From Los Angeles to Toyama!

[lem]

I realize that similar questions have been asked many times, but I appreciate any input you could offer for my current situation. Thanks!

My boyfriend just accepted a job in Toyama. I'll be going over there as well a few months after he goes.

We'd been preparing for the move to Japan, but the Toyama part was surprising. I had been looking for jobs in the Tokyo area! I had researched a potential move to Tokyo extensively, so I've been a bit thrown off with the news of Toyama. We're very excited.

A bit about me: I'm in my twenties with a bachelors degree in Sociology. I'm based out of Los Angeles. I speak no Japanese. I've been looking at schools in the Toyama area that also provide coursework in English. I spent a bit of time in college studying the Japanese culture and I would love to study while in Japan.

I'll be fine financially for awhile, but I'd like to get a job. I am finding no job opportunities in the Toyama area. This was expected, of course, but is anyone familiar with places in the area that hire English (only) speaking people?

I know this transition won't be easy, but I'm ecstatic about the prospect of living in Japan. I don't mind being out of my comfort zone and we've discussed this decision at great length. I'm committed to making the very best of this. This is a great time for me to travel!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Websites, perhaps, that might be helpful?
Has anyone else been in a similar situation?
Does anyone know much about Toyama?

The information I'm finding is rather limited.

Thank you for your input!

LEM

[Bevdeforges]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

A friend of mine just moved to Japan (Tsukuba - also "not Tokyo" but in the other direction) and has been sending out weekly reports of her progress there.

First of all, are you certain you'll be able to get a visa to live with your boyfriend? Many countries won't recognize unmarried couples for visa purposes. (My friend's husband has worked for many years for a large Japanese company, so the employer is taking care of all the administrative details for them.)

Secondly, I can only relay my friend's experience as far as job hunting goes. She stumbled onto a local English language website for foreigners in Tsukuba. Through that, she found a job posting looking for a native English speaker to assist a professor at the university. It was a real lucky break for her - though the job doesn't pay much, it is a chance to get out and around and to meet some Japanese students at the local university.

In a smaller city or town, you'll have to rely on lucky happenstance, or just roaming around trying "creative" ways of finding or making your own work.

She is finding that it can be very difficult just getting around without knowing the language. Street signs and billboards are only in Japanese, making even driving difficult. Her husband's company provided a "handler" (actually a relocation agent) to help her during the first few weeks, but both she and her husband are now taking Japanese classes.

But the first hurdle for you is to make sure you'll be able to get a visa - and to check whether or not that visa will allow you to work. (Many dependent visas don't include a work permit.)
Cheers,
Bev