How to Move to Japan
Dreaming of Moving to Japan? You first need a long-term visa. Here are some options
EXPAT LIFE
Andrew Haley
9/6/20243 min read


Japan...Land of the Rising Sun
An advanced society with a high quality of life
But how can Americans move there?
Short answer: It's not easy
But often the most challenging things in life are the most rewarding
Let me teach you more...
There are five main paths for Americans
Family Connection (Spouse/Child)
Digital Nomad Visa
Business Manager Visa
Residency via Real Estate Investing
Work for American Organization in Japan
(1) Family Connection
By far the easiest way
Having a spouse or child that is a Japanese citizen unlocks the country to foreigners
Get long-term, renewable visa
Bring Family members (Y/N): Y
Potentially live in Japan rest of your life
Having a Japanese speaking family member is a cheat code to daily life!
It makes it infinitely easier to navigate renting an apartment, opening a bank account etc
Many Japanese speak English, but it’s never guaranteed! English ability varies widely
(2) Digital Nomad Visa
Just started in 2024
A six-month, non-renewable visa
Proof of health/life insurance
+$75K/yr annual income
Bring Family members (Y/N): Y
I am skeptical about the future of this new program
Seems like they are setting up foreigners for failure
How do you rent an apartment for only 6 months? (Japanese landlords were already hesitant to rent to foreigners with 12 mo lease)
How do you handle daily life if you don't speak Japanese? I think the foreigner would have a terrible time getting started...bank account, utilities, etc, without a decent ability to speak/understand the language
Curious to see how this evolves over time
(3) Startup + Business Manager Visa
Start a business within 14 designated cities
Begin with 1 year Startup Visa then convert to multi-year, renewable visa
Bring Family members (Y/N): Y
Existing business from USA doesn't count, unless it's a proper registered Japanese branch
This path would also be quite hard for foreigners. You can't just have a website; you need a physical location
Seems like even the most basic business such as selling apparel/coffee mugs could cause you to lose big $$$
Plus the challenges of navigating Japanese business bureaucracy and tax
You will need to register your LLC (called a LTD in Japan) and pay Japanese income tax on your business earnings
(4) Residency via Real Estate Investing
Technically called Business Investor visa
Must make +$40K investment in Japan
Long-term visa
Bring Family members (Y/N): Y
Because it's hard to invest in Japanese companies, you can buy real estate + start your own rental property LLC
I would also approach this with great caution
Real Estate in Japan is not like in the USA
There should be no expectation of rising prices for investors
Also, tenants have expectation of static rental prices, and landlords often cave in
Foreigners don't understand how to navigate the real estate market and associated bureaucracy
Lack of Japanese language ability would hold you back here big time as well
You could lose big $$$ here
(5) Work for American Organization in Japan
Another easy path...
Whoever you work for already has an office in Japan and is willing to sponsor you plus family members
Might even assist with getting settled like advice with housing, utilities, and Japanese income taxes
This is how I lived in Japan the first time (US Navy) and life was relatively painless
But these opportunities are often hard to come by...not everyone works for a global organization
I would probably stick with
Family Connection type visa
International Employer type visa
Everything else seems too challenging to me
But what do I know? I could be too cautious
Have you used any of these visas on this list?
How did it go?
I'd love to hear more about it!
Ando Arashi
878-223-0083
hello@ando-arashi.com


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