[capeAngedlelp]

I'm sure this has been asked a brazillian times (sorry, little joke I read the other day), but the little woman and I are looking to move to Japan, and I'm clueless as to what I'd do there job-wise.

My wife is Japanese, I think that means I can get a work visa of some kind. Her mother has ALS, aka Lou Gherig's Disease, and needs a lot of care on a daily basis. So she wants to move to Japan in about a year, specifically to Shizuoka City, so we can be closer to the 'rents and she can help take care of her mom.

Theoretically we could live with her parents, they have a really big house, they're pretty well off, we could sponge off them forever. But I'd rather have some distance, and not working sets my teeth on edge. Sad, yes, I know, that a grown man of my ability and creativity can't stand to loaf on a semi-professional basis, but there you go.

But I have no idea what to do there in terms of employment. I'm a computer programmer ("embedded software engineer"), BSEE, been working for the NASA InfraRed Telescope Facility (IRTF) for about 7 years now, as well as doing contract work on the side, all of it (including the day job) writing software to control big, expensive infrared cameras, as well as some image processing and telescope control.

Shoots, I live in Hawai'i and I have a great job that I like most of the time, if it wasn't a family thing, I wouldn't be interested in going anywhere.

Anyway, I have no clue as to what kind of work someone like me can get over there. I'm sure they already have plenty of Japanese folks to wash dishes. My father in law may be able to give me a job carrying heavy things (he owns a small construction company), but I'd kind of like to keep doing software development at least to some extent, so if/when we move back to the states I can be back in the field. I'm also interested in ag, subsistence/market gardening, farming, etc, which I think has potential in the Shizuoka area, as I noticed there are a lot of old people who are farming, but not many younger people replacing them.

Thanks in advance,

-Charles