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Moving to Japan in 2025
Unfortunately, we still live in a world where moving anywhere long-term, and definitely being able to work somewhere, requires a visa. But lucky for us, getting a visa for Japan is fairly straight forward as long as you meet the requirements. So basically, if you have a legitimate application that follows all the rules, you will likely get approved.
First, you have to get your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) which they say takes up to 3 months (I hear 1-2 months is actually average), but mine somehow took over 6 months (longest of anyone I have ever heard of) so it really could be any time. Then once you have this, you can apply for your actual visa at the nearest Japanese consulate to your house, which takes anywhere from 2-4 weeks.
There are many different types of visas you can apply for as well. Anything from student visas, to work visas, to visas that allow you to learn certain cultural activities in Japan. Some require a 4-year degree (and for most people looking to stay long-term, I would recommend it), but not all visas for Japan do! Let's look a little deeper into the 3 main types of visas you might be considering.
The 3 Main Visa's To Move To Japan
1. Student Visas
The student visa for Japan is actually not that easy to get. You need to prove you have a lot of money (20 million yen, or somewhere around $15k USD (though who knows if that’s currently correct as the exchange rate is WILD right now) not including your tuition, in your bank account. And if you don’t have this (who does), you need an immediate family member (parent or sibling, a friend/aunt won’t work) to sponsor you who does have access to this kind of money, and will agree to be legally responsible for you. This needs to be formally agreed and notarized.
You can also show scholarships, or financial aid award letters and they will count towards the required amount. So if you are coming for University, this can be a great option as there may be scholarships you can apply for and you may have access to student loans to help full fill the amount. For language school however, you likely will not have these options and will need to gather the money yourself.
After the financial part, the rest of the visa isn’t as hard to get. You just need to be accepted to a school, and be able to prove you have an offer of admission. With this visa, you can also work up to 28 hours per week, which can help with expenses once you’re in Japan.
The Cultural Activities visa
This isn't really a student visa, but it is for researchers of Japanese culture or practitioners of traditional Japanese skills, so it's kind of in the same ball park. This visa is up to three years, but with the big caveat that you can't earn an income while on it.
For more info, this website is a pretty good resource, but basically it is for people who want to learn a traditional Japanese skill like Ikebana or Judo.
2. Working Holiday Visa
Japan has a working holiday agreement with 26 countries (full list can be found here). Most countries, to be eligible you must be between 18-30 years old at the time of application, but for Canada, Australia, and the Republic of Korea, you must be between 18-25, and Iceland between 18-26. Unlike the student visa, you actually don’t need much money for this. Depending on your country, you have to have access to between $2500 and $4000 USD, and have enough money for a return ticket (or have already bought the return ticket) to prove your financial eligibility.
Visa length depends on country, and in some cases is renewable. With a working holiday visa you can also work most places, except bars, cabarets, nightclubs, gambling establishments and other premises ‘affecting public morals in Japan’. But realistically, without conversational Japanese, you likely be teaching English. This can be really convenient for non-native speakers of English to also get sponsored on an actual work visa through teaching English as well, as it is basically impossible to get sponsored from out of country as a non-native speaker to teach English, but if you are already here, you can get the visa without being a native speaker.
3. Work Visas
There are a couple types of visa’s that foreigners would typically get in Japan, so I’ll go into the three main routes in this article so you can get the idea of the types of processes you may have to go through to get a work visa.
The 'catch all' work visa
The first is the most common and if you are planning to work in Engineering, Tech, Business, English Teaching, Translation, and other’s, you will likely be sponsored under the Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術/人文知識/国際業務 Gijutsu/Jinbun-chishiki/Kokusai-gyoumu) visa. To qualify for this visa, you need a minimum of either a four year equivalent bachelors degree, a diploma from a Japanese vocational school (vocational schools outside of Japan do not count), or 10+ years of working experience in your field. This also isn’t a visa you can apply for by yourself, you have to be sponsored by a specific company who want’s to hire you.
Usually you will get a 1-year visa as your first visa, but the possibilities are 3 months, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years. And despite that you have to be sponsored by a company to get this visa initially, if you quit or lose your job you still get to keep the visa. But don't forget to read your contract, because if you quit immediately after being sponsored, it is possible to have some penalties such as having to pay your sponsor back for the cost of the visa.
When applying for this visa, you first apply for the Certificate of Eligibility (COE). They say this can take anywhere from 1-3 months, but it can take a lot longer (mine took over 6 months). Just because it’s taking a long time doesn’t mean you are being rejected either, so don’t panic, but don’t book your flight until you have this since the range of time is pretty big.
Once you have your COE, you can bring it and your passport to the closest Japanese consulate to your house in your home country and have them review it. This usually only takes a couple of weeks. Once you have your visa in your passport, you are good to go! You'll get your residence card upon arrival to Japan, and from then on all renewals can be done from within Japan and will no longer require a certificate of eligibility.
