I'm planning on taking a trip to japan...
 

Hi everyone I'm planning on taking a trip to japan but I don't know if I want to move there yet or not. I'm really wanting to get my band started there as well. But anyway I just want someone to give me some advice to move or not. Thanks for reading :)

angel of death

You can't move to Japan like you can move to another state. You must have a visa, which means you either have a job or are in school.

There are tons of live music venues all over the country, and many like having talented foreign acts play. Some former stars, like Steve Stephens and Marty Freidman have rebuilt their careers by learning Japanese and working in Japan.

I think you need to think of HOW you are going to live there, first.

Totally offtopic, but I just gotta say Marty Friedman is my idol. He goes on Japanese TV shows as a guest and plays guitar while the hosts cook awesome meals for him. Livin' the sweet life, I'd say.

yeah you can't just say you're gonna live here. i would imagine its even hard to move to a different state in the US if you're doing everything by yourself. (i moved three times in the US and i saw the hardships my parents went through each time) japan is probably one of the more harder countries to start your life anew. housing is hard to get, language and culture is totally different, and if you're not teaching english your job opportunities are very limited. i would rethink your plan of starting your band here...

I think the album with Hangar 18 on it (Megadeth) is my favorite of his stuff. I am a big fan, too.

I actually played in a couple bands in Japan. (The other members were all Japanese), so if I can do it, anyone can, but if you want to bring your band with you, that's another story.

yeah you were already living in japan doing something else i suppose? because you can't just pack up your bags and say "mom, i'm going to japan...see ya!" i dont think the original poster realizes how complicated moving to another country is.

I have to agree. Im planning to go to japan in the next year or so but only for tourist then im going to come back home try to learn japanese fluently and maybe go back and try and stay in japan for a year and see how it goes from there.....

Of course! I didn't plan on playing music there. One thing just led to another.

just one thing
 

i just want to say one thing.... TAKE ME WITH U!!! :D