hello, all, i'm an american citizen, i live in milwaukee wisconsin with two close friends of mine, i'd like to tell you my plans and get some information. i've skimmed through pages and pages of posts on here and i've been studying the topic online for a while but i'd like to get some real talk from someone who has been there done that so to speak.

i'm 23 years old, and i'll give you a little backstory because i've noticed alot of things discussed on here that doing so might enlighten someone to my position on the possible move. i've grown up in alot of poverty and squalor, never had much money, been homeless many many times, worked odd jobs and serious jobs, i have aloooooot of visible tattoos and i am somewhat of a social outcast despite my well to do intentions and firm grasp on education. the reason i bring this up is because i read about 'oh you shouldn't be expecting this or that when you move to japan don't expect a life of luxury', so far my life has been nothing luxurious, i've slept in tents and in abandoned water facilities from the 50's, i've slept on benches, couches, you name it, so nothing could be 'worse' to me. throughout all of this, i have a very keen lust for adventure, for culture, for experiences, i've loved living my life my own way, outside of society, experiencing what i can. i have a pretty intense disdain for my western society and most of the people who i meet in the places i've lived (all over the country) and recently it has started to get so bad that i feel so restless and i can't quite take it anymore, and i decided i wanted to get away from this place.

japan has always held a place in my heart, be it the anime i saw as a kid, the horror movies, the books, the cuisine the documentaries, all of it, i've always been fascinated and in love, so the idea to relocate arose to me and my only and close friends quickly agreed to the idea and we were very excited. so i started researching this. my wants and dreams for this are to stay here for a while, make some money together with my friends, take online courses for japanese language and writing, or a class or rosetta stone, whatever i can do to pick it up fast (i'm a very fast learner with these things so it won't be an issue) and then try to get it together.

now this isn't quite for business, it's just for personal happiness and my question is is this possible? and how do i go about such a monumental change? i've been reading about visa's, residence, citizenship, but i'm not quite sure i understand all of it.

i understand that to go to japan for 90 days as a tourist requires a passport and such, but how does one go about staying longer? what would be the process we'd go through to relocate to japan from america and stay as long as we like, get jobs, settle in and just experience a new culture and what it has to offer?

so far from what i've gleaned from websites and posts here, and please correct me if i'm wrong, i really want to know how the process works, is that you can just go there as a tourist for 90 days, then keep extending it? or do you get a 'workers visa' or something and start working? once you've established it at this level, do you just continue to renew the time you're allowed to stay until you've finally reached the point where you want to/can become a resident? that's how it seems to me, but i really really want this, and many things i read make being able to stay there and enjoy yourself seem like a serious battle, is this the case? i'm willing to deal with many hardships and red tape in stride if it means we can start a new life in such a beautiful and cultural place.

is it possible for a couple nobodies/normal people to move to japan and make a life for themselves?

i'd really love your input or your stories, and details about how the process works as i'm still confused about the legalities of it all. thank you!