If you are born British, even if you are required to give up your UK citizenship to get another citizenship, you can always resume UK citizenship, because the UK disregards foreign requirements.
It is a pleasure working with you, thank you for visiting Osaka to interview me. Thank you so much for this amazing video! Keep up the fantastic work! 👍😊 Regards from Visa immigration lawyer YUGE OFFICE
I’m not interested in becoming a Japanese citizen, however, I found this video fascinating. The interviewees were really interesting to listen to. Well done, in covering such a complex topic. Congratulations!
Curious fact (from a sad historical backgroud): Brazil has the largest Japanese diaspora, with almost two million people reconned to have Japanese ancestry.
@@martinlund7987 They seem all to live somewhere around Sao Paulo and Santa Catarina maybe. Because I have been in Brazil for 10 months and literally never met a single Brazilian with Japenese ancestry. And well, it just shows how unwilling Japanese are to mix with other cultures. The same I see here in Germany. Asians in general and Japanese especially stay within their own. All Brazilians that I have met had Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese and other european backgrounds. Not a single time it was Japanese.
I'm also a Japanese naturalised citizen - originally from the US. When I knew I would spend the rest of my life in Japan, it just seemed natural to be a citizen of this country. The process of gathering the paperwork from the United States and my parents was certainly frustrating, and at subsequent interviews they kept requesting new documents that weren't on the original list. This made the preparation stage even longer. After submitting everything I had to wait 17 months before finally being approved. I feel a strong piece of mind knowing that my right to be here is forever protected. Mostly for me though, I didn't want to keep using my original name. No matter how long you have lived here or how perfectly you speak Japanese, when they see the katakana name the treatment is instantly different. This caused me a lot of problems with paperwork and tax forms, etc. Even though I opened accounts in Japanese and submitted everything in Japanese, they would send me manuals and forms the following year in badly translated English. Since my name just blends in now, I no longer have these problems and I feel a lot less stress when dealing with people on the phone or through paperwork. Until they see my face they don't know I was born overseas and I get treated like any other Japanese person, which makes so many processes go more smoothly. It's pretty funny seeing the change in treatment the moment they see my face though. ww
@@michelleg7 But the thing is that Japan doesnt allow dual citizenship so You will be forced to denounce Your current citizenship to become a Japanese citizen
You have to be mindful because the Japanese social security system is different than the U.S., requiring much longer contribution with no gaps. There are consequences if not met where in the states, requirements are less strict.
“If you understand the culture, than it becomes easier to learn the language.” So very true, I always stress this to my students. Reaching an excellent level in a language is impossible without a real interest in one of the cultures which speaks the language.
Having formally studied Japanese myself, I can say that there are some people who just have a natural talent for learning languages. I don't even think it's related to intelligence, but just some kind of natural talent plus diligent study. I, unfortunately, am not one of those people and I had to struggle.
I just got naturalized last week, got my koseki tohon today and I saw this video 😮 . How coincidental. I live alone. No Japanese partner, and I knew no one who naturalized in my social circle. Took me almost 2years (mainly because of collecting documents), but it's worth it.Been here in Japan for 6 years before applying for naturalization. I chose an entirely different sounding Japanese name, and I am still trying to get used to being called by my new name, but it's giving me warm fuzzy feelings~
Takashi-san, you have the most interesting, candid, respectful channel on the Internet. You are doing such a huge service for your country and really for people all around the world, to bring us closer together. Thank you for your excellent interviews and your kind heart.
Just discovered this awesome channel. As a ‘halfy’ (Irish-Indian) I’ve been closely watching the mixed race interviews. The questions of identity sound very familiar to me and I’ve learned a lot from your wonderful interviewees. Keep up the good work. I’m slowly making my way through your video backlog. Fascinating and eye-opening. Can’t wait to visit Japan.
00:43 🥋 Martial arts, like Judo, attracted some to Japanese culture and citizenship, feeling closer upon arrival in Japan. 01:28 🛂 The naturalization process to obtain Japanese citizenship typically involves steps from an initial visa to eventual passport acquisition, often after several years. 03:34 🤝 Marriage to a Japanese citizen might influence the naturalization process, impacting inquiries from the government during the citizenship application. 06:41 🗺 Long-term residence and professional career development in Japan were major factors motivating some individuals to pursue Japanese citizenship. 09:55 📚 Learning Japanese involved attending language schools, studying while working, and continuous efforts to improve language proficiency over time. 11:50 🏠 Positive experiences in Japan, such as feeling welcomed and the country's safety and convenience, influenced the desire to settle down and become a Japanese citizen. 12:18 📝 The naturalization process requires five years of residency in Japan, proficiency in Japanese language, and interviews, culminating in a comprehensive examination. 13:11 🤔 Family support, language proficiency, and understanding Japanese culture are crucial elements for those aspiring to become Japanese citizens. 14:21 🌏 Long-term residence doesn't always equate to seeking permanent citizenship; some foreign residents find satisfaction in their work and lifestyle without pursuing citizenship. 15:29 🏢 Visa and residency perks: Obtaining permanent residency in Japan allows unrestricted work, easier housing loans, and even continued living if the spouse is deceased or divorced. 16:18 📝 Residency pros and cons: Advantages include holding a Japanese passport for visa-free travel and the ability to establish full citizenship, but losing original citizenship and limitations in certain situations are drawbacks. 17:00 🌍 Common origins: People seeking Japanese citizenship mainly come from East Asia (Korea, China) and other regions like Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines due to economic or safety concerns in their home countries. 18:19 🤔 Naturalization criteria: Fluent Japanese language skills, residing in Japan for at least five years (three if married to a Japanese citizen), and proof of stability through employment are key factors in the naturalization process. 19:11 💼 Consultation and support: Offices like YUGE OFFICE in Osaka offer online consultations, document support, and translation services in various languages to aid in the residency application process in Japan. 20:08 💡 Immigration complexities: Navigating Japan's immigration laws, especially without expertise, can be intricate and nuanced, recommending seeking legal help for smoother processes when dealing with such matters.
18:14 What criteria do you need to meet to be able to naturalize? 18:20 Per the Yuge Office in Japan, "The most important criteria is whether or not you can speak Japanese. 1) You have to be able to both comprehend and speak the language. 2) You also need to be able to read Kanji taught at the elementary school *_2nd Grade Level._* 3) It is very important that you can write your address and name in Japanese. 4) You must also have lived in Japan for 5 years _continuously._ *NOTE:* _In most cases, you won't be able to naturalize unless you have worked for at least 3 Years. If you have a spouse that is Japanese the criteria may be less strict."_
Takashi, I love your channel man. You are a great interviewer and I love how you let people talk. These people were also crazy interesting(and impressive). Thanks for your content!
Absolutely amazing to see several people who are not native English speakers speaking English and Japanese fluently as well as their native language...very interesting.
As someone who is in the process of immigrating to NZ, GET AND IMMIGRATION LAWYER!!! No matter where you are relocating an immigration lawyer makes the process go so much more smoothly. You may be thinking to yourself that it’s a waste of money but you will waste far more money and time attempting it on your own. Most people that try to apply themselves get denied a number of times before succeeding, if they ever do.
Yeah I got this lovely lady for my wife years ago and it makes whole process so much smoother because they already know exactly what forms to fill what will be needed they can organise translators etc ... and the fees in the end were very low compare to stress and effort we would have to go through.
Believe you or not. At morning I watched this video and then went to a beach in Okinawa. There was a beach soccer tournament and I’ve met the guy from your video!!!!😂😂 they actually won the game and I caught the ball from this game 3 times 😂
‘If you understand the culture, then it becomes easier to understand the language.’ ❤ this! Couldn’t agree more.. understanding the collective cultures and individuals of the world, building bridges and inclusivity. I found that food, music, dance, sports, hobbies.. the language of interests, does phenomenal things to build human connection. 🌏🌎🌍
Very interesting video. I have always wanted to visit Japan. I studied Karate for many years, and have had a few Japanese friends over the years. I love Japanese watches and cars, the Japanese are a brilliant people. Cheers from Arizona, USA.
