I went to Japan for 3 months, ask me anything (^^)

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Sorry that I've been silent, had to take care of a lot of things but I'm finally able to update everyone here, and hopefully provide my activity and info to Jref!
I was in Japan from the second week of September to the second week of December, Tokyo for the first two months and Osaka for the remaining month. Originally, I was going to explain everything briefly that happened, but after writing I realized that there was no easy way to condense the info without missing out on the true experience that I had, so I've decided to write my experiences extensively into a book/chapter format.

In the meantime, waiting to finish writing that before saying anything here would take a long time, so I decided instead that it would be much better if you guys just asked me whatever you wanted to know, and then whatever hasn't been asked would end up in the documentation of my experiences for those who want the deep details of everything that happened.

So, without further ado, ask me anything! Feel free to ask as many questions as possible, I have so much to tell!!

 

[Majestic]

Did Japan live up to your expectations?
Did anything disappoint you in Japan?
Was your Japanese language ability a sufficient lubricant to help you navigate Japan?
What is your next goal now, especially with regard to Japan?
What is the thing that surprised you the most about Japan?

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Was your Japanese language ability a sufficient lubricant to help you navigate Japan?

That's an interesting way to phrase that. lol

Haruto, where did you all go while you were in Japan?

 

[mdchachi]

Sorry that I've been silent, had to take care of a lot of things but I'm finally able to update everyone here, and hopefully provide my activity and info to Jref!
I was in Japan from the second week of September to the second week of December, Tokyo for the first two months and Osaka for the remaining month. Originally, I was going to explain everything briefly that happened, but after writing I realized that there was no easy way to condense the info without missing out on the true experience that I had, so I've decided to write my experiences extensively into a book/chapter format.

In the meantime, waiting to finish writing that before saying anything here would take a long time, so I decided instead that it would be much better if you guys just asked me whatever you wanted to know, and then whatever hasn't been asked would end up in the documentation of my experiences for those who want the deep details of everything that happened.

So, without further ado, ask me anything! Feel free to ask as many questions as possible, I have so much to tell!!

If you do get in the mood to write a more detailed journal, jref has that capability right here. Here's a recent example from @nice gaijin though I see he hasn't completed it and has left us hanging on how he resolved his lost passport situation.

Tour de Okinawa 2023

My first time back to Okinawa since the start of the pandemic

jref.com

 

[Majestic]

That's an interesting way to phrase that. lol

Yeah, I struggled with that.

I think what I was getting at was a longer, more involved question about Haruto's anxieties over language and being perceived as a foreigner, and the likelihood of being treated different as a foreigner.

He had/has a decent, albeit slightly idiosyncratic, grasp of Japanese. Idiosyncratic because I think he picked up a lot of his Japanese online, so it felt a bit slangy, and maybe not so appropriate for everyday situations in Japan. Well, I need to qualify that because if you speak decent but slightly strange Japanese as a foreigner, you can get pretty far. But if you want to function at a high level in the workforce in Japan, you need to "level-up" to situation-appropriate Japanese, which can be challenging.

But as I was ruminating on all of this, it felt like it was maybe too heavy a question for someone who was in Japan for just a few months. And it also felt like it was a long, roundabout way of me getting an opportunity to say "I told you so", because I was trying to tell Haruto in one of his posts, that the way people treat him had less to do with his Japanese ability, than it had to do with a more fundamental way of treating others in Japan.

Anyway, Haruto old son, I envy you. I hope you had an excellent experience, and I hope your Japanese carried you far.

 

[Buntaro]

Haruto,

Did you stay at 'gaijin houses' while you were there? How did that work out for you?

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Did Japan live up to your expectations?

Japan exceeded my expectations, especially Osaka. It's hard to put into words, but the life really suits me there, and I'm glad I didn't listen to anyone that told me that it was too soon to jump into it head first. I'm glad that's exactly what I did In some ways, of course, Japan was "different" than I expected, but never really in a bad way. The only thing I can think of that's negative is ↓

Did anything disappoint you in Japan?

the fact that it's next to impossible for a quiet person like me to make real life friends if I don't go to loud places like HUB. Also, just in general with attempting to make friends with Japanese people, I found that the majority of interactions can never allow you to become more than an acquaintance with someone, let alone a real friend that you can be yourself around. I was already suspecting these things of course, but hoped to be surprised in the other direction. I've managed to figure out a method to get online Japanese friends, but I quickly realized a pattern where you talk a couple times, and then never again, sometimes even removing you as a friend after some time. That part is a bit disappointing, but the things that didn't disappoint are overwhelmingly positive!

