Like many here, I traveled to Japan a few times and I just love everything about it. The culture, the food, the people.
I started my Japanese learning journey last year, with no clear goals at first but the idea of moving to Japan has progressed to the point where I am now considering it seriously.
I lived in France and Germany for 10 years before going digital nomad, after that I moved back to France in 2024, and starting to feel the travel itch again.
I don’t feel connected to where I currently live, and I’m not particularly tied to friends or family here, which is why I’m actively exploring options to relocate abroad.
My work allows me to work remotely, that's how I traveled to Japan last year while working. I am a freelance contractor in software development, I have clients all over Europe and the US. It's a good situation, but I would need to find a job in Japan if I were to move there. I hear the software development industry has a lot of hiring opportunities?
Some facts about me:
– Age: 35
– Male
– Japanese level: Started last year, but studying every day.
– Savings: ~ 300,000 EUR
– Work: Computer Science (Web/Mobile development with 7yrs of experience as a Freelance contractor with my own "solo company")
I started thinking about this end of last year. I did a lot of research and I feel more and more certain that this is what I want currently.
One major issue is that I feel like I am "too old" to do something like this. I know this might be a psychological bias, but it's hard to get that idea out of my head.
What would you do in my situation? What would be my options currently?
I hear the "entrepreneur visa" route is possible but like someone else who posted here recently, I don't feel too comfortable managing other people, I mostly run my business online by myself. I don't know how difficult setting up such a visa in Japan would be.
by Professional-Fee3950