Cooking/Culinary/food based jobs and market in Japan

[theraw]

I was wondering what the Restaurant/Hospitality/food industry is like in Japan at this time. I recently posted a new thread about culinary school, and realize that I have a few obstacles to overcome. But I'd like to know about more of them now (obstacles that is) so I can concentrate on knocking them out one by one in order to make my way over to Japan by hopefully no later that Fall 10.
Would getting a job in a Japanese restaurant here in the states be a good way to get a job hook-ups over seas?

[spicytuna]

Hi,

The first obstacle I can see for you is the work visa. I mean, how willing would a restaurant be to go through the hassles of obtaining a work visa for someone with limited experience and limited communication skills?

Now that Japan is in a recession, you may be facing some serious competition from others in that field who require less training and less administrative work.

[MMM]

You do have an advantage in that as a foreigner it is arguable that you are able to cook your native cuisine better than a native Japanese, and it looks good for foreign restaurants to have foreign chefs.

What that means is you will need to find a sponsor. I don't know that working in a Japanese restaurant is worth it, as there is almost no chance you will be making Japanese food in Japan (for the same reason as the above paragraph).

[Keaton421]

As a Cordon Bleu London/Paris graduate, you'll have no problem getting a job cooking French food in Japan.

As a Japanese-trained chef, you'll have no problem getting a job cooking Japanese food in America.

Sadly in this industry it's difficult to have the best of both worlds. People want to see a foreign chef cooking foreign food.