How Does It Cost To Move To Japan?

Travel Info
Hi. I was wondering how much it costs to move from South Carolina, USA to Japan including bringing a cat, clothing, ect. Also I would to have some information on visas that allow you move to Japan/stay in Japan/ect if possible. Thanks.

Travel Tips

1. To get a working visa, you'll need to have a job first. Most jobs require a university degree.
www.gaijinpot.com

2. Most companies will have an apartment set up for you. If you want to stay there, great. If not, then after you get your alien card, bank account, etc.....look for some.

3. As for cats, I am not sure of the process. Contact the Japanese Embassy.

4. Your main cost will be the flight. Food can be as cheap as 400 yen per meal. First month's rent will probably be 50,000-60,000 yen. Then start up costs....phone, etc...
Others

If you have a job and apartment lined up before you get there (doesn't sound like you do), you will need airfare and one month's living expenses (roughly $1500-$2000), since most companies pay their employees only once a month. If you don't have a job and plan to look for one after you get there, you will need to bring more. If you find a job, you will have to leave Japan in order to get a working visa and then return, so you need to factor in that cost as well. Figure about $1200 for the airfare to Japan, $3500 for 2 months' living costs and another $1500 to leave Japan and come back. In total, about $6000 minimum.

Oh, and you'll be doing both yourself and the cat a big favor if you leave it in South Carolina with a family member or friend.

Hope this helps!
First of all unless you have a job lined up, or are planning to marry a Japanese national, I would reconsider moving to Japan. This country is expensive, and you might run into a lot of barriers when trying to find a place to live.

For the visa, you will need a minimum of a 4 year degree like a BA. If you don't have that they will accept 10 years documented service in a needed field. If you don't have these then you can't get a work visa. Your only other choice is to get a spousal visa which means marrying a Japanese national or somebody with Permanent Residence.

If you have a job lined up, see if they can help you get an apartment and act as your guarantor. This will solve a lot of headaches. Otherwise your best bet is to start up in a guest house and work your way at finding an apartment from there. Guest houses are normally about 40,000 yen a month for a room with communal kitchen, shower and washroom. Some are nicer than others. Apartments start from around 80,000 yen for the small 1 room types and go up from there for a multi-room configuration. We're paying 130,000 yen for a large 2LDK (2 rooms plus Living, Dining & Kitchen). Depending on the place, they can ask for as much as 5 months in advance for deposit, although the chances of you getting more than 1/2 that money back is slim.

This brings us to the idea of "key money" and "gift money". Way back in the 80's there was a need for apartments and some landlords decided that if a person were willing to give them "gift money" (or as we'd call it a "bribe") they would be more likely to get the apartment than somebody that didn't pay the bribe. This is usually one or two months worth of rent that you will never see again. The practice has been legally abolished but some owners still do it.

"Key money" is similar to what we'd call a security deposit or "first and last" months rent. Again, this will be around 1-3 months worth of rent paid in advance. When you move out the manager is supposed to check your apartment for damage and will "deduct" that amount from your deposit. They will always find something that is bad even if that was already there when you moved in. The trick to this is to document everything you see and take pictures before you actually move in. Then if they say it will cost so much to fix, get an estimate from a licensed fixer to see whether or not they're trying to fleece you.