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Going to Japan alone: Guide for Minors

JouruKun

先輩
21 Feb 2013
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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 :p). 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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This is mainly about short term stay therefore Visa's are not usually required. I am from the UK therefore I do not know much about Visa relations except that if you are travelling long term then you can get a Temp Visitor Visa. Information on this can be found here Embassy of Japan in the UK
 
Yes, but there are exceptions when it comes to certain laws.


Yes, but when one is being general rather than specific it is prudent to err on the safe side until specific exceptions become clear.
 
Yes, but when one is being general rather than specific it is prudent to err on the safe side until specific exceptions become clear.

Is anyone on this thread well versed in Japanese law? It would be great to know what laws do surround this topic for both my own and others reference.
 
Most laws can be found online; you just have to google and read them.
 
If this is a guide for minors, you should first agree with Mike that Japanese law declares a Minor to be 20. Beyond that, what other stuff are to trying to post?

Most visitors, even adults, don't stay in apartments.
Drinking and smoking are forbidden for minors, but it's hard to say whether a foreign one would be "carded". Minors wanting to drink or smoke simply need to realize that their own country's laws on minors do not apply here.

What other points are important for travelers? The only real exceptions for minors come when they arrive as students or dependents. Then they need visas.
 
If this is a guide for minors, you should first agree with Mike that Japanese law declares a Minor to be 20. Beyond that, what other stuff are to trying to post?

Most visitors, even adults, don't stay in apartments.
Drinking and smoking are forbidden for minors, but it's hard to say whether a foreign one would be "carded". Minors wanting to drink or smoke simply need to realize that their own country's laws on minors do not apply here.

What other points are important for travelers? The only real exceptions for minors come when they arrive as students or dependents. Then they need visas.

I didn't disagree with Mike. By the way you are wrong. If you are from a country such as the United Kingdom you do not have to have a visa if you do not wish to work and are staying under a certain amount of time. Please read the post before criticizing it. If you are not a minor or have noting helpful to add then do not bother trying to act smart about it.

Plus this is for Western minors (obviously) so the main age I am targeting is under 18's.
 
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Glenski was referring to students, who do need a student visa. Maybe you should have read his post a little more carefully.
 
I think what people are pointing out is to live as a student in Japan you do need a visa, there are no legal loopholes to this. And other than having a valid work, or student or etc.. visa, companies that rent out apartments will not even consider somebody who is on a tourist visa, unless accommodating tourist visas is what they do, and they are totally different from renting a normal apartment. Even if you speak great Japanese you cannot show up on a tourist visa and expect somebody will just rent out any old apartment to you. I know you are just trying to be helpful but you need to be specific, the way you have worded many things is not right, there are specific entities that short-mid term travelers to Japan need to look into, like youth hostels etc..
 
I think what people are pointing out is to live as a student in Japan you do need a visa, there are no legal loopholes to this. And other than having a valid work, or student or etc.. visa, companies that rent out apartments will not even consider somebody who is on a tourist visa, unless accommodating tourist visas is what they do, and they are totally different from renting a normal apartment. Even if you speak great Japanese you cannot show up on a tourist visa and expect somebody will just rent out any old apartment to you. I know you are just trying to be helpful but you need to be specific, the way you have worded many things is not right, there are specific entities that short-mid term travelers to Japan need to look into, like youth hostels etc..

I feel like I have been very specific as I mentioned ONLY LeoPalace21 and home staying which ANYONE can do with a tourist visa. In fact I recommended for people NOT to do things the way a native would.
 
Let me point this out to you.. confusing sentence one: "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." to come to Japan to study.. as in a student.. that requires a visa.. you are mixing tourist visa with student visa.. confusing..

Confusing sentence number two: "Japanese apartment renting can be confusing as some minors can rent and some cannot." what is this suppose to mean?, as far as I can guess a minor (or anybody) on tourist visa is not going to get to rent regular Japanese apartment squat. A minor on a student visa, maybe could rent at some places.. but what are the requirements..? this is not helpful...

Confusing sentence number three: "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." There should be no confusion here, because you CAN'T rent an apartment like a long term gaijin (with a visa), and your fluency does not matter if you don't have a visa!

Can you see how your wording is misleading now?

Also I went to your leopalace link, i did not search deep into it but it seemed to be catering to students.. ie.. people with visas. so I am not sure, but first impressions say they don't care about helping tourists..
 
Let me point this out to you.. confusing sentence one: "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." to come to Japan to study.. as in a student.. that requires a visa.. you are mixing tourist visa with student visa.. confusing..