The last point about getting some form of help when immigrating is actually very good advice. Often times, you think you can do it yourself and that the government would firmly outline the process of doing so... But that is so wrong haha! I recently moved to another country and having an immigration specialist help with the process was so fantastic. They are in your corner and know the 'loopholes', so they can make an individualised plan for you that best suits your needs & timeline. In my case, a lot of the steps for emmigrating wasn't properly outlined on the governments website, nor the steps/processes I had to do there after. Not to mention language barriers when applicable. It's also handy to connect on social media with other expats and discuss with them the proces they went through to give you a full picture
This is a beautiful and perfect example of how you go to someone else’s country and learn the culture, where as one specific culture goes everywhere and wants the world to change for them
Wonderful interviews. It's a joy to listen to their stories as there are a number of RUclips content creators who have so little respect for the customs of a country that they are a visitor in. These naturalized Japanese members remind me that there are thoughtful people visiting and choosing to stay in beautiful and rich in history countries. 🌸
Amazing video! Thank you so much for this! As someone who is looking to move to Japan in the next 2 years, everything in this video was extremely helpful. Awesome job!
I don’t mean to be that guy. But this is how migrants in general should be at any other countries. Appreciate and respect the country’s value and culture. Become a positively contributing person to the society.
There isn’t any reason to preface “be that guy.” It should be standard across the world to migrate into a culture when migrating into a country. Why migrate there outside of wanting to become a part of what already exists?
Migrants must respect the customs and values of host country. Western countries are being permanently changed for the worse by forcing their own citizens to change to the values and customs of migrants.
Takashii-san this was very informative, useful and valuable! Thank you so much for going through the trouble and for putting your time and energy into helping us (foreigners) get better informed about our (naturalizing) options 🙏💝
This is a very informative video showing that there is nothing thats impossible (aside from certain situations) but it shows that there are high barriers. To become a citizen of another country you really have to sit down and commit to studying the language, mannerisms, culture, history, etc which I feel is especially more important for Japanese citizenship compared to, for example, an American citizenship. But for Japan you cannot hold dual citizenship and must give up your current citizenship. That is a very big commitment and I applaud people who are confident enough to take a leap of that level because it is a life changing decision. Very cool video and would be interested to see how natural Japanese citizens feel regarding this topic for insight on the societal opinion and/or changing climate.
It would be interesting to have a follow up or related video on how people choose a Japanese name for themselves when they become citizens. I believe that in Singapore and Hong Kong people of Chinese descent will have both an original Chinese name and a westernised name too.
At the Hong Kong airport, I had to fill out some form, and right above me were two pieces of paper. One piece of paper had English writing; the other piece of paper had Chinese writing. The English writing was signed by some staff member, with an English given name and anglicized Chinese surname. The Chinese writing was signed by the same staff member with the original Chinese name in Traditional Chinese script. My mom's two cousins (brothers) came to the US as doctors. One guy, probably the older brother, kept the original Chinese name, both the family name and the given name. The other brother actually changed his legal first name and last name. His first name starts with the same Latin letter as the Chinese given name; his last name is an anglicization of the Chinese surname. Put it together, and you can't tell he's Chinese just by name only. As for me, I am a naturalized US citizen of Chinese descent. My US passport is the only thing that is valid; my Chinese passport is invalid/expired and just sitting in the house along with other important identity-related documents. My legal US name is really just the pinyin romanization of my Chinese name, and I haven't really bothered with selecting a western name for myself legally. I do that on employment forms under "Preferred Name". Only my close family members and friends know me by my full Chinese name 大名 / 姓名 and Chinese nickname 小名.
Most people don't change their name. Japanese citizens who are married to each other must have the same family name so usually you would take your spouse's name if their name is Japanese. In the past it was pretty common and people who've lived in Japan for a long time sometimes have a Japanese-sounding alias which they adopt when they naturalize.
I just came back from a vacation to Japan, and I absolutely fell in love with the country. I already had a great respect for the culture and beautiful architecture, but after actually staying there, I felt that Japan is the place where I want to be. My only difficult hurdle is that, at the moment, I know very little Japanese. However, I plan on fixing that by studying as much as I can before my apartment lease is up next year. I am skilled in multiple trades such as carpentry and CNC Machining. So finding a job would not be difficult for me. I am originally from the USA but Japan was so amazing that I didn't want to return home...as a US citizen, I never in my life thought I would say that.
I have family living in Japan (with PR) and I just want to come back to visit soon. I've been slowly studying Japanese and am surprised at how many words I could understand. It gives me hope! This was a very interesting episode, thanks!
@@heavenly_girl - Mostly RUclips video content. First I learned the Hiragana and Katakana alphabets (Japanese pod 101). Then I learned basic words: numbers, colors, fruits, days of the week, food, etc. Then I learned basic common phrases. I also translate Japanese lyrics of songs I like (usually kpop groups that have Japanese songs). RUclips has so many great videos! But learn the alphabets first!
@@SeeVolmr Thanks for the detailed reply! Similarly, I also learned Korean myself by watching RUclips videos and reading Korean subtitles of the videos. I understand Korean contents well without any translation. I now consider learning Japanese as well. There is enjoyment in learning foreign languages and understand the meaning of the words and sentences in that language. 🙂
I definitely don't believe that the first guy's speaking ability hasn't improved since moving to Japan. I think he just doesn't realize how much it HAS improved because he was already at a decent level before moving there. I'm sure his vocab has improved significantly and his knowledge of colloquial expressions too, but because these things happen so gradually, he didn't really notice.
American who got Japanese nationality in August - 8 and a half months door to door. I found the Homusho people to be very polite and efficient. I did use an agency - it cost some money but I highly recommend it. Everything was in perfect order - which the Ministry obviously appreciated. Advice for those interested: don’t drive while waiting. Those tickets can derail the process. I have no home to go to in the US and no plans to go back there except to visit once in a while. All my children and families are here. Now for the hard part: renouncing the US citizenship. Already US offices have made several mistakes which cost me time and money to resolve.
Thank you Takashii-San This was very interesting and extremely informative. I found it interesting and eye opening to hear the reasons why the people you interviewed became Japanese nationals.
とても興味深く有益なビデオでした。 かなりの高齢なので、居住条件を満たすのに十分長く滞在できるかどうかはわかりませんが。 しかし、年齢は単なる数字であり、私は今でもずっと若い人のように考え、行動しています。 笑 私はすでに言語を勉強しています。 うまくいきませんし、楽ではありませんが、私も諦めていません。 ようやく日本に引退できるようになったら、そのときは小さなことを心配することができます。 このビデオにご尽力いただきありがとうございます。 This was a very interesting and informative video. Being pretty old I'm not certain if I will be around long enough to meet the time in residence condition, though. However, age is but a number and I still think and act like someone much younger. LOL I'm already learning the language. Not well or with ease but, I'm not giving up, either. Once I can finally retire to Japan I can worry about the little things then. Thank you for your hard work on this video.
This is a very interesting video, especially from the point of view of the interviewees who are now Japanese citizens. As a lover of all things Japanese, ditching my Kiwi citizenship might be a deal breaker for me. But as I see it, the pros definitely outweigh the cons😊
新しい日本人の皆さん、おめでとうございます！ I also imagined living in Japan after working in Japan on and off for 8 years. Somewhere in a small village, like Makinocho Nishihama or Kita-Kamakura. But life decided otherwise - happy with the memories, but sometimes I miss Japan a lot.
As an Italian living in Japan and holding a permanent residence here, I would never give up my nationality for a Japanese passport. I can’t change my identity.
Naturalized citizen here and originally from the Philippines! I relate so much with these people when they talk about how easier it is to travel with the Japanese passport. To add to that, getting naturalized made it easier for me to get a loan to buy a house and i was already planning to live here forever so i am glad I made that choice. The process wasn’t hard, but it’s just a lot of documents.
hey! filo also here. would it be easier to be naturalized if you're married to a 日本人？ i'm currently learning JP and at N4 now. thinking of moving for work in a couple of years.
@@zuhachan It won't make a difference. You don't even need to married at all. What matters is your financial stability, work experience, language fluency, criminal and tax records, and whether you can contribute to Japanese society.
