The voice of Mr. Y, a Filipino man

I'm Y from the Philippines. This year marks my 21st year in Japan. Since I was a child, I've always secretly wanted to go to Japan.

In 1991 (when I was 30), I went to Bahrain for a job repairing ships. Then, two years later, in 1993, I had a 30-day vacation from work, and I took the opportunity to fly to Okinawa where I had friends. From that point on, I had no intention of ever returning to the Philippines. Initially, I didn't understand any Japanese at all, so I started from scratch. Therefore, I studied on my own, using a dictionary.

I came to Okinawa and stayed at a friend's house for a month while looking for work. However, I couldn't find a job, so I went to Yokohama where my cousin lived. There, I got a job at a painting company and worked there for 19 years.

When things got tough, I thought of my three sons in the Philippines. In the Philippines, it's difficult to find a job without a university degree. I dropped out of university halfway through my studies and it was a very difficult experience. I don't want my sons to go through the same thing, and I have a strong desire to work hard so that all three of them can graduate from university. This feeling is what has kept me going until now.

The happiest thing about my time in Japan was meeting my current girlfriend at church 10 years ago. She is serious and kind, and I want to live in Japan with her forever. However, I currently do not have a resident visa. She is also Filipino, but she was previously married to a Japanese man, so she has permanent residency. In order to continue living the same life as before, I need a resident visa. I plan to marry her in the future to obtain a resident visa.