I'm preparing to move to Japan for a full-time job, and my Certificate of Eligibility (COE) has already been issued using my current passport.

Due to some circumstances, I might need to renew my passport even though my current one is still valid.

Would renewing my passport after the COE has been issued cause any complications with my Japanese work visa application? Would I need to update my passport details with Japanese Immigration, or can I proceed with the current passport and renew it later?

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who's dealt with a similar situation or has experience with the Japanese work visa process.

I need a referral to someone (immigration lawyer or someone else appropriate) to help me get a CoE. I’m already getting a J-FIND, but need the additional certificate. Anyone here know a good person to contact?

The reason for the lawyer is that the japanvisa website lists it as a way to get the CoE without a proxy. Also, I was not too sure on the search results I saw from looking up immigration lawyers so I hoped to possibly find one that someone else on this subreddit used successfully.

Not sure if where in Japan makes a difference, but it would be Tokyo most likely. Living in any place other than a big city is mind numbing and soul killing for my current and future personal life requirements.

The thing is I'm Fully aware of mext scholarships and other ones but ik I can't do it not because I'll fail if i try but rather , see the main reason I wanna go to Japan is i wanna be exposed to international culture, I wanna travel around the world , new places ,meet new people, make international friends, go on trekking, see I wanna be as to be precise Luffy, just go and explore things and I want my 2 years be filled with different side quests and memories worth telling this is how I wanna live but again it's not like I can js go to and my family can js put money so that I can travel, so I decided I'll further pursue my studies and while I'm at in in some different country ilm be doing everything to achieve what I wanted. So pursuing Mext scholarship isn't a option cause doing so will put pressure on me which Is a drag. So I wanna know is my decision on going to Japan taking a loan worth it? What will you guys be doing if you were in my shoes? Cause if not japan then i must stay in my own country and prepare for civil services exams crack a job and yk whats next🙂 so idk what to do im confused as fuck, see all I want is exposing myself to international culture and studies and environment and at the same time meet different people and explore my dream country and yeah I don't have any interest in settling down there again.

Hey all!

I've recently turned 18 and have been approved for a WHV (currently living in the UK). Very fortunately, I've been running my own small business for the past few years so I'm in a position where I can live comfortably and travel around Japan throughout the year.

I'm planning to move to Tokyo in January 2027 and stay for around 11 months. I've been looking at apartments through Weave Living and Hmlet, but I'm honestly struggling to decide where to live or what to even look for (just a little overwhelmed by all the choices).

I'm pretty conscious about the social aspect too. I understand that having my own apartment might make meeting people a little harder, however I don't think it's a massive deal as I'll hopefully be stepping outside of my comfort zone and attending small social things such as casual Japanese lessons.

I think one thing that is making the decision difficult is choosing one apartment for a year when I've never lived in Tokyo before (have visited previously in 2024 as a tourist). I'm also not fully sure what my day to day routine will be like, or how long I'll spend at home when I'm not travelling.

I'm mainly here to ask if anyone has any past experiences with Weave or Hmlet, or even any recommendations for neighbourhoods for someone in my position.

I'd also really appreciate an answer from anyone who moved to Tokyo alone at a similar age, is there anything you wish you considered before choosing where to live?

Thank you! :)

i want to move to rural Japan and start a holistic wellness retreat centre that combines farming, nature, and healing.
Ideally, I’d love to purchase or renovate a traditional Japanese home with land to grow medicinal herbs, cultivate a small farm.
I’d love for this project to support rural revitalization, sustainable tourism, and local communities. i have experience in farming by the way.

I’m hoping to learn from anyone with experience in Japan….
What visa pathway would be suitable for a foreigner wanting to farm and operate a wellness retreat business? Should I pursue entrepreneurship or farming first?

I’m currently 23 years old and doing my 1st year of MBA in Finance (I also hold a Bachelor's degree in Finance) and a year of experience in banking sector. It has always been a dream for me to move to Japan. I love their culture and everything tbh. I’m currently N4 and should be N3 by June 2027. I’m practicing and learning every day. I have few Japanese friends I met online. They are helping me as well with communication. We do VC once in a while to practice. 

I want to know if moving to Japan is okay with my qualifications. I want to move by the end of 2028 so that I’ll be done with my master’s and hopefully reach N2. I want to know if it’s easy to find a job with these qualifications. Not easy but if it’s possible. My plan is to attend a language school in Japan the year I move because I have few friends out there who said getting into a language school is very helpful as they teach you the language and also how things works in Japan. They help you with mostly everything such as helping to move in the country helping you find a part-time job and renting a house to live in. 

