Moving to Japan from Australia. The lowdown

With its rich cultural heritage, delicious cuisine and varied attractions, it’s no wonder Australians are flocking to Japan by the thousands.¹³ In the first quarter of 2024 alone, over 250,000 Aussies jetted off to enjoy the sights, adventures and tastes of Japan.

If you’d like to make your next trip to Japan a little more permanent in nature, then this guide is for you. It covers most of what you need to know about moving to Japan from Australia, including visas, work, daily life, managing money and the cost of living.

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Japan key facts

To start off, here's a quick snapshot of key facts about Japan.

Official Language¹	Japanese
Currency used¹	Japanese yen
Population¹	124 million
Number of expats³	3.2 million
Biggest cities²	Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya
Capital¹	Tokyo
Weather ¹	Monsoonal climate with wet and dry seasonal winds. In the north the temperatures drop below freezing during winter, while the south is warmer.
Average yearly salary⁴	Approximately 4,520,000 JPY which is around 44,000 AUD

Life in Japan

Japanese society is largely urban based, as opposed to rural, with most people living in cities like Tokyo and Osaka.¹ Daily life tends to revolve around school, family and work, and people often choose to socialise with their colleagues or classmates after hours. Entertainment and leisure activities are usually done outside the home, which tend to be smaller in size than Australian homes. As a result, many places have a bustling services industry with restaurants, bars and entertainment businesses.

Moving to Japan – pros and cons

Weighing up the pros and cons can be helpful when making any big decision, so here's a few related to moving to Japan.

Pros	Cons
Generally considered a safe country to live, work and travel in Opportunity to have experiences that you wouldn’t be able to have in Australia Developed healthcare system	Difficult to assimilate into daily life if you haven’t learnt Japanese yet Depending on your circumstances it may be tricky to get a Certificate of Eligibility for a long stay visa

Japan entry requirements for Australian citizens

Any Australian entering Japan needs to meet the basic entry requirements for the country.⁹

• Valid visa and passport, or a visa exempt passport
• Complete the customs and immigration procedures online or using the paper form on arrival

Whether or not you need a visa will depend in part on your plans for your time in Japan, including how long you want to be there and if you want to work.

Japan visa types and requirements

For Australians who want to stay longer than a short term visit and actually live and work in Japan, there are two main types of visa available.

• Working Holiday visa
• Long Term Stay visa

Japanese Working Holiday Visa for Australian citizens

Introduced in 1980, the Japan-Australia Working Holiday Agreement provides the opportunity for young Australians and Japanese to visa to one another's country and engage in casual employment while travelling for an extended period of time.¹⁰

To apply for this visa you must meet the eligibility criteria, follow special work conditions and provide all of the required documentation. Here’s the eligibility criteria you’d have to meet if you wanted to apply.

• Australian citizen currently residing in Australia
• Primary intention is to holiday for an extended period
• Aged 18-30 and never had the visa before
• No accompanying children
• Valid passport
• Possess a reasonable amount of funds
• Be in good health and of good character

Japanese Long Term Stay visas

The Japanese government offers a few different long stay visas for people who want to do these types of activities in Japan.¹¹

• Stay long term in Japan
• Work in Japan
• Study in Japan
• Live with with a Japanese spouse or parent in Japan

Each visa sub-category has its own eligibility requirements and conditions, but in general these are the main documents you’ll be asked to provide.

• Original passport
• Completed visa application form
• Passport sized photograph
• Certificate of Eligibility

Certificate of Eligibility

One of the main things to know about staying in Japan long term is you’ll likely need to provide a Certificate of Eligibility to be granted a visa. The Certificate of Eligibility is a document that formally verifies the activity you're going to engage in while in Japan.

To get one, you need to have a Japanese sponsor who contacts their regional immigration authority to apply for the certificate. This sponsor could be your employer, school, agent or a relative, depending on the type of visa you’re applying for.

The Certificate of Eligibility takes about 2-3 months to process, and is then valid for 3 months from the date of issue. If you don’t enter Japan during that time you might be refused entry.

Japan residency and permits

When you arrive in Japan with a long stay visa you’ll be issued a Residence Card at the airport, or one can be delivered to your house in Japan.¹² This card is classified as a government issued ID so can be used for contracts and when completing local government procedures.

If you decide you’d like to live in Japan indefinitely, you can apply for permanent residence. There’s an application process to go though, and as part of it you need to provide your Residence Card.

Is Japan safe for Australians

In general Japan is considered to be a pretty safe place to live due to its low crime rate. ⁷

On the Smartraveller website the Australian Government lists it as somewhere to exercise normal precautions, with the only area currently set to “reconsider your need to travel” being the restricted areas around the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant.

One of the main safety concerns in Japan is the risk of earthquakes and tsunamis, but this is a well recognised risk and as such, the Japanese authorities have well established emergency response plans and systems in place.

Level of English spoken and learning the local language

If you only speak English you will find it difficult to live and work in Japan as the majority of the population only speaks Japanese. It’s estimated that around 2% to 8% of people speak fluent English, while around 30% speak some form of English.⁶

Learning Japanese

To learn Japanese you could take classes before leaving Australia or attend a Japanese language course once you arrive.

In Japan there are special schools called Nihongo Gakko which offer fee paid Japanese language classes.⁵ Here are a few schools to get you started.

