Can I move to japan at 17?

9 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

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   **Can I move to japan at 17?**

   I was put into a rotary student exchange to go to Japan next year, but it was taken off of the list last night.
   This trip meant so much to me, and there’s no way I’m not going to japan next year. So is it possible that I can move to japan and get an apartment or live in a hostel for a year at 17? Or even the end of this year when I’m still 16? /my birthday is 3rd January/

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2. Short answer: Yes. Age doesn’t matter.

   Long answer: Let’s talk about visa first. Read [this page](https://www.reddit.com/r/movingtojapan/wiki/visas/), and then come back, hopefully with an answer that can satisfy these questions: What will you be doing in Japan, and which type of visa are you going to aim for?

3. The biggest problem with going to Japan at 17 is that you will legally be a minor. You won’t be able to sign a lease, sign up for a cell phone plan, or anything else that requires a contract. You will need a parent or legal guardian *in Japan* to handle all of those things.

   What are you planning on actually *doing* with this new DIY plan? Going to school? Just living in Japan?

   If it’s the former, you need to start reaching out to schools ASAP.

   If it’s the latter, well… There’s no visa for “Just bumming around”, so it’s not going to be a possibility.

4. Can you go through a different exchange program?
   I went through ASSE. Maybe give them a look. At 17 a HS exchange is your best bet.
   You’re not going to be able to get apartment or much else otherwise.

5. You’ve already got good answers.

   If you have the funds, you should spend several weeks on holiday here, before committing to anything more expensive.

   Elsewhere, you mention a work visa.

   Go to the Japan Immigration Services Agency website, and read about how visas work.

   Depending on your country, a working holiday visa could be an option for a longish stay when you’re an adult.

   Beyond that, you are generally required to have a degree, or ten years of paid and documented work experience in your field of expertise. The latter option is obviously more difficult.

   Japanese immigration is remarkably straightforward, but you must fulfill the requirements.

   Get your university degree, man. Japan will still be here. ParaPara might even come back by then 🙂

6. I know this is a bit of an aside, but what do you mean by “taken off the list”? Was the exchange cancelled somehow? Was it too late to find a replacement host district or something?

   The other posters have given you a pretty clear picture of your options here, but it’s worth considering a few points:

   * If you’re not graduating this upcoming school year, it’s certainly possible to be a Rotary exchange student your last year of high school.
   * A long-term language school could give you a student visa, but I think you’d need to be a high school graduate at the minimum. It’s also more expensive than a Rotary exchange.
   * If you already have to wait until after you graduate high school, a long-term college exchange could be the most affordable option.
   * Affordability aside, doing an English-language-based college degree in Japan is another option. You’ll see a range of opinions on how good these programs are, but they will allow you to live in Japan for the entire time you’re enrolled.

7. Japan isn’t going anywhere, wait until you’re an adult.

8. Can’t you apply for it next year?
   I know some rotary exchange students that went to two high school exchanges in a row.
   What was the reason for their cancellation?
   It would help to know your country too.The requirements change from country to country.For example: not requiring a basic japanese language skills for people comingo from Y country, but having a N5 or above level for students coming from X country (because at least one previous exchange students from X country gave them a hard time*)

   * This can also cause your country to lose the spot for the following years (they just get it back if the person in change from your district talks to them and convinces them) – specially if your country is not a desitnation that most students want to go(until a few years ago, RYEP in Japan would choose the countries for the students.They could write what countries they wanted, but most of them didn’t get their first or second choices.I don’t know if this has changed)

9. That’s a bummer but Japan isn’t going anywhere. I highly advise you visit japan before trying make plans to live here.