Please guide me with your knowledge 

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are planning to move to Japan around June 2027, ideally for at least a year. I've gone through the wiki, but I'd really like to hear from people who made a similar move, especially without speaking Japanese.

About us

- Both Belgian. I'm 33, she's 28. Not married (yet).
- She works in marketing and does content creation.
- Languages: Dutch (native), fluent English, some French, German and Spanish. No Japanese.

My background

- Bachelor's in International Business Management, including a semester in Canada.
- 8+ years in ERP implementation: 5 years at a large SAP consultancy, now 3.5 years at an Odoo scale-up.
- Started as a business analyst and project manager. Now Operations Lead over about 25 people in three teams.
- Delivered projects for around 30 clients in manufacturing, biotech, e-commerce and food & drink.

What I'm looking for

Honestly, I'm open to almost anything at an international company where English is the working language. Operations, project management, sales, presales, customer success, even marketing. I don't need to stay in ERP. What I enjoy most is working with people and getting things done.

What I've tried so far

I've applied to a bunch of bigger headhunting companies in Japan. Only one got back to me, saying they had no suitable role. Not a great start, but I know it's early.

I'm also looking into staying with my current employer and working remotely on the digital nomad visa. Honestly, I don't think it'll work. My role is very operational, and with a 7 to 8 hour time difference I'd be working evenings every day. The visa also only covers 6 months and needs ¥10M (about €55k) a year in income.

What I'd love advice on

With no Japanese, which roles or industries are actually realistic for me?
- Any recruiters or companies you'd recommend for English-speaking roles?
- Is it worth flying over for a few weeks to network and interview, or can it all be done from Belgium?
- Since we're not married, what are her options for a visa of her own?
- Anything you wish you'd known before moving?

If your company is hiring for any of the above, or you know someone who is, feel free to DM me. Happy to send my CV.

Thanks in advance. Good or bad, I'd love to hear your experiences!

Let’s make this dream a reality 🫰

Hi everyone,

I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Japanese Language and Literature in July 2026. I also spent one year as an exchange student at a university in Osaka and currently hold JLPT N2.

I'm trying to find a realistic way to move to Japan and secure a full-time job. I've been applying for jobs from outside Japan, particularly in hospitality, customer service, and international business. I'm considering traveling to Japan to take the 特定技能1号（宿泊分野） skills test and pursuing a hotel or ryokan job through the Specified Skilled Worker program. But I'm also considering attending a senmon gakkō (Japanese vocational school) to gain a more practical qualification.

I'm particularly interested in IT, international business, and automotive. However, I have a few concerns:

1. If I graduate from a two-year senmon gakkō program and receive the **専門士 (Senmonshi)** qualification, can I use that qualification to apply for a work visa?

2. Since my bachelor's degree is in Japanese Language and Literature, would graduating from a vocational school in a completely different field, such as IT, allow me to work in that field under the **Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務)** status?

3. Would immigration consider my vocational qualification sufficient, even though my university degree is unrelated to the job?

4. Which vocational fields would you recommend for someone in my situation who wants to maximize their chances of finding a job and obtaining a work visa?

5. If you attended a senmon gakkō as an international student, was the tuition worth it? How difficult was it to find a job after graduation?

6. Any additional advice and information is appreciated.

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have gone through this process, especially those who graduated from a senmon gakkō.

Thanks in advance!

I am a prospective language school student, hoping to move to Japan for language school in fall of 2028. I want to live in a dorm for my experience during those two years, so as I was in the midst of planning out and saving, I found Dormy Nakakasai. From what I have researched online, it seems like a great location for me to be able to live with other students, great amenities, while also being able to experience being on my own for the first time. I also need find a place on the Tozai line close to Edogawa City for volunteer reasons.

I am planning on applying to through GoGoNihon, so would they be able to help me secure a dorm space at this specific dormitory?

Also, if anyone has any experience with Dormy or this specific dormitory site, please let me know! Thanks so much!

Hey everyone,

I know you guys are probably tired of those kind of posts, so sorry in advance

I'm 26, and I've been working in cybersecurity for about 5 years, mostly on the Blue Team side.

