JouruKun
先輩
- 21 Feb 2013
- 41
- 5
- 18
MUCH OF THIS INFORMATION IS BASED UPON THE PERSPECTIVE OF ME AS A RESIDENT OF THE UK WHO WISHES TO STUDY AT A LANGUAGE SCHOOL FOR 4 WEEKS, PLEASE TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN READING.
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age ― usually the age of majority ― which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is generally 18. This is straight from Wikipedia but it basically sums up what a minor is - someone under 18 years of age. Luckily enough there are many loopholes in Japanese law for people under 18 who wish to voyage to Japan to study on a short term program or simply sightseeing. I am not a professional on Japanese law therefore use the term 'loopholes' loosely, but from what I have read Japan is not to strict on laws preventing minors to do things.
To get to Japan everyone needs a plane ticket - preferably round trip. Most airplane companies will consider you as an adult from around age twelve and you will be shown as an 'unaccompanied minor'. I would not advise anyone under the age of 16 to go to Japan alone unless you are staying with family friends as some airlines suggest that you should be collected at the gate. This is not the case with ALMOST ALL airlines therefore the majority of people looking at this thread should not have a problem. Depending on where you are flying from and to you will often have to stop in Tokyo and then fly to your next location. This is the case when flying to a small airport such as Fukuoka Airport in Fukuoka, Kyushu. You should book your flight as far from the departure date as possible to avoid any rise in cost. Doing things last minute may be have a detrimental effect on your accommodation plans, sightseeing plans or school timetable if going to a language school. Abide by the rules of the aircraft as you do not want to find yourself in a 'sticky situation' when alone in a foreign country. The main internal Japanese airline is JAL JAL-航空券 予約・空席照会・運賃案内- this is their Japanese site, you will need to Google them for your country/language version of the site.
Do not even consider leaving your country without Travel Insurance! You do not want to have an accident abroad only to find that you have no cover. Things will get expensive very fast and your parents will have to send you money in a little brown envelope - that is not a good display of independence. Do not be stupid. Travel insurance covers more than just injuries, it can cover baggage loss, loss/damage of goods and much more depending on what package you get. I found very cheap travel insurance with a company who specialize in minors. Unfortunately they are a UK brand therefore Americans/Canadians/Austalians etc. will need to look for somewhere else (please help OP's ). The site for this insurance company is Flexicover Direct | Travel Insurance | UK Travel Insurance Specialist they are extremely good value in my opinion.
Next you will be looking for a place to stay. Japanese apartment renting can be confusing as some minors can rent and some cannot. The easiest way to avoid the confusion of renting a Japanese apartment like a fluent speaker/long term gaijin would is to rent through LeoPalace 21. They are a company who specialize in apartments for foreign students and people. They have English speaking staff and also give you the independence of choosing your own options for rent and also living alone. You can find the LeoPalace website at Leopalace 21 rental apartments|Apartment information of rented and monthly apartments. They are highly recommended if you want to live alone during your time in Japan. Their rooms can hold up to three people therefore you can split the cost for rent between 3 people. I do not know how the contract works for this therefore you will have to inquire on their website. It should be noted that they do not provide meals however if you stay under 30 days then the cost of utilities such as gas and electric will not count above the cost of your rent.
If you do not want to live alone and would prefer to be with others then you can home stay with a host family. There are many different ways of doing this and unfortunately I do not know much useful information. If you Google: Host family in Japan, you will most likely come up with many results that will be of great use.
Anyone who can add to this please do.
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age ― usually the age of majority ― which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is generally 18. This is straight from Wikipedia but it basically sums up what a minor is - someone under 18 years of age. Luckily enough there are many loopholes in Japanese law for people under 18 who wish to voyage to Japan to study on a short term program or simply sightseeing. I am not a professional on Japanese law therefore use the term 'loopholes' loosely, but from what I have read Japan is not to strict on laws preventing minors to do things.
To get to Japan everyone needs a plane ticket - preferably round trip. Most airplane companies will consider you as an adult from around age twelve and you will be shown as an 'unaccompanied minor'. I would not advise anyone under the age of 16 to go to Japan alone unless you are staying with family friends as some airlines suggest that you should be collected at the gate. This is not the case with ALMOST ALL airlines therefore the majority of people looking at this thread should not have a problem. Depending on where you are flying from and to you will often have to stop in Tokyo and then fly to your next location. This is the case when flying to a small airport such as Fukuoka Airport in Fukuoka, Kyushu. You should book your flight as far from the departure date as possible to avoid any rise in cost. Doing things last minute may be have a detrimental effect on your accommodation plans, sightseeing plans or school timetable if going to a language school. Abide by the rules of the aircraft as you do not want to find yourself in a 'sticky situation' when alone in a foreign country. The main internal Japanese airline is JAL JAL-航空券 予約・空席照会・運賃案内- this is their Japanese site, you will need to Google them for your country/language version of the site.
Do not even consider leaving your country without Travel Insurance! You do not want to have an accident abroad only to find that you have no cover. Things will get expensive very fast and your parents will have to send you money in a little brown envelope - that is not a good display of independence. Do not be stupid. Travel insurance covers more than just injuries, it can cover baggage loss, loss/damage of goods and much more depending on what package you get. I found very cheap travel insurance with a company who specialize in minors. Unfortunately they are a UK brand therefore Americans/Canadians/Austalians etc. will need to look for somewhere else (please help OP's ). The site for this insurance company is Flexicover Direct | Travel Insurance | UK Travel Insurance Specialist they are extremely good value in my opinion.
Next you will be looking for a place to stay. Japanese apartment renting can be confusing as some minors can rent and some cannot. The easiest way to avoid the confusion of renting a Japanese apartment like a fluent speaker/long term gaijin would is to rent through LeoPalace 21. They are a company who specialize in apartments for foreign students and people. They have English speaking staff and also give you the independence of choosing your own options for rent and also living alone. You can find the LeoPalace website at Leopalace 21 rental apartments|Apartment information of rented and monthly apartments. They are highly recommended if you want to live alone during your time in Japan. Their rooms can hold up to three people therefore you can split the cost for rent between 3 people. I do not know how the contract works for this therefore you will have to inquire on their website. It should be noted that they do not provide meals however if you stay under 30 days then the cost of utilities such as gas and electric will not count above the cost of your rent.
If you do not want to live alone and would prefer to be with others then you can home stay with a host family. There are many different ways of doing this and unfortunately I do not know much useful information. If you Google: Host family in Japan, you will most likely come up with many results that will be of great use.
Anyone who can add to this please do.
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