Visas to live in Japan

Introduction

To live in Japan long term for more than 90 days (three months), you will need a visa. The visa is an official document issued by the Japanese Embassy. Depending on the English-speaking country where you live, find out about the location of the Japanese Embassy. You can travel to Japan without a visa if your stay is less than 90 days.

There are several visas in Japan that allow you to experience the Land of the Rising Sun in different ways. Indeed, you can live in Japan by learning Japanese, traveling across the country, discovering Japanese art, or even working. The visa is the best way to discover Japan in depth and thus get an idea of the country.

Here is a non-exhaustive list of visas you can request to discover Japanese culture:

• The student visa: with this visa, you can study Japanese at a language school in Japan. You have the right to practice a professional activity up to 28 hours per week. This visa lasts for a minimum of one year and can be renewed for up to two years.

• The working holiday visa (WHV): this visa is the most requested since it allows you to travel, work and even study Japanese at a school. On the other hand, what is not allowed is the fact of using this visa for one of the three activities mentioned above. Indeed, with the WHV you can for example study Japanese in a school for three months, travel to Japan for six months and work in a company for three months. In fact, you are quite free to organize your own trip. You have the right to work without any time limit as long as you do not use this visa only for work. This visa lasts only for one year, it is not renewable.

• The cultural visa: with this visa, you can learn an art from Japan. It could be studying the tea ceremony, a sport such as judo, karate and maybe even sumo, or calligraphy or a musical instrument like taiko. It is possible to practice a professional activity up to 28 hours per week. This visa lasts for a minimum of one year and can be renewed as many times as the art school accepts to teach you.

• The work visa: this visa, as its name suggests, allows you to work in Japan for a period exceeding one year. After you find a company in Japan that accepts you to work for them for more than a year, you can apply for a work visa. This visa can be renewed for as long as the company wishes to sponsor you.

In the following articles, you will find more detailed information on the procedures to follow in order to apply for a student visa and a Working Holiday Visa in Japan. You will therefore find on this site complete and detailed articles on the subject. By following my instructions correctly, you will be able to apply for a visa without any problem.

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