An interesting problem

[WeareX]

Hi. I was recommended this forum by friend in Japan who has been trying to help me.
I'm 21 and I was born with spinal muscular atrophy type II.
For the longest time now, it has been my dream to live in Japan but you can imagine this is no simple task. In fact if I do move to Japan, I'm pretty sure I would be the first person with spinal muscular atrophy to ever live abroad alone but but i'm determined to do whatever i have to to make my dream real.
But I write because my main hurdle in moving is the fact I need a full time 24/7 care giver. Because of my disease, there is no way I can take care of myself but I have no clue how to look into such a thing so I'm hoping for someone to point me in the right direction. If I can work out this care giver problem, I'm confident I'll be able to find some kind of work and such without much trouble.
Thank you

 

[Grandpa Frank]

A few questions for a better answer ?

What is your level/skill with reading/writing/speaking Japanese? Until you find a job , how will you pay for your medical needs? If you become to sick to work and homebound in Japan, will you be able to survive financially.Are you limited with mobility(wheelchair or crutches). Will you require special housing(ramps/bathroon/hoyalift) and or special transportation? Will meds and supplies you may need be available in Japan?
If no one answers your post , try sending a private message to FrustratedDave. He's a member here with some knowledge of medical info in Japan; he might be able to help you. Good luck with your dream!

Uncle Frank

 

[WeareX]

Wow, Ok...Thank you.
What is your level/skill with reading/writing/speaking Japanese?
I would say advanced basic but i'm learning more every day

how will you pay for your medical needs?
I surprisingly don't have many medical needs at all so i should be able to cover my few

If you become to sick to work and homebound in Japan, will you be able to survive financially?
I've thought about this and I believe so

Are you limited with mobility(wheelchair or crutches)?
I'm in an electric wheelchair

Will you require special housing(ramps/bathroon/hoyalift) and or special transportation?
Yeah i would need ramps and such. I can't drive a car at all so i will probably be commuting everywhere and from my understanding trains and such are pretty accessible

Will meds and supplies you may need be available in Japan?
Yup, I only take prilosec for acid reflux

 

[Grandpa Frank]

Sorry to pry and bug you ,

but I figure knowing more about you will help members here give you better answers and help you with your dream. Some of our members don't get on till the weekends so be patient , and hopefully answers to your post will start popping up. Also , some answers may be very negative , but don't take it personal , people will want you to have realistic expectations based on what they know from their living in Japan.

Uncle Frank

 

[Mike Cash]

First things first:

Under what category of visa do you propose to relocate to Japan? Unfortunately, there is no "It's my dream" category.

Clear the visa hurdle first. Until you do that, there's little point in discussing the rest.

 

[nice gaijin]

Have you visited Japan before? I would say that's a major first step in giving you some hard evidence whether it would be reasonable or not for you to live there long term.

I've always remarked that Japan seems unabashedly wheelchair-unfriendly. There doesn't seem to be any access laws like we have back home (I'm from the US). I guess one question is how ok are you with the fact that without an enormous amount of difficulty you may never see the inside of many buildings beyond the first floor, unless your wheelchair is able to climb stairs. Tall curbs and deep gutters may be nothing to step over but I imagine them making life in a wheelchair very difficult. The kind of work you do there (if you intend to work) is important logistically, but if you need a full time caregiver you're looking at very high living expenses; I hope you're independently wealthy.

 

[Glenski]

The visa issue is a serious one. You can't be a student forever, just a few years, and you can't stay as a tourist more than 90 or 180 days depending on nationality.

You will either have to have some sort of work visa (including a business manager/investor one, where you operate a company by yourself but need at least 2 FT Japanese employees) or be married to a Japanese (to get a spouse visa). Eventually, you could get permanent resident status, but that typically takes 10 years unless you are married to a Japanese.

MOFA: Guide to Japanese Visas
Immigration Procedures Guidebook

I'm confident I'll be able to find some kind of work and such without much trouble.

Why would you say that? Your low level of Japanese ability right now will not really mean much towards most work visas, either, I'm afraid.

