How to get a WHV for Japan

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First stop should be the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which lists eligible countries, application procedures, and any contry-specific variations.

This page of the Japanese Embassy in London outlines the requirements and process for UK citizens.

And this youtube video gives helpful info on what to put in your application paperwork (and is fairly amusing).

Basically, if you are a British citizen, aged 18-25, you can get a working holiday visa for Japan. Once issued, you have 12 months to enter the country, and can then stay for 12 months. In theory there is a quota (no more than 400 issued in a year) but that quota has never yet been reached. In addition, if you are over 25, don't despair, as they may be willing to extend it up to 30.

The application process looks complicated but isn't. You take all documents plus £5 to the embassy in London, or consulate in Edinburgh, depending on where you live. They take a look at it, tell you you have a visa, and can either collect it or have it posted to you in roughly a week's time.

Documents:
This is the scary looking bit. You need:
- proof you have £2500, or £1500 and a return flight booked (I used a bank statement)
- visa application form and photos
- a CV
- a written reason for applying
- a proposed itinerary for the first 6 months

It's the last two that tend to cause headaches (I had a friend phone me up in a panic to ask about them; she didn't quite believe me when I told her it was easy!). The yourtube video explains it well, but I'll do so here briefly:
- reason for applying: just think of some stuff you like about Japanese culture and sights you want to see, and list them with lots of really enthusiastic phrases. I just did bullet points on anime, language, wonderful ancient culture, and martial arts (which I have never tried . . . but I might when there . . .)
- itinerary: I was pretty vague, just outlining a plan (which I have no intention of keeping to) of where I would be each month.

The key with both is to remember that in theory the visa is for tourism, merely enabling a little bit of work to be done here and there to stretch funds. In practice, people tend to work a lot, but the application should suggest that you are primarily there to explore Japan, Japanese culture etc., not to make money for the next leg of your round the world!

Good luck!

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