When I googled “Japanese working holiday visa” the top result was obviously the Japanese embassy for all the official requisites and procedures. However I was looking for a personal account of what someone had gone through and I’ve found a few places for reference.
Guillaume Erad’s post is pretty comprehensive although bear in mind it was written in 2008. The comment section is also looking a bit outdated as his last reply was in November 2015. A minor point is that he’s French. Although generally it’s the same procedure there are minor nuances depending on your country, but he does mention those.
Paulsadventure.com is just as good with the slightly added bonus of having a British perspective. Although I’m not sure when it was originally written, the updates and comments are considerably more recent that Guillaume’s. In fact there was one comment which he replied to yesterday (21 September 2016).
Finally there’s also the elusive writer of reviewmylife.co.uk. No idea who s/he is but they’ve written a lot about Japan including a ‘how to’ for the WHV. They also seem to be a Brit. However once again it’s a super old post evidenced by the fact that s/he only paid £6 for the visa, and the latest comment reply is dated 2010 although there’s mention of 2011 in the main body. The good thing about this post is that it includes what happens on arrival at the airport (which I going to be a separate post for me).
If you’ve got 17 minutes to watch a YouTube video then Lisa Sometimes gives her account.
Seeing as I’ve just given out links to a plethora of resources I’m not gonna bore any prospective reader compiling another ‘how to’ list. I just want to add my 2 cents to the small, but growing, conversation on the Japanese WHV with the personal nuances of my experience and also the recent bureaucratic changes that make my current experience a little different to the past ones.
On Applying:
It’s easy to get a WHV. It’s just a simple case of putting in the application form. The UK quota is 1,000 visas and when I phoned the Embassy they said that the quota never gets filled. Perhaps the most challenging thing is writing an itinerary, but you could always ‘borrow’ and itinerary from a tour company’s website, alternatively Japan-guide.com has some great ones.
My itinerary didn’t include a complete budget plan, just a slight indication that I knew how much I’d spend in the first couple of months. It was only one A4 page long, and looking back on it now, kinda waffly.
The visa is valid for one year from the date of issue, meaning you have one year to get into Japan. Paul’s website does suggest that the embassy likes to see an itinerary showing a plan to enter Japan within 3 months. First of all, the visa is actually issued with a year’s validity and second of all nothing to that effect is mentioned on the official website. When I applied, I did so knowing that it was unlikely that I would travel to Japan within 3 but I wrote my itinerary as if I would anyway. Nobody said anything to me when I wandered into Haneda two days before the expiry date. I think the main thing regarding the itinerary is that they want to see that you’re not just applying on a whim or going there only to work but sidestepping the rigmarole of a genuine work visa.
I was not asked for a medical certificate/history.
I did not have a plane ticket booked when I applied a year ago. And they didn’t ask to see one. I just had more than sufficient cleared funds with 3 months bank statement. As with most other 21st century folk, I opt for paperless statements. No biggie. I simply printed off my official (i.e. not just a list of transactions) bank statement from the internet. They accepted that without any quibbles.
I did however get asked for my return flight details at the airport by the Check-in Agent. I had bought a round-trip ticket so it didn’t go further than that. However be aware of this and know the rules regarding the WHV. Check-in Agents are often just under instruction to follow procedure. If you just bought a one way ticket and are met at the check-in desk by someone who isn’t familiar with the WHV, expect to explain why you it looks like you have no plans to return home. I did not get any questions at Japanese immigration though; everything there went like clockwork.