Moving to japan (permanently)

Greetings all.
I'm putting serious consideration into moving to japan permanently, i currently live where i was born and raised, in england.
Part of my reason for moving is because of a family dispute which has been dragging on now for several years, i have worked since i was 17 as a graphics/web designer with a fair amount of photography work too, for a total of 10 years.

My problem is i do not know where to start in regards to finding employment there, applying for a work visa and the eventual citizenship, the language barrier is something i am already working on in university, obviously i do not plan to magically move there in the space of a month, i know it could take years or longer but i am more or less certain it is a move i need to do, for my life to progress further.

I would like to hear from anyone who is in or has been in a similar situation in regards to emigrating to Japan, or anyone who currently lives in Japan and works in or around the art/design/photography field who could possibly give some input on the employment opportunities available currently.

Thanks.

My problem is i do not know where to start in regards to finding employment there

Finding employment is the key to your success. With employment will come the visa. You should also check what the requirements are for the visa that applies for your work field. See the following page for details:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/appendix1.html

Searching for a job in Japan is similar to searching for a job in any other country. You need to to know what companies would be interested in you, do research, try to build connections, etc. A longer stay in Japan (on a tourist visa) with the purpose of job research might be helpful.

I agree with Uji.

One thing I might add that since you are a UK citizen, while I have heard there is an age restriction for this, you could come stay in Japan doing casual work up to a year under Working Holiday Visa scheme. This will give you a better idea about living and working in Japan. Search for other threads on this scheme on this forum, there have been many already.

Another thing is that in your field, it might be more difficult to find a full-time position at a company, which you will need in order to have a work visa, compared to, let's say, finance or IT fields. Photographers and designers might work more on freelance/per project basis, I think. So in any case, coming either on a tourist visa or under the WHV scheme would give you firsthand impressions about the country and your prospects here. Good luck with everything!

Just wanted to mention that for you to get Japanese citizenship is almost impossible (at least on your own). I don't want to say zero but pretty damn near close to it. Of course, the process would become much easier if you're able to marry a Japanese national but that's something you'll probably want to look into too. Also, would you be willing to give up your UK citizenship, because that's also a must if you were to attain Japanese citizenship.

It starts with finding an employer in Japan - after about ten years of working and living in Japan under a work visa, you will be eligible to apply for Permanent Resident status, for which you don't have to give up your UK passport. If you go one step further and get "naturalized," then you must give up other passport you have. Please take it as a very long-term project.

i want to put a stop to this myth that getting japanese citizenship is impossible.

if you want to get japanese citizenship, you have to meet the requirements. the requirements are not that hard to meet and are not that different from many other countries. the most important thing is that you're seen as a valuable contributor to the society and not a freeloader or problem causer. read the MOFA website for more info on becoming a citizen.

as for the original poster's query; to be honest the easiest way to come and live in japan is to just get a degree (either in your home nation or over here in japan) and then find a job teaching english. if you do a degree in IT you can specialize in IT instead.

you will not find work in IT without a degree or without a lot of verifiable and high end IT or programming experience. if you aren't truly a computer expert you can forget about getting work at a bank or something in tokyo. being without a degree makes things infinitely harder to find professional work here besides english teaching.

just my 2 yen. in my opinion starting your own business is an excellent way to support yourself but you won't be able to get a visa easily that way.

Thanks for the replies, really helps to have such comments.
In regards to the tourist work visa, for up-to-a-year, i'm assuming that doing that for 10 years doesn't count for applying to be a permanent resident?, otherwise i don't quite understand how you would spend 10 years working in japan continuously, without the very thing you'd be doing it for?

If it is a case of working for a year then returning to UK briefly, what length of time am i required to be out of the country before i can move back to Japan for another extended period of time under a tourist work visa?

I don't really mind giving up my UK passport and citizenship in the long run, though the thought of seeking a japanese national to marry, thus making things easier to move there seems somewhat ..bad?, unless i honestly fell in love with someone who happened to be a japanese national, it's not something i'm willing to consider, regardless of how much easier it would make things, i'd rather do things the 'hard way' than have to ask myself if i'm with someone because i love them or because it makes moving there easier.

Again, thanks for your replies.

In regards to the tourist work visa, for up-to-a-year, i'm assuming that doing that for 10 years doesn't count for applying to be a permanent resident?
It's called "Working Holiday Visa" (sorry for being picky about the wording, but I just want to be sure. This is different from Temporary Visitor status, which is often referred to as tourist visa, and you cannot work under.) and you will be granted that only ONCE, for up to one year, so you cannot repeat that for ten years.

otherwise i don't quite understand how you would spend 10 years working in japan continuously, without the very thing you'd be doing it for?
To be able to work in Japan any long time, you need to find an employer in Japan who wants to hire you full-time for your skills and sponsor you for a visa (yes, you need a sponsor to obtain a work-permitting visa).
I only mentioned the Working Holiday Visa as a period for you to get a feel for living in Japan and potentially look around for an employer during that time.

If it is a case of working for a year then returning to UK briefly, what length of time am i required to be out of the country before i can move back to Japan for another extended period of time under a tourist work visa?
As I said, you can come under Working HOliday Visa only ONCE. This is a scheme to give an opportunity for young people to come and travel the country extensively, while providing some way to earn pocket money to help with the travel expenses.

You could come on a working holiday visa first, just to get a feel for the country and see whether it is the place you are imagining. Many people with dreams of coming to live in Japan find the reality is quite different to what they expected.

Next, you need a 3-year university degree if you want to stay in Japan more than the one year on the working holiday visa. Having the degree will mean you are eligible to get a full working visa.

Please don't think too much about changing your citizenship at the moment. It is possible, but it is a long, drawn out process that requires you to have been settled in Japan for a number of years and a huge amount of paperwork. Very few people actually go down that path unless they grew up in Japan- I have been here for 10 years but have never even considered getting Japanese citizenship. Well before that you will need to look at getting permanent residence, which is another drawn out process requiring years of residence in Japan and a lot of paperwork. I know many people who have lived in Japan for decades on permanent residence- actually changing your citizenship is so much trouble most people don't bother.

Focus on the more immediate things, such as how you will get a working visa- what degree to get and what kind of job you will be aiming for, and also whether Japan is really the country you want to spend the rest of your life in (and if you haven't been here, I'm sorry, but you can't possibly know that). Living in a foreign country brings with it many of its own problems, which you may not have envisioned.

Good luck with coming to Japan. Take it one step at a time, and don't build Japan up too much, especially as an answer to all your problems- that way, there is less chance of being disappointed.