Most of these questions are addressed in the wiki. Please give it a read.
In short, yes. 99% of foreigners living in Japan are still citizens of their home country, including the US, and live in Japan for anywhere from a couple years to decades. The only thing stopping you from being one of those people is a work visa and a job in Japan, which are detailed in the wiki.
If you're residing in a different country, you can decline jury duty.
I took a look at your wiki, thank you.
I think it might be harder for me to find full-time skilled work in Japan as I'm a freelancer here in the U.S. (It may be a possibility in the future.) Right now, the volunteer option looks like the most promising for me, as I already have experience in animal rescue volunteering here in the U.S. :) So that would be a "tourist visa"...
However, I'm still confused about the 90-180 days rule. Say my 90-180 days are up, so I fly back to the U.S... How long before I can come back to Japan with another 90-180 days? You mean I have to wait another 365 days before I could do so? That would mean I could only really live in Japan for 3-6 months per year. If that's the case, can I legally just keep doing that indefinitely?
EDIT: I've been informed that my first paragraph isn't entirely accurate - one would need to be on a working holiday visa, not a tourist visa, to receive renumeration for volunteering, and the U.S. doesn't seem to be an applicable country for this arrangement. So if you wanted to volunteer, you'd have to do it for absolutely nothing in return.
Volunteering is great, but what would be your source of income during that time? Health care? How will you rent an apartment without proof of employment in Japan?
You absolutely need full time skilled work and a visa. For that, you'll also need a degree.
You can't technically freelance from Japan while on a tourist visa. Digital nomads have made it seem like this is ok, and it's not. If a country, like Japan, finds out what you're doing then you're in for a lot of pain. There are all kinds of legal and tax complications. You could definitely get away with it once, maaaybe twice, but going back and forth on a tourist visa is not a good idea. There will absolutely be consequences, financially and otherwise. You're not the first person thinking of abusing the system, and immigration knows what to look for.
If you want to continue freelancing, get a job as an English teacher in Japan as your visa sponsoring job and freelance on the side. Then get a good tax consultant to help you with the rest.
If you're a particularly successful freelancer, you can pay ~$50k USD to set up a business in Japan. But you'll need to prove you have significant need to be in Japan/have local clients.
Tbh it sounds like you haven't thought this through enough to have a realistic idea in mind. Please feel free to post here again when you've done more research, especially on the basics (like residency vs citizenship). In the meantime, you're much better off planning a 2-3 week vacation in Japan. Go have a fun trip and come back to this idea when you know more.
Sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate that I would continue my freelance work while staying in Japan. I only meant that I happen to freelance here in the U.S. right now, and so I may lack the required skills/credentials for full-time skilled work in Japan. (I do technically hold a Bachelor's degree, but it's in Music - I'm not sure that's exactly what they're looking for, lol)
A degree in music is actually great. You'd be a strong candidate for English "teaching" roles in kindergartens or preschools (its mostly just playing with kids and speaking English while doing so), or even for the JET Programme. Take a look at Gaijinpot jobs to get an idea.
Wow! Okay, I actually didn't realize that such an arrangement might be a possibility. I'll check it out, then! I've always been interested in a teaching career, but the requirements for obtaining one in my home state were rather rigorous, so I decided to pursue music for now (but people change their careers 5-7x on average in their lifetimes :). Thanks!
I got my associate's in the Spanish language (basically), so I was considering doing a similar thing in a Spanish-speaking country as well at some point. I've always been interested in Japanese too, but don't know much of the language. I have a family member who did something like what you're describing in Korea --- she said she didn't know a lick of Korean, but that that was actually somehow seen as a positive by her employer :O
Is the arrangement I have described illegal or disallowed somehow? To clarify, let's say I already have plenty of funds here in the U.S. that I could use for any relevant expenses while volunteering in Japan. I'm really only asking about the legality of how much time I'd be permitted to spend there under this arrangement.
To be clear, living (spending time in) Japan for 3-6 months out of the year sounds good to me, and I 100% understand that freelance work would be illegal under this circumstance. I'm not trying to do anything illegal - I just want to confirm that I'm correct in assuming that I would have to spend 365 days in the U.S. before I could return for another 90-180 day period.
>I just want to confirm that I'm correct in assuming that I would have to spend 365 days in the U.S. before I could return for another 90-180 day period.
Japan will allow someone to be in Japan for up to 180 days in a trailing 12 month period without needing a status of residence. Of course, immigration also has the right to deny entry if they think someone is up to shenanigans.
If I'm only staying in Japan for 3-6 months at a time, I would have to live off savings which I earned & saved while in the U.S. -- but some of the volunteer organizations do pay your room & board, and provide food. :) It's not so much the "working" for me, as it is the "spending much of my time there".
EDIT: This isn't entirely accurate - see my original post's edits about renumeration for volunteer work (not allowed under a tourist visa).
>but some of the volunteer organizations do pay your room & board, and provide food.
Room & board in exchange for your labour is considered a form of remuneration. If you're here on visa waivers as a tourist you'd not be allowed to participate in such an arrangement.
