I live in Japan!

[typing]

I personally do have a bit of a problem having my Photograph taken and my fingerprints taken.

I've never done anything wrong and that is primely why I have a problem with it. Innocent until proven guilty so why am I already getting tagged as though I was a suspect of being something?

I feels it's racist when the USA does it and it's racist when the Japanese do it.

Then again I may be bias because that one damn cop at the koban by the train station keeps stopping me and demanding my gaijin card. It's gotten to be almost every day.

And there's nada I can do about it because I'm a gaijin

[adama]

I never did anything wrong, so giving my fingerprint is no big deal to me.

Nnh, it kind of depends on context, man. Doing the photo and fingerprinting thing to get a residency card, fine. Being split up from my wife and kid at the airport so I get to go into the permanent-resident-for-x-number-of-years-but-still-carding-you-because-you're-not-Japanese line, very damn uncool. Try it.

[Kai13]

What a story, I loved to read it, even though it's kinda sad, glad that everything worked out for you.

My parents know about my japan fanatism, and they might have already heard me saying I will live to Japan within a few years. I know you are talking about Visa's, to be quite honest, I don't even know what that is.

I was wondering, as I'm from portugal, I would like to know if I had good chances of becoming some kind of portuguese teacher in Japan, or even english, but as I said before, my mother tongue is portuguese, and not english, so I don't think so. Even though I'm my class's best student (english).

What do you think?

[KeNjouRi]

nyororin i thought you were a men first
ashamed anyways..
this website looks very helpful and sincere as I see actually some special life situation is going on here but long of short about it ;
I think I will find my freedom in Japan my way of thinking
my inexplicable love to the japanese culture& people..
i think after my dialogue with japanese consulant i will get much more help from here
i also dont need visa for going to japan but refreshing the staying time is very nice..
its not dream.only needs brave and i do have it
i dont wanna say ''if I could go and do this and that'' when i am at my 50ies..
i wanna do it now.
thank you so much for helping lots of people like this nyororin

[Lucyenn]

I'm not, and i'm better here but i love to go there for holiday.. :P

[tommasi]

Originally Posted by typing

I feels it's racist when the USA does it and it's racist when the Japanese do it.

I don't think it's racist at all. It just shows how many foreigners come to Japan and stay there illegally. Same thing in the US as well.

As a Japanese citizen, I have always thought Japanese boarder protection is way too weak. I was wondering why Japan did not introduce this system years ago when Americans started it.

Many countries do it nowadays and it's just how it is. So we better not piss off other groups of people and repeat the Sept. 11th to further complicate the procedures of traveling.

[KeNjouRi]

can somebody answer me about working visa ?
i ve heard that i can get a working visa while i m in japan for 3 month
i need to know that its so important for my coming
i want answer from somebody who s got the answer..

[Kyumika]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

Just thought I`d volunteer any info that anyone needs...

I live in Japan, not in Tokyo, and have lived here for almost 9 years now. I basically came to Japan with nothing (On my own, not part of any program, not as a teacher, with almost no money, etc) when I was 17, and have been here pretty much ever since.

I`m now married, and *own* a home. I`m willing to answer pretty much any questions about real life in Japan - not the English teacher in Tokyo type stuff... Because that`s only like 0.1% of reality. (Not to offend any of the English teachers in Tokyo or anything though.)

We usually try and help other people who are/were in the same boat as I was when I came to Japan (Bad family life, etc), but last year a girl we let stay with us really screwed us over so we have stopped for the time being. But I really want to help people, so if I can in any way please ask!

(Oh, and I think I mentioned a lot more stuff in my intro in the introductions thread, so...)

I have a few questions...

Right now I'm currently 16 , a sophomore in high school, and living in the U.S. I have a dream of living in Japan and staying there for good. I want to go there for college but what are the requirements? How much is it? And does it matter what age you apply to become a citizen? If you aren't sure if you want to become a citizen is there a limited time you can stay in Japan? I heard three months was the limit until you have to go back to your country and then can come back...
As for the language...how long does it usually take to learn it almost fluently? Do you have to speak it really well before you can go to college/live in Japan?

[Kai13]

Originally Posted by Kai13

What a story, I loved to read it, even though it's kinda sad, glad that everything worked out for you.

My parents know about my japan fanatism, and they muight heve already heard me saying I will live to Japan within a few years. I know you are talknig about Visa's, to be quite honest, I don't even know what that is.

I was wondering, as I'm from portugal, I would like to know if I had good chances of becoming some kinf of portuguese teacher in Japan, or even english, but as I said before, my mother tongue is portuguese, and not english, so I don't think so. Even though I'm my class's best student (english).

What do you think?

And I have the same questions as Kyumika.
And learning japanese by myself, I already know how to read Hiragana (Not all, but with practise I shall learn it quickly)

[emotistically]

I wish I didn't live on Okinawa. I'd love it if I only came to Oki for vacations though. :'P
Where I wanna be is London or Osaka. :]
LONDON and OSAKA FTW