The Specified Skilled Worker visa
The second visa is quite new, and is for 10 different specific industries only (though the government may add more, so keep checking). This visa (established in 2019) is under the Specified Skilled Worker Program, and is valid for 5 years. A bit of warning, this visa is a bit controversial and has had some backlash on the program as a whole for taking advantage of workers, but there are positive stories as well so I'll include it for now as it could work for some of you!
In order to qualify, you have to be at least 18 years old, have at least JLPT N4, and pass a skills test pertinent to the industry you are applying for. As far as I know, at the moment this visa isn’t renewable, does not count towards permanent residency, and you cannot bring dependents. However, there is discussion that if you are able to pass an additional skills test, you may be able to stay longer and also bring dependents under the visa. I’ll try to update this as changes are made, but also check out this website on the Specified Skilled Worker Program as it has some great information and is a lot more in depth!
I don’t currently know anyone with this visa, but if I’m able to get some more information or interview someone who has the visa, I’ll let you know!
The Digital Nomad visa
This is a new type of Designated Activities visa that allows foreigners to come to Japan for a period of 6 months while working remotely. Seems short? I think so too, especially since a lot of the countries who are available for this visa can already stay 90 days at a time twice a year... so the same amount of time. The financial requirements are also pretty steep.
The main thing you have to prove is that your annual income is at least 10 million JPY per year. With the current exchange rate, that helps a bit, but it's still quite a lot of money for most people. However, you don't need a degree and you can bring your spouse and/or dependents, so at least that's something. For more information on this visa, check out this government website for details.
If I Were Moving To Japan In 2025, What Would I Do?
Embrace Student Life
If you have the money, I think the best way to come to Japan is on a student visa to a language school. Learning Japanese is critical to long term success in Japan, both for work and daily life, as well as to just have more fun. Even if you're only planning to come for a year or two, you may as well learn the language while you're at it! This is also one of the few ways to come to Japan without a degree.
The best way to apply to language school is to use GoGoNihon. It's completely free, and they will help you with everything. So may as well make it easy on yourself! Their school finder feature on the website is a great place to start, then from their just contact them through the website and someone will be in touch!
While I haven't ever been a full time language student, I have used this website to check language schools generally, and even did contact them back when I was considering if language school might be possible for me and found them really helpful, so definitely check them out!
Dust Off Your Resume And Get Applying
It is possible to get a job in Japan from outside the country! Especially if you are an engineer or work in IT, there are plenty of opportunities. I recommend checking out Japan Dev as a starting point. They post jobs pretty often and some don't require Japanese.
Another great option is LinkedIn. I've actually gotten all of my jobs in Japan through LinkedIn, including my first English teaching job. Don't waste your time on GaijinPot or JapanJobs, unless you want to teach English through one of the big Eikawa's, those aren't the kind of platforms that are going to get you a job.
You can also reach out to recruiting agencies! Recruiting agencies are huge in Japan, and most of my Japanese friends use them every time they switch jobs to help negotiate salary and get their foot in the door. I have also worked with recruiting agencies, and found while most of the English only jobs weren't ones I was as interested in, still found they were able to provide me at least some options. Most recruiting agencies will want to see a high level of Japanese on your resume, but not always so it's worth reaching out! I'd recommend Morgan Mckinley or Michael Page.
Teach English
The easiest way to get your first visa in Japan if you are a native English speaker is to teach English. If you aren't a native English speaker but you're English is near native level and you've taken schooling, such as high school, in English, you can also try this route. But note, you do need a degree to teach English. The degree can be in anything though, so don't worry if none of your courses had anything to do with teaching or English language.
Teaching English in Japan can actually be pretty fun. The pay isn't great, but you generally meet some good people and if you go the ALT route, the job can be really easy. Most people recommend JET, though I would caution against this program unless you really want to live in the countryside. If you want to work in a city such as Tokyo or Osaka, I recommend applying for ECC or KidsUp!.
I started as an English teacher for a year and a half before being able to get into my desired field (Project Management for Digital Marketing). I met some great people, had some really good students, and was able to get two visas and enough time to eventually find my dream job in Japan. It may not be the dream to start, but don't give up!
2025 Is Your Year!
Are you looking to move to Japan in 2025? If you are, this is your year! It's never too late to make a change, so why not now? Check out my YouTube and Instagram for more daily Japan inspo and moving advice, and don't be afraid to ask a question in the comments! I read them all and try to help whenever I can. So what are you waiting for? Write move to Japan on your 2025 resolutions!
And if you're already on your way? Check out my blog on the best areas to live in Tokyo! Planning is half the fun anyways, right?
Wander on friends ✨