• NCP International Japanese Language School
• Hokkaido Japanese Language School
• Meiji Academy
• Genki Japanese & Culture School
• Shinjuku Japanese Language Institute

If you want a lower cost option, there are some groups and organisations that offer free or low fee courses. To find out where these classes might be available you can try reaching out to an International Organisation or the local municipal office in your prefecture.

Healthcare in Japan

Japan has universal health care coverage with some form of insurance being mandatory for anyone who resides in Japan for 3 months or more.¹⁴

People who are part of the Japanese healthcare system don’t have a choice in their health insurance, instead the plan is designated based on your employment status, age and residence. The copayments are the same for all plans and there are out-of-pocket payment limits to protect people from astronomical costs, should their medical needs become expensive.

As a foreigner staying in Japan for more than 3 months you can be part of the system, but it’s worth checking on the current processing times to join. You may want to maintain some private expat health insurance in the meantime.

Cost of living in Japan

When moving to a new country, cost of living is an important consideration as you need to make sure the job you have can support your lifestyle there. To give you an idea of what it costs to live in Japan, here’s the cost of some regular expenses in the popular cities of Tokyo and Osaka.⁸

Expense	Tokyo	Osaka
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant	1000 JPY	1000 JPY
Pint of domestic beer	500 JPY	450 JPY
1 L of milk	232 JPY	217 JPY
1 kg of chicken fillets	1078 JPY	978 JPY
1 kg of potato	415 JPY	227 JPY
Monthly public transportation pass	7400 JPY	5150 JPY
Monthly unlimited internet	4811 JPY	4805 JPY
Monthly fitness club membership	8871 JPY	8833 JPY
Monthly rent of 1 bedroom apartment (city centre)	146,667 JPY	75,555 JPY
Monthly rent of 3 bedroom apartment (outside city centre)	174,377 JPY	99,550 JPY

As seen on 7 May 2024

As you can see the biggest difference in the cost of living between these two cities is rent, with Tokyo being much more expensive. The cost of rent in the city you intend to move to is very important to consider, as it can have a huge impact on your budgeting and financial plans.

Finding a job in Japan

To find a job before you move to Japan you could reach out to a recruitment agency or start searching through online job boards. Here’s a few sites to get you started.

• CareerCross
• GaijinPot Jobs
• Indeed
• BizReach
• Doda

If your visa allows you to move to Japan without a job while maintaining the right to work there, you could also visit a Japanese Public Employment Centre for assistance.⁵

Banks and accounts in Japan

As a foreigner living in Japan it’s possible to open a bank account, provided you meet the eligibility criteria and can provide the required documents. Here’s some of the banks that operate in Japan.

• Shinsei Bank
• Mizuko Bank
• SMBC
• Japan Post Bank

To open a Japanese bank account this is what you’ll likely be asked for.

• Residence card
• Passport
• Valid visa
• Japanese address and phone number
• A hanko seal

What to keep in mind about moving to Japan

Overall, something that seems to be very important about moving to Japan is learning the language. Being able to speak fluent Japanese makes you more employable, and makes daily tasks like interacting with medical, financial, retail and government institutions more straightforward. It may also make it easier to connect with the people you meet, including colleagues and neighbours.

Japan embassy addresses and contacts in Australia

If you would like to speak to the Japanese embassy then you can reach out to the consulate that oversees the area you live in.

Residents of the ACT	Embassy of Japan 112 Empire Circuit, Yarralumla ACT 2600 Phone: 02 6273 3244
Residents of NSW and the NT	Consulate General of Japan Level 12, 1 O’Connell Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: 02 9250 1000
Residents of WA	Consulate General of Japan U22/Level 2, 111 Colin Street, West Perth WA 6005 Phone: 08 9480 1800
Resident of QLD (except Cairns)	Consulate General of Japan 17th Floor, 12 Creek Street, Brisbane QLD 4000 Phone:
Residents near Cairns	Consular Office of Japan in Cairns Level 15, 5 Lake Street, Cairns QLD 4870 Phone: 07 3221 5188
Residents of VIC, TAS and SA	Consulate General of Japan 25th Floor, 570 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 Phone: 03 9679 4510

In conclusion – Keep in mind

Moving to Japan is an exciting adventure but in the lead up make sure you’re diligent in your preparations, especially when it comes to government processes, to help ensure the smoothest transition possible.

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Sources:

1. Britannica - Japan
2. Statisa - Cities with more than one million inhabitants in Japan in 2021, by population
3. The Japan Times - Number of foreign residents in Japan rises to record 3.2 million
4. OECD - Average annual wages
5. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan - Guide to Living in Japan
6. The Japan Times - Why bilingual literature is needed in a place like Japan
7. Smartraveller - Japan
8. Numbeo - Cost of Living Comparison Between Tokyo and Osaka
9. Consulate-General of Japan, Brisbane - Current requirements and information on travel to Japan
10. Consulate-General of Japan, Brisbane - Working Holiday Visa for Australian Citizens
11. Consulate-General of Japan, Brisbane - Work, Study, Long Term Stay, Permanent Residents Whose Re-entry Permit has Expired
12. Ministry of Justice - Procedures for Entry/Residence
13. Explore - Australians are heading to Japan in record numbers - here’s why
14. Japan Health Policy NOW - Health Insurance System

Sources checked on: 8 May 2024