@@fa0179 I work for a big IT company. Right after I graduated, I worked for a Japanese IT company and learned Japanese there. Got sent to Tokyo and enjoyed living here so I decided to stay.
A Jordanian....being interviewed by a Japanese foreigner.....both speaking English. I'm loving the diversity in this world!!! And, the Jordanian impressed me, tremendously, with his Japanese! 👏👏👏 These videos should inspire everyone to want to travel. 💯
I am looking to travel to Japan in 2025, as a trial to see how I would like living in Japan. However, I find the planning of it somewhat daunting. It's wild to me how people seem to have no issues with becoming a naturalized citizen, when it seems so complicated to me 😟
Well I think the most important thing is what are you looking to do there? Do you want to just work? Explore the culture and places? Deciding what you want to do then helps you decide how to start the process. There's a insane amount of books and videos on what/how to do it. You just have to find the one that makes it easier for you. Don't forget there are local Japanese society groups all around the US. There's Japanese people loving here in the US that may be able to help. Seek those out. Also don't forget about the Japan consulate. There's one in Houston,TX. That helped me with my visa last year.
Excellent Interview!!! Your videos hit the mark very often. I really enjoy your shows. Your personality and demeanor is both, inviting and open to all the interviewees, despite the demographic, which is a welcomed truth. I find this fact a most favorable element in your videos. Keep up the great work. Such a joy to watch.
I feel like the language and culture makes it so that only people who are really invested in the culture and language and country can become a citizen. That way the culture and Language does not become lost. I’m a naturalized Canadian citizen and a lot of immigrants here treat Canada asa means to get health care or find jobs in the US or leave the country altogether after getting the passport. It makes it really hard for actual citizens who live and work in the country in terms of housing and burden to health care cost.
What? Even if you are a Canadian, that doesn't necessarily give you advantages for working in the US. The TN1 visa is way too limited, if you have what it takes to work in the US for high salary jobs, chances are it would be much easier for you to get a company sponsored H1B, which would leads to PR within 2 years and citizenships within 5 years. No one who's ultimate goal is working in the US would be wasting time gaining Canadian citizenship, it took the same amount of effort and time but get you worse outcome. Also being a Canadian citizen is actually a disadvantage if you want to gain PR or citizen of US, since US does calculate immigration quota of each country and have caps and Canada is one of largest immigrate source of US. Also you can be a PR of Japan without even understand a single word of Japanese. I believe it's also possible to gain citizenship without Japanese knowledge if you meet certain criteria. Wealthy people were actually prefer PR than citizenship because they don't want the Japanese citizenship since PR gave them almost everything a citizen has while not have to renounce their original citizenship. That's why it's actually easier to get citizenship than PR in Japan. The income tax is pretty high in Japan while the salary is a joke. People tend to believe that other countries which they don't live in were better than their own, that's often not true. As for the healthcare, lol MSP is so overrated. You can actually get better and faster treatments if you are willing to pay out of pocket. US hospitals and clinics are willing to greatly reduce the bill if you are paying out of pocket instead of insurance. They mark up the bill super high just for the insurance company negotiations. e.g. if you pay out of pocket, a day of NICU would cost $2000 in LA while it would be $13k CAD if you are non-resident in BC, CA. MSP also doesn't cover dental nor medication and lots of stuff, and the waiting time for anything is crazy. You could die while waiting for a specialist or in ER. Canada does not allow non-citizens to study healthcare related subject, such as medicine, while the physician boards make it super hard for foreign medial professionals to work in Canada, even if they were able to pass the license exam and get qualified. If you actually go to the hospital, you would know that Canadian healthcare system is super inefficient while short staffed, it's like 10% of the efficiency that you would expect to have in Eastern Asia with even worse quality.
What I've noticed that's fairly unique about Japan especially vs Europe is that people who want to live their are more open to embrace Japanese culture and "do as the Romans do" however if immigration becomes more lax it may change.
It’s because of the culture that is very burocratic and full of strict laws (and social norms) that has to be followed. In this aspect, it’s very different compared to European standards Edit: even going back 60 years and it has always been the same for both Europe and Japan. Europe embraced individuality but Japan embraced enforcement of law
Freedom is hyper exaggerated and terribly misunderstood. Freedom is never free. The price of freedom is self responsibility and discipline. Japanese culture thrives on self discipline. The outcome is life in Japan is remarkably peaceful. Ironically freedom is realized only when self interest yields to the greater good.
Thats the difference between Germany and Japan. We in Germany totally lost control and politicians rather force Germans to change for immigrants than thebother way around. There is barely any "do as the Romans do" here.
@@dennisbrinkley8613 Japan is very peaceful from some meanings of the word, very not peaceful from others. Is peace the presence of justice or the absence of conflict? If it’s the absence of conflict, sure. If it’s the presence of justice, well, there’s a lot of people from Japan who’ll contest whether it’s really peaceful.
"It's not that hard to get citizenship," then they proceed to speak seriously FLUENT Japanese... It was only the guy originally from Brazil that described how hard it is! 10 interviews??? The others have become so Japanese, they don't notice "sugoi taihen" when it hits them in the face... That said, they're good people. If you're going to live in a country, you should fully commit to it.
Never been to Japan! But I will honestly tell you that I have been around the rest of the world. Watching Takashi's channel has motivated me to come visit Japan in 2024.
I guess Japan's Naturalization language requirement is very high, every one of them speaks Japanese so well. Just looked up Ozu Moreira, he's legit a pro beach soccer player.
That's why I love Japan. People who want to live there actually adapt and CAN speak Japanese. I studied it in Munich University, and lived in Japan quite a while. We in Germany however, have totally lost control and politicians rather force Germans to change for immigrants and their habits, religion etc. than the other way around. Most immigrants cant even speak German despite being here for a lot of years, because they just misuse the tolerance and naivety of those who were born here. Berlin is one of those meltin pot examples. There is barely any "do as the Romans do" here.
For sure, it should be like this - that people who want to live permanently in another country, especially who want to be citizens and enjoy the rights of a citizen, should learn the language and should respect the legal order, values and culture of a country they want to continue to live in.
not everyone has the same facility with language, expecting everyone to be fluent is unrealistic. Japanese has different dialects, slang, it is almost impossible to understand anyone on the street because what is spoken IRL is not what you learn in books. Every shortcut you can think of is used.
@@Bradgilliswhammyman it is not about being fluent but thr mindset and character. Foreigners in Japan will certainly never match a Japanese local in terms of language proficiency, especially when only relying on what is bein taught in books. This is about the will and "adaptiveness" of foreigners coming to a foreign country. In Japan most foreigners are actually quite "submissive" and embracing the general and local culture. In a melting pot like Germany, having to "accept" refugees from various countries that arent even in the EU, or people that specifically intend to move to Germany because they know this country will give them many advantages like social welfare etc., making them touch a German textbook is luxury! If any Japanese is reading this, if you think some foreigners are arrogant and exploiting their status, countries like Germany are far worse. Thats what I am grateful for about Japan.
I'm a foreigner (Ukrainian) been living in Southern Germany for more than half of my life. I studied in Germany, I still have an accent but I consider German to be my mother tongue now and my kids speak German as their first language. I sometimes instinctively feel the same about "foreigners" as you described it, because I forget that I'm a foreigner too 😂. But Munich is turning into a small version of New York and it is actually quite exciting if you look past the scetchy parts of globalization.
It’s good that Japan has become more realistic about immigration and the Japanese themselves understand their economy needs immigration. All major western nations have large immigration programs to support their economies.
Great to know it's not true it's close to impossible to become a Japanese citizen! And the level of Japanese these people speak is amazing. Good luck to all of you!!! Thank you, Takashi-san for making this video. This was great.
It's not difficult, it's just a lot of your time to get documents and showing up at the legal affairs bureau on weekdays (burned a lot of vacation days).
@@meneldal I had heard so many foreigners say how difficult it is to do this. It doesn't sound that much more involved than for me to have my Japanese passport renewed after it expires or when I had to renew my US Alien registration card renewed. It shouldn't be that easy to change one's nationality.