My experience is mainly with Fortinet firewalls, endpoint management using CrowdStrike and SentinelOne, and vulnerability management with Tenable. I don't have much programming experience since my work has been more focused on security operations and infrastructure

I recently visited Japan and realized my conversational Japanese was actually better than I thought.. BUT I still have a long way to go before I can use it professionally, so I've started private Japanese lessons and I'm aiming for JLPT N2 by the time I'm 30 ( at least I hope so )

I'd really like to move to Japan eventually, but looking for jobs has been a bit discouraging. Most IT openings I come across seem to be for developers or require coding skills

Is it actually that hard to find IT jobs in Japan outside of software development, or am I just looking in the wrong places?

As for now, I'll keep my current job and continue developing my skills while studying Japanese, but I just want to get a better idea of what I can do now to improve my chances of making this move in the future

I'm not expecting to move tomorrow, and I'm happy to spend the next few years working toward this. Just trying to figure out the most realistic way to make it happen

Thanks!

Hello all
Next week I have the Working Holiday Visa Application meeting at the embassy (UK).
I'm Currently in the process of collecting my documents and wanted to ask your opinions of my Itinerary Document.
I'm hoping to get some feedback as to if what I have written up will pass their expectations and if it is either too detailed, or not detailed enough and if anyone would be happy to share some suggestions as to what improvements could be made.

(The bullet points are laid out properly on Word, Reddit seems to want to bunch them up together!

Thanks :)

I (23m) am a residential (rarely commercial) US framer with three years experience building and remodeling from the ground up. Comfortable with tools, basic blueprint reading and working in difficult conditions (heat, cold, rain). Looking to refine and transfer these skills to Japanese timber framing (mokuzō jikugumi kōhō). American culture and economy made me disillusioned with staying long term. I've been interested in Japanese life for years, and seeing how far my USD goes converted to JPY made me pursue the move.

In the past I learned hiragana and katakana in about 2–3 weeks just for fun, then stopped. Very little grammar and vocabulary right now, but ready to start serious study with a structured online class.

Here's what I could gather from my own study on the move:

• SSW (i) Construction, building carpentry / daiku category
• Language requirement: JLPT N4 or JFT-Basic
• JAC Construction Field skills evaluation exam
• Employer needs Construction Business License, JAC membership, and CCUS registration
• Monthly salary (equal to or higher than a Japanese worker in the same role)

• MLIT Acceptance Plan required before COE

  Questions:

1. Has anyone here (or know someone) hired as a westerner for daiku under SSW?
2. What online courses or study programs would you recommend for reaching JLPT N4 or passing the JFT-Basic exam as a beginner?
3. Which regions would you recommend for this field of work? (considering Saitama or Aichi Prefectures)

I've saved around $25,000 and would initially prefer employer provided housing. I'm also planning a recon trip to take my tests and explore job opportunities after significant progress in Japanese.

Moving to Japan has been my goal for a long time, and I recently found a decent job opportunity that offered relocation, so I took it. Now I work at a software company that hires overseas but relocates their employees to Japan.

How it works is that I have to work from the US (my home country) as an independent contractor for 3 months under the probation period. Once that is over, if they want me as a full time employee & I show interest in relocating, they can start the relocation process with the legal department in the company and so on.

Given the huge difference in cost of living, I'm currently making 1/3 of my prev. salary. I'm basically living off of my savings, so I would like to move out of the US as soon as possible. But when I talked to coworkers or HR about the relocation timeline, they seemed surprised that I was already sure I wanted to move to Japan. It seems like even though they've hired and relocated many overseas employees before, it's rare for people to want to relocate quickly..?

So basically, is this (the practice of hiring contractors and having them work from their home country before offering fulltime-status & applying for the CoE) common? If so, is there anything I can do on my end to streamline the process and prevent bottlenecks? I'm not sure how HR/legal sees it from their standpoint, but from other engineers, probation is largely a formality and no one has ever failed/not been given the fulltime role after probation. I wish there was a way for me to communicate to HR "I wish we could send off my CoE application to the government the day my fulltime employment is offered" without it sounding weird.

Hello!

I’m currently trying to apply to their Language Course in order to later go on to apply to BFGU (大学院), and wanted to see if anyone had been, or somehow know what its like at the school.

I’ve been able to find very little online about the school outside of what they provide themselves, which seems scarce when it comes down to it. Even on reddit, there seems to still be little information.

