When we said that we were moving to Japan, we would get the same question over and over again. "Why Japan?" Because I'm Japanese... that's the main reason. There are, however, a few more reasons.
1. I came to the U.S. as a student, and now I'm working and married. I've been doing what I wanted--learning, working, traveling, and making new friends--for almost 10 years in the U.S. Still, recently I started thinking about being closer to my family and friends for a little while. I also wanted to live in Japan as an adult when the right time comes.
2. Before I married my husband, one of the questions I had was if he would consider moving to Japan. He said, "Of course," and also, "It doesn't have to be Japan. I can think of other coutries as well." He lived in Japan for a total of 5 years, and if it's okay with him, it makes it very easy for me.
3. I had student visa when I first came here, and now I have a work visa (that expires in September 06). If I want to live here longer, I have to apply for a green card (permanent residency in the U.S.) through my marriage. It'll take about 2 years and cost at least $1,200 for this process. After 2 years, I'll have to wait some more time to get re-entry permit. Then, when are we going to move to Japan?
By the way, when we asked about my husband's visa to move to Japan as my spouse, we found it'll take only two days and cost nothing. I didn't realize things can be so different when you are staying in other countries as a married couple.
In fact, we were thinking about other countries as well as Japan. While we were checking around, however, we quickly realized it isn't easy to find a job. Well, in the end, Japan was the easiest choice we had. Many things went through our minds in the last 6 months or so, and the timing seemed to be just right. We are both looking forward to our new life in Japan!!
引っ越しを考えているとか、引っ越しが決まったと言うと、当たり前だろうけどこの質問をよく聞かれます。もちろん、私が日本人だから・・・と言うのが大きいのだろうけど、理由は他にもあるんです。
１、アメリカに学生として来て、就職・結婚。自分のやりたい事をやれるだけやって、１０年が経ちました。日本に帰る機会は数年前からそれとなく考えていました。そろそろ自分の国でやれる事をして、家族や友達のそばにいたいと思い始めていた所でした。
２、結婚をする時に、旦那に日本で暮らす可能性も考えられるか、と聞いた事があります。即答で「もちろん。」そして・・・「日本じゃなくても住んでみたい所はいくつかある。」ですって。旦那は日本に計５年住んだ事があるので、本人もいいとなれば話しは簡単でした。
３、私は今までアメリカに住むために、学生ビザと就労ビザ（０６年９月に期限切れ）をアメリカ政府から発行してもらっていました。これからもアメリカに住むとなれば、結婚を通してグリーンカード（永住権）という物を取らないと行けません。そのための時間（最低２年）と費用（最低＄１２００）がかかるとか。グリンカードを取ってからすぐ引っ越しすると、せっかく取った永住権を破棄したと見なされる事もあるというので、今の時点でそこまでアメリカに残りたいと思いませんでした。
ちなみに、私の旦那が私の配偶者として日本に住む場合、ビザを取るのにいくつかの書類をまとめれば、数週間、費用はゼロという事。国が違うと、ここまで対応が変わるとは・・・
本当の所、引っ越し先は日本じゃなくてもよかったんです。しかし、少し調べてみてそう簡単に仕事はないかも、と考えるとやっぱり日本が一番簡単な選択肢でした。こんな風に色々な事が重なって、タイミングが良かったのでしょう。私も旦那も日本での新しい生活をとても楽しみにしています。
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