I looked into the "Japanese Passport" being the 3rd strongest in the world claim and as of 2023 the Japanese Passport is actually the 2nd strongest in the world, only being surpassed by the Singaporean one. 191 and 193 countries that you can visit without a Visa respectively. 3rd place is shared among quite a few countries - Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain and my own country of origin Sweden.
I'm so happy you have created this video! This is something I have been thinking of for over a year now but uncertain where to start and what to do. Thank you so much! I look forward to the 2025 Expo!
Takashii I happened across your channel by accident a couple days ago. The first video I watched was about what the Japanese think about the United States I really enjoyed the format and your content. I just wanted to tell you that you have a good channel and very good content. I subscribed and look forward to future videos.
I think most of the foreigner who have weak passport back in their own country or hate their own country or plan to stay in Japan forever tend to apply naturalization instead of PR because they can travel most of the countries without difficulties. Most of them are married to Japanese so it's not difficult to apply one but if you aren't then you have to go through a lot of process like interviews and Japanese test to see if you are fit to become a Japanese citizenship.
You have a nice, soft way of saying that all these people either come from shth@le countries or there is something wrong with them as individuals (e.g. they are introverts and their home culture values extreme extroversion). I tend to agree.
Actually, the naturalization process itself is same for everybody. There are many spouses of Japanese citizens who aren't eligible for that reason. And most people don't naturalize for the purpose of travelling abroad. It's about assimilation and integration with Japan.
this videos are pure motivation, i love it i dont want to live in germany anymore, i hope next year i will come to japan and gain the beautiful experience. and hopefully i really decide to leave germany forever. but its big decision i just know a few japanese words until now. but i already love japan with all my heart
As others said, this is a unique and very informative video if you wish to be considered as a Japanese citizen *by law*. Socially, you will still be a foreigner. It's neither good nor bad, just a fact. It won't prevent you from making friends, having a spouse and a family. You just won't be considered the same as everyone else but more like a tourist who is at ease in the country. Even half who are born and raised in Japan can be considered outsiders if they don't look ethnically Japanese. Just take it into account and do what works for you! ❤
yah, don't fight it. it will only twist your insides into knots. rather, enjoy it. relish it. embrace it. use it. have fun with it. you will always be special.
@Oscario8 I have news for you, as far as “socially” is concerned: they don’t care. They’re leftists. These are people who will keep a tight circle around them and will refrain from interacting from people being unpleasant about their status in the culture. Personally, I disagree with this outlook but this is how they function so your post is irrelevant to their experience. It won’t reflect how things will go. It’s impressive how well they establish that boundary once implanted where they live.
@@milaemouse8442they won’t have to fight it. They’re leftists in 2023, they already have several bubbles of communities throughout the nation now. They create the bubble and stay in it. That’s how they end up having completely different lives and mindsets to normal people. There won’t be anything to fight. It’ll just be accepted in their little bubble. Only people who have actually visited that country will understand. It’s not as homogenous as people make it out to be. I had to really go out there to not see people who look like me.
In Western Countries as well. If you haven't grown up in a culture and can't pass as someone who has, you will only ever be a citizen by law. There's citizenship and national Identity. people confuse citizenship with national Identity. When people say Japanese for example, people think national identity, not Citizenship. To claim to be Japanese, when you are only a citizen because you moved there, is just dishonest and disrespectful.
Takashii I a love your channel and video! I was curious if you could ask Japanese people "What are the top restaraunts or food spots that foreigners must try while in Tokyo." I would love to know what restaurants Japanese people want foreigners to try.
Loving your interviews. This was great and informative. Here in Australia we’re very multicultural and we’re all Australians whether we look Japanese African or Indian. Japan looks like such an inviting and beautiful country, I wouldn’t be surprised that you will become just as diverse.
Many foreigners view Japan's high taxes and social insurance premiums as a problem, but Japan's public infrastructure is maintained at a high quality. I recently took care of my father, who received the highest level of nursing care support. Japan's public infrastructure, which supports the process by which 1.5 million people die every year, is quite amazing.
As a Chinese ppl I have a huge interest of becoming a Japanese citizen. I just working hard and paying tax and bill and hope someday I can hold a Japanese Passport to travel all of the world
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I've never seen a visa immigration firm do a youtube sponsorship before, but this was a really clever way for them to get their word out
If you are born British, even if you are required to give up your UK citizenship to get another citizenship, you can always resume UK citizenship, because the UK disregards foreign requirements.
Yeah plenty of countries do the same
You just have to make sure to not tell Japanese officials about that :)
@@jeannich34 Is it the same for Canada 👀?
Except Brides of Isis! They can't return
Canada does not ask anyone to give up their old citizenship. Canada does not encourage keeping other citizenships either.@@maximecloutier-gravel8908
Would that be the same for the US?
I always love seeing foreigners switch to Japanese, and how their entire bodylanguage as a whole change with it.
Different neural pathways with different languages. It’s like becoming a different person.
Same for me, i like to see it, it's amazing, they look like a different person
Elevation in spirit
@@rollinwood9453 I didn't think about that, but it makes sense!
Agreed, they become better
It is a pleasure working with you, thank you for visiting Osaka to interview me. Thank you so much for this amazing video! Keep up the fantastic work! 👍😊
Regards from Visa immigration lawyer YUGE OFFICE
If I ever make it to Japan from Syria I will come for your help!
and thank you very much in advance
Your contact number in nagoya please or any homepage please comment the link of your site❤thanks
I’m not interested in becoming a Japanese citizen, however, I found this video fascinating. The interviewees were really interesting to listen to. Well done, in covering such a complex topic. Congratulations!
Heya! Are you learning Japanese at the moment?
why do you sound like a bot
Nobody is interested in becoming one lol
@@hg77777 you clearly haven't read enough of this comment thread.
That boy got nice yams.
- The Diddler
I had never heard japanese being spoken so fluently.. with a brazilian accent. It sounds so warm and festive.
lol
Would be even better if it was spoken elsewhere.
Warm and festive hahaha
Curious fact (from a sad historical backgroud): Brazil has the largest Japanese diaspora, with almost two million people reconned to have Japanese ancestry.
@@martinlund7987 They seem all to live somewhere around Sao Paulo and Santa Catarina maybe. Because I have been in Brazil for 10 months and literally never met a single Brazilian with Japenese ancestry. And well, it just shows how unwilling Japanese are to mix with other cultures. The same I see here in Germany. Asians in general and Japanese especially stay within their own. All Brazilians that I have met had Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese and other european backgrounds. Not a single time it was Japanese.
Takashi’s is a natural interviewer ! His makes people comfortable and let them open up.
I'm also a Japanese naturalised citizen - originally from the US. When I knew I would spend the rest of my life in Japan, it just seemed natural to be a citizen of this country. The process of gathering the paperwork from the United States and my parents was certainly frustrating, and at subsequent interviews they kept requesting new documents that weren't on the original list. This made the preparation stage even longer. After submitting everything I had to wait 17 months before finally being approved. I feel a strong piece of mind knowing that my right to be here is forever protected. Mostly for me though, I didn't want to keep using my original name. No matter how long you have lived here or how perfectly you speak Japanese, when they see the katakana name the treatment is instantly different. This caused me a lot of problems with paperwork and tax forms, etc. Even though I opened accounts in Japanese and submitted everything in Japanese, they would send me manuals and forms the following year in badly translated English. Since my name just blends in now, I no longer have these problems and I feel a lot less stress when dealing with people on the phone or through paperwork. Until they see my face they don't know I was born overseas and I get treated like any other Japanese person, which makes so many processes go more smoothly. It's pretty funny seeing the change in treatment the moment they see my face though. ww
the united states doesn't recognize other citizenships so I don't think you officially can lose it unless you officially renounce it at a US embassy.
@@michelleg7 But the thing is that Japan doesnt allow dual citizenship so You will be forced to denounce Your current citizenship to become a Japanese citizen
You have to be mindful because the Japanese social security system is different than the U.S., requiring much longer contribution with no gaps. There are consequences if not met where in the states, requirements are less strict.
Sounds like mild racism
@firenine1345 there's nothing mild about it.
“If you understand the culture, than it becomes easier to learn the language.”
