Hi, I’ve had a dream to move to Japan and settle there ever since I was in secondary school, but as I’m getting older it feels like this dream is more like wishful thinking than something actually achievable. I can’t tell if I’m overly optimistic in thinking “hey maybe this is doable” or overly pessimistic in thinking “there’s no way I’ll be able to make it”.
I’m 20 from the UK, I took a gap year and started my degree at 19 years old (I started September of this year). It’s a 3-year BA and if I kept it at 3 years I’d finish at about 22/23 years old. I study a Games Art related course (I know I should’ve gone down the programming route).
My university offers a sandwich year in between 2nd and 3rd year, and my plan was to go to Japan as an exchange student for this sandwich year. I’ve been studying Japanese on-and-off for 5 years, but I can read, listen and comprehend at about N4-N3 right now.
My plan is basically as follows:
– Take the N3 exam December 2026
– Study abroad in Japan for a year from September 2027 (studying international business and/or languages)
– Take the N2 exam by 2028
– Graduate Spring 2029 (I will be 24)
– Job-hunt from the UK for games related jobs in Japan like crazy and hope that I get sponsored
I plan on job-hunting while in my final year of my degree, as I saw some job listings saying to apply if within 18 months I graduate. I would ideally like to be a games artist (I specialise in character modelling and animation), but I plan on studying international business in case I am unable to compete with everyone else, but idk if that really adds much of a bonus or not. I also don’t mind working as a localiser for games.
I do have backup plans but they aren’t the most ideal for me. Plan B is to join something like the JET program, land a sponsorship to get to Japan with a teaching job and then try to job-hunt in my industry while I’m there. Plan C is to marry my boyfriend (which from what I’ve heard would make everything easier! but I don’t want to marry for the sole reason of getting a visa). Plan D is to work in industry in the UK for 5-10 years, get that experience and then apply to mid-level/senior roles in Japan.
The reason the title says Tokyo is because that’s sorta my goal – all of my friends in Japan are from or living in Tokyo, and my boyfriend is also from Tokyo.
My question is, am I looking at things realistically? is my head on straight? can i work in the games industry in Japan, or am i better off abandoning that career path and finding an alternative career path in Japan?
by Fresh-Pilot9643