Confusing sentence number two: "Japanese apartment renting can be confusing as some minors can rent and some cannot." what is this suppose to mean?, as far as I can guess a minor (or anybody) on tourist visa is not going to get to rent regular Japanese apartment squat. A minor on a student visa, maybe could rent at some places.. but what are the requirements..? this is not helpful...

Confusing sentence number three: "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." There should be no confusion here, because you CAN'T rent an apartment like a long term gaijin (with a visa), and your fluency does not matter if you don't have a visa!

First confusing sentence... I never mentioned the word 'visa'. I am basing this mainly off what I plan to do and the source of information is directly from the people I hope to do this with. I apologies for not making this clear but I plan on studying in a 4 week summer course at NILS language school hence why I added 'studying on a short term program'. I am from the United Kingdom therefore NO visa is needed to do this.

Confusing sentence number 2... Once again the reason that this may be confusing is because I am talking about short term renting therefore no visa is required. I can only base things off what I know which is generally country specific (to a certain extent). It can be confusing for some and not for others as it DOES depend on which country you are from as to where you can rent. I would also like to add that I go on to explain that LeoPalace21 and Home stay are the only real liable options therefore I feel like any confusion was cleared up there.

Lastly I feel like you are just being picky. I have not said that you CAN rent like a long term gaijin or native therefore there is NO confusion. I put this statement in there so that people do not think that there is a point of even trying to do so.

I am sorry for any confusion and hope that it has now been cleared. I feel as if people are scrutinizing things that barely matter thus creating more confusion for any minors that look at this thread who are serious about going to Japan. I understand completely that you are only trying to help but I just do not feel that by adding something such as '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.' is harming anyway, but only telling them that it is not possible to do so.

Thank you for helping me clear up any confusion that I created in my original post.
 
I am not trying to be picky, my experience with studying in Japan was all through scholarship funds and was for a period of one year, and therefore, the school took care of everything i needed. I was just trying to point out that it was hard to tell the difference between coming to Japan as a tourist and as a student in your post. Some tourist hopefuls might have gotten the wrong impression from the way you said things in your OP, they cannot and will not be treated like they are students on a program.. that's all.
 
I didn't disagree with Mike. By the way you are wrong. If you are from a country such as the United Kingdom you do not have to have a visa if you do not wish to work and are staying under a certain amount of time.
I never said anything about that.

Please read the post before criticizing it.
I did. You have a reading problem. I said:

when they arrive as students or dependents. Then they need visas.

Of course, just a traveler/tourist doesn't need a visa. I honestly don't know how you read anything else into my comment.


If you are not a minor or have noting helpful to add then do not bother trying to act smart about it.
If I'm not a minor??? Do you actually think minors frequent this forum and have experience in Japan without being a dependent or student? That would be a very rare case, and I think most of the time in those rare cases they would probably have traveled here with their parents anyway. So, ok, get their experience and opinions, but don't expect many (if any).

Plus this is for Western minors (obviously) so the main age I am targeting is under 18's.
That was clear from the start. Whether 18-year-olds drink and smoke in the UK (regardless of any laws), the point that I was trying to make was that they MIGHT sneak by doing that here, but that legally they shouldn't because the legal age for both is 20.

I am from the UK therefore I do not know much about Visa relations except that if you are travelling long term then you can get a Temp Visitor Visa.
Well, Mike and I have lived here for decades, and I deal with visa questions all the time, so I feel a bit more aware than you are. Take this quote for example. Brits can get a working holiday visa at 18, which allows them to stay two 6-month periods. Otherwise, for your under-18s, they can pack a passport alone (no visa needed) and come as tourists for two 90-day periods (if immigration allows the second one, based usually on whether they have an itinerary and proof of funds to support themselves during that time). The Temp Visitor Visa is not really needed. Students who finish their studies and want to stay longer are the ones who often get that one.

I'm not "trying to be smart about" anything. You have a very strange reaction to what I posted. I asked 2 very simple questions, and you ignored both of them. Could you please give them a shot now?
 
I plan on studying in a 4 week summer course at NILS language school hence why I added 'studying on a short term program'. I am from the United Kingdom therefore NO visa is needed to do this.
Whoa! Wrong. You're a student? You need a student visa, even for a language school.
Immigration Services Agency of Japan
The law just changed in July 2012, giving student visas out for as short as 3 months, too.
出入国在留管理庁ホームページ
Where did you get the info that says otherwise? Please provide a link. This is serious, since you could be put back on the plane when you arrive if immigration or customs thinks you are here to study and don't have a proper visa.

