20M I don’t have a job right now and I only have a high school diploma but I do have some savings (~$10,000) and thought about doing a working holiday in Japan but I’m just not sure if that’s what I should do.
The main thing I want to do is travel and see the world a bit and stay in different places for a little bit before I get a boring full time job again. So for that Japan would be good. I would probably be staying in a dorm/share house/hostel or something because an apartment will probably be too expensive if I plan on staying for at least 6 months? How is apartment rent right now?
Though I would also like to put myself out there more and socialize so maybe a share house or dorm wouldn’t be so bad after all. Does anyone have experience with this?
Also, I don’t have a degree so finding good work won’t be easy and generally people say you shouldn’t go to Japan for work but rather to enjoy the country. So I don’t know if I should still do a working holiday. At the same time though work is kind of optional so I don’t know.
It’s pretty comfortable where I am right now and I have the fear that in Japan I won’t be happy because I might end up with bad roommates or with shitty jobs? I also fear just being all on my own again and not being able to really connect with anyone.
Though what also worries me is the insurance. Apparently the Japanese National Health Insurance won’t cover everything and sometimes you won’t even be able to join but because I don’t even know for how long I’ll stay it’s hard to buy a plan for a specific period when I might stay for less. Also, it seems very expensive. Many insurance plans can cost up to $1000.
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Should I do a working holiday in Japan?**
20M I don’t have a job right now and I only have a high school diploma but I do have some savings (~$10,000) and thought about doing a working holiday in Japan but I’m just not sure if that’s what I should do.
The main thing I want to do is travel and see the world a bit and stay in different places for a little bit before I get a boring full time job again. So for that Japan would be good. I would probably be staying in a dorm/share house/hostel or something because an apartment will probably be too expensive if I plan on staying for at least 6 months? How is apartment rent right now?
Though I would also like to put myself out there more and socialize so maybe a share house or dorm wouldn’t be so bad after all. Does anyone have experience with this?
Also, I don’t have a degree so finding good work won’t be easy and generally people say you shouldn’t go to Japan for work but rather to enjoy the country. So I don’t know if I should still do a working holiday. At the same time though work is kind of optional so I don’t know.
It’s pretty comfortable where I am right now and I have the fear that in Japan I won’t be happy because I might end up with bad roommates or with shitty jobs?
Though what also worries me is the insurance. Apparently the Japanese National Health Insurance won’t cover everything and sometimes you won’t even be able to join but because I don’t even know for how long I’ll stay it’s hard to buy a plan for a specific period when I might stay for less. Also, it seems very expensive. Many insurance plans can cost up to $1000.
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So if anyone has specific insurance recommendations please LMK I always find it hard to find good deals with that kind of stuff.
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If you’re from the US (which I assume as you’re using dollars), working holiday visa don’t exist yet between US & Japan.
The degree thing is moatly for a visa, you won’t really be unable to get a job due to a lack of degree.
The hard part is you have a one year visa, so the less time you can work somewhere, the harder it is going to be. The rest is your JP level. English teaching work is abundant and easy to find. Ski resorts are also easy for foreigners on WHV, though I don’t have personal experience working on them.
Furnished short term apartments exist, though sharehouses are likely cheaper. You could end up with bad roommates anywhere, unlikely but it happens. You could always move somewhere else depending on the contract, but i have found in sharehouses people generally keep to themselves. I have a lot of friends with very positive sharehouse experiences.
The national health insurance is all you need, it is mandatory to join and should cover everything you need. The out of pocket costs are small (for example, I paid 100 to 700 yen when i visited the doctor). So you shouldn’t need any other insurance.
I just found an all inclusive & furnished apartment in shinjuku with no key money/guarantor fees for $1200 CAD + maintenance fee.
It seems like a lot but I’m coming from Toronto so that’s pretty normal/standard for me, even if it is a shoe box.
I’m just happy about the location and that it has a tub/toilet.