What do I need to get in order to be allowed to live in Japan for a year? Do I need some sort of visa? And how hard are they to get? I wouldn't plan on working over there, as I have my own internet business, and all I need for that is a computer with internet access.

I'm assuming you're an American with your California tag, this means that you cannot get a working holiday visa. You don't want to work so you can't get a working visa. I think your best bet would be to just live here on a tourist visa for 90 days then fly to korea for a weekend and come back and stay for another 90 days. I think 180 days per year is the maximum for that though. You could find an English teaching job and get them to sponsor your working visa. It doesn't have to be full time either.

The other thing you could do is enroll in a school and get a student visa, but that would probably be quite expensive.

Overall Japan is on of the more difficult countries concerning immigration law.

Thanks for the response.

I did some digging, and apparently there is something called a "Cultural Activities Visa" (http://ydjapanwiki.pbworks.com/Visas%20-...ies%20Visa), and for this you need to be studying some "sphere of Japanese culture" such as "flower arranging, karate, Japanese cuisine, or anything else pertinent." for at least 10 hours a week.

Anyone know if studying Japanese language would count for a Cultural Activities Visa?

Hey Spines11, I was in a similar situation as you. I just moved to Osaka from San Francisco a few months ago. I stayed here for 3 months (3/2008 - 6/2008) on a tourist visa. I decided I wanted to live in Japan for a while so I came back for 2 weeks in the summer to figure out my next steps.

The easiest way to stay was via a cultural activities visa (文化活動). I met with an immigration lawyer and a calligraphy teacher (書道). The lawyer wasn't cheap (~$1k) but he got the job done and I now have a 1 year visa which can be extended for another year if I want to stay. My shodou classes cost about 3万円 or ~$330 per month. I only have to go a few hours per week but I can go more if I choose. There are other options for cultural activities such as martial arts, flowering arrangement, etc. but I was particularly interested in shodou. The only thing I really had to do was show that I had $10k in my bank account. I literally printed out my online statement and gave it to the lawyer. There really wasn't much else I needed to do.

RisuMiso is correct about the 180 day limit. In fact I was running out of days quickly. When I finally moved in August I came back on a tourist visa. My cultural visa was awarded just a few weeks ago. I would have had to leave around 12/15 had it not been awarded. My plan was to return to Japan in January, 2010 if there was a delay.

Let me know if you have any other questions. If you're planning on coming to Osaka definitely let me know! I'll set you up with the lawyer and calligraphy teacher if you like.

Quick update: Cultural activities does not include language. There are a few different types of student visas. I think there's one called a pre-college visa which let's you get away with going to class for only around 15-20 hours per week. Otherwise you have to attend a full-time school. Hope that helps.

Thanks owenjd,
If I come I would probably be interested in studying some form of martial arts. Are your calligraphy lessons private lessons? Is that why its so expensive? Do you know if there are options that are cheaper than $330 per month?

I don't know the details but I think you need to have several years of study in martial arts to get a visa. I'm not sure why this is but I know flower arrangement and calligraphy have no real prerequisites. The classes aren't private but have a flat monthly fee. I can go up to 15 hours per week or so for that price. It's actually quite cheap if you maximize the time.

I have a few friends doing 生け花 and I think they pay less than me. I'll ask next time I see them.

Thanks for your help!

RisuMiso Wrote:You could find an English teaching job and get them to sponsor your working visa. It doesn't have to be full time either.

Not quite true. It doesn't have to be full time, but you need to make more than a certain amount (apparently ~25万円) per month, so that you can be self sufficient and not be living paycheck to paycheck. If you can find a part time job that pays that, hook me up I could make that much part time if I had more private students, but self employment (and thus self sponsorship) requires proof of last year's income, which you wouldn't have as a newcomer. Pretty much no one who takes private students declares the income and pays tax on it anyways, so it's not a viable route for most.

This is actually the first I've heard of anyone being on a cultural visa. I was under the impression that they were pretty hard to get. You have to have proof of studying the subject in your home country (language studies don't count), and have the sponsorship of a recognized expert in the field. That expert must also act as your guarantor, so if you cause trouble it's their neck. Having that sort of trust is hard without connections, or outright paying them (maybe part of the lawyer's $1000 went to that? If not you got ripped off, doing your own visa paperwork is EASY and having a lawyer file it doesn't give it any priority. If anything it makes you look worse since it seems you couldn't read or understand the forms and fill them out in Japanese).

This is a really interesting thread. I attend a 書道 class every weekend here in London. I could really use this to get a Visa? Sweet..

Spines11 Wrote:I wouldn't plan on working over there, as I have my own internet business, and all I need for that is a computer with internet access.

Surely if you're running your internet business from Japan, technically that counts as working there?! It would be difficult/impossible for them to find out and you won't be paying taxes, but I'm just saying..

aphasiac: A British passport gets you a 6 month tourist visa as well as work holiday. There is no real reason to bother with a cultural visa since it is more restricted than a work holiday visa and harder to get.

You could go on work holiday, switch to a 6 month tourist visa when that is done, and then get cultural studies visa if 1.5 years isn't sufficient time for you to get a fully sponsored job.

Jarvik7 Wrote:Not quite true. It doesn't have to be full time, but you need to make more than a certain amount (apparently ~25万円) per month, so that you can be self sufficient and not be living paycheck to paycheck.

I was just looking through English teacher postings at gaijinpot.com and surprised at the number of jobs now that start out at 20万円 per month. They must have lowered the minimum pay requirements for a work visa. I have a marriage visa so I do not have to worry about that.

Most jobs listed on gaijinpot also won't sponsor visas anyways, possibly because the income is too low, possibly because they use scammy methods to avoid having to pay social insurance (ex, hiring the teachers as consultants).