So very true, I always stress this to my students. Reaching an excellent level in a language is impossible without a real interest in one of the cultures which speaks the language.
The first guy speaks the most fluent Japanese I have ever heard from non-native speakers!! How did he get that fluent…Amazing.
Having formally studied Japanese myself, I can say that there are some people who just have a natural talent for learning languages. I don't even think it's related to intelligence, but just some kind of natural talent plus diligent study. I, unfortunately, am not one of those people and I had to struggle.
@@russelljimmies9293Si, absolutamente de acuerdo.
His English is really good also
He is amazing in languages.
@@russelljimmies9293He also know Arabic language for sure. Can recite Al-Quran.
I just got naturalized last week, got my koseki tohon today and I saw this video 😮 . How coincidental.
I live alone. No Japanese partner, and I knew no one who naturalized in my social circle. Took me almost 2years (mainly because of collecting documents), but it's worth it.Been here in Japan for 6 years before applying for naturalization. I chose an entirely different sounding Japanese name, and I am still trying to get used to being called by my new name, but it's giving me warm fuzzy feelings~
You are not true japaneseeeeeeee
to the commenter above me ^^^^
the person did not ask + the person does not care + giga cringe
Congratulations :)
@@-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-...lol only u care about that. The law says different. Law says he’s japanese. So keep crying
@@glowiedetectorFr
Takashi-san, you have the most interesting, candid, respectful channel on the Internet. You are doing such a huge service for your country and really for people all around the world, to bring us closer together. Thank you for your excellent interviews and your kind heart.
Not really. It seems like he is trying to make Japan more like western nations, which will be a huge disservice to Japan.
Just discovered this awesome channel. As a ‘halfy’ (Irish-Indian) I’ve been closely watching the mixed race interviews. The questions of identity sound very familiar to me and I’ve learned a lot from your wonderful interviewees. Keep up the good work. I’m slowly making my way through your video backlog. Fascinating and eye-opening. Can’t wait to visit Japan.
Leo? 😂 yes i love his hafu videos too
I also got my japanese nationality last year and the process lasted for 7-8 months! The best decision of my life.
I might have missed it on this video but do you have to marry into it? It seems everyone here was married into Japanese citizen
Where were you originally from? Congrats!
How did you get ?
@@ma.2099no. It makes it easier tho
i can see why your channel is growing so fast! good work again takashi
The Jordanian guy is a natural for learning languages.
he's right! the more you understand about the culture and the sentiment behind the words, the easier it becomes to learn them
This is one of most informative videos to ones who seek residency in Japan, good job
00:43 🥋 Martial arts, like Judo, attracted some to Japanese culture and citizenship, feeling closer upon arrival in Japan.
01:28 🛂 The naturalization process to obtain Japanese citizenship typically involves steps from an initial visa to eventual passport acquisition, often after several years.
03:34 🤝 Marriage to a Japanese citizen might influence the naturalization process, impacting inquiries from the government during the citizenship application.
06:41 🗺 Long-term residence and professional career development in Japan were major factors motivating some individuals to pursue Japanese citizenship.
09:55 📚 Learning Japanese involved attending language schools, studying while working, and continuous efforts to improve language proficiency over time.
11:50 🏠 Positive experiences in Japan, such as feeling welcomed and the country's safety and convenience, influenced the desire to settle down and become a Japanese citizen.
12:18 📝 The naturalization process requires five years of residency in Japan, proficiency in Japanese language, and interviews, culminating in a comprehensive examination.
13:11 🤔 Family support, language proficiency, and understanding Japanese culture are crucial elements for those aspiring to become Japanese citizens.
14:21 🌏 Long-term residence doesn't always equate to seeking permanent citizenship; some foreign residents find satisfaction in their work and lifestyle without pursuing citizenship.
15:29 🏢 Visa and residency perks: Obtaining permanent residency in Japan allows unrestricted work, easier housing loans, and even continued living if the spouse is deceased or divorced.
16:18 📝 Residency pros and cons: Advantages include holding a Japanese passport for visa-free travel and the ability to establish full citizenship, but losing original citizenship and limitations in certain situations are drawbacks.
17:00 🌍 Common origins: People seeking Japanese citizenship mainly come from East Asia (Korea, China) and other regions like Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines due to economic or safety concerns in their home countries.
18:19 🤔 Naturalization criteria: Fluent Japanese language skills, residing in Japan for at least five years (three if married to a Japanese citizen), and proof of stability through employment are key factors in the naturalization process.
19:11 💼 Consultation and support: Offices like YUGE OFFICE in Osaka offer online consultations, document support, and translation services in various languages to aid in the residency application process in Japan.
20:08 💡 Immigration complexities: Navigating Japan's immigration laws, especially without expertise, can be intricate and nuanced, recommending seeking legal help for smoother processes when dealing with such matters.
wooow, thanks for that comment :'D
You're an angel & doing God's work. Thank you
Thank you AI
18:14 What criteria do you need to meet to be able to naturalize?
18:20 Per the Yuge Office in Japan, "The most important criteria is whether or not you can speak Japanese. 1) You have to be able to both comprehend and speak the language. 2) You also need to be able to read Kanji taught at the elementary school *_2nd Grade Level._* 3) It is very important that you can write your address and name in Japanese. 4) You must also have lived in Japan for 5 years _continuously._ *NOTE:* _In most cases, you won't be able to naturalize unless you have worked for at least 3 Years. If you have a spouse that is Japanese the criteria may be less strict."_
yes.....and? we saw the video. we know what did it say. what was need to upload these?
This is one of your best interviews @Takashi! Thank you for including an actual immigration lawyer. Its been a very insightful and encouraging one 💡
Takashi, I love your channel man. You are a great interviewer and I love how you let people talk. These people were also crazy interesting(and impressive). Thanks for your content!
TOKYO GUIDEBOOK
takashifromjapan.com/tokyocompleteguide
Absolutely amazing to see several people who are not native English speakers speaking English and Japanese fluently as well as their native language...very interesting.
yes ive never seen his before... LOL
Some people have a nack for picking up language...other people struggle all their lives to learn a little. It is hardwired in your brain.
nope its actually quite easy to pick up languages when you are young and English is the main global language, simple really.@@Bradgilliswhammyman
Ozu is a true embodiment of it’s how you feel that makes you who you are and not what you look like.
As someone who is in the process of immigrating to NZ, GET AND IMMIGRATION LAWYER!!! No matter where you are relocating an immigration lawyer makes the process go so much more smoothly. You may be thinking to yourself that it’s a waste of money but you will waste far more money and time attempting it on your own. Most people that try to apply themselves get denied a number of times before succeeding, if they ever do.
What a trans
Depends. NZ use a points system. If you meet the points requirements you don't need a lawyer. If you don't you need a lawyer.
Yeah I got this lovely lady for my wife years ago and it makes whole process so much smoother because they already know exactly what forms to fill what will be needed they can organise translators etc ... and the fees in the end were very low compare to stress and effort we would have to go through.
cap.
You don't need an immigration lawyer sucking you dry, you need a brain and the ability to read.
This was so interesting. You did a nice job asking good questions and providing insights to the process.
Believe you or not. At morning I watched this video and then went to a beach in Okinawa. There was a beach soccer tournament and I’ve met the guy from your video!!!!😂😂 they actually won the game and I caught the ball from this game 3 times 😂
Was super happy to see someone from the same place as me at 10:30 ! Thanks for the awesome interviews!
‘If you understand the culture, then it becomes easier to understand the language.’ ❤ this! Couldn’t agree more.. understanding the collective cultures and individuals of the world, building bridges and inclusivity. I found that food, music, dance, sports, hobbies.. the language of interests, does phenomenal things to build human connection. 🌏🌎🌍
Anime 🗿
Very interesting video. I have always wanted to visit Japan. I studied Karate for many years, and have had a few Japanese friends over the years. I love Japanese watches and cars, the Japanese are a brilliant people. Cheers from Arizona, USA.
The Jordan guy is excellent at languages!
His English is perfect. Can’t imagine learning Japanese on top of that.
100%
Excellent content Takashii! Love your channel, keep it up. I am a foreigner considering moving to Japan and your videos are really insightful.
