How long do Japanese date typically before getting married?
It varies. In general the older the girl the shorter the period of time. Girls over 30 will probably feel a fair amount of pressure to get married; this is only partly due to culture and a lot to do with nature and biological clocks. If someone feels that time is running short they are unlikely to want to date for years and years before settling down and starting a family. It's not unusual for Japanese to date for as as short as a year or less before getting engaged. Japanese culture is a little different, at least on the surface, to western culture. It's not uncommon for people to lay their intentions out right at the start. i.e. if they're looking for marriage and not just fun then they may say so right off the bat. I know several 30ish women who are currently speed dating with the express purpose of finding a husband and from what I understand that is fairly clear to both parties. The same basically happens in the west but people are not so open about it. Are you looking for a wife or something? From your question it sounds like you are single but you also ask "how long should I wait to ask?". Which makes it sound like you're considering asking someone who you just met to marry you? I wouldn't recommend that.
How can I get marriage in Japan?
As a foreigner first you need to contact your embassy and get a certificate of eligibility. This is to prove that you are not already married. Then the process is simple- go to city hall to lodge your paperwork and original and translated copies of all your ID and the certificate of eligibility.
In japan...two cousins can married? It's outlaw?
Yes, they can. According to Japanese Civil Law, there are "levels" of relatives' distance. Parents and children are level 1. Brothers and sisters are level 2. So grandparents and grandchildren are level 2. Those who cannot get married are couples up to level 3. Think about cousins. They are, for example, father's sisters' son. That means that they have level 1, 2, 1 distance in each relatives. So cousins are level 4 relatives and can get married.
Do most Japanese women stop working when they get married? How patriarchal is Japanese society compared to Western society?
Nowadays everybody seems to continue with their careers/jobs after marriage. So my answer to the first part of your question is no. Please allow me to tell how things used to be.It used to be a normal and happy affair for a female worker to quit her job when they get married. It’s called Kotobuki taisha 寿退社. There are two other concepts that go together with this word. One is Koshikake nyuusha 腰掛け入社 meaning temporary employment prior to marriage. The other one is the Christmas cake theory クリスマスケーキ理論. It more or less suggests that its prime time to get married when you are coming close to the age of 25. Many girls did 腰掛け入社, aspiring for a 寿退社, conscious of the クリスマスケーキ理論. The flower arrangement classes, cooking lessons, sado (tea ceremony) lessons, kimono lessons etc. were and probably still are a part of what is called hanayome shugyo 花嫁修行 meaning bride training. Many aspects of Japanese traditions were preserved thanks to this bride training for centuries (this was not only for the affluent, there was a bride training system for commoners called gyogi minarai 行儀見習い).Ask Japanese housewives over 45 or so what they think about this. You will be surprised to hear that many will not testify to the “forced retirement” notion. I have many snap shots from my last and only work place with the soon to wed ladies posing in the centre with bouquets and beaming smiles. My deceased wife was so happy to quit her job when we got married. She immediately took up cooking lessons etc. working hard in pursuit of improvement in her new job.As for the “patriarchal” part, I can tell you that we are right behind the “western society” following its footsteps. Many guys I know from work take up many household choars (dish washing, garbage disposal etc) When invited for after work drinks everybody will call their wives to see if they approve or not.To an old timer like me, the changes over a span of a mere 40 years or so is incredible.
Should my (Japanese) girlfriend and I get married in Japan, or America?
My wife is Japanese and I am American, so we just went through this process 2 years ago. We got married in the States - she was here at the time, and it was fairly simple and straightforward to apply for a conditional green card for her after we got married. Her sister, alternatively, married an American guy while in Japan and it was just a lot of bureaucratic hell to get into the country. They had a nightmare scenario of getting the Spanish Inquisition treatment by INS at the border, and even though they had all the marriage paperwork in order, since they packed all their wedding album "evidence" into a suitcase and didn't have any pics "on them" (this was before iPhones) the girl was denied entry. They subsequently spent the next 6-8 month doing additional paperwork to bring the woman into US.Your mileage may vary - but I think if you intend to stay in US immediately after the wedding, it'll be a lot simpler to get married in the States and deal with INS from inside the country.Side note: until your gf/wife files the paperwork in Japan, she'll remain single, so keep that in mind.On a separate note, if you don't have preconceived notions of how you want the wedding to be, arranging the wedding is significantly simpler in Japan. As User-10419313603983739584 mentions, it's a package deal - so you just pick A or B within your budget, and your tux/kimono/venue/food/drink/photographer/etc needs are all done in a one-stop-shop. Could be significantly simpler than planning it all yourself, unless you are into that.
If I get married to a Japanese man, is it possible for me to get a Japanese passport? If yes, how?
Marriage to a Japanese national means you are eligible to apply for a spousal visa. That’s not the same as eligibility to apply for citizenship or even permanent residency. So no, if you married a Japanese man, that would not immediately or automatically get you a Japanese passport. Only Japanese citizens can obtain a Japanese passport, and you cannot become a Japanese citizen through marriage alone.If you want Japanese citizenship, these are the basic criteria:The Minister of Justice shall not permit the naturalization of an alien unless he or she fulfills all of the following conditions:(1) that he or she has domiciled in Japan for five years or more consecutively;(2) that he or she is twenty years of age or more and of full capacity to act according to the law of his or her home country;(3) that he or she is of upright conduct;(4) that he or she is able to secure a livelihood by one's own property or ability, or those of one's spouse or other relatives with whom one lives on common living expenses;(5) that he or she has no nationality, or the acquisition of Japanese nationality will result in the loss of foreign nationality;(6) that he or she has never plotted or advocated, or formed or belonged to a political party or other organization which has plotted or advocated the overthrow of the Constitution of Japan or the Government existing thereunder, since the enforcement of the Constitution of Japan.Exceptions made for the spouse of a Japanese national are as follows:The Minister of Justice may permit the naturalization of an alien who is the spouse of a Japanese national notwithstanding that the said alien does not fulfill the conditions set forth in items (1) and (2) of paragraph 1 of Article 5, if the said alien has had a domicile or residence in Japan for three consecutive years or more and is presently domiciled in Japan. The same rule shall apply in the case where an alien who is the spouse of a Japanese national has been married with the Japanese national for three years or more and has had a domicile in Japan for one consecutive year or more.[1]Even if you are married to a Japanese national, there are a number of additional criteria for citizenship. It is easier and quicker to get citizenship and a Japanese passport if you marry a Japanese person, but it is not automatic.For more details, you can visit the webpage in the link.Footnotes[1] THE NATIONALITY LAW
How to marry a japanese girl ?
Many people share your dream. The universe may grant it, or not. Here's one idea. It's going to take some time, but it will certainly help you more than some paths: Finish high school, go to university and graduate with honors, apply to and get on the JET Programme, get to Japan and start working, meeting lots of people in your free time and during work, wait until an opportunity opens up to spend some time with a girl that you fancy, see if the chemistry's there, if it's OK start dating, ask her to marry you or wait for her to ask you, get married. Done. Anyway, God or whatever word makes you comfortable representing the whole of existence, acts in mysterious ways, so you never know what might happen.
Is it normal to marry your cousin in Japan?
It's not as stigmatized there as it is in say, the U.S. I've heard that in some areas, the "Kissing Cousins" trope is considered as common there as tropes like "Falling for the girl/boy who lives next door," or "marrying your school sweetheart." I used to laugh at seeing anime shows like this that had this kind of romance plot in the subtitled version, but when those series got dubbed into English, sometimes the localization teams would add in lines to make the relationship more acceptable - changing characters into second cousins, or sometimes just quashing any lines that speak of characters being related at all.