Does anyone have any experience going to BIL, what it was like, what level they were when entering/leaving, pace, teaching method, class structures etc? What was the lifestyle like in a relatively more time intensive language school, and how might this differ to others’ experiences? How do they deal with differing levels in language skills? (e.g. I’m around N3 level but cannot write kanji practically at all) Do you have any regrets, small tips or advice for prospective students? Did you stay at their student dorm?

For those who may have go onto apply to a Fashion Course, did you feel equipped language-wise to do so?

If anyone has any experience with them, I’d love to know!

Hello!

I am a BSc Mechanical Engineering (Mechatronics Specialization) degree holder since this September(2026) and it has been my long term plan to fly to Japan for my Masters degree. I looked up online and I see alot of universities offering alot of labs for me to apply for and I am looking for help!

A little context about me:
I am a Sri Lankan citizen who completed my Advanced Level Examination in 2019. I flew to Japan in 2020 mid-corona and completed and graduated Language school in Osaka. I passed the JLPT N3 exam which was held in December 2021. Due to a various number of unfortunate reasons I had to fly back to Sri Lanka to do my BSc in Engineering, so I came back to Sri Lanka in 2022, started my degree and graduated in 2026 September. I am currently looking to resume my career in Japan.

My Engineering interests are among Control Systems, precision motor control, AI ML, Robotics, etc. My final year research was about integrating AI assisted MPC in FOC for BLDC motors. Im hoping to do my masters in a field somewhere around there.

What I’m hoping to get help with:
So my small online searches gave me a huge amount of options for different universities and also different labs within these universities. My first question is:
How do I select the university and/or the lab? How do the two intakes (April and September) differ and what should I know about it?

So, I explained my final year research just a bit, previously in the post. I also saw that we need to have a research proposal ready and use it when applying. This brings me to my second question:
What is expected of me in this? Is it the research I plan on doing in my Masters program? Or is it something Im just using to try to convince the professor that I am capable of research within his lab? Is it something to prove my competence in the discussed area?

Additionally, I am not sure if this is the group to post this, so if there are any specific groups that might be helpful for me that you guys know about, please let me know!

And I would also love to hear any additional pointers you guys might have please!

Thank you in Advance!

Good afternoon everyone!

Just wanted to ask if anyone here holds a special skilled worker visa, specifically type 2 but happy to hear info on type 1 as well. I want to know if you found your work inside or outside of the country, and what your salary looks like compared to a Japanese citizen working your position.

I am in the hospitality industry, and confirmed that my years of experience in the states managing at a hotel counts for the test. I just dont know how likely it is for a foreigner to be placed in that sort of management position if they are not already in Japan.

I know there is a language portion of the test, I am currently weighing the options of either studying up to n5 in the states and then doing language school in Japan, or studying up to n3 in the states so I can qualify for visa. I just dont know if my work experience will still count if I study in language school for one or two years.

The other thing is I do not have a degree, and only 6 years work experience in my field. So i am interested in knowing if anyone without a degree managed to secure the visa.

Lots of questions, and I'm not even sure if im asking the right ones, but id love to know what you all think or know about any of this.

Hi all. I'm heading to Japan from the US for a 6-12 month-long internship. I'm aware that melatonin isn't OTC in Japan, but I take it nightly, not prescription, to help with anxiety before bed. I've considered asking my doctor for a prescription to apply for a yunyu-kakuninsho with it, but I'm not sure how that process will go and would like to avoid complicating things if possible (I'm already applying for one for a prescription medication). I'm aware that I can bring 90-days worth with me into the country in an original bottle, and that people are usually fine getting that into Japan. My question is, is having family mail me more melatonin from the US every 90 days or so possible? Will that get through customs? Or could I place orders online and have it delivered to me? It would obviously be only a 90-day supply or less each time.

Any advice or insight would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I'm considering taking higher education in Japan, but I'm very lacking in any academic credentials. I completed my GCSE O Levels and have a design diploma from a private art school, neither with amazing scores. My goal with this move is moreso to experience the culture than for a strong degree, but I don't even know if my grades are enough for that or if a good design portfolio will help my case. Either way I don't feel a design degree is particularly useful so I've been looking into business and marketing.

I've currently shortlisted a few options: TUJ - Tokyo, 7.7 mil JPY tuition fee, seems to be lacking in basic courses. LUJ - Tokyo, 9.4 mil JPY tuition fee, quality of education seems to be slightly better than TUJ. NUCB - Nagoya, 5 mil JPY tuition fee, has literally one degree option for BBA.

