Moving to Japan to work in a Museum

7 comments

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

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   **Moving to Japan to work in a Museum**

   Hello,

   I was just looking for some advice.

   I am currently 23, and plan on moving to Japan in the next 5-7 years.

   However, the field I work in can be considered quite niche, and I was wondering who I would fare finding a job in the museum sector in Japan.

   I currently work in the UK, and I am essentially a museum curator. I am currently learning Japanese and also plan on getting a masters degree in Museum studies.

   So, I was just wondering it anyone has any experience in this field and have moved to Japan, or already live there and can offer some advice.

   Thank you. 🙂

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2. Japan doesn’t approach history like other nations. Also, you don’t speak Japanese well enough to understand why.

   Realistically, this is a job where you will need to be fully Japanese to have a chance. Historical angles and specialized kanji will keep almost all foreigners out of that job.

3. You probably know much more than me on the topic. The only thing I can help you with is that you require a license to work as curator in Japan, probably similar to your home country.

   This is basically an exam in japanese but have requirements of education and experience, that most likely you will be qualified for. There are specialized schools too, just to preparation for this exam, and if I remember correctly it was one of the most attractive certifications to get for adults looking for a career change, so I’m not sure how easy is to land a full time job. I

   You can find most information here https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bijutsukan_hakubutsukan/shinko/about/

   If you don’t get that certification you will be limited to 博物館類似施設, which are not technically museums but serve similar features.

   Let me know if you have any questions

4. Every city in Japan has a huge amount of museums. There’s gotta be something you could fit yourself into.

   You may have to move here first and make some connections though. Visit museums, talk to people, see if you could find any foreigners working in museums.
   Goodluck. It’s definitely possible, even more possible with a good amount of Japanese.

5. [deleted]

6. That’s a fascinating work to be in japan. Japan has rich arts & culture also a lot of curious visitors, I was surprised every single time as a lot is not know to the outside world.

   I used to go every single weekend out on group meetup trips, and was pleasantly surprised to see the host so very organized, caring, and I am sure, he didn’t make much money from those trips and did it part time out of passion to meet people from across the world.

   I registered for arts meetup groups and attended quite a few museums, may not know much

7. Your best route to this would likely be doing a MEXT scholarship for a PhD at a Japanese university, and involving yourself with a museum as part of that research. If it goes well, maybe you’ll be offered a job; if not, you could teach. The right mentors and advisors could open the doors you’re looking for. Of course this is all far easier said than done.

   As an example, my academic field is anthropology. Japan is known to be really difficult to break into for anthropologists. The language barrier alone is tough, but for a variety of reasons getting sanctioned permission to do a proper ethnography is very hard. Archaeology has the worst of it as foreigners are almost never allowed to participate in digs.

   In short, when it comes to culture, history, and national identity you would need very specialized connections. Art isn’t as gatekeepy but is more competitive.