Was your Japanese language ability a sufficient lubricant to help you navigate Japan?

Yes, in some ways, depending on the definition of the word sufficient. I'd say that I just barely got by in many situations, and the first month I definitely had to adjust a lot. By the time I was in Osaka in my third month, I think my brain finally accepted Japanese as a second language rather than just a language I'm learning, if that makes sense. I'm guessing you guys know what I mean cause it probably happens at a certain point to everyone who learns a language. If I zoom into some of the first month's details, I can remember my first time when the 店員 asked me if I wanted a bag in Japanese, and she ended up switching to english because I didn't understand
Actually, for a long time I didn't even know what word they were saying but from that day I understood whatever word it was as "okay, they're asking about the bag now". And I noticed all the different variations along the way, like 「ご袋どうされますか」 and so on. Fortunately, after getting used to it all, I never often experienced people switching to English with me when I responded in Japanese.
Sorry to make this part long but there's one more thing I should say. When I came to Japan I realized my insufficiencies. Basically, back in the US I drilled grammar so hard but didn't drill vocabulary nearly as much because I thought 2000 ish words would be enough. Well, I guess I knew the wrong 2,000 words my experience with using Japanese might be unique in the sense that I rarely had a problem with the sentence structure by the time I was in Japan, but I often missed the meaning due to not knowing enough vocabulary words. The majority of my practice has been through texting, and I relied on kanji to understand/parse as well, so without that, it was more difficult. However, the times where I had no clue what someone was saying were rare. I even managed to go to a bank and go through the entire process in Japanese to attempt to send my friend some money (until the 銀行員 told me I can't without a phone number).
I'm now intending to focus on vocabulary more as well as focus on Japanese in general more to come back much better than last time. For the time being, I'm relieved to say that I'm at the point where the "core" of Japanese has solidified inside of me and what I learn can't disappear now, just the same as with English basically. I have the confidence that I will be able to learn any advanced concept thrown at me in Japanese now, because after thinking deeply about it, I began to understand it from an even different point of view than just daily usage. I don't know if that makes sense but you'll see what I mean eventually. Sorry for making this part long

What is your next goal now, especially with regard to Japan?

I'm going back in March, for three months again. My goal is still always to figure out a way that I can live there permanently, and I don't know how I'm going to achieve that without a degree and a currently depleting source of money, but I have to try. Firstly, I made some mistakes in my first trip to Japan, as to be expected, though I became really efficient during my last few weeks in Japan, and met quite a lot of talented people. I had to learn how Japan operates first from within, but now that I know, I think I have a better chance of connecting with the right people as well as potentially solving the issue of not being able to stay for more than 90 days at a time.
Still, to be honest, I can't say for certain whether it's possible or not for me to achieve what I'm trying to, but if I don't try in the best way I know how, then I might never find out, or it might be too late when I do.

What is the thing that surprised you the most about Japan?

難しいなぁ。。。Hm...
That's honestly a really difficult question for me to answer, I don't know why... There were a lot of surprising things but I honestly find it difficult to remember. Ah, here's a few things at least, although I don't know which is the most surprising. For one, there are some extremely loud Japanese people in existence which completely break the stereotype of Japanese people being quiet and reserved. It's usually 10, 20代 but sometimes people seemingly in their 30s too. I still remember hearing someone having a not-so-ear-pleasing karaoke session outside my window in 中野新橋 till his voice got destroyed. Another thing, although I guess I should've understood the magnitude beforehand, is the way Japanese people drink, especially the teens. Without fail, every early morning in 新宿 you can smell the reek of beer and (sometimes see) vomit from at least hundreds of Japanese people. Bringing me to one more thing, I saw a quite disgusting bathroom in 歌舞伎町 that sealed the fate on my view of Japan's "cleanliness". With how many people say how clean Japan is, I was expecting not to see such a thing, but that and many other experiences around 歌舞伎町 as well as other places gave me no choice but to have a view that Japan is only clean sometimes, in specific places. In the urban areas, it's often not as clean as people portray it.

