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Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

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Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#171
post #57
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the other hand, if you meet any of those criteria, perhaps it's not the best use of your resources to be a digital nomad in Japan.

That's fairly presumptuous of you.

Perhaps, but perhaps also less presumptuous than anybody who thinks they have an innate right to go to Japan on