Hi, I plan to stay in Japan, hopefully for a year, from the first quarter of next year. A sensei I know, through my own sensei, is asking around the people he knows in Japan to see if one of them will let me stay with them. If that works out I will be staying in fukuoka. If that dosen't work out then I will try volunteering anywhere in Japan, anyone have more information on this? Like how to find a place to volunteer at while I'm still in England. With a one year voluntary visa do I need to already have a volunteer position or can I find one after I obtain the visa? Do I already need to have a degree for a working holiday visa? I read there is an age limit with this as well. Could I ask for any info on student visas and the cost of a language school with home stay as well. The reason I'm going is to see what it is like to live there and learn the language more. I'm currently working through a Honours Degree in English and I intend to do a TESOL Course during my final year. I also intend to continue practising kendo while I'm there. Any westerners here practised kendo in Japan? Thank you. Stephen
http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/visa/volunteer.html http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/visa/working-holiday.html http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/visa/others.html (for info on student visa)
There is no such thing as a "voluntary visa". What the heck do you mean: working holiday visa, visa waiver (just your passport for 90-180 days), or a volunteer visa? I suspect you mean the last one here, but please learn the correct terminology. As for the rest of the info you seek, nekojita has been generous in showing you that the it's very easily accessible. I think a lot of this was covered in the FAQ, too. A little dated, but still a good first place to check.
I appreciate the links nekojita. Thank you for pointing out that error, I did indeed mean to write volunteer visa. Of cource there's no such thing as a voluntary visa. I have of course already checked out the easily accessible visa pages, but they don't answer all my questions. I was hoping for somone with personal experience to reply to my queries.
If you have a UK passport, easiest thing to do would be to apply for a working holiday visa in the UK. It takes a few weeks to be issued. You can then enter Japan for up to a year and volunteer, but you'll also have the option of picking up a part time job if you need some extra funds. For a working holiday visa you need to be between 18-30 years old and you DO NOT need a degree. If you decided to stay on longer than a year you will need to find full time work with a company that can sponsor a full-time work visa. Working holidays visas are only for 1 year max. http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/visa/working-holiday.html
Hey olryst! If you do decide a Working Holiday Visa is for you, here's a guide we created with everything you need to know about doing a Working Holiday in Japan; hope this helps! http://www.boobooski.com/wp-content...Guide-to-Doing-a-Working-Holiday-in-Japan.pdf Hope you fall in love with Japan as much as I have,