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Agreed, 180 days and no residency card makes this way too much hassle for the meager benefits.

It's similar with the recent 1-year South Korean F-1-D Nomad/Workation visa for Canadians, who get 6 months as tourists anyways. I'm going through the application process since U.S. citizens only get 3 months as tourists, but the hassle is only really worth it for the residency card.

Length is far too short, I can stay for 3 months without filling out anything, an additional 3 for the effort of applying kinda sucks (having applied for a Japan tourist visa for my wife, expect this visa to be just as onerous)

If they allow dependents (like the Korean one does) and allowed for 1 year with the option of extending up to 2, we'd be packing right now.

You can also get another 3 months on a tourist visa by leaving and coming back (at least, most visa-free tourists can; I've had many friends do this).

I suppose it's less cost to do it this way, but it sure seems like a "digital nomad" would have no problem going somewhere else for a week (Korea, Taiwan), and coming back.

I know that's fine for some countries such as the Philippines (though their tourist visa can be extended so long, it's rarely necessary) but IIRC this doesn't fly in Japan, it's 90 days per year, total, and they're very strict about it.

I don't know if it differs by country, but that's incorrect for residents of the US, and various countries in western Europe. You get 90 days per stay, with 2 stays a year.

(edit: I could be wrong about the 2 stay max. It might be higher. I'm pretty sure I entered Japan more than 2 times in a single year on a visa-free waver, but I don't know if there's some window that applies.)

2 stays max is not officially written anywhere but about 180 days is the rule of thumb people usually go by.

it is not 90 days total per year, but the officials are strict on it. if they see you were recently in japan they may suspect you of working illegally. they also can say you’ve returned too soon and reject you. not worth the risk imo, even though a i know a few people that have done it successfully so they could study in japan without a year long visa.

> it is not 90 days total per year, but the officials are strict on it.

That may have been what I was thinking, I recall on my first trip there, they were pretty strict and wanted to know exactly where I was staying I even had to show them on the map. For my wife's tourist visa we had to apply to a travel agency that was a liaison with the Japan embassy (The Japan embassy required it, you couldn't apply directly in her country) and the process was very tedious, we had to include a day-by-day itinerary, and all kinds of documentation. All that to say I guess when I hear that Japan is strict about something, I just take that as it's not worthwhile to try and get around it.

Yeah, there's likely a citizenship thing at play. I imagine the treatment for a "digital nomad" from the US is going to be pretty different than someone from the Philippines or Vietnam [1], for example. Japan (like most countries) probably doesn't care so much about re-entry of rich tourists, so long as they're not working or doing anything illegal.

[1] Both are countries with lots of unskilled folks who desperately want to work in Japan.

Yeah, I got yelled at once by JP passport control for coming back after a visa run, mainly because on the entry card I put a residential address (short term stay place) and that I was staying another 90 days.

The three main things JP passport control are looking for are asylum seekers, people over and people that are illegally working under the table and not paying into the Japanese tax/retirement system.

Don’t you think that the housing market will create a niche for these people? Foreigners with deep pockets coming in for six months sounds like a great thing for landlords. Plus, you know they won’t squat because they’re gone after 6 months or they get deported

It's not out of the question, but foreigners already have a tough time getting housing in Japan with a Residency Card. There are very real concerns people have about not getting paid for rent, or people not being able to support themselves. This is why normally, residents will have a guarantor sign documents with them to ensure that the landlord is made whole if something goes awry.

I would also expect, pessimistically, that the housing for foreigners on this visa will, if offered, be significantly more expensive than normal housing on the expectation that foreigners can afford it. Maybe this won't be the case, but I think it will definitely make an already-annoying problem harder.

It would almost certainly be more expensive. It would probably require payment upfront, or a substantial payment upfront as well.

You usually pay four or five months up front to move into a Japanese apartment anyway.

One month thanks for letting me rent here fee Two months deposit One month fee to the agent First month’s actual rent

And most contracts are two years but you can cancel with one month’s notice in the second year. If you cancel in the first year, that’s another one month penalty.

No one’s going to be renting a normal apartment for six months.

Thank you for your comment. I'm interested in this program too and agree with you that 6 months maybe too short to move and rent an apartment there. I assume most place have at lease 1 year contract, right? I would like to give them my comment too. Can you please share where can we give them feedback when they open for public comment? And will it possible if we ask them to let us apply for residency card?

Thank you

> Taiwan Gold Card

From the first looks of it, it seems it expects me to work there for a company and not 'nomad'?

Length is fine. I am seriously considering it.

Properties in rural Japan are VERY cheap (like 20k USD). It makes sense to just buy summer house there. It is pretty good life to spend summers in Japan, and winters somewhere at south.

Please note: these houses you see online for 20k have problems. You aren't going to just be able to move in. Most of them need to be emptied of junk and repaired, if not completely renovated.

If you're lucky, the only problem will be that the house is very remote, and you need a car to get there. That alone is a substantial problem on a 6-month basis if you don't have residency. But realistically, houses that are in move-in state in an area where you'd actually want to live cost far more than $20k.

I am familiar with situation in Japan. The house is not an investment, it is simply better, than paying rent for 7 or so years I plan to visit.

I like hiking, remote location is the feature for me. Not everyone has to live in Tokyo. I will buy a bike and rent van when needed.

Japan is a cheap developed country, with low crime. Not many places like that.

OK, I'm just saying that you should understand what you're getting into. These online memes are not reality.

> Not everyone has to live in Tokyo.

LOL, I'm not even remotely talking about Tokyo. I'm talking about 2nd- and 3rd-tier cities. If you find a $20k house in Tokyo, it's going to be unlivable, and so far outside the city that you won't believe you're in Tokyo.

Honestly, $20k is low even for a well-maintained place in a small town. Most likely, any house at this price point, anywhere, is in a flood zone or at serious risk of mudslide, filled with junk, and/or requiring seismic/electrical/plumbing improvements before you can move in.

It is still better than RV, and you avoid most problems in summer.

Mudslides are great point, thanks.

Assuming it’s legal to do so I imagine that some will use this visa as a springboard to access other visas. 180 days is long enough to hunt for a work-visa-furnishing job or a school to attend for an education visa for example.

That may have been possible under the 90 day tourist visa (though I think that one may explicitly bar job hunting), but 90 days disappears surprisingly quickly and the flight out and back in to get the second 90 day period is a nuisance.

Many countries have requirements to maintain residency status -- for example Canada requires 183 days (half a year) residency in the country to maintain access to all the benefits and privileges.

this perspective works for those who can get similar duration for tourism because of their strong passport.

meanwhile some european countries gave short visit visa as short as a couple weeks, while charging hundreds of euros for the entire process.

then all of a sudden it seems very generous in comparison.