question on immigration/naturalization

So I was having a long talk with my girlfriend (actually it's complicated) and both of us originally met because of a common interest in Japan. She's been over there once and loved it, I have to have been, but have long studied the language and culture.

Anyway we're both thinking about the possibility of immigrating in the future... I'd love to move to Takarazuka, for example. I'm not sure what career I want to go into (right now I'm in a Asia Pacific Management program, but am looking at other options). My interests are videography, video editing, retail business, and various creative endeavors (it would be amazing to be a videographer for the Takarazuka Kagekidan) and so on.

So I was looking at what this website says about immigration how in 10 or so years you could be come a permanent resident or a citizen in 5 or so.

our question is on the '' have sufficient assets or ability to make an independent living'', and exactly what that entails. How affluent you have to be... especially if you're looking at a couple who would ideally like to become naturalized together.

I intend to ask my Sensei at college and the consulate about this matter... but would appreciate any input the members of this site would have as well.

Rei,

Permanent residence is likely to be 5-10 years down the line for you, and naturalization is a long-winded process that even most long-term residents don't contemplate.
I recommend you both sit down and read through the forum archives about what is involved in moving to Japan and working. Do you have a university degree, for example?

I am aware that the process takes about 10 years, I have read all the requirements on the Japan imigration website. I'm not expecting it to be anything other then hard.

And no I do not have a degree yet, right now I'm in a diploma program called Asia Pacific Mangement. Which is a combination of East Asian Studies and Buisness managment at the end of the program I will be placed with a Japanese company to work for 6 weeks to a year.

People from the program have, decided to stay with their companies and gone on to work on permenant residence. I'm not expecting that to happen to me and am planning to return to North America to complete a full degree program. My girlfriend is working on a design degree as well.

We're not planning on moving now, we're just looking at the requirements down the road.

Also naturalization was her idea, but she's decided she does not like the idea of giving up her Canadian citizenship. So we'd only be looking at permanent residence.

I know several people who have attained it, I know it's not an easy process... and I've talked to Japanese nationals about it as well.

I'm just looking for as much advice as possible to start planning.

Plan the more immediate things, like improving your Japanese skills and thinking about what kind of job you would be doing and what kind of visa you would be on. Japan may not live up to your expectations, so really it isn't worth even thinking about permanent residence yet. You yourself haven't been to Japan at all yet, am I right? It might be quite different from what you expect.

I have lived here for 10 years and am married to a Japanese, but I haven't applied for permanent residence yet and may not bother as it can be a lot of hassle.

As for becoming a Japanese citizen, why? As Dave says, very few people go that far. You will not be Japanese even if you change your citizenship in any case.

Takarazuka is a nice small city but may not have the employment opportunities you are looking for. Most foreigners find themselves going where the work is, not picking a place to live and then looking for a job there.

Good luck with your future.

Thank you for your response and it is indeed good advice, and mostly what I am doing. Of course I will be testing the waters as I said I am going there on a work practicum once this program is over... and I'm sure there will be things that are different then I expect on the other hand I've spoken at length with enough Japanese nationals that I have some idea what I'm getting into.

I am not some wide eyed high school anime fan who thinks Japan is all about cartoons and fast cars and whatever else. Nor do I think Japan is a magical place, where everything is perfect...

My immediate goal is to complete my diploma program (hopefully having a knowledge of about 2000 kanji by the end of this school year), go onto my practicum see how things are. come back, complete my degree alongside my partner then if we both still want to, seek employment in Japan.

Thanks for advising me that there are not many oppertunities in Takarazuka... It seems like an awesome city to live in and i was hoping to work there or commute to Osaka. but if that's not in the cards it's not a big deal.

I realize citizenship would not "make me Japanese", and honestly it was my s-o who was interested in that not me... and now she's not after she realized she couldn't hold dual citizenship with Canada.

anyways thanks for the heads up.

It is definitely commutable from Takarazuka to Osaka, it's just that there are plenty of other places in Japan and circumstances might place you somewhere different.

You seem very level-headed so I didn't think you were a wide-eyed anime geek (although you see them on this kind of forum a lot), but I still think that thinking about permanent residence in a country you have never been to and which is very different from your own is somewhat premature.

Many people come here and find that the realities of living in a foreign country are a lot harder than they thought, and not worth it in the end.

I was actually the opposite- I came here planning to stay 8 months. I have left Japan a couple of times, but came back again, and am now surprised to find myself still here after so long! The longer I stay here, the more I like it, but I hope very much that I won't be retiring here- you may well feel the same.

Yeah I do see that, part of my program involved several courses in intercultural adaptation and communication, so I can even give you spiffy academic names for different stages in adapting or failing to adapt to a different culture.

Bottom line is, we're simply wondering about how it works more then anything else. But I've managed to find most of that info already since my first post, and I'll talk with my consulate and Sensei when the new semester starts.

After all, if I decide Japan's not for me, then I won't be hurt by having done the research will I? So why not research it now?