On the other side, there's a female bathroom, where I ended up hearing what probably looks like the same thing on the male side.

Haruto, where did you all go while you were in Japan?

I'll see if I can list them to the best of my ability:
Tokyo
渋谷区
代々木・代々木上原（そこで住んでた）
原宿
新宿区
歌舞伎町
中野区
中野新橋（そこでも住んでた）
調布市
深大寺
I probably missed a few places, due to a lot of events occurring in short amounts of time, inflicting a heavy amount of compression on my memories during my time in Tokyo.
Osaka
中央区・浪速区
難波
道頓堀
阿倍野区・天王寺区
ハルカス
上本町
生野区（そこでも住んでた）
I hope that's what you meant by where I went. If you meant like individual places and stuff, I went to A LOT of places...

Did you stay at 'gaijin houses' while you were there? How did that work out for you?

I assume you mean share houses for foreigners, right? Yes, I stayed at two while I was in Tokyo, one for each month. It worked out decently, especially the second month in 中野新橋 which was pretty pleasant actually. The first month in 代々木 was a bit difficult as I was the only male in the house for the majority of my stay, and the others didn't really talk to me for the most part, even when I tried to talk to them. It was fine though, I didn't mind too much Second month was pretty good because everyone came in around the same time except one guy, and we all got to know each other at the same time and were friendly with each other and talked frequently.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

He had/has a decent, albeit slightly idiosyncratic, grasp of Japanese. Idiosyncratic because I think he picked up a lot of his Japanese online, so it felt a bit slangy, and maybe not so appropriate for everyday situations in Japan. Well, I need to qualify that because if you speak decent but slightly strange Japanese as a foreigner, you can get pretty far. But if you want to function at a high level in the workforce in Japan, you need to "level-up" to situation-appropriate Japanese, which can be challenging.

Despite what you might think, my online tone is actually a lot different from my real life tone in Japanese. Even in English it's different, although that's just because I have trouble expressing myself in general in real life. When I speak Japanese in real life I'm typically formal as of now, although admittedly I had to put effort into it at first. I honestly don't like that though, since when I want to speak casually, when the situation calls for it, I can't because the muscle memory of my mouth only has formal and polite Japanese speech patterns, even though the thoughts in my head are formed differently. It's weird but I'm gonna have to get used to that as well, and I can totally see this same problem happening to Japanese people too even, though typically in reverse for males (for example, I often hear men correct themselves from saying 俺 and replace it to 自分 in formal situations/interviews). I called an online friend for the first time, and even though we dropped formality a long time ago and all my thoughts were in plain Japanese or even spiced up Japanese, I kept saying things formally and had to stop and correct myself every minute... The speech patterns really get engrained...

But if you want to function at a high level in the workforce in Japan, you need to "level-up" to situation-appropriate Japanese, which can be challenging.

So to close, I'll say this: I think I have the capacity to use situation-appropriate Japanese as you call it, but the main issue is just making it muscle memory and getting used to those words coming out of my mouth, because I can easily type and sound like a butler if I want to, but letting it flow out my mouth naturally is a different story... My mouth just needs to taste that flavor of Japanese a handful of times to get used to the taste, if you get what I'm saying.

 

[mdchachi]

Japan exceeded my expectations, especially Osaka. It's hard to put into words, but the life really suits me there

What was different or more suitable, specifically? The attitude of the people? Definitely the takoyaki is better there.

Without fail, every early morning in 新宿 you can smell the reek of beer and (sometimes see) vomit from at least hundreds of Japanese people. Bringing me to one more thing, I saw a quite disgusting bathroom in 歌舞伎町 that sealed the fate on my view of Japan's "cleanliness". With how many people say how clean Japan is, I was expecting not to see such a thing, but that and many other experiences around 歌舞伎町 as well as other places gave me no choice but to have a view that Japan is only clean sometimes, in specific places. In the urban areas, it's often not as clean as people portray it.

That's essentially the arm pit of Japan and not representative of any place else.
Considering everything that goes on there, it should be surprising that it's not more trashed.
BTW, I don't think the image was necessary.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

What is the thing that surprised you the most about Japan?

