[Tsuwabuki]

I am going to echo the sentiments stated earlier, and I'm sorry, I have to say it a way that might hurt some feelings:

This thread could very well have been a good one, for adults in Japan. However, this thread was not started by adults, and it is clear the the majority of the participants in this thread are children. Childhood fantasies about playing house are all fine in the appropriate forum, but considering the problems pointed out in adopting from Japan for those living IN Japan, I think the community would be better served by this being for information, regardless of the original intent. The roleplaying should be in a different place all together.

In fact, as I have tended to read various threads on this forum, I am disappointed in the complete and total lack of understanding of what it takes to move to another country, work in another country, and live your life in another country. There are visa laws to consider, qualifications, bank balances, labor law, unions, degree status, nationality... And that's just getting in! What about work, well, you have the same issues as you would in any western country. You can have bosses that cheat, you can have bad clients, you can have students who hate you, coworkers that want to sabotage you. And Japan is a cash based society, so you need a lot of it on hand to get stuff done. Let's not even discuss what it takes to get an apartment and how racist the process can be... and citizenship or permanent residency? Sure, it happens, but only if you're willing to put in the effort to jump through some very large hoops...

No, Japan is not just going to let you waltz in and no it's not a land filled with pocky, seifuku, and opportunities for all. And it certainly isn't going to hand you a Japanese baby.

To get this back to some sort of semblance of reality, I've always believed if I were to adopt I would take an older child, preteen or teen. That is the age I teach, and it's always harder, always more work, so few get adopted. It's much easier to take a baby than to take on the task of helping to rebuild an abandoned child's life. That's what, ultimately, I would think would be much more rewarding, even if I understood that the beginning might be the most difficult thing I had ever done. And it's sad that children above six get stuck in the system. I'm sure I am not the only who has this viewpoint.