You don't need them to sponsor you if you have a degree in that field though.

(Though I guess the paycheck still comes into play when applying for a visum, regardless of sponsoring...)

Even with a degree you need their sponsorship. In fact a degree is required for sponsorship of a 教師 work visa. You have it somewhat backwards. You don't need a degree for sponsorship of most work visas (just relevant experience), but having a degree doesn't remove the need for sponsorship.

You can self-sponsor your visa even if you aren't self-employed, but you still need proof of the previous year's income. The only reason to self-sponsor is if you can't find a job willing to sponsor (or are self-employed). If your job sponsors your visa and then you quit or are fired, you still keep your visa for the remainder of the time left on it..

Jarvik7 Wrote:Even with a degree you need their sponsorship. In fact a degree is required for sponsorship of a 教師 work visa. You have it somewhat backwards. You don't need a degree for sponsorship of most work visas (just relevant experience), but having a degree doesn't remove the need for sponsorship.

You can self-sponsor your visa even if you aren't self-employed, but you still need proof of the previous year's income. The only reason to self-sponsor is if you can't find a job willing to sponsor (or are self-employed). If your job sponsors your visa and then you quit or are fired, you still keep your visa for the remainder of the time left on it..

That's the point, most companies do not sponsor, so you have to sponsor yourself, and you do need a degree to sponsor yourself unless you have a LOT of experience.

And you have to have already been working for at least one year in Japan to prove income

In any case, self sponsorship is usually done by people who have already been in Japan for a number of years, but not long enough for permanent residency (~10 years unmarried).

I guess you're talking about Certificate of Eligibility which indeed can only be applied for in Japan and probably (though I haven't found any source for this) demand information about income, this is generally done by people who have lived there for a long time.

However, according to the Japanese Embassy in Sweden, you can apply for a work visa without a certificate, it just takes a lot longer (and probably has a bigger chance of being rejected).

I wonder if they changed the system lately though, because when I checked these sources a few years ago, degrees were mentioned everywhere... and now suddenly, it isn't mentioned at all.

Do I need to work for someone else in Japan to get a work visa? Or could I get a work visa and continue being self employed and doing my internet business from japan? Would a US tax statement be enough to prove to them that I can make money from my internet business?

I have a degree in computer science, so my degree is in the field that my personal business is in, if that matters.

@aphasiac - I would definitely go for a work visa if I could continue my internet business, I'm fine with paying them taxes. I just thought getting a work visa would require me to work for some company or something.

Spines11 Wrote:Do I need to work for someone else in Japan to get a work visa? Or could I get a work visa and continue being self employed and doing my internet business from japan? Would a US tax statement be enough to prove to them that I can make money from my internet business?

I have a degree in computer science, so my degree is in the field that my personal business is in, if that matters.

@aphasiac - I would definitely go for a work visa if I could continue my internet business, I'm fine with paying them taxes. I just thought getting a work visa would require me to work for some company or something.

If Jarvik7 is correct (which I guess he is) then no, you need to provide income in Japan, so you need to actually work in Japan for one year before you can get a work visa. Catch 22.

You could do as Tobberoth says and apply without a CoE. Everything in Japan is on a case by case basis so there is always a chance, but it's very slim.

The way you prove income to the immigration office when self-sponsoring is by getting your proof of tax paid document from the kuyakusho/shiyakusho, so US tax documents would be useless (they wouldn't even know what they were looking at).

Your best bet is a cultural visa, so start doing martial arts or shodo or something so you can have proof of having studied in your home country (try to get a ranking in something). Your other best option is to knock up a 留学生 and get hitched.

Hey Spines, I also run a internet business and don't need to work in Japan. Work visas are only for people working for a Japanese company. I wasn't really able to use my business as a way to get a visa. It's possible to expand your business in Japan but it has more requirements such as having office space, hiring Japanese employees, etc. Regarding proof of studying in your home country, it doesn't apply to ikebana or shodou. I never took a class before I came here.

Jarvik7 Wrote:

RisuMiso Wrote:You could find an English teaching job and get them to sponsor your working visa. It doesn't have to be full time either.

Not quite true. It doesn't have to be full time, but you need to make more than a certain amount (apparently ~25万円) per month, so that you can be self sufficient and not be living paycheck to paycheck.

I wasn't aware of a wage requirement. I know Gaba often posts jobs for overseas applicants so I would imagine that they sponsor visas. They talk about being flexible with hours so maybe you could get away with working the minimum once they give you a visa. I'm not sure though, I have a spouse visa and don't have to deal with any of that.

Afaik Gaba only recruits in countries with work holiday agreements. All in-country recruiting requires the candidate to already have a work visa. They are a horrible company to work for anyways (apparently the worst Eikaiwa company in Japan).

To all readers,

Similar to what OwenJD described in this very short thread 6 years ago (see post #4), I also would like to apply for a BunkaKatsudou(Culteral Activities) Visa for Shodou (calligraphy).  I am presently in Okinawa on a 90 day visa and have already found a calligraphy school.    

I still need a lawyer and although I've spent a few years here thru the military, I'm not networked very well here as far as lawyers go (Most of my friends are skaters, surfers, fishermen and generally young blue collar guys... and I haven't caught up with most of them in a while.)  

Can anyone with contacts to a lawyer up in mainland Japan refer or recommend a law office in Okinawa for the purposes of obtaining a Cultural Visa.

Disclaimer:  I'm making an assumption that OwenJD isn't active on here anymore.  If you are, OwenJD, my apologies and the above request I'd ask from you.

r/s

Andy77

[Zgarbas]

Have you tried asking the calligraphy school about it? if they've had previous students they probably have experience with the visa process.