What a terrific video. Thank you and everyone who agreed to share their stories!
Learning the language and culture is very important if you want to live somewhere permanently. This is a general rule of thumb for every country.
冒頭でJordanから来た男性が日本語に切り替わった時、いきなり身近な普通の日本人になって驚いた。もし目の前で彼と会話したら、たぶん見た目を忘れるくらい普通に日本人と感じて接すると思う。
AMAZING video!!! So many questions are answered in becoming a citizen of Japan.
The last point about getting some form of help when immigrating is actually very good advice. Often times, you think you can do it yourself and that the government would firmly outline the process of doing so... But that is so wrong haha! I recently moved to another country and having an immigration specialist help with the process was so fantastic. They are in your corner and know the 'loopholes', so they can make an individualised plan for you that best suits your needs & timeline. In my case, a lot of the steps for emmigrating wasn't properly outlined on the governments website, nor the steps/processes I had to do there after. Not to mention language barriers when applicable. It's also handy to connect on social media with other expats and discuss with them the proces they went through to give you a full picture
This is a beautiful and perfect example of how you go to someone else’s country and learn the culture, where as one specific culture goes everywhere and wants the world to change for them
Wonderful interviews. It's a joy to listen to their stories as there are a number of RUclips content creators who have so little respect for the customs of a country that they are a visitor in. These naturalized Japanese members remind me that there are thoughtful people visiting and choosing to stay in beautiful and rich in history countries. 🌸
Amazing video! Thank you so much for this! As someone who is looking to move to Japan in the next 2 years, everything in this video was extremely helpful. Awesome job!
I don’t mean to be that guy. But this is how migrants in general should be at any other countries. Appreciate and respect the country’s value and culture. Become a positively contributing person to the society.
Btw I am a migrant who recently became a citizen of a great country. 🎉
There isn’t any reason to preface “be that guy.” It should be standard across the world to migrate into a culture when migrating into a country. Why migrate there outside of wanting to become a part of what already exists?
Migrants must respect the customs and values of host country. Western countries are being permanently changed for the worse by forcing their own citizens to change to the values and customs of migrants.
@@ma.2099 yes it should be the standard. But sadly not the reality in some cases.
What do you mean "that guy?"
"That guy" is the one who believes they shouldn't have to adapt/act appropriately with respect to culture.
Takashii-san this was very informative, useful and valuable! Thank you so much for going through the trouble and for putting your time and energy into helping us (foreigners) get better informed about our (naturalizing) options 🙏💝
This might be one of the most insightful videos you’ve ever put out. Nice job.
This is a very informative video showing that there is nothing thats impossible (aside from certain situations) but it shows that there are high barriers. To become a citizen of another country you really have to sit down and commit to studying the language, mannerisms, culture, history, etc which I feel is especially more important for Japanese citizenship compared to, for example, an American citizenship. But for Japan you cannot hold dual citizenship and must give up your current citizenship. That is a very big commitment and I applaud people who are confident enough to take a leap of that level because it is a life changing decision. Very cool video and would be interested to see how natural Japanese citizens feel regarding this topic for insight on the societal opinion and/or changing climate.
It would be interesting to have a follow up or related video on how people choose a Japanese name for themselves when they become citizens. I believe that in Singapore and Hong Kong people of Chinese descent will have both an original Chinese name and a westernised name too.
At the Hong Kong airport, I had to fill out some form, and right above me were two pieces of paper. One piece of paper had English writing; the other piece of paper had Chinese writing. The English writing was signed by some staff member, with an English given name and anglicized Chinese surname. The Chinese writing was signed by the same staff member with the original Chinese name in Traditional Chinese script.
My mom's two cousins (brothers) came to the US as doctors. One guy, probably the older brother, kept the original Chinese name, both the family name and the given name. The other brother actually changed his legal first name and last name. His first name starts with the same Latin letter as the Chinese given name; his last name is an anglicization of the Chinese surname. Put it together, and you can't tell he's Chinese just by name only.
As for me, I am a naturalized US citizen of Chinese descent. My US passport is the only thing that is valid; my Chinese passport is invalid/expired and just sitting in the house along with other important identity-related documents. My legal US name is really just the pinyin romanization of my Chinese name, and I haven't really bothered with selecting a western name for myself legally. I do that on employment forms under "Preferred Name". Only my close family members and friends know me by my full Chinese name 大名 / 姓名 and Chinese nickname 小名.
Most people don't change their name. Japanese citizens who are married to each other must have the same family name so usually you would take your spouse's name if their name is Japanese. In the past it was pretty common and people who've lived in Japan for a long time sometimes have a Japanese-sounding alias which they adopt when they naturalize.
I just came back from a vacation to Japan, and I absolutely fell in love with the country. I already had a great respect for the culture and beautiful architecture, but after actually staying there, I felt that Japan is the place where I want to be.
My only difficult hurdle is that, at the moment, I know very little Japanese.
However, I plan on fixing that by studying as much as I can before my apartment lease is up next year. I am skilled in multiple trades such as carpentry and CNC Machining. So finding a job would not be difficult for me.
I am originally from the USA but Japan was so amazing that I didn't want to return home...as a US citizen, I never in my life thought I would say that.
We appreciate your interviews. Keep working hard.
I don't speak Japanese but really enjoy it when you subject your foreign interviewees to a Japanese test 😂
I have family living in Japan (with PR) and I just want to come back to visit soon. I've been slowly studying Japanese and am surprised at how many words I could understand. It gives me hope! This was a very interesting episode, thanks!
How do you learn Japanese?
@@heavenly_girl - Mostly RUclips video content. First I learned the Hiragana and Katakana alphabets (Japanese pod 101). Then I learned basic words: numbers, colors, fruits, days of the week, food, etc. Then I learned basic common phrases. I also translate Japanese lyrics of songs I like (usually kpop groups that have Japanese songs). RUclips has so many great videos! But learn the alphabets first!
@@SeeVolmr Thanks for the detailed reply! Similarly, I also learned Korean myself by watching RUclips videos and reading Korean subtitles of the videos. I understand Korean contents well without any translation. I now consider learning Japanese as well. There is enjoyment in learning foreign languages and understand the meaning of the words and sentences in that language. 🙂
I really love your channel! It would be interesting if you interviewed older people and got there opinions on different subjects.
Nice interview Takashi san. Keep them quality interviews coming. 👌
Thank you, very interesting. Not planning on living in Japan (again) but good to see some new citizens start to fill the hole in the population.
I definitely don't believe that the first guy's speaking ability hasn't improved since moving to Japan. I think he just doesn't realize how much it HAS improved because he was already at a decent level before moving there. I'm sure his vocab has improved significantly and his knowledge of colloquial expressions too, but because these things happen so gradually, he didn't really notice.
American who got Japanese nationality in August - 8 and a half months door to door. I found the Homusho people to be very polite and efficient. I did use an agency - it cost some money but I highly recommend it. Everything was in perfect order - which the Ministry obviously appreciated. Advice for those interested: don’t drive while waiting. Those tickets can derail the process. I have no home to go to in the US and no plans to go back there except to visit once in a while. All my children and families are here. Now for the hard part: renouncing the US citizenship. Already US offices have made several mistakes which cost me time and money to resolve.
おめでとうございます🎉🎉🎉
Does the Japanese government require proof that you've renounced US citizenship?
you don't have to renounce your US citizenship
I always thought that the US was the only country you didn't have to give up citizenship.
@@giadagiuggiola0272 Yes they do. Japan doesn't allow dual citizenship.
Your videos always are great with every new interesting topic
Thank you. Your interviews are very informative.
One of your best videos, in my opinion. I loved the inclusion of the two guys at the end.
Thank you Takashii-San This was very interesting and extremely informative. I found it interesting and eye opening to hear the reasons why the people you interviewed became Japanese nationals.
Great interviews. Thank you for sharing. Big fan of your channel.