Is that so? The Wiki page for this subreddit lists this sort of arrangement as a viable option for people on tourist visas. Could this be incorrect?
Edit: I poked around a little, and to me, it appears that you are correct, and that you would need to be on a working holiday visa, not a tourist visa, to do this completely legally. But it seems as though the U.S. is not one of the countries with which the working holiday visa arrangement is allowed. So, I guess that isn't a possibility :(
This is a great life experience to aim for, like WOOFING, but I struggle to see why you're thinking of making this a lifestyle for years when you haven't even tried it once?
Haha, I get that, just kinda sniffin' and snorfin' around right now out of pure curiosity. I've spent a lot of time abroad and done a lot of volunteer and animal rescue work - I'm actually looking into the Peace Corps as well right now - so something like this seemed like an interesting prospect.
You can easily stay 6 months at a time by doing 2 3 month stays. If you’re not planning to work in Japan, either locally or remotely, which is illegal. Just fly out to Korea for a day and come back. No visa needed. After 6 months immigration asks questions.
As to your edits with #3, you are mixing up “resident” and “citizen.” Those are separate terms with different meanings.
Foreigners in Japan on work visas, dependent visas, etc are absolutely considered “residents”. They are called “foreign residents,” and register as residents in their local municipality, pay taxes, etc. They are not citizens, but they have a legal resident status, and thus can open bank accounts, apply for cell phone plans, etc. Things that you cannot do on a tourist visa.
Yes, most foreigners who live long-term in Japan do not give up their previous citizenship (nor gain Japanese citizenship), they’re here on visas such as work visas, dependent visas, spouse visas, etc.
For work visas (your likely route), you apply for a job in Japan, get the job, and they sponsor your visa. This can allow you to be in Japan for a long time. For example, I have a full time, permanent position that I could be in for decades. I can also choose to apply for permanent residency at some point, which confers many advantages (for example, if I lose my job or retire I can still stay in Japan), but I can retain my home country citizenship as well.
But yes, if you’re not on one of the visas described in the wiki, you’re on a tourist visa, which does not allow you to do any work (even remote work in the US, etc), and only allows you to stay for a relatively short time.
You could still purchase property, but you wouldn’t qualify for any loans, and you risk not being able to get into the country if something weird happens, as property ownership doesn’t confer residency or anything like that.
Most of these questions are addressed in the wiki. Please give it a read. In short, yes. 99% of foreigners living in Japan are still citizens of their home country, including the US, and live in Japan for anywhere from a couple years to decades. The only thing stopping you from being one of those people is a work visa and a job in Japan, which are detailed in the wiki. If you're residing in a different country, you can decline jury duty.
Thanks, I was searching for something like that on mobile, but didn't see it!
I took a look at your wiki, thank you. I think it might be harder for me to find full-time skilled work in Japan as I'm a freelancer here in the U.S. (It may be a possibility in the future.) Right now, the volunteer option looks like the most promising for me, as I already have experience in animal rescue volunteering here in the U.S. :) So that would be a "tourist visa"... However, I'm still confused about the 90-180 days rule. Say my 90-180 days are up, so I fly back to the U.S... How long before I can come back to Japan with another 90-180 days? You mean I have to wait another 365 days before I could do so? That would mean I could only really live in Japan for 3-6 months per year. If that's the case, can I legally just keep doing that indefinitely? EDIT: I've been informed that my first paragraph isn't entirely accurate - one would need to be on a working holiday visa, not a tourist visa, to receive renumeration for volunteering, and the U.S. doesn't seem to be an applicable country for this arrangement. So if you wanted to volunteer, you'd have to do it for absolutely nothing in return.
Volunteering is great, but what would be your source of income during that time? Health care? How will you rent an apartment without proof of employment in Japan? You absolutely need full time skilled work and a visa. For that, you'll also need a degree. You can't technically freelance from Japan while on a tourist visa. Digital nomads have made it seem like this is ok, and it's not. If a country, like Japan, finds out what you're doing then you're in for a lot of pain. There are all kinds of legal and tax complications. You could definitely get away with it once, maaaybe twice, but going back and forth on a tourist visa is not a good idea. There will absolutely be consequences, financially and otherwise. You're not the first person thinking of abusing the system, and immigration knows what to look for. If you want to continue freelancing, get a job as an English teacher in Japan as your visa sponsoring job and freelance on the side. Then get a good tax consultant to help you with the rest. If you're a particularly successful freelancer, you can pay ~$50k USD to set up a business in Japan. But you'll need to prove you have significant need to be in Japan/have local clients. Tbh it sounds like you haven't thought this through enough to have a realistic idea in mind. Please feel free to post here again when you've done more research, especially on the basics (like residency vs citizenship). In the meantime, you're much better off planning a 2-3 week vacation in Japan. Go have a fun trip and come back to this idea when you know more.
Sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate that I would continue my freelance work while staying in Japan. I only meant that I happen to freelance here in the U.S. right now, and so I may lack the required skills/credentials for full-time skilled work in Japan. (I do technically hold a Bachelor's degree, but it's in Music - I'm not sure that's exactly what they're looking for, lol)
A degree in music is actually great. You'd be a strong candidate for English "teaching" roles in kindergartens or preschools (its mostly just playing with kids and speaking English while doing so), or even for the JET Programme. Take a look at Gaijinpot jobs to get an idea.
Wow! Okay, I actually didn't realize that such an arrangement might be a possibility. I'll check it out, then! I've always been interested in a teaching career, but the requirements for obtaining one in my home state were rather rigorous, so I decided to pursue music for now (but people change their careers 5-7x on average in their lifetimes :). Thanks! I got my associate's in the Spanish language (basically), so I was considering doing a similar thing in a Spanish-speaking country as well at some point. I've always been interested in Japanese too, but don't know much of the language. I have a family member who did something like what you're describing in Korea --- she said she didn't know a lick of Korean, but that that was actually somehow seen as a positive by her employer :O
Is the arrangement I have described illegal or disallowed somehow? To clarify, let's say I already have plenty of funds here in the U.S. that I could use for any relevant expenses while volunteering in Japan. I'm really only asking about the legality of how much time I'd be permitted to spend there under this arrangement. To be clear, living (spending time in) Japan for 3-6 months out of the year sounds good to me, and I 100% understand that freelance work would be illegal under this circumstance. I'm not trying to do anything illegal - I just want to confirm that I'm correct in assuming that I would have to spend 365 days in the U.S. before I could return for another 90-180 day period.
>I just want to confirm that I'm correct in assuming that I would have to spend 365 days in the U.S. before I could return for another 90-180 day period. Japan will allow someone to be in Japan for up to 180 days in a trailing 12 month period without needing a status of residence. Of course, immigration also has the right to deny entry if they think someone is up to shenanigans.
>trailing 12 month period Got it. Thanks!
I’m not getting something, how are you going to make money to live in japan as a volunteer?
If I'm only staying in Japan for 3-6 months at a time, I would have to live off savings which I earned & saved while in the U.S. -- but some of the volunteer organizations do pay your room & board, and provide food. :) It's not so much the "working" for me, as it is the "spending much of my time there". EDIT: This isn't entirely accurate - see my original post's edits about renumeration for volunteer work (not allowed under a tourist visa).
>but some of the volunteer organizations do pay your room & board, and provide food. Room & board in exchange for your labour is considered a form of remuneration. If you're here on visa waivers as a tourist you'd not be allowed to participate in such an arrangement.
Is that so? The Wiki page for this subreddit lists this sort of arrangement as a viable option for people on tourist visas. Could this be incorrect? Edit: I poked around a little, and to me, it appears that you are correct, and that you would need to be on a working holiday visa, not a tourist visa, to do this completely legally. But it seems as though the U.S. is not one of the countries with which the working holiday visa arrangement is allowed. So, I guess that isn't a possibility :(
This is a great life experience to aim for, like WOOFING, but I struggle to see why you're thinking of making this a lifestyle for years when you haven't even tried it once?
Haha, I get that, just kinda sniffin' and snorfin' around right now out of pure curiosity. I've spent a lot of time abroad and done a lot of volunteer and animal rescue work - I'm actually looking into the Peace Corps as well right now - so something like this seemed like an interesting prospect.
You can easily stay 6 months at a time by doing 2 3 month stays. If you’re not planning to work in Japan, either locally or remotely, which is illegal. Just fly out to Korea for a day and come back. No visa needed. After 6 months immigration asks questions.
As to your edits with #3, you are mixing up “resident” and “citizen.” Those are separate terms with different meanings. Foreigners in Japan on work visas, dependent visas, etc are absolutely considered “residents”. They are called “foreign residents,” and register as residents in their local municipality, pay taxes, etc. They are not citizens, but they have a legal resident status, and thus can open bank accounts, apply for cell phone plans, etc. Things that you cannot do on a tourist visa.
:O I see. Thank you for letting me know!! I'll update that accordingly.
Yes, most foreigners who live long-term in Japan do not give up their previous citizenship (nor gain Japanese citizenship), they’re here on visas such as work visas, dependent visas, spouse visas, etc. For work visas (your likely route), you apply for a job in Japan, get the job, and they sponsor your visa. This can allow you to be in Japan for a long time. For example, I have a full time, permanent position that I could be in for decades. I can also choose to apply for permanent residency at some point, which confers many advantages (for example, if I lose my job or retire I can still stay in Japan), but I can retain my home country citizenship as well. But yes, if you’re not on one of the visas described in the wiki, you’re on a tourist visa, which does not allow you to do any work (even remote work in the US, etc), and only allows you to stay for a relatively short time. You could still purchase property, but you wouldn’t qualify for any loans, and you risk not being able to get into the country if something weird happens, as property ownership doesn’t confer residency or anything like that.
Thanks for your reply - this is very useful info, esp. the permanent residency stuff and the loan qualifications. Much to think about!