 

[WeareX]

Thanks for the reply's. I have a few options in terms of visas but ideally, I want to work as a kakutougi journalist. I already write for a few well respected sites and I'm connected with the people in the biz over there. I was thinking of a working holiday visa. That way i can work a little bit (maybe teach some English to help with $) as i set myself up and see how things go. Then change over to a working visa once i find something.

Just my main plan and i'm very realistic in my expectations so i'm not expecting anything to be easy or perfect but i'll do whatever it takes.
I'm fine with wheelchair-unfriendlyness, Australia is the same way so i'm very used to it.

 

[Glenski]

Working holiday visa is valid for 18 months for Aussies (although they will officially tell you only 12).

I hope your connections here allow you to solidify a job. I have my doubts, though.

I think you should seriously try to figure out how you are going to deal with a 24/7 care giver, whether you are working at home or from an office, and whether you teach private English lessons. Best of luck.

 

[Kirie_Maiden]

Are you more likely to get a visa if you take the option of becoming an English Teacher over there? It's an option to consider if your ideas of becoming a journalist don't pan out. I have heard that the asian countries are crying out for English Teachers (this was told to be by a chinese lady from Hong Kong, so I can't really speak about the situation in Japan).

Sorry if I am unhelpful, but it is an idea to consider. There is a programme (I can't remember what it is called, though) that gives you the opportunity to teach English in Japan for between 1 and 4 years without much knowledge of Japanese required. I'll see if I can find the website again for you, if you're interested.

 

[WeareX]

I think the English teaching definitely has a higher % chance of working out and i have no problem doing that or anything that or anything I can. Kirie, that link would be lovely if you can find it.

I was talking to another one of my friends who lives on a base in Japan and she asked around and may have found someone who i can get in contact with about acquiring a care giver.

 

[Kirie_Maiden]

I found it.

The JET Programme--Official Homepage of The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme--

Hope it helps.

 

[Mike Cash]

It's usually me who ends up being the one who rains on parades around here and I suppose I may as well get started....much as I hate to in this case.

Will the same entity who currently pays for your 24/7 caregiver also pay 100% of the cost of a caregiver while you are in Japan? Is there any assumption that the Japanese national health care scheme will pick up the cost for you?

Have you actually confirmed with Immigration that your conditions and requirements are not impediments to the issuance of a working holiday visa?

Do you realize that despite massive strides in social acceptance and infrastructure improvement over recent years, this is still one incredibly wheelchair UNfriendly country? Outside of a few bits of major urban centers, you are largely screwed.

Employers won't know what to do with the awkwardness of having an extra non-employee around all day, have zero shortage of willing applicants with no special needs, don't have facilities to accommodate your needs, will worry about how customers will react, and would rather not have to bother with any of it. In short: your employment potential here is highly extremely severely limited. I would have used more adverbs, but my vocabulary failed me.

The JET program requires a bachelor's degree, I believe. Do you have one?

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I bet trying to ship an electric wheelchair.....

to Japan would prove to be extremely expensive if not impossible. Trying to find one in Japan and getting it to fit and be serviced would probaly be pretty difficult. Maybe it has changed now , but back when I was in Japan , for two years , I never saw a person out and about in any kind of wheel chair. They all seemed to be in nursing homes or homebound. All the little details sure seem to add up and spell out impossible?

Uncle Frank

 

[nice gaijin]

wouldn't the wheelchair just go with him on the plane? Servicing might be an issue, although maybe they could get him some nice robot legs instead ^_^

 

[WeareX]

Well first, thanks for the link Kirie. My friend and i talked about JET but he said the waiting list is VERY long and even then placement isn't a sure thing.

Now for the other concerns. Right now, I live at home so my mum looks after me. It would be silly of me to think Japan would cover any of my needs.

I haven't checked with immigration about it but i will.

I'm fine with wheelchair-unfriendlyness. As i said, Australia is very unfriendly to chairs so it doesn't bother me at all.

