7/18/2005

DISCLAIMER: The visa description I’m going to give here is relevant only to Australians, although I can imagine similar schemes being in effect around the world.

The Working Holiday visa was set up because the Australian and Japanese governments want Aussie and Japanese young people to travel and “experience each other’s culture”. Japan is obviously steeped in culture, I’m not sure what culture they had in mind in Australia….

Anyway.

I have to get one of these visas to teach English in Japan because I don’t get my big shiny bachelor degree until October. Except, I’m not allowed to say that I plan to work more or less full time. The idea of this visa is that you wander around Japan, taking in the sights and sounds, while doing a little bit of work to supplement your travels, since you’re likely to have spent all your cash by Day 2 in Akihabara.

And they aren’t kidding about the “wander around Japan” bit either.

One of the forms I have to fill out is a planned itinerary. I have to say which part of Japan I plan to be in each month, and what I plan to do there. I am not allowed to write in the same location for more than two months in a row. So basically, I’ll have to fib to the Japanese consulate, because although the eikaiwa I plan to work for is rather flexible about moving around the country, I don’t think they’d like me to do it every two months.

Other requirements include a resume, current passport, and a short essay about what you plan to do in Japan, which, if you actually want the visa, should be along the “experiencing Japanese culture” lines and should not say things like “working full time at an eikaiwa”. Sure, I want to experience Japanese culture and practice my Japanese, but the essay will be another fib.

Dodgy, eh?

I’ve been told by the eikaiwa that the Japanese authorities don’t enforce the itinerary and will just wave me through, but in this day and age of terrorism and increased security, I’m a bit worried about the authorities actually tracking me down and checking that I am within the confines of the visa.

I guess I should change to a full blown work visa as soon as I can. But it will be an edgy first six months for me.