[kannon]

I thought I would share this info. We have found ISSJ to be a real joy to work with. However, if you are looking for an infant or a girl, you may have to wait a long time. We got our referral due to being *very* flexible with our requirements. That said, we have gotten a tremendous amount of information about the child and her birth mother and how she came to be available for adoption. If you are open to Japanese/Black, Japanese/Other Asian ethnicities you are more likely to adopt through ISSJ.
Regards,
Kannon

[onelittleone]

CONGRATS! How long did it take you from start to finish? I have always wondered about ISSJ. We have adopted a baby boy privatly (still in the works) We would like to adopt again in a couple of years and Japan just seems like a natural choice for us.

[kannon]

Well, we are still in process. We expect to travel before the end of the year. We received referral in June, so 6 months from referral to travel.

[Mihoshi]

I know it's been a while since this was posted, but I was wondering if there was an update on your child.

My husband and I are hoping to adopt from Japan in the near future, but we're having trouble finding agencies that work in the country. I looked up the ISSJ website, but it's located in Japan. Would you mind telling me how the process worked using a foreign "agency?"

[kannon]

We received the referral in June and we got physical custody on September 8th. We are just now starting to get out of the *honeymoon period*, but so far, so good.

ISSJ requires you to have a homestudy from a licensed agency in your state and then the agency sends it to them. If you are flexable about age and gender, things will move quicker. Additionally, if you have access to Japanese culture, it would improve your chances.

Some things that ISSJ liked about us:
1. We already spoke some Japanese at home.
2. Our son is 1/2 Japanese.
3. We have a Japanese immersion school in town that our son attends.
4. I am Buddhist and attend a Japanese temple.
5. I taught Special Ed and have a good idea about developmental delays as well as other things.

Good luck and I hope this helps.
Kannon

[Mihoshi]

Thank you so much for the information. I'm so glad to hear that you've gotten your child.

We are very flexible in regards to age, and open to a small sibling group.

I'm working on a Linguistics BA (started college later than the norm) with a minor in Japanese, a cert in East Asian Studies, and a cert in Teaching English as a Second Language. We both have a great understanding of Japanese culture. Hopefully these will be traits that help us in adopting.

Thank you again!

[Saffy]

Hello,

My husband and I are also hoping to adopt from Japan. I am a third generation Japanese American and my husband is from Wales. I was having a hard time finding agencies who work with Japan as well. I have the information packet from VIDA (NY) and Vista Del Mar (LA) and I have made inquiries to Reaching Out (FLA?) and Faithful Adoption (NJ?).

The ISSJ sounds like it might be a good option for us. Any other leads for a licensed agency in the state of California near LA besides Vista Del Mar?

Thank You,
Saffy

[Mihoshi]

I believe, and I could be mistaken mind you, that several of the adoption agencies that list Japan as a program work through ISSJ. So it may be easier (or not) to cut out the middle man and go straight to them.

I've noticed that Reaching Out uses pictures from the ISSJ website, and everything I've read said that for Japan, it's best to find a place that works directly with the orphanages/children.

[Mihoshi]

I've just noted something about Reaching Out that worries me greatly. Isn't it true that a child must be 6 years or under when the adoption process starts?

There is a child listed on the site, who is implied from Japan by the specifications, who was born 11-11-98 and is listed as 6 years old (when he was posted 8-2-05). Now, unless my math is really awful, he should have turned 6 years on 11-11-04, so what's the deal?