First of: tried to post in r/JapanTravel, but it got deleted, got the recommendation to post here. I guess it fits, because our main reason for such a long stay in Japan is to get a feeling for the country before considering moving to Japan for good.
My girlfriend and I plan a longer trip to Japan. Perfect would be 12 months, but as of right now we plan with „only“ 6 months, because we don’t know how long our company’s allow our paid sabbaticals.
Our plan is to go japan using a Working Holiday Visa. Technically we don’t NEED to work in Japan to stay afloat (enough savings), but we want to work there for the experience, getting closer to the locals etc.
Also we plan to backpack: buy some cheap bikes in a second hand shop, buy sleeping bags and a tent and just hit the road, see where it takes us.
Our big problem is: we have a dog and no one who could take it for that long. Also it’s only biggest life-goal as of now, but I don’t want to and won’t ever give my dog up just for this – they is my only family.
This is why I came here to ask you:
– how doable is this?
– Is a 6-12 months trip around Japan using mostly biking, camping, AIRBNB etc doable?
– How limited are we, if we take a dog with us (especially if we want to do some things like going to a mall, going to a shrine, going to restaurants etc)?
– Are there short time jobs, where you can work on a field to earn a place to sleep and food or similar?
– which time would be the best for such plans? We would love to go while spring time is, but I guess they don’t need people on farming job Jan-June?
We prefer not to be bound to a place, but if it has to be, we might consider.
We already informed us about importing dogs and the cost, this should be the smallest problem. It’s more about „what to do with the dog while there, while working, while going to a shrine, to Disneyland etc“.
I’m happy for every answer, input and idea!
3 comments
Come here for a week in winter, rent a couple of bikes, try it, and then decide for yourself. I hope make the right decision.
For most of your plans, you’ll want to check out WWOOF – https://www.wwoofjapan.com/home/index.php?lang=en
It’s basically exactly what you’re looking for.
But I doubt you’ll be able to do pretty much any of it if you have a dog with you. Just bringing your dog to Japan is a fairly involved process.
How big is your dog? I think there are limitations on public transit. Dogs need to be in carriers and only up to a certain size are allowed.
Also I’ve never been on a WHV so it might be different, but I’ve always had to register an address with my local city ward. Definitely look into the address requirements for WHV.