Confusing sentence number 2... Once again the reason that this may be confusing is because I am talking about short term renting therefore no visa is required. I can only base things off what I know which is generally country specific (to a certain extent). It can be confusing for some and not for others as it DOES depend on which country you are from as to where you can rent. I would also like to add that I go on to explain that LeoPalace21 and Home stay are the only real liable options therefore I feel like any confusion was cleared up there.
LeoPalace is not the only option, especially for such a short-term stay as 4 weeks. There are also many guest houses here with pay by the week or month options.
Hotels in Tokyo - SAKURA HOTEL & HOSTEL - Affordable Friendly Hotels & Hostel in Tokyo, JAPAN.
http://home.att.ne.jp/sun/U-I_house/ 
Many cater to Japanese students, too, and a lot of foreigners who come to search for work will take these as temporary accommodations (that is, before they have their work visas).

I am sorry for any confusion and hope that it has now been cleared. I feel as if people are scrutinizing things that barely matter thus creating more confusion for any minors that look at this thread who are serious about going to Japan.
If we are scrutinizing things, it's because you didn't write them clearly or accurately. We are only trying to help make your post accurate and easy to understand.

By the way, could you go back and change your first post? The use of all caps (especially in bold underlining) is a breach of Netiquette. It signifies shouting at the top of your lungs. Very impolite and unnecessary.
 
Whoa! Wrong. You're a student? You need a student visa, even for a language school.
Table.3 Supporting Documents
The law just changed in July 2012, giving student visas out for as short as 3 months, too.
To all foreign nationals residing in Japan Beginning on Monday, July 9, 2012, Start of a new residency management system! | Point 1 A resident card will be issued / Point 2 The period of stay will be extended to a maximum of 5 years
Where did you get the info that says otherwise? Please provide a link. This is serious, since you could be put back on the plane when you arrive if immigration or customs thinks you are here to study and don't have a proper visa.

Dear Williams-san,

Thank you very much for your inquiry.
I am Yoshi Tanaka of NILS Japanese language school.

You are planning to take NILS summer program next year, aren't you?
This course is for those who can visit Japan without applying for a visa, and you can of course visit Japan with a visa exemption program.

Moreover, there is no age restriction to take this program, so you can try at any age.


You got to know our school through Micaela's YouTube channel, right?
You will get US$50 discount per month, that is, you can take our summer program with US$700/4 weeks.


Please feel free to email me any questions you may have.
Looking forward to your reply.


Sincerely yours,
Tanaka

By the way, could you go back and change your first post? The use of all caps (especially in bold underlining) is a breach of Netiquette. It signifies shouting at the top of your lungs. Very impolite and unnecessary.

No. It is there for emphasis to make sure that people understand the situation. Don't like it? Go and complain to someone who cares because I'm sure there's a whole bunch of people who don't.

I don't mean to be rude it is just that a small portion of people on this website are unreasonably elitist and ignorant. I am not the first new user who has been shot down like a fly and criticized for small errors. I wouldn't mind if people approached me in a semi-polite way but a few people do it iN a very rude way. You expect people to listen to you because you have been here for 10 years - no. To me respect is mutual and I don't get that vibe here.
 
This course is for those who can visit Japan without applying for a visa
The English grammar above does NOT mean you are exempt from getting a visa. "Those who can...without applying for a visa" is the key wording. Tanaka is trying to get by without being a visa sponsor, which is unethical and potentially illegal. Keep that in mind.

Now, let me be perfectly clear here. If you come with hopes of being a STUDENT, and say so when you enter the country (because they WILL ASK YOU the purpose of your stay), immigration and/or customs will require that you have a student visa. No exceptions.

They will put you back on the plane if you can't produce one.

If you keep your mouth shut and lie that you are here only for sightseeing (no visa needed) and then proceed to attend the language program, you can secretly do that and nobody will be the wiser. It will be slipping under the radar, and IMO it is an unethical way to be a student without receiving a student visa. Just don't get caught. You risk fines, deportation, and banning from reentering Japan.

As for being rude, I think you are so far off the mark that it is unbelievable, but I'll keep this civil and just let the above caution and explanation go as is. This is not an elitist remark, nor has anything else been in previous posts here. Just fact. The only person who has been rude here is you, IMO.
 
When there is posted a guide for others that contains unclear, incomplete, or incorrect information then it would be irresponsible of those who notice the unclear, incomplete, or incorrect portions to not point them out....regardless of who wrote it.

