If you wish to live in Japan as a spouse from a foreign country, visas such as Dependent, Spouse of a Japanese National or Spouse of a Permanent Resident are available.
If you still are living outside Japan, you need to obtain a certificate of eligibility for all these visas. It seems that some people think a certificate of eligibility is a very time consuming process regardless of the visa.
A certificate of eligibility for Spouse of a Japanese National Visa and Spouse of a Permanent Resident tends to be quite time consuming. The Immigration Bureau checkes the authenticity of the marital relationship very carefully. Plus, you are allowed to work freely in Japan once you obtain one of these visas.
On the other hand, a certificate of eligibility for a Dependent visa seems to be less time consuming unless there is a shortage of documents or questionable descriptions in the application. You are not required to submit anything in addition to the marriage certificate to prove the authenticity of marriage such as your photographs and communication record on your social media. You may not work with a Dependent Visa unless you also obtain a permission for activities other than that permitted under the current status.