とても興味深く有益なビデオでした。 かなりの高齢なので、居住条件を満たすのに十分長く滞在できるかどうかはわかりませんが。 しかし、年齢は単なる数字であり、私は今でもずっと若い人のように考え、行動しています。 笑
私はすでに言語を勉強しています。 うまくいきませんし、楽ではありませんが、私も諦めていません。 ようやく日本に引退できるようになったら、そのときは小さなことを心配することができます。
このビデオにご尽力いただきありがとうございます。
This was a very interesting and informative video. Being pretty old I'm not certain if I will be around long enough to meet the time in residence condition, though. However, age is but a number and I still think and act like someone much younger. LOL
I'm already learning the language. Not well or with ease but, I'm not giving up, either. Once I can finally retire to Japan I can worry about the little things then.
Thank you for your hard work on this video.
the most respectful thing u can do when going to another country is learning their culture and language. they will adore u for showing the effort
This is a very interesting video, especially from the point of view of the interviewees who are now Japanese citizens. As a lover of all things Japanese, ditching my Kiwi citizenship might be a deal breaker for me. But as I see it, the pros definitely outweigh the cons😊
新しい日本人の皆さん、おめでとうございます！
I also imagined living in Japan after working in Japan on and off for 8 years. Somewhere in a small village, like Makinocho Nishihama or Kita-Kamakura. But life decided otherwise - happy with the memories, but sometimes I miss Japan a lot.
Great video! Thank you for sharing!
So inspiring, thank you for sharing!
Same here, I’ve been a Japanese citizen for almost a year now ☺️🎌
As an Italian living in Japan and holding a permanent residence here, I would never give up my nationality for a Japanese passport. I can’t change my identity.
How about Canadian, US, or Australian citizenship?
This is so informative. Thank you, so much!
Naturalized citizen here and originally from the Philippines! I relate so much with these people when they talk about how easier it is to travel with the Japanese passport. To add to that, getting naturalized made it easier for me to get a loan to buy a house and i was already planning to live here forever so i am glad I made that choice.
The process wasn’t hard, but it’s just a lot of documents.
hey! filo also here. would it be easier to be naturalized if you're married to a 日本人？ i'm currently learning JP and at N4 now. thinking of moving for work in a couple of years.
@@zuhachan It won't make a difference. You don't even need to married at all. What matters is your financial stability, work experience, language fluency, criminal and tax records, and whether you can contribute to Japanese society.
@@zuhachanit doesn’t really matter if you’re married to a Japanese or not. I’m not married but I’ve lived here for more than 13 years.
@@soulstice87 what kind of work do you do? must of needed some kind of skill to stay there for over 10 years?
@@fa0179 I work for a big IT company. Right after I graduated, I worked for a Japanese IT company and learned Japanese there. Got sent to Tokyo and enjoyed living here so I decided to stay.
I love Japan beautiful country and Japanese people lovely and kind God bless Japan
A Jordanian....being interviewed by a Japanese foreigner.....both speaking English.
I'm loving the diversity in this world!!!
And, the Jordanian impressed me, tremendously, with his Japanese!
👏👏👏
These videos should inspire everyone to want to travel. 💯
Your Israhell could learn a thing or two of تعايش سلمي
I am looking to travel to Japan in 2025, as a trial to see how I would like living in Japan. However, I find the planning of it somewhat daunting. It's wild to me how people seem to have no issues with becoming a naturalized citizen, when it seems so complicated to me 😟
Well I think the most important thing is what are you looking to do there? Do you want to just work? Explore the culture and places? Deciding what you want to do then helps you decide how to start the process. There's a insane amount of books and videos on what/how to do it. You just have to find the one that makes it easier for you. Don't forget there are local Japanese society groups all around the US. There's Japanese people loving here in the US that may be able to help. Seek those out. Also don't forget about the Japan consulate. There's one in Houston,TX. That helped me with my visa last year.
Thank you for these interviews and especially the interview with the attorney.
A very informative wholesome video!
I got my 🇯🇵Japanese citizenship after 10 years ❤️thanks for the trust even though I can’t read and write kanji “ my husband is Japanese/my children
Excellent Interview!!! Your videos hit the mark very often. I really enjoy your shows. Your personality and demeanor is both, inviting and open to all the interviewees, despite the demographic, which is a welcomed truth. I find this fact a most favorable element in your videos. Keep up the great work. Such a joy to watch.
I feel like the language and culture makes it so that only people who are really invested in the culture and language and country can become a citizen. That way the culture and Language does not become lost. I’m a naturalized Canadian citizen and a lot of immigrants here treat Canada asa means to get health care or find jobs in the US or leave the country altogether after getting the passport. It makes it really hard for actual citizens who live and work in the country in terms of housing and burden to health care cost.
What? Even if you are a Canadian, that doesn't necessarily give you advantages for working in the US. The TN1 visa is way too limited, if you have what it takes to work in the US for high salary jobs, chances are it would be much easier for you to get a company sponsored H1B, which would leads to PR within 2 years and citizenships within 5 years. No one who's ultimate goal is working in the US would be wasting time gaining Canadian citizenship, it took the same amount of effort and time but get you worse outcome. Also being a Canadian citizen is actually a disadvantage if you want to gain PR or citizen of US, since US does calculate immigration quota of each country and have caps and Canada is one of largest immigrate source of US.
Also you can be a PR of Japan without even understand a single word of Japanese. I believe it's also possible to gain citizenship without Japanese knowledge if you meet certain criteria. Wealthy people were actually prefer PR than citizenship because they don't want the Japanese citizenship since PR gave them almost everything a citizen has while not have to renounce their original citizenship. That's why it's actually easier to get citizenship than PR in Japan. The income tax is pretty high in Japan while the salary is a joke. People tend to believe that other countries which they don't live in were better than their own, that's often not true.
As for the healthcare, lol MSP is so overrated. You can actually get better and faster treatments if you are willing to pay out of pocket. US hospitals and clinics are willing to greatly reduce the bill if you are paying out of pocket instead of insurance. They mark up the bill super high just for the insurance company negotiations. e.g. if you pay out of pocket, a day of NICU would cost $2000 in LA while it would be $13k CAD if you are non-resident in BC, CA. MSP also doesn't cover dental nor medication and lots of stuff, and the waiting time for anything is crazy. You could die while waiting for a specialist or in ER. Canada does not allow non-citizens to study healthcare related subject, such as medicine, while the physician boards make it super hard for foreign medial professionals to work in Canada, even if they were able to pass the license exam and get qualified. If you actually go to the hospital, you would know that Canadian healthcare system is super inefficient while short staffed, it's like 10% of the efficiency that you would expect to have in Eastern Asia with even worse quality.
What I've noticed that's fairly unique about Japan especially vs Europe is that people who want to live their are more open to embrace Japanese culture and "do as the Romans do" however if immigration becomes more lax it may change.
It’s because of the culture that is very burocratic and full of strict laws (and social norms) that has to be followed. In this aspect, it’s very different compared to European standards
Edit: even going back 60 years and it has always been the same for both Europe and Japan. Europe embraced individuality but Japan embraced enforcement of law
Freedom is hyper exaggerated and terribly misunderstood.
Freedom is never free. The price of freedom is self responsibility and discipline.
Japanese culture thrives on self discipline. The outcome is life in Japan is remarkably peaceful.
Ironically freedom is realized only when self interest yields to the greater good.
Thats the difference between Germany and Japan. We in Germany totally lost control and politicians rather force Germans to change for immigrants than thebother way around. There is barely any "do as the Romans do" here.
@@dennisbrinkley8613 Japan is very peaceful from some meanings of the word, very not peaceful from others. Is peace the presence of justice or the absence of conflict? If it’s the absence of conflict, sure. If it’s the presence of justice, well, there’s a lot of people from Japan who’ll contest whether it’s really peaceful.
@@wyattwarner2457 There is no perfect society.
"It's not that hard to get citizenship," then they proceed to speak seriously FLUENT Japanese... It was only the guy originally from Brazil that described how hard it is! 10 interviews??? The others have become so Japanese, they don't notice "sugoi taihen" when it hits them in the face... That said, they're good people. If you're going to live in a country, you should fully commit to it.
TAKASHIIII-san, thank you so much for this video. This is really a perfect timing. Thank you so much for your effort on creating this video!
