How to Move to Japan

There are many reasons to move to Japan. Maybe you love anime and manga. Maybe you're longing to stroll through blooming cherry blossoms, or taste delicious fresh sushi. Whatever your motivation, you can achieve your dream by researching your visa options, assembling the necessary documents, and preparing to move. Once you're in Japan, settle in and let this new chapter of your life begin!

Part 1
Part 1 of 4:

Researching Visa Options

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    Choose the visa that is right for your needs. Consider how long you are intending to stay in Japan and what you will be doing while you are there. Are you a college student? Will you be pursuing art? Will you be teaching English? Are you married to a Japanese citizen? These different factors will determine which visa is right for you.
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    Apply for a working visa if you plan to work. If you have a bachelor’s degree and speak English, the most common way to work in Japan is to teach English. Many education companies in Japan hire English-speaking foreigners on one or two year contracts. You would then apply for a visa as a Specialist in Humanities/Instructor.[1]
    • You do not need to have a degree in English to get a job, you just need to be fluent in English and have a four-year college degree.[2]
    • If you don’t have a bachelor’s degree, employment options will be more limited.[3]
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    Apply for a general visa if you are a student or pursuing cultural activities. Cultural activities could include an unpaid internship or studying some aspect of Japanese culture, such as martial arts.[4]
    • Consult the website of your home country's Japanese embassy for more information about visa regulations.
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    Apply for a specified visa if you are the spouse or child of a Japanese national. A specified visa will also work for the spouse of a permanent resident or long-term resident.[5] You can find more information to see if you might qualify at the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/long/index.html.
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    Consider a tourist or working holiday visa. Some people take the chance of applying for a tourist visa, to stay for 90 days, and then reapplying for long-term residency after arrival. However, this has the risk of not getting renewed. Similarly, you could get a working holiday visa, if you come from an eligible country. A working holiday visa allows you to stay for six months and then renew.[6]
    • Countries eligible for a working holiday visa to Japan: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Republic of Korea, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Norway, Portugal, and Poland.[7]
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Part 2
Part 2 of 4:

Gathering Necessary Documents

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    Obtain a passport if you do not have one already. Go to your local passport agency. You can look up online where your nearest passport agency is. Call ahead to research what documents you will need to be. If you are in the US, you will need to bring Form DS-11, proof of U.S. citizenship, a government issued photo ID, a color passport photo, and fee payment. [8]
    • Processing a passport request can take up to 8 weeks. If you are leaving before then, you can get expedited service for 2-3 weeks, for a fee. [9]
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    Fill out a visa application form. You will need to fill out a different form depending on which kind of visa you’ve decided to apply for. [10] You can find more information about how to get the visa form by going to the website of your home country's Japanese embassy.
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    Submit a photograph of yourself. Nationals of Russia or NIS countries will have to submit two photographs. Make sure your photographs comply with the requirements.[11]
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    Complete a Certificate of Eligibility. This certificate must prove that you will have a minimum financial support of about 180,000 yen per month during the time you plan to stay in Japan. [13]
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Part 3
Part 3 of 4:

Preparing to Move

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    Choose a city to live in. Most expatriates live in cities in Japan, rather than the countryside, because cities have the most employment opportunities.[14] Your job might determine which city you live in, but if you have a choice, research your options. Popular locations for expatriates include Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, and Osaka.[15]
    • Tokyo has the world's largest metropolitan economy. It's a huge, bustling city, and very expensive. It is home to lots of investment banks.[16] But if you have the salary, and love the excitement of huge cities, this could be the place for you!
    • Yokohama is a huge port city, a center for bio-tech, pharmaceutical, IT, and electronics. It's much cheaper than Tokyo, and is home to many foreigners.[17]
    • Kyoto and Osaka are home to research institutes and universities. Kyoto also has a big tourism industry, because it is such a beautiful and historic city.[18]
    • Nagoya is much smaller than Tokyo, and boasts a shogun's castle. It is a port city and a hub of manufacturing, aerospace engineering, and automotive business.[19]
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    Find temporary accommodation. Don’t worry about finding a long-term home from abroad. First arrange temporary accommodation, and then you can search for better, long-term housing, once you are actually in Japan. If you are teaching English at a conversation school, many of the sponsoring companies will help you arrange temporary housing. [20]
    • Consider living in a share house, especially if you are young, single, and moving to Tokyo. Share houses are cheaper than a private apartment and are a good way to make friends. [21]
    • In a share house you will have your own bedroom, but share kitchen, shower rooms, and bathrooms.[22]
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    Learn Japanese, if you don’t know it already. You don’t have to be fluent in Japanese before you move, but having some knowledge of Japanese will help you navigate, work, and make friends once you arrive. See if your local community college offers a course, or check out an online course. [23]
    • Start with essential phrases! Konnichiwa means hello.[24]
    • Ogenki desu ka? means how are you?[25]
    • Arigato gozaimasu means thank you.[26]
    • Sumimasen means excuse me.[27]
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    Pack your belongings. Make sure to bring only what you need, especially if you are moving from very far away. Remember, you can buy furniture and other household items in Japan.
    • If you want to bring your furniture with you, consider hiring a shipping company. Shipping your furniture will be expensive, but if you have really nice furniture, it might be worth it. Go with a large, international company, to make sure you belongings are safely delivered. [28]
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Part 4
Part 4 of 4:

