Minimum Wage jobs

[Leo]

I am planing on hopefully going to japan in the spring on a cultural visa and i was wondering since you are able to work some if you would be able to get a minumum wage job and if so what is minumum wage there. I lam just getting my butt covered before i fork over the money to go over there.

[Ewok85]

(b) Statuses of residence not permitting work
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/04.html#b1b

If its the "Cultural Activities" visa then nope.

Minimum wage would be around the 1000-1300 yen mark I think.. might depend on your age like it does in some countries. But unless you know some Japanese it would be restricted to teaching Japanese, and then it would be only informal 1on1 conversation.

[Dekamaster]

Ewok85, the minimum wage range you have quoted is on a per day rate right ?

[Windy]

Minimum wage is under 700 yen per hour but there is no national standard, varies from prefecture to prefecture.
Fulltime is supposed to be 125,000 per month.

Many cases of exploitation/overtime though (see Dekamaster)

[Kara_Nari]

What is a 'Cultural Activities visa'? What do you need to apply for one? Do you have more opportunity to work than you would on a 'Tourist Visa'?

[GaijinPunch]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but:

As an American, you have two choices:
1: Tourist Visa. You can work for the total sum of 0 yen an hour (legally).
2: Working visa, whether it be the usual "specialist in humanities" or whatever, your minimum salary provided by your sponser is 250,000 yen a month, regardless of hours worked.

[Ewok85]

Originally Posted by GaijinPunch

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but:

As an American, you have two choices:
1: Tourist Visa. You can work for the total sum of 0 yen an hour (legally).
2: Working visa, whether it be the usual "specialist in humanities" or whatever, your minimum salary provided by your sponser is 250,000 yen a month, regardless of hours worked.

1. 0 work, 0 pay.
2. You get "pay equal to that of a Japanese working in the same position"

Originally Posted by Kara_Nari

What is a 'Cultural Activities visa'? What do you need to apply for one? Do you have more opportunity to work than you would on a 'Tourist Visa'?

Read the link. No working on either visa.

[GaijinPunch]

I don't think #2 is accurate. I knew many of Japanese making less than 250,000 yen a month. Conversely, I know some foreigners with a VERY loose job description getting 250,000 yen a month, mainly for the visa alone. Finally, I've worked in jobs where foreigners got 20-30% more than the Japanese in the exact same job. 5 days of vacation more a month to boot.

To get sponsored on a working visa, you must be recieving at leat 250,000 yen a month -- period. I don't know of any minimum wage for other visas such as working holiday.

[Dekamaster]

Originally Posted by Windy

Minimum wage is under 700 yen per hour but there is no national standard, varies from prefecture to prefecture.
Fulltime is supposed to be 125,000 per month.

Many cases of exploitation/overtime though (see Dekamaster)

Whoa. Now, I think the company I work for has a pay rate approximately at that rate for its Japanese employees... And I thought they had it good.

[duff_o_josh]

dont you have to obtain a special permit from immigration to work on a cultural visa? the professional that you will be studying under, i believe, has to apply and you may or may not get it, also you will have limited working hours every week and or day. Just like the student visa. BUt i could be wrong, its something like that or you cant work on it at all. what are you going to do on your cultural visa? martial art?