Never been to Japan! But I will honestly tell you that I have been around the rest of the world. Watching Takashi's channel has motivated me to come visit Japan in 2024.
I guess Japan's Naturalization language requirement is very high, every one of them speaks Japanese so well.
Just looked up Ozu Moreira, he's legit a pro beach soccer player.
TAKESHIさんの日本語英語の発音でも外国人に通じることは非常に嬉しく思います。馬鹿にしている訳ではなく、TAKESHIさんは一般的な日本人が発音する英語なので英語を勉強している僕にとってすごく励みになります！
That's why I love Japan. People who want to live there actually adapt and CAN speak Japanese. I studied it in Munich University, and lived in Japan quite a while.
We in Germany however, have totally lost control and politicians rather force Germans to change for immigrants and their habits, religion etc. than the other way around. Most immigrants cant even speak German despite being here for a lot of years, because they just misuse the tolerance and naivety of those who were born here. Berlin is one of those meltin pot examples. There is barely any "do as the Romans do" here.
If Japan becomes full of some types of immigrants it will be same as Germany. I just hope Japan doesn’t fall for the same trap.
For sure, it should be like this - that people who want to live permanently in another country, especially who want to be citizens and enjoy the rights of a citizen, should learn the language and should respect the legal order, values and culture of a country they want to continue to live in.
not everyone has the same facility with language, expecting everyone to be fluent is unrealistic. Japanese has different dialects, slang, it is almost impossible to understand anyone on the street because what is spoken IRL is not what you learn in books. Every shortcut you can think of is used.
@@Bradgilliswhammyman it is not about being fluent but thr mindset and character. Foreigners in Japan will certainly never match a Japanese local in terms of language proficiency, especially when only relying on what is bein taught in books.
This is about the will and "adaptiveness" of foreigners coming to a foreign country. In Japan most foreigners are actually quite "submissive" and embracing the general and local culture.
In a melting pot like Germany, having to "accept" refugees from various countries that arent even in the EU, or people that specifically intend to move to Germany because they know this country will give them many advantages like social welfare etc., making them touch a German textbook is luxury!
If any Japanese is reading this, if you think some foreigners are arrogant and exploiting their status, countries like Germany are far worse. Thats what I am grateful for about Japan.
I'm a foreigner (Ukrainian) been living in Southern Germany for more than half of my life. I studied in Germany, I still have an accent but I consider German to be my mother tongue now and my kids speak German as their first language.
I sometimes instinctively feel the same about "foreigners" as you described it, because I forget that I'm a foreigner too 😂.
But Munich is turning into a small version of New York and it is actually quite exciting if you look past the scetchy parts of globalization.
It’s good that Japan has become more realistic about immigration and the Japanese themselves understand their economy needs immigration. All major western nations have large immigration programs to support their economies.
Great to know it's not true it's close to impossible to become a Japanese citizen! And the level of Japanese these people speak is amazing. Good luck to all of you!!! Thank you, Takashi-san for making this video. This was great.
Exactly!
It's not difficult, it's just a lot of your time to get documents and showing up at the legal affairs bureau on weekdays (burned a lot of vacation days).
@@meneldal I had heard so many foreigners say how difficult it is to do this. It doesn't sound that much more involved than for me to have my Japanese passport renewed after it expires or when I had to renew my US Alien registration card renewed. It shouldn't be that easy to change one's nationality.
I looked into the "Japanese Passport" being the 3rd strongest in the world claim and as of 2023 the Japanese Passport is actually the 2nd strongest in the world, only being surpassed by the Singaporean one. 191 and 193 countries that you can visit without a Visa respectively.
3rd place is shared among quite a few countries - Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain and my own country of origin Sweden.
American passport is the best
@3hree9ine By definition it is not.
@@3hree9inenot at all.
@@3hree9inebased on what? Your opinion lol?
@@3hree9ine America was #7 this year dropped to #8
I'm so happy you have created this video! This is something I have been thinking of for over a year now but uncertain where to start and what to do. Thank you so much! I look forward to the 2025 Expo!
The first guy speaks already like a native, almost no accent at all, amazing job!
Takashii I happened across your channel by accident a couple days ago. The first video I watched was about what the Japanese think about the United States I really enjoyed the format and your content. I just wanted to tell you that you have a good channel and very good content. I subscribed and look forward to future videos.
I think most of the foreigner who have weak passport back in their own country or hate their own country or plan to stay in Japan forever tend to apply naturalization instead of PR because they can travel most of the countries without difficulties. Most of them are married to Japanese so it's not difficult to apply one but if you aren't then you have to go through a lot of process like interviews and Japanese test to see if you are fit to become a Japanese citizenship.
You have a nice, soft way of saying that all these people either come from shth@le countries or there is something wrong with them as individuals (e.g. they are introverts and their home culture values extreme extroversion).
I tend to agree.
Actually, the naturalization process itself is same for everybody. There are many spouses of Japanese citizens who aren't eligible for that reason. And most people don't naturalize for the purpose of travelling abroad. It's about assimilation and integration with Japan.
@@yo2trader539so which sh!thole country are you from?
this videos are pure motivation, i love it
i dont want to live in germany anymore, i hope next year i will come to japan and gain the beautiful experience. and hopefully i really decide to leave germany forever. but its big decision
i just know a few japanese words until now. but i already love japan with all my heart
As others said, this is a unique and very informative video if you wish to be considered as a Japanese citizen *by law*.
Socially, you will still be a foreigner. It's neither good nor bad, just a fact. It won't prevent you from making friends, having a spouse and a family. You just won't be considered the same as everyone else but more like a tourist who is at ease in the country.
Even half who are born and raised in Japan can be considered outsiders if they don't look ethnically Japanese.
Just take it into account and do what works for you! ❤
yah, don't fight it. it will only twist your insides into knots. rather, enjoy it. relish it. embrace it. use it. have fun with it. you will always be special.
That thing is not unique in Japan but mostly in asia or countries that are not melting pot.
@Oscario8 I have news for you, as far as “socially” is concerned: they don’t care. They’re leftists. These are people who will keep a tight circle around them and will refrain from interacting from people being unpleasant about their status in the culture. Personally, I disagree with this outlook but this is how they function so your post is irrelevant to their experience. It won’t reflect how things will go. It’s impressive how well they establish that boundary once implanted where they live.
@@milaemouse8442they won’t have to fight it. They’re leftists in 2023, they already have several bubbles of communities throughout the nation now. They create the bubble and stay in it. That’s how they end up having completely different lives and mindsets to normal people. There won’t be anything to fight. It’ll just be accepted in their little bubble. Only people who have actually visited that country will understand. It’s not as homogenous as people make it out to be. I had to really go out there to not see people who look like me.
In Western Countries as well. If you haven't grown up in a culture and can't pass as someone who has, you will only ever be a citizen by law.
There's citizenship and national Identity. people confuse citizenship with national Identity. When people say Japanese for example, people think national identity, not Citizenship. To claim to be Japanese, when you are only a citizen because you moved there, is just dishonest and disrespectful.
Takashi is a really good interviewer, he avoids going on big tangents with his questions.
Takashii I a love your channel and video! I was curious if you could ask Japanese people "What are the top restaraunts or food spots that foreigners must try while in Tokyo." I would love to know what restaurants Japanese people want foreigners to try.
Loving your interviews. This was great and informative. Here in Australia we’re very multicultural and we’re all Australians whether we look Japanese African or Indian. Japan looks like such an inviting and beautiful country, I wouldn’t be surprised that you will become just as diverse.
Takashii-san, great report and surely you will help lots of people who are eager to get a Japanese citizenship.
Many foreigners view Japan's high taxes and social insurance premiums as a problem, but Japan's public infrastructure is maintained at a high quality.
I recently took care of my father, who received the highest level of nursing care support.
Japan's public infrastructure, which supports the process by which 1.5 million people die every year, is quite amazing.
this was such a wonderful video, thanks takashi for sharing these stories 😊
As a Chinese ppl I have a huge interest of becoming a Japanese citizen. I just working hard and paying tax and bill and hope someday I can hold a Japanese Passport to travel all of the world
These interviews are great, just questions without any fillers, gimmicks like you see in so many Western interviews