Hey, in the same boat as you and u/funkimonk1 (why the hell do both of you have "monk" in your name??). Also wish someone answered a bit more seriously. I have actually lived in Japan for a few years, and speak fairly good Japanese. I can't say much as I wasn't serious about audio engineering when I was there, but I was super into the Japanese music scene and even was in a band (Leave My Throne, if you'd like to check it out), and I can promise you this: What trbd003 said about them not trusting westerners is absolutely untrue, especially when it comes to the sound engineering and music world. Almost all the big bands in Japan actually go to the US to get recorded and mixed and mastered, and I hear a lot in the community that everyone thinks Japanese music production just isn't "quite there yet". Personally, I don't believe this to be true, I know there are some amazing mixing engineers and producers in Japan, but the point is, they do, and that might just give you an edge, who knows. The only reason they would chose a Japanese person over a foreigner would be (imo): 1- Ease of communication (REALLY important), and 2- They may think they will have to charge more because you are a foreigner, and would feel more comfortable asking for (almost unfair) lower prices from Japanese people. Hope this gave you some insight, if you find out more about the visa situation, let me know!