I am a 17 (almost 18) year old artist and animator, currently specializing in pixel art, but planning on expanding to less square mediums of 2D art and animation, potentially even 3D.
I read online that for artist jobs in Japan, on the legality of immigration side, you do not require any formal education. However, seeing as most people, understandably, finished at the very least high school, I am not certain if that specifically relates to higher education like university or college degrees or if high school falls under that too.
At the moment I have only 9 years of formal education, that being full elementary school and full middle school education of my country.
I am definitely no less than a year away from being at a confident N4 level, so this is more of a semi-long-term plan, not something to happen that soon, and I know things may change in that time, but I would still love to know if what I’ve gathered was correct.
I would very much prefer not to go back to high school after all the literal nightmares middle school has given me. Apologies, I am just a little doubtful of my researching skills and wanna get second opinions and double check to make sure I got it right.
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**Can I get a work visa in Japan as an artist if I lack a High School diploma?**
I am a 17 (almost 18) year old artist and animator, currently specializing in pixel art, but planning on expanding to less square mediums of 2D art and animation, potentially even 3D.
I read online that for artist jobs in Japan, on the legality of immigration side, you do not require any formal education. However, seeing as most people, understandably, finished at the very least high school, I am not certain if that specifically relates to higher education like university or college degrees or if high school falls under that too.
At the moment I have only 9 years of formal education, that being full elementary school and full middle school education of my country.
I am definitely no less than a year away from being at a confident N4 level, so this is more of a semi-long-term plan, not something to happen that soon, and I know things may change in that time, but I would still love to know if what I’ve gathered was correct.
I would very much prefer not to go back to high school after all the literal nightmares middle school has given me. Apologies, I am just a little doubtful of my researching skills and wanna get second opinions and double check to make sure I got it right.
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To be honest I just don’t see it happening dude,
You would need to find a company willing to sponsor your work visa. I don’t see a company sponsoring a 18 year old that doesn’t speak the language, no high school degree, and just a basic portfolio for work.
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You have to ask yourself, what makes you worth going through all the extra work sponsoring you when there’s thousands of Japanese people that are artists and animators that can do the same job, don’t need immigration paperwork, **and they speak Japanese.**
Please finish out your high school diploma and also get a university degree. Those are your best chances to secure a work visa in Japan no matter your circumstances.
As far as I understand, the artist visa is for famous artists, meaning you are touring in galleries, have verifiable achievements, and have some international notoriety.
You’re definitely overextending your dreams as a naive kid right now. Consider the future difficulties of handling Japanese immigrations and the work environment, and now compare that to your own complains of finishing high school, something that is expected of almost every educated citizen these days.
If you really want to try your luck at your current path then I’d recommend you don’t even bother looking into Japan right now and focus on making your portfolio damn impressive where businessmen would be willing to throw money at you and try again when you reach that time. Otherwise, go back to school, kid. A GED is fine enough too if you think high school is too juvenile for you.
Professional 3D artist here. No, you cannot. You need a degree for that or around 10 years of experience and a company really interested in hiring you.
1. You are misunderstanding the word artist in the context of the visa. It is for accomplished artists who have a portfolio and following. This would also include YouTubers etc. If you are a person that creates art as a craft, you will require a bachelors degree for a work visa. Afaik your social media following does not have to be particularly large e.g. know of one YouTuber who had 50k subscribers. But without a company you have to demonstrate ability to support yourself financially.
2. Without considerable Japanese skills,N2 but probably rather N1, no Japanese company could hire you without also having to hire a translator. So your only option would be a company that already has English speaking staff and procedures. You are probably 5+ years away (of dedicated studying ) from being able to handle a Japanese work place on your own.
3. To put it bluntly: why would any company in Japan hire an inexperienced foreigner? There is plenty of Japanese graphic designers etc. All fighting for a job they are passionate about. Plus plenty of foreigners who have a portfolio and the educational background who also want to go to Japan.
Especially the anime industry is famous for not paying close to a living wage (talking a couple hundred dollars per month), being fed by a meat grinder of people who are passionate and willing to work for nothing.
5. I do not want to disrespect your craft, but what company does have need for pixel art and pixel art animation? (Edit: to clarify: I mean that companies require quite a lot more skills from e.g. a graphic designer) Maybe your skills in Adobe Software might be a small plus. I am not familiar but also check what software is industry standard in Japan for animation.
6. Why hire an 18 year old or 20 year old that has never been in Japan for a considerable amount of time(or even lived abroad/away from home?). You go through all of the trouble of getting paperwork done and training, just to have the person leave after a year, because they couldn’t adjust to life. There is plenty of grown ass people who break due to culture shock. It happens. Working is different from doing a student semester abroad.
7. Finishing high school will save you a lot of trouble in the future. Without a high school diploma a lot of career options will be blocked for you and you will face scrutiny at every turn. If you are having trouble with it consider exploring the roots for your anxiety, pause for a year, switch schools, explore alternative ways to get your diploma (e.g. evening school).
8. Why do you even want to go to Japan? It’s not like in the Anime in the work place. Japan can be a pretty tough place for people who don’t fit into society.
Tldr: If your title was can I get a work visa without a university degree – the answer would be: Probably not. Without a high school diploma it is definitely not. The only artist route open to you would be to build up a social media following and revenue streams of your own. Depending on your home country working holiday would be an option for you. But for the love of god please finish high school!
Go to college in Japan
Please don’t take offense to this, but if you can’t finish high school what chance do you have at a college degree or surviving in a foreign country? The answers are pretty clear, finish high school, get a degree. If not, your chances are very limited as far as japan
Nope
If a company in Japan sponsored you, you could get a work visa, however, it’ll be almost impossible, in my opinion.
Almost all companies in Japan require even Japanese citizens to have a high school diploma or a uni degree.
JLPT N4 is nothing. It proves that you don’t understand any daily Japanese to live here.