries do not have a "I want to live in XXXXXX" visa and never will.

As such - if you want to live in Japan you'll need to: complete some more education, have a job that means you need to be in Japan or marry a Japanese person for love and not just a visa.

I thought there was no Japanese working holiday visa for US citizens?

OP, no offence, but you sound like you're unwilling to work for this in any way and just want an easy route. Such a route does not exist. Most countries require you to need to be there for some reason, or provide something useful to the country (e.g. work), in order to live there - what benefit is there to Japan for you to just show up and not contribute? You'd be a drain on their system since you are not willing to work. If at age 24 you are so unmotivated to work hard to get something you want, you won't get very far in life.

As someone has already said, there is a one-year tourist visa available if you can prove a very high savings balance (Google it). But this is only temporary, and can only be applied for once.

Just visit as a tourist and leave every 80 days and return the next day.

If you are "semi"-retired at 24 then I guess you have a lot of money? Big assumption I know but the only people I've ever heard of retiring in the 20s (or 30s or 40s for that matter), were those with an abundance of money. If money is no issue then would it really be so bad to just enrol in the least demanding language school you can find and study Japanese? Just as a way of getting your foot in the door for the time being. Surely you don't want to just sit in your room in Japan for the rest of your life? Studying at a language school will be enormously beneficial if you plan on spending your life in Japan.

Or if you're really wealthy, start a business or buy an existing one.

Great answers friends.
And I guess the only 2 viable options for me is to either just go the Tourist route, 90 day Japan 90 day US 90 day Japan 90 day US, or to enroll in an affordable language school and learn Japanese for 2 years and hope I can find a job after 2 years. Problem with being a tourist is that nothing can be granted to you, no Driver License, no Zairyu Card, no Japanese Bank Account, no Japanese Credit Card, no MyNumber, no legitimate status...

It's not that I do not want to work hard in life, it's just that, with much much easier options present (Mexico gives you immigrant visa instantly if you can prove you have a lot of money, Portugal gives you immigrant visa instantly if you can prove you have consistent passive income...), Jumping through the Japan fire hoops would be a very difficult choice, if it's even worthy to go through all the drama at all.

I can live decently in Southern Nevada forever with the amount of money I have right now, but Japan is really this big pain in my chest that I feel utterly saddened that I can never make it there on a more permanent basis.

I'm not sure where you read Portugal will give you an immigrant visa instantly on proving you have passive income, perhaps if you are from an EU country that is so, but as an American without a job it is much harder, since they want to prove you are someone who can afford to be in their country:

https://internationalliving.com/countries/portugal/portugal-visa-and-r...

Mexico isn't instant either, but it is much easier than Portugal. There are just a lot of Americans that are in Mexico illegally though.
https://www.mexperience.com/financial-criteria-for-residency-in-mexico...

I honestly, think you underestimate how easy it is to move Internationally as a semi-retired young person unless you are actually millionaire wealthy or getting a significant amount from investments.

I also ask you, how easy do you think it would be for a Japanese 24 year old who was "semi-retired" to move to the US because his heart hurt not living in the US. Do you think it would be easy for him? I mean this quite honestly, I am not sure why you expect Japan should have an easier immigration process than the US.

Have you looked into living costs in Japan and how they compare with Southern Nevada? Obviously the visa is the bigger sticking point, but if you did find a route to let you stay for a longer period you would want to be confident that the savings you do have will cover you.

You dont need to spend 90 days back in the usa before returning. One calender day is all you need.

Go to busan and back.

H, this can't be done indefinitely - Immigration will catch on and there could be consequences for continually coming back for another tourist visa after one day away (e.g. a ban). Temporary visitor visas are for temporary stays; continually "renewing" this visa indicates you are not a temporary visitor, but more like a resident who doesn't pay tax.

Dear all, I've been looking at the forum on this website for a few years for travel tips and to connect with others about their experience. I just want to flag that two years ago, OP posted a lot of questions regarding traveling to Japan and experiencing Japan as cheaply as possible. Seeing the latest post now, I'm weary if OP is serious and want to jump in so no one is wasting their time online.