When one is writing for one's self and merely expressing opinions or making observations it really doesn't matter much. When one is writing to provide a guide to provide information that may affect the future choices and actions of unknown third parties, then there is a heightened responsibility to include information which is sufficiently clear, complete, and correct to enable them to make informed and intelligent decisions and act upon them with a reasonable expectation of predictable outcomes.

The difference between the two explains why your post has received the sort of scrutiny and feedback it has. It isn't just people being rude, elitist nitpickers joyfully leaping on small errors for no reason than purely for the hell of it.
 
The English grammar above does NOT mean you are exempt from getting a visa. "Those who can...without applying for a visa" is the key wording. Tanaka is trying to get by without being a visa sponsor, which is unethical and potentially illegal. Keep that in mind.

Now, let me be perfectly clear here. If you come with hopes of being a STUDENT, and say so when you enter the country (because they WILL ASK YOU the purpose of your stay), immigration and/or customs will require that you have a student visa. No exceptions.

They will put you back on the plane if you can't produce one.

If you keep your mouth shut and lie that you are here only for sightseeing (no visa needed) and then proceed to attend the language program, you can secretly do that and nobody will be the wiser. It will be slipping under the radar, and IMO it is an unethical way to be a student without receiving a student visa. Just don't get caught.

As for being rude, I think you are so far off the mark that it is unbelievable, but I'll keep this civil and just let the above caution and explanation go as is. This is not an elitist remark, nor has anything else been in previous posts here. Just fact. The only person who has been rude here is you, IMO.

I trusted that a reputable language school such as NILS would feed me only correct information. I did look into visa's in my country and this is the information provided.

Temporary Visitor Visa is for activities not exceeding 90 days as below:
sightseeing, visiting relatives or friends, recreation, convalescence, attending a conference, participation in unpaid lectures, meetings, amateur athletic meetings or other contests, short business trips (e.g. market surveys, business talks, after sales service for machinery imported into Japan)
This category excludes profit-making operations and paid activities.

UK and Irish passport holders are NOT required to obtain a visa if they wish to enter Japan for the purpose of journey described above for a period of 6 months or less

I assumed that by exemption from the visa that Tanaka was referring to the 'unpaid lecture' part of exemption (maybe). I have no problem with getting a visa however I felt that it would not be worth the hassle if it was unnecessary. Would a Cultural Activities visa or Trainee visa better suit this circumstance? I want to get the correct visa as the last thing I want is to be sent home.
 
I also just found this

If you're only planning to study in Japan for 3 months or less, you usually don't need to apply for a visa before you go (see what applies to your country in the list further below). You will in these cases apply for and receive a short-term tourist visa when you arrive at the airport by filling in a simple form.

However, a tourist visa is not only limited to the time you're allowed to stay in Japan, but it has other limitations as well. You are not allowed to engage in any income-earning activities, e.g. part-time work in Japan.

Source: Visas for studying abroad in Japan - Go! Go! Nihon Japan WIKI
 
Did you notice that Glenski's links are from the Immigration section of Japan's Ministry of Justice? Go with what they tell you rather than what you may read elsewhere, because you can be damned sure the Immigration guys won't care what you read on some other website.
 
I assumed that by exemption from the visa that Tanaka was referring to the 'unpaid lecture' part of exemption (maybe).
Well, you assumed wrong. IMO, Tanaka either has just poor enough English (no surprise) that he can't make his point clear, or he is sly enough to try something to avoid his own legal responsibilities

You don't need a visa for sightseeing (unless you want to get a working holiday visa, which you aren't old enough for just yet).

You do need a visa to be a student, whether in high school, university or a language school. That is the purpose of your being here, so that is the reason you need the visa. Just because Tanaka says otherwise doesn't mean it's true. He may have to pay in order to register his school as eligible for sponsoring visas, and to avoid that he may feed you this line. It would also mean he probably doesn't have to pay certain taxes. I don't know.

You think getting a visa is a hassle? Get real. It's a legality. Don't like it? Don't come. The visa is good for 3 months and you want to study for 1/3 of that time. What a deal, eh!

Would a Cultural Activities visa or Trainee visa better suit this circumstance?
No.

By the way, can you actually provide the documentation needed for the student visa anyway? Basically, you have to prove you have the funds to defray all costs of the course tuition. Only then can you be considered for the visa.

By the way, it's 2am in the UK. What are you doing up so late?
 
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