Hi movingtojapan, longtime reader, first time poster.
I’ve been approached by a contact of a friend with an offer to design/plan and then manage a cafe in Tokyo – over the course of the last two months we’ve been having conversations, getting to know one another, building rapport, and now are onto the stage of negotiating a salary and the scope of this project (this has been a welcome exercise in patience!).
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Quick notes to guide responses:
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* I am college educated
* I have 14 years of experience in the coffee industry (from barista, production, store management, project management/construction and coffee equipment technician)
* I have been traveling to Japan almost annually since 2014 (right up until Covid)
* I have a strong support network over there of friends/practical second family (in fields related to and not related to this pursuit)
* I’ve done a few “food popup” collaborations at friends establishments over the years, and have insight into the difference between customer service there and in the U.S.
* I am approaching this move as a serious new chapter of my life, knowing I will be taking a pay cut and it will be a huge challenge
* My Japanese language skills are low, but with immersion and further studies will be strong over time.
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I have been researching the Visa options, and have asked around with Japanese residents and contacts in NYC who have done business over there – I’ve gotten a mixed bag of responses as I am technically not a “chef” for the skilled worker visa and, as of this moment in negotiations, can’t consider the “business manager visa” route.
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Would anyone care to offer some helpful insight into my situation?
4 comments
You’re right in that it all comes down to the visa.
The owner of the shop is the one that needs to do the legwork there, as they’re going to be the sponsor. They should probably be talking to immigration if they aren’t already.
I’d second what u/CobaltiteOW says, OP. You’ve clearly got a specific plan in mind for what you’ll be doing in Japan, and your contact will need to sponsor your visa to make it happen. More importantly, you two should both sit down (virtually, I suppose) with an immigration lawyer, lay out your plans, and get some focused advice about your options.
>…an offer to design/plan and then manage a cafe in Tokyo…I am technically not a “chef” for the skilled worker visa and, as of this moment in negotiations, can’t consider the “business manager visa” route.
*Saaaaa~*<Japanese sucking of air>
There is no cafe manager visa. A good lawyer could put a spin on your future employer’s current business for a work visa—Does he have a business already?
If you are not going the “business manager visa” route, the cafe would have to have a weird twist like it being an ESL cafe to justify the need for a non-Japanese-speaking manager.
Don’t get your hopes up just yet. Make clear with your “contact” that they can sponsor your work visa. If they can’t then you have very little chance of making it.