Hi

[landquest]

Hey everyone

I've been living in Tokyo for about six years, going on seven, and I've done everything from english teaching (of course) to modeling / acting and even bartending at the dirtiest bar in Shibuya. I have a wife and daughter and am in the process of applying for a permanent resident visa. If you have questions about any of the stuff I mentioned, I will do my best to reply and won't be a snob about it!

I fell in love with Japanese music in high school (google Shibuya-kei & Keigo Oyamada), and then Japanese films in college (I love them all, old and new) and writers like Haruki Murakami and Oe Kenzaburo.

My film teacher urged me to study the language, I did and now I'm here. The newness has definitely worn off and I definitely miss things about home, but then again things are good here, too.

There are unfair parts to life here as there are anywhere, some of which could be interpreted as a kind of bureaucratic subtle racism, but I try not to take it that way.

Some people get embittered about feeling excluded by the culture here and I can agree that alienation is a very real thing and it sucks to deal with, so I have sympathy there. I know there is snobbery in any forum and that the people who are most knowledgeable sometimes act like gatekeepers in order to feel validated. I don't plan on doing that.

I just want to say I am able to offer only my viewpoint of what it's really like here (in Tokyo), and in order to be as honest as possible and not a jerk, I will never be condescending.

And super nice to meet you all!

 

[thomas]

Welcome to the forum! Please let us know how your PR applications proceeds. I shall be applying this year too.

 

[landquest]

Hey nice to meet you to!

I will post up PR app info, but I'll need a little time to gather up the materials. There are a bunch of different ideas of what you need, but the ones who actually know are the guys at immigration.

So, for a shortcut, call them, ask for someone who speaks english, and ask them what you need.

It's actually not as hard as I thought, just one trip to the local city hall / office for necessary documents. It's all the worrying about "Do I have everything exactly as it is supposed to be?" because of the anal, all paper bureaucratic system they have here.

Anyway, I'll get something up in the next week or so!

 

[thomas]

Wasn't there a requirement that you had to "contribute to Japanese society," in one way or another?

Anyhow, good luck!

 

[landquest]

Yeah, I mean that's where it gets hairy -or tricky, I guess.

If you run a business or do something that is otherwise clearly profitable for Japanese Society, or you have done a buttload of charity work (not sure if it was a buttload, or how much really), OR if you are a college profesor or perhaps even studying something in science, making some discoveries or something...

I am getting this all from a page I found where it just had examples of people who were accepted after applying even though it was before the ten-years-living-in-Japan requirement.

Of course, all of the above need not apply if you are married to a Japanese citizen. In which case, you only need to wait until three years have passed since signing your marriage papers and then you can apply.

Not sure how it works if you get divorced, though... I also am curious about how long you can be out of the country after being awarded PM status, y'know?

I'll maybe write a blog post about this some time in the near future, thanks Thomas!

 

[zoomingjapan]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I've been in Japan just a year less than you and I also would love to apply for permanent residency, but as I'm not married (I'm a foreign female ...) I will have to wait another 4-5 years until I can.

Have you ever lived anywhere else, but Tokyo?