Animator trying to understand the realistic path to moving to Japan — any advice?

I'm 21, and I've been doing animation for about five years. It's the only thing I've focused on seriously in my life, and it's what I want to keep doing long-term. My goal is to eventually live in Japan, but I'm trying to understand what the realistic path looks like for someone whose main skill is animation.

I keep hearing that entering Japan in a creative field can be very different from other types of work, and from the outside it's really hard to understand how people actually make that transition. I don’t have connections in Japan, and I’ve never lived there, so I’m trying to figure out what people in similar situations usually do first.

For anyone here who works in a creative field in Japan, or who moved with a specialized skill:
How did you begin? What were the first practical steps you took before moving?
Any experiences or general guidance would be really helpful for someone whose entire background is centered on animation.

Thank to everyone!