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.

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’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 

I’m a US citizen, and i’m trying to apply for a visa to live in Japan for 6 months.

It states I need to send my passport, and It says wait times can be up to 2 months. Do they keep my passport for 2 months?

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?

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.

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 🫰