I F(21) am going to be moving to Osaka, Japan in September. My boyfriend M(21) of 2 years is a full-time freelance artist and has been working for close to 6 years. He doesn’t have a bachelors degree because he had to drop out due to personal reasons, however his art is phenomenal and he is a really talented and hard working person. He wants to pursue animation in the future.
He wants to move to Japan, not just to be close to me but because he wants to build a life in Japan as an artist. We are Indians and we both desperately want to leave this country. But yeah, he understands that getting an animation job is next to impossible at the moment, considering he will have to at the minimum pass N3 test. That is not possible right now. By July 2026, he will only be able to clear N4.
He has decided that he just wants to get to Japan first, and while living there he will learn and become more proficient in the language all while strengthening his art portfolio so he can apply for animation/illustrator jobs when he is proficient in the language. He will give the N4 in July 2026. Also, he won’t be quitting his freelance work as he would need tha income and also it’ll help build his portfolio more.
You might be wondering why it is so urgent and important for him to get to Japan. It’s because the condition of the animation and art industry in India is very bad for someone like him, and he knows that he has a much higher chance of being successful as an artist in Japan. Another major reason is I think he feels really stagnant and needs a major change in his life for his own sanity.
He has been looking at the SSW 1 visa as an option. As far as I know, the major requirements for that are N4 and the Prometric test. He is open to doing any job, minimum wage even, as long as he can get visa sponsorship. We are planning to live together in Japan so his living costs won’t be as high. The industries where he can work are: hospitality, food and beverage industry, industrial product manufacturing, convenience store manager etc. I haven’t talked to him about English teacher, but I’m sure he will be open to that as well.
I just want to know what the chances are of him getting a job, what are reliable places he can look for a job, etc. there are many websites but I don’t know which ones I can trust.
I really want to help him, I know he’s stressed about this and I would just like to make his load a little lighter. He doesn’t know I’m making this post btw.
I would really appreciate any advice that you can give for his situation.
TLDR: Boyfriend is planning to move to Japan on an SSW 1 visa, any advice that you can give on the likelihood of him getting a job, where he can get a job, etc. would really be appreciated
by Hungry-Review4361