By the way, one more thing that I felt was very shocking (more about the people) is the fact that many Japanese people don't care about spreading sickness and often nastily cough out in the open, when I thought they would be generally more careful and clean about spreading disease. Also, I noticed a big difference with men in the bathrooms compared to other places I've been so far: when they "wash their hands", they basically put their fingers under the water for half a second and then walk out I thought it was just one person but I can say with confidence at least 90% of Japanese men I saw exited the bathroom that way...

If you do get in the mood to write a more detailed journal, jref has that capability right here. Here's a recent example from @nice gaijin though I see he hasn't completed it and has left us hanging on how he resolved his lost passport situation.

Thanks, I noticed it and wasn't sure at first whether it would fit as a journal but good to know I can do that. Also good to know that I can release it in parts so I don't have to keep anyone waiting too long.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

What was different or more suitable, specifically? The attitude of the people? Definitely the takoyaki is better there.

I'm honestly not quite sure, but it wasn't quite the people, I found them to be somewhat similar to people from Tokyo, but just more "themselves" if that makes sense. I only had a few interactions with strangers, but they were mostly all nice, except an old lady that told me 「死ね！！」. Maybe it's just the amount of talent I discovered over there vs in Tokyo, combined with the way I got to live in Osaka opposed to in Tokyo (by myself, being able to own a bike, etc.) All I can say is that Osaka felt the most like home to me for some odd reason, especially 難波 which is funny because I was "homeless" there yet I felt at home to the point that I almost always came back to that area which I stayed (JRA) whenever I got food in the area or something. Unfortunately, there never came a convenient time for me to try takoyaki. I wanted to try it at some point, but with street food it's kinda difficult to take home to eat and I usually was on a mission if I was out, so I think I didn't even eat any street food.

That's essentially the arm pit of Japan and not representative of any place else.
Considering everything that goes on there, it should be surprising that it's not more trashed.
BTW, I don't think the image was necessary.

True, it can definitely be considered that... And my example was extreme, but still I really feel this way for a lot of other urban parts of Japan too. I know it's not the fault of the people, but because of the rare existence of trash cans, there tended to be bottles and cans all over the place, on top of vending machines, various ledges, etc. and in Osaka there's more trash cans so this happens a lot less, but over there someone even put trash in my bike. So those are my main reasons for saying it. I mean it's still definitely not horrible, but I just don't think it's as mesmerisingly clean as people frequently say. It's just alright overall, to me.

 

[Buntaro]

Haruto,

If you want to work in Japan but don't have a college degree, try finding work on an American military base in Japan. How about becoming an ambulance driver or an air traffic controller?
And there is always the option of marrying a Japanese woman…

Osaka fell strangely familiar? Maybe you lived there in a previous life. Seriously. I had the same sensation when I first went to Japan.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

If you want to work in Japan but don't have a college degree, try finding work on an American military base in Japan. How about becoming an ambulance driver or an air traffic controller?

I'll look into it, I didn't know that was possible without first going through all the intense military training if I can simply get a calm job like an air traffic controller that would be a dream come true, even if I get paid minimum wage unfortunately, I don't think I'm cut out for driving jobs, and I don't even have a full driver's license, just a permit. But thanks for letting me know, I'll see if this is really possible!!

And there is always the option of marrying a Japanese woman…

I attempted to find some women interested in receiving compensation for marrying me and making it look real (and I'd love to have friendship with them, but other than to achieve my goals, not interested in true marriage whatsoever), but my search methods weren't good enough and I have less money now, so I don't know how well it will work next time I go
The first person I found online during my stay was someone who had a 「PayPayくれたらなんでもします」 profile, so of course, I had to take up that offer and ask her to agree to a limited timeframe self arranged marriage for the purpose of attaining the spousal visa, but, unfortunately (for more than one reason) it turned out she was a minor
The second person I found was a friend who wanted money, but in the end she didn't feel comfortable with the idea because we didn't know each other well enough.

Osaka fell strangely familiar? Maybe you lived there in a previous life. Seriously. I had the same sensation when I first went to Japan.