Settling In

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    Get your phone working in Japan. Wi-Fi is scarce in Japan, so you may want to purchase a Pocket Wi-Fi, a small portable Wi-Fi device. If you are going to be living in Japan for a long time, you will also need to get a Japanese phone and data contract.[29]
    • Having a Japanese phone number will be essential for setting up a bank account and other tasks of settling in.
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    Set up a Japanese bank account. Many foreign banks will let you take out money while you are in Japan, but they will charge large overseas fees. If you will be staying in Japan a long time, and earning money, it makes sense to open a Japanese bank account. [30]
    • You won't be able to set up a bank account until you arrive in Japan.
    • Bring with you your passport, residence card, visa, Japanese address, and Japanese phone number.[31]
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    Register at the local city office. Within your first two living weeks in Japan, it is required to register your address at the local city office (called ward office in Tokyo). Go inside and present your residence card, and they will guide you through the process.[32]
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    Reach out and make friends. It can be difficult for foreigners to blend into Japanese society, but with some effort, you can make friends.[33] Try reaching out to people you work with, asking them to go to karaoke. Join a sports group in your neighborhood.
    • Tokyo and many other big cities have expat communities that host parties and social gatherings. The Tokyo American Club, for example, has its own building with a swimming pool and events.[34]
    • Attend a party and get the phone numbers of people you enjoyed talking to.[35] With persistence you will build a social circle, and can fully enjoy your new life in Japan.
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References

  1. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/move-to-japan/
  2. ↑ https://tokyobecky.com/moving-to-japan-is-not-as-hard-as-you-think/
  3. ↑ https://tokyobecky.com/moving-to-japan-is-not-as-hard-as-you-think/
  4. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/move-to-japan/
  5. ↑ https://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/long/index.html
  6. ↑ https://tokyobecky.com/moving-to-japan-is-not-as-hard-as-you-think/
  7. ↑ https://tokyobecky.com/moving-to-japan-is-not-as-hard-as-you-think/
  8. ↑ https://www.usa.gov/passport
  9. ↑ https://www.usa.gov/passport
  1. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/move-to-japan/
  2. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/move-to-japan/
  3. ↑ https://www.usa.gov/passport
  4. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/move-to-japan/
  5. ↑ https://www.internations.org/go/moving-to-japan
  6. ↑ https://www.internations.org/go/moving-to-japan
  7. ↑ https://www.internations.org/go/moving-to-japan
  8. ↑ https://www.internations.org/go/moving-to-japan
  9. ↑ https://www.internations.org/go/moving-to-japan
  10. ↑ https://www.internations.org/go/moving-to-japan
  11. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/move-to-japan/
  12. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/move-to-japan/
  13. ↑ https://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/sharehouse/about
  14. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/best-way-to-learn-japanese/
  15. ↑ https://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/learn/japanese/japanese-tips/basic-japanese-phrases
  16. ↑ https://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/learn/japanese/japanese-tips/basic-japanese-phrases
  17. ↑ https://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/learn/japanese/japanese-tips/basic-japanese-phrases
  18. ↑ https://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/learn/japanese/japanese-tips/basic-japanese-phrases
  19. ↑ https://injapan.gaijinpot.com/uncategorized/2013/05/23/moving-your-apartment-japan/
  20. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/move-to-japan/
  21. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/move-to-japan/
  22. ↑ https://transferwise.com/gb/blog/opening-a-bank-account-in-japan
  23. ↑ https://nihongoshark.com/move-to-japan/
  24. ↑ https://www.expatolife.com/living-in-tokyo/
  25. ↑ https://blogs.wsj.com/expat/2015/12/29/members-only-parties-and-swimming-pools-making-friends-as-tokyo-expat/
  26. ↑ https://www.expatolife.com/living-in-tokyo/

About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 15,070 times.
32 votes - 83%
Co-authors: 5
Updated: December 20, 2019
Views: 15,070
Categories: Moving Internationally | Living in Specific Countries
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