My boyfriend and I plan on moving to Japan from the US in the next possibly 2-5 years. I started to wonder what costs and procedures might be involved (Airfare, hotels, apartments, food, immigration)? We would be wanting to move permanently. We also have a pet dog and small ball python we would be wanting to bring along. I’ve heard that there’s a visitor’s visa you can get for 90 days or that you can have an employer sponsor you for a work visa..I’m not sure how this works entirely. I would be wanting to work part time as well as going to school. So, I guess I’d also need to know about part time jobs and the cost of schooling (college level). Also, It would help to know about Japan’s healthcare system and how employers deal with workers with disabilities (like chronic diseases and such). Thanks so much for all the help! 
Also, what would we do with our cars? sell them? Having them sent over would be incredibly costly I can imagine. Is there much need for cars in Japan?
How would one go about moving to Japan?
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Never mind all that other stuff, your main worry is jobs and a visa. Unfortunately you can’t just apply to move to Japan, you need a good reason to be in Japan. Usually this is either a job or a Japanese family member. Assuming you don’t have a family member you will *both* need jobs *before* you go to Japan, otherwise you will not be allowed to live in Japan. Unless you and your boyfriend are married, you will both need separate visas. There is a 90 day visa, but that is designed for tourists, to get a work visa you need to be sponsored by a company before you go.
Getting jobs will be your main hurdle. After that the rest is just a matter of logistics. I would give more info on the other things you asked but to be honest, and I’m really *not* trying to insult you here, it sounds like you don’t understand the first thing about moving to Japan. It is not a simple matter to get into Japan and live there permanently. You should research the fundamental problem of visas and permanent residency first before worrying about whether you can bring you car and pets with you.
If you enter Japan as a tourist, you are allowed to stay up to 90 days, but you can’t work. If you plan to come as a student, you apply to a school, get accepted, and receive a student visa through the school. You might be allowed to work part-time, but very few employers would hire you. If you want to work in Japan, usually as an English teacher, you need to have a bachelor’s degree and an employer to sponsor your visa. The alternative is to have ten year’s experience in your field.
It is extremely difficult to gain permanent residency in Japan. It would take at least five years or more and even people married to Japanese citizens are often turned down The health care system is inexpensive your first year here, but after that goes up according to your income. Companies here are not generally good at dealing with employee’s health issues. People with disabilities have trouble finding steady employment.
Your pets can be flown over with you, but in a special compartment in the plane. You will need tons of paperwork and you dog will need a microchip implanted at least 6 months before you travel. Your pets will peobably have to be quarantined after you arrive.
You will not be able to bring your cars for many reasons, the main one being expense. There is no need to bring any more cars to Japan-there are plenty here!
You usually need working or student visa to live in Japan.
For working visa, you have to get a job offer from a Japanese company. But you can’t look for a job in Japan without a visa. So you need it before you enter Japan.
For student visa, you have to be admitted to a Japanese college. You need to pay tuition and living cost for 4 years. It could be about $80,000.
If you want to become a Japanese citizen, you have to keep living in Japan for more than 5 years without a pause. Then, you will be eligible to apply for citizenship. But you need more like stable income, sufficient reason, Japanese language skill and so on if you want your application to be accepted.
You can apply for Permanent Residence of Japan under the same condition. And this is relatively easier than citizenship.
>I would be wanting to work part time as well as going to school.
You can’t get a working visa for Japan if you have a part-time job. You need to have a full-time job.
So you need to get a student visa in that case. And you can work part-time if you get a part-time job permit.
>how employers deal with workers with disabilities
It depends on which disease it is. But Japan is not so friendly for disabled people.
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