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if that's actually the case. Some parts of Tokyo also felt strangely familiar in a different way than Osaka. It's weird in Tokyo's case because things from the early 2000's era in Tokyo feel very nostalgic for me, but I'm still uncovering how past (and potentially future?) lives work, because I was already alive in this life by late 2003. In Tokyo I often had a sense of deja vu or "remembering" a place, which shouldn't be possible considering most of the places that happened in were built in fairly modern times. But, ya never know I guess... Gonna have to see a QHHT therapy specialist one day and do past life regression to find out
For Osaka it mainly just felt like I belonged there rather than a deja vu feeling, although I think there was that too, but it was much stronger in Tokyo honestly.

 

[mdchachi]

except an old lady that told me 「死ね！！」

This seems worth expanding into a journal entry.

I'll look into it, I didn't know that was possible without first going through all the intense military training

Civilian jobs are not military jobs. For example I knew a guy whose job it was to run Boy Scout programs on military bases.
And of course there are food services such as Burger King or whatever. But that being said I think you still need a Japanese work visa.

The second person I found was a friend who wanted money, but in the end she didn't feel comfortable with the idea because we didn't know each other well enough.

I think this way is too fraught with risk. If you get married, much better for it to be a genuine relationship.
Plus, in your case, I was under the impression you didn't have much money to offer anyway.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I attempted to find some women interested in receiving compensation for marrying me and making it look real (and I'd love to have friendship with them, but other than to achieve my goals, not interested in true marriage whatsoever), but my search methods weren't good enough and I have less money now, so I don't know how well it will work next time I go
The first person I found online during my stay was someone who had a 「PayPayくれたらなんでもします」 profile, so of course, I had to take up that offer and ask her to agree to a limited timeframe self arranged marriage for the purpose of attaining the spousal visa, but, unfortunately (for more than one reason) it turned out she was a minor
The second person I found was a friend who wanted money, but in the end she didn't feel comfortable with the idea because we didn't know each other well enough.

I agree with @mdchachi on this one. I personally don't respect anyone who goes down this path. My first aborted marriage did not last very long, although we did end the union amicably enough. Just before the divorce, she offered to wait until I could obtain a spousal visa, but I declined. I'd rather stay on my own merits than abuse the system.

 

[Buntaro]

Haruto,

There are a lot of people that work on base and are civilians. For example, all of the bases have schools and all of the teachers are civilians.

Being an air traffic controller can sometimes be very stressful but I think they make $100,000 a year! If you're interested, you should definitely look into it. By the way, there is a shortage of controllers so you could find a job quickly— maybe even in Japan as a civilian. Working in a control tower is also an option. Would you like help finding out about such jobs?

If you married mostly for a visa, I think I can guarantee you would live to regret it. Also, if Immigration found out, you wouldn't get your visa.

Just by hearing about your Japanese ability alone, I would say there's no question you are a reincarnated Japanese person. (I know people who have lived in Japan for decades and can't speak Japanese for beans.)

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

This seems worth expanding into a journal entry.

And it will be done indeed

I think this way is too fraught with risk. If you get married, much better for it to be a genuine relationship.
Plus, in your case, I was under the impression you didn't have much money to offer anyway.

If you married mostly for a visa, I think I can guarantee you would live to regret it. Also, if Immigration found out, you wouldn't get your visa.

I agree that it's risky, which is why I haven't made it my main plan or anything, but more of a "last resort" kind of thing. Also, I do have a limited amount of money, but I'd be willing to give what I have up (a few thousand left + some extra value in various places) in order to have the chance to permanently live in Japan, because then I could either make money in Japan, or even if it was too difficult to get a job for some time, at least I could stay there and know that I wouldn't have to leave. To the average young Japanese woman these days, nothing would be better than a few extra hundred thousand yen, while maintaining freedom to do whatever they want with their life. That's of course the only archetype that I would create such a deal with, because I'm also not the kind of person to take away "true love" from someone if that's what they really want. For me personally though, if I married for anything other than the visa, I think I would regret it even more, because Japan is my true love and I want every shot I can get at her so I hope you could understand where I'm coming from. Of course, if there's any better way to do it I'd be more than happy to follow that path as long as I can surely achieve it without a doubt.

I'd rather stay on my own merits than abuse the system.

I would agree, except for the fact that the system abuses (people like) me. It makes it very difficult for someone with an unconventional lifestyle and skillset to exist in this world, let alone truly live. I would probably be dead right now if I did everything the way the "system" wanted me to do it.

Civilian jobs are not military jobs. For example I knew a guy whose job it was to run Boy Scout programs on military bases.
And of course there are food services such as Burger King or whatever. But that being said I think you still need a Japanese work visa.

I see, back in the US at school they only told us about the fact that we could get non combat military jobs and stuff but still had to go through the training regardless of whether we were able to be deployed or not. And yeah, I thought I would need a work visa, but I'm interested in what Buntaro has to say about this, such as if there's some kind of exception to get the work visa without a degree (other than specified skills, as we all know I have none that they are currently looking for).

Being an air traffic controller can sometimes be very stressful but I think they make $100,000 a year! If you're interested, you should definitely look into it. By the way, there is a shortage of controllers so you could find a job quickly— maybe even in Japan as a civilian. Working in a control tower is also an option. Would you like help finding out about such jobs?

Hm, I am already a quite stressed person but I'm always willing to give it a shot. $100,000 is quite a lot of money that's almost 5x what I made at my first job...
So yes, I would like help if possible to find out about these jobs. I already did research after your first post about it and couldn't find anything specifically about air traffic controller jobs, but found some info about working for U.S. military bases in Japan overall. However, it's discouraging information...
Some concerning things for example, it seems that with something called SoFA status, all years towards P.R. or naturalization (my goal) before/after attaining the status will be reset... Furthermore, it seems in most cases you're required to return to the US at the five year mark apparently without the ability to get naturalized either, and you must stay in the US for a minimum of two years before going back overseas again... and this applies to all federal employee jobs, general schedule and even non general schedule ones :/ there's apparently contractor jobs and USO jobs separate from SoFA, but I assume any loophole about not having a degree would fade away if the SoFA status isn't required either, however it's all so confusing I can't say for sure. And so far I've found a website called HelloWork for jobhunting in Asia, but other than that I'm quite lost...

Just by hearing about your Japanese ability alone, I would say there's no question you are a reincarnated Japanese person. (I know people who have lived in Japan for decades and can't speak Japanese for beans.)

I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case, however I can't help but question people who have that kind of experience with learning Japanese. I can only wonder if it's due to something like laziness or limited effort put into learning Japanese. I personally consider myself quite bad at learning languages, and it often felt like I had to put in twice the work as someone else to "catch on" with it and be able to truly understand. I also feel like I took a longer time than normal to get to the level I'm at, though it could mainly be due to the fact that I didn't have a "real teacher". But even with what felt like limitations I eventually caught on after pushing through and focusing really hard on what I had trouble with. I had a lot of lazy days too but I think if the average person puts half the effort I did then they should see similar results if not even better results. To be fair though, I do store nouns, adjectives, and verbs as visual imagery rather than just words, so I might have an edge on learning kanji (storing the visual meaning alongside the visual pictogram is extremely helpful) but I did have to struggle so much with grammar and watch at least a couple hundred different grammar videos, and rewatch many of them more than once, until I finally understood. It's hard for me to think that anyone without a mental disability could be much worse off than that unless they weren't as serious...

 

[Buntaro]

Haruto,

I will look around and see what I can find out about ATC (air traffic control) jobs. (I used to have a friend of a friend who worked ATC.) I am sure that if you are ATC qualified you can work at a military airport tower in Japan.

I want to emphasize that IF YOU ARE A CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO ANY MILITARY TRAINING.

Also, if you have a job on an American military base in Japan, the Japanese government cannot say you need a visa to be there. You can even live off base ("in Japan") and the Japanese government can't stop you.

 

[mdchachi]

To the average young Japanese woman these days, nothing would be better than a few extra hundred thousand yen, while maintaining freedom to do whatever they want with their life.

A few extra hundred thousand yen will not give anybody freedom to do whatever they want with their life. Even a million yen is only about $7000 at today's rates which would barely pay a year's rent in Tokyo in a tiny one-room studio apt.

I would agree, except for the fact that the system abuses (people like) me. It makes it very difficult for someone with an unconventional lifestyle and skillset to exist in this world, let alone truly live. I would probably be dead right now if I did everything the way the "system" wanted me to do it.

I'm personally not bothered by a victimless crime like this but still you need to consider the risk/reward aspect.

And yeah, I thought I would need a work visa, but I'm interested in what Buntaro has to say about this, such as if there's some kind of exception to get the work visa without a degree (other than specified skills, as we all know I have none that they are currently looking for).

You can get hired under SoFa as you said but you still need to have the minimum skill set and give somebody a reason to hire you.
Check usajobs.gov and sort by salary. They do list some low-skilled positions there that are "open to the public."
For example this "Recreation Aid" at Sasebo for $15/hr. Here's a reddit thread from somebody sort of in a similar situation as you.

I can only wonder if it's due to something like laziness or limited effort put into learning Japanese.

It's absolutely related to effort. The fact is, it's easy enough to live and work in Japan without Japanese skills. And if you're not in a situation where you have to use it (like if you're an English teacher and your spouse speaks English) then it would take concerted effort to learn Japanese.
Oddly enough when I lived and worked there, I didn't need Japanese in my job. I ended up using it a lot more in the U.S. when I joined a Japanese company. That's in the workplace. Of course living there I used it a lot more in my daily life than I do now.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

I am sure that if you are ATC qualified you can work at a military airport tower in Japan.

Thanks, I did a quick search on google and found another jref forum post about ATC, although I assume the answer received by the OP was because he was asking about non-military bases? Anyway, looks like jref used to be a bit harsher back in the day

I want to emphasize that IF YOU ARE A CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO ANY MILITARY TRAINING.

Good to be sure of it then, thanks

Also, if you have a job on an American military base in Japan, the Japanese government cannot say you need a visa to be there. You can even live off base ("in Japan") and the Japanese government can't stop you.

That's even better to know I was always curious about that kind of thing. It's a grey area in my mind how much of our US privileges would still remain on a US base in Japan.

A few extra hundred thousand yen will not give anybody freedom to do whatever they want with their life. Even a million yen is only about $7000 at today's rates which would barely pay a year's rent in Tokyo in a tiny one-room studio apt.

That's why I said "while" maintaining freedom, as in, they wouldn't have to deal with the burden of an actual husband, as well as no sex/child-bearing requirement, and so on. Freedom as in they can live their life as they please as long as we still manage to "simulate" a real marriage. Not that the money I give them would make them free, because if it did... then I'd already be free

I'm personally not bothered by a victimless crime like this but still you need to consider the risk/reward aspect.

Indeed, and like I said I have considered it which is why it's basically at the bottom of my strategies, and also, it's difficult to quantify in some ways because if it turned out to really be the only way available to me and I didn't take it, and ended up having to leave, never being able to come back due to permanently depleted resources, that would suck just the same as being banned from Japan for 15 years. It's hard to say which one would be more likely to occur, but if it were my last chance, I would want to take it.

You can get hired under SoFa as you said but you still need to have the minimum skill set and give somebody a reason to hire you.
Check usajobs.gov and sort by salary. They do list some low-skilled positions there that are "open to the public."

Hmm, I'll take a look then... but with SoFA I would basically be at the mercy of my job even after the 5 years and would have to spend 2 years outside of Japan before being able to come back (found out it doesn't have to be the US, which is good, but), two years is quite long and also in this way I'll basically never get to be eligible for citizenship because it will reset at the 5 year mark :/ I'll still look into it though in hopes that maybe it could somehow get me inside then potentially have the ability to move to another job or something, maybe.

For example this "Recreation Aid" at Sasebo for $15/hr. Here's a reddit thread from somebody sort of in a similar situation as you.

Seems interesting... I took at the reddit post as well but it seems the guy wasn't having much luck, I feel bad for him but also I can tell that he has spirit so I know he'll achieve his goals somehow. I don't know how far spirit will take me buttt, I'll do what it takes

It's absolutely related to effort. The fact is, it's easy enough to live and work in Japan without Japanese skills. And if you're not in a situation where you have to use it (like if you're an English teacher and your spouse speaks English) then it would take concerted effort to learn Japanese.
Oddly enough when I lived and worked there, I didn't need Japanese in my job. I ended up using it a lot more in the U.S. when I joined a Japanese company. That's in the workplace. Of course living there I used it a lot more in my daily life than I do now.

It's true, when I was there it was quite easy to just use English, and unfortunately having made next to 0 Japanese friends in real life (at least 0 permanent ones), I only had the opportunity to rely on daily interactions with japanese workers to get practice. I guess the difference is I really wanted the practice so bad, where as maybe others wouldn't have cared for it as much if they could live a comfortable easy life. I honestly found it more fun to try my best in Japanese though. I would carefully do my best to map out the potential directions a quick conversation could go, and prepare myself to respond to those things, and then try my best to carry out my end of the conversation smoothly. Feeling myself improve at it over time was one of the joys of being able to live there, so it's sad that some people don't care for the language the same way. Even on trains (when I did ride them) I would pay close attention to the names of each place and their proper pronunciation (which is always "corrupted" when hearing it from an English speaker for the first time), including the kanji as well so I'd be able to recognize and read the name from then on.
I truly found so much fun and joy in little things like that. It paid off so much too, because I'm starting to truly understand some song lyrics that didn't originally make sense to me before or went over my head, and I only keep finding that Japanese allows for something deeper than anything else i've ever seen or heard when it comes to creative writing... So expressive to a degree of infinite potential

 

[Buntaro]

Haruto,

Here is what I found. Civilian ATC training requires 2 years in college. There are only 31 colleges in the US with an ATC program. If you want, I can post a link to the list of colleges.

You can get also military ATC training, which is separate from FAA ATC training, and it is free. (Military life is better than you think, and military physical training is not as bad as you think.)

 

[mdchachi]

That's why I said "while" maintaining freedom, as in, they wouldn't have to deal with the burden of an actual husband, as well as no sex/child-bearing requirement, and so on. Freedom as in they can live their life as they please as long as we still manage to "simulate" a real marriage. Not that the money I give them would make them free, because if it did... then I'd already be free

Oh, I misunderstood. If so, I don't see the benefit of the arrangement from their standpoint if much money isn't involved. In order to maintain their freedom in the manner you suggest then all they have to do is not get married.

Seems like the most reliable way to get to stay in Japan is to get a degree and get a job. There must be some cheap, low value degrees (that take less than four years) that would be enough to fulfill the requirement. Here are some but it would still require you to work enough to pay for tuition though.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Civilian ATC training requires 2 years in college. There are only 31 colleges in the US with an ATC program. If you want, I can post a link to the list of colleges.

Unfortunately I have a low level of certainty that's something I can do Anyway, I might as well give it a shot if there are available colleges in Japan with it, but I still find it unlikely that I can take just the ATC training alone either way, and if more is required than the training itself it's more than likely that I'll get stuck :/

If so, I don't see the benefit of the arrangement from their standpoint if much money isn't involved. In order to maintain their freedom in the manner you suggest then all they have to do is not get married.

It's not an insane amount of money, but it's easy money, and the equivalent to multiple paychecks for the average person, so especially for a younger woman like 18 to early 20s, I'd assume it could be more of a win than a loss. Considering I also saw a woman of that age range on the side of the street (for a long time) with a sign that looked exactly like this:

assuming you know what that means, I think you'll be able to agree that what I was offering instead wasn't a bad deal just saying. It's not like they wouldn't be able to divorce later on 6-7 years later either. I can admit that the deal would look much better to someone who I was already friends with of course, since they wouldn't truly have to go out of their way to do anything, already having to be involved with me in the first place.

Seems like the most reliable way to get to stay in Japan is to get a degree and get a job. There must be some cheap, low value degrees (that take less than four years) that would be enough to fulfill the requirement. Here are some but it would still require you to work enough to pay for tuition though.

It's reliable for the average person, but the main problem with the degree requirement isn't even the money (although that became an issue too), it's really that I have a low chance of making it through any college/university and passing, unless the content is solely of one course (for example, just photography class, no math or anything else involved to get the degree). Also, the time it takes is abominable to me, even if it's two years (assuming I can't be in Japan during that time). Even if I get to go to school in Japan, knowing that if I don't pass, I will have to leave before the 5 year mark and reset my citizenship eligibility deters me from attempting to even apply to a school, because more likely than not, I won't be able to get the degree, knowing myself.

 

[Haruto Uzumaki]

Forgot to reply to these parts:

Military life is better than you think

I doubt that,

military physical training is not as bad as you think

and I highly doubt that

Also, this conversation made me remember that I don't even like living in this world for reasons like this. I guess living in Japan made it easier to forget that

 

[mdchachi]

Ok, well, anyway back to the main topic. As I understand it, you were living on a budget. Do you have any tips on how to survive cheaply in Japan? Or things you would have done differently in hindsight?