Second, sorry for taking so long to reply... this goes for everyone. I have been AWOL with a ton of work and "wedding plans"! Yup, gonna finally tie the knot (about time!) this summer. A new video is posted HERE.

Third: citizenship. I am not a Japanese citizen. Japanese citizenship is possible to get. That is to say, you could change your passport to Japanese and be able to vote and things like that; however, one still wouldn't be considered "Japanese". Of course. It's a little odd to me. For example, if you parents came from Sweden and moved to America or Canada, and you were born in Canada (or America), you would be Canadian (or American). However, here, even if you are born in Japan, you are not considered Japanese. I don't know how many generations it takes, but there are certain government positions, etc (including full time teaching in public schools) that you are not qualified for unless you are "Japanese".

So, I am not sure if that helps. Basically, a lot of foreigners here don't bother with full citizenship since it doesn't change your status very much. Many DO try for "permanent residency" which is the best of both worlds. You get to keep your citizenship and can freely travel back home, and at the same time, you don't need to renew your visa over and over again to stay in Japan. It's a little hard to obtain... most people don't try until they have lived here for at least 10 years. I will probably go for it one day; however, since I am about to be married, a spousal visa will really allow me expand into other jobs and opportunities (like borrowing money from the bank so I can go into debt! lol). The visa I have right now theoretically only allows me to teach at university.

All the best to you... and thanks again for your contributions! I am so glad you stumbled across these forums.

And once again, to you and everyone else, sorry for being under the radar for so long!

Matt