The last point is a valid one, however i don't think i would need the carer to follow me to work or even around the city. Once I'm up in my chair, I'm basically fine by myself. I'm aware my prospects are limited but they aren't non-existent, I've taught English to native Japanese before without issue.

The chair shouldn't be an issue as long as i get a power converter for it's battery charger but some robot legs would be very nice.

 

[Glenski]

JET hires only once a year, and I have never heard of any wheelchair-bound ALTs working for them. Yes, the waiting list is long, and placement isn't a sure thing, but that's the norm with big language outfits.

I would be more concerned about your health care giver. I don't think a 24/7 person would be allowed to attend work with you on JET. You said they wouldn't have to follow you around the city, but just what did you mean by 24/7, then? JET ALTs usually work in rural areas, and that's another concern, whether for the actual availability of a care giver, or the ability of one to come to your aid if you need them in an emergency (at work or elsewhere).

 

[WeareX]

Yeah...I didn't explain the 24/7 part very good, sorry.
What i meant is i can't roll myself over in bed at night so i would need help at night as well as day.

 

[undrentide]

Yeah...I didn't explain the 24/7 part very good, sorry.
What i meant is i can't roll myself over in bed at night so i would need help at night as well as day.

I nursed my mother some years ago, she was bedridden and needed to be rolled over every three hours to prevent bedsore, including during night.
During day time helpers came twice a day and took care of that, and in between, my father did and when I was home from work, I took care of that. I could get the helpers under the Public Nurse Care Insurance (kaigohoken) in Japan (we paid 10 perscent of the cost and the remaining 90 percent was covered by the insurance.) Yet the number/frequency of the services were quite limited.
If you're staying home on your own, you might need a live-in helper, which would be very expensive.

Care manager of my mother told me that some security companies are offering the services to visit one's home during night to do this kind of services. We did not take it because getting someone come to our house at night means it did not improve the situation (i.e. I had to get up every three hours everyday, which was extremely tough because I could sleep only a few hours, and if someone comes, then it would woke me up anyway) but if in your case this kind of arrangement might help though it is limited only for night.

Another option the care manager told me is to use a special air mattress. It rolls you at regular intervals (on can set the timing like every 2 hours, 3 hours, etc.). The disadvantage of this mat is one may have nightmare or bad dreams of sea-sickness because of the particular motion it gives, according to the manager.

This may not be very helpful, but just for your information.

 

[WeareX]

Thank you very much, that info is very helpful.
Do you know how i can inquire about a live-in helper?

 

[Glenski]

That will depend on where you live, WeareX, and on how well both of you can communicate. I wouldn't expect a heckuva lot of bilingual Japanese care givers here.

 

[WeareX]

My friend suggested maybe contact an immigration attorney in Japan and see what they say.
I'll also contact the Japanese embassy to make sure my illness won't be an issue for a visa and i'll also talk with a fellow aussie i know who lived in Japan as an MMA journalist for ages.

 

[WeareX]

I emailed the consular and he said my spinal muscular atrophy will not be an issue with getting a visa.
1 small hurdle down

 

[Mike Cash]

That's good news. I'd really like to see you pull this off.

I was thinking about all the logistical challenges involved in your doing this and it dawned on me that life for you is probably a series of challenges and from your viewpoint you may as well be tackling one set here as another set somewhere else. Besides seeing you pull it off for yourself, I'd simply purely love to have the example of your success story to forever afterward throw in the faces of the endless stream of people who tell us, "I'll do anything to go live in Japan!!!".....and then upon being told, "You need to apply for a passport, to begin with" suddenly decide that's too much hassle and they give up and go on to something else. (And that is only just barely an exaggeration).

 

[WeareX]

Haha I'd love to be an example. To be honest i've done a lot of things I've been told i would never do and this is just another one, My dad's exact response when i told him i want to move there was "Ok...Don't let me stop you" lol. I've sort of got a battle plan laid out based on all the input from you guys and my friends over in Japan so i'll just take it step by step...or wheel by wheel as it where.