From what I've seen, most Japanese unis are stricter with their academical requirements, whereas my portfolio might be able to scrape me through one of these interviews. I did take a look at a few international unis like MIU that may accept me too, but the educational quality didn't line up with the location (outside of a big city.)

Outside of being "easy" to get into, TUJ and LUJ can at least give me the opportunity to network in Tokyo even if the academic level isn't as good. I've taken note of the terrible reviews on TUJ and I would like to hear if anyone has any experience with the latter two, and if anyone managed to get in with similar credentials to mine. Japanese level is at an unremarkable N5, hopefully N4 by the time I would enrol.

Hello everybody, I am new here :)

I am planning to move to japan next year to study at a language school for 12/18 months. I am the type of person that prefers countryside and quiet places, I love hiking and nature. Which city do you recommend that would allow that ?

I do not have a driver license at the moment, so I cannot really travel much outside of the city , except with public transport. Also ( and I know it's a bit contradictory ) i would prefer to not go to a very small city, as I will need to find part time job to sustain myself while I am there and I heard is understandably more difficult if you go to villages in the countryside.

I was looking at Fukuoka, but I am not sure about it.

Can somebody give me suggestions ?

Thank you so much in advance ! I appreciate it.

Hi everyone!

I'm 42, from France, with 10+ years of experience as a software developer (mainly React, Node.js and TypeScript) and a Master's degree.

I've been applying for English-speaking developer positions through TokyoDev, JapanDev, etc., but so far it's mostly been no replies or rejections.

I'm considering moving to Japan in October 2027 to attend a Japanese language school for about a year while looking for a developer job. My Japanese is currently at a beginner level.

I've read some success/no success stories here, but many date back 8–10 years, and the job market seems quite different today.

I'd love to hear from people who tried this in 2024–2026, whether they succeeded or not.

Did being in Japan on a student visa actually improve your chances? Were companies willing to support a change to a work visa?

I'm aware of the financial risks and have enough savings to cover the experience, even without finding a job.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

My fiance and I (M & F age 32) have always dreamed about living in Japan. We've visited five times for about three months total across various cities. I speak Japanese at roughly an N4 level and she is studying at roughly an N5 level.

We are considering applying to a Japanese language school in Tokyo within the next two years (2028 intake). We have a significant financial buffer to support ourselves. The goal would be to get a sense for what it's like to live in Japan, and become as knowledgeable about the language as possible. At that point we can either return home to the US, or I could apply for a HSP visa (I estimate I can get 85 points or so at that time) and work in Japan. My background is 10 years of finance experience (FP&A) with seven years at a bay area FAANG company.

Our thinking is that in the worst case scenario this could serve as a 1-2 year intensive language study sabbatical to gain some worldly experience.

Has anyone done this before? Am I missing anything obvious?

Thank you all in advance.

I'm a chemical engineering junior at a pretty good American university looking to get a job in the pharmaceutical/medtech industry in the future. I have always wanted to live in Japan, but due to the language barrier and horror stories about the work culture there, I never actually pursued this. This semester I started taking Japanese and decided that I wanted to work towards my goal. However, I am really looking for advice on how/if this is even really possible. I am looking for advice on what to realistically expect. I'm still a beginner in the language so I already know I have work to do there, but I'm unfamiliar with how likely foreigners are to get hired, particularly in my industries of interest. I was unsure if I should just try to get a job at an American medtech company then hope to transfer to Japan through the company later in my career... If anyone has advice or suggestions, please let me know!

Anyone here with recent experiences with finding long-term accomodation on a short term work contract? Did you have to give more "proof" of your finances or negotiate with the landlord?

I'll be moving to the Tokyo area soon, but my work contract duration is a bit under 1 year (1 year renewable visa). There's an opportunity to get promoted to a regular employee, but even if that doesn't work out, I'll be looking at other jobs to be able to continue working in Japan. I'll be renting a furnished monthly after arriving, but would like to move to a permanent place as soon as possible.

I've heard that short term work contracts might hinder getting a regular 2-year lease, and want to map out my options and limitations.

I speak Japanese, work with a household name company, am white girl on the "palatable" side of visibly foreign people (ik it's awful but I take what I can get). Having done some research on SUUMO etc. has helped me understand the regular leasing process, but there must be some limitations with my situation. The services geared toward minatoku expat types are too expensive for me anyway, so I'll have to focus on the local market in the suburbs.

Apologies if this is a recurring topic here. I did read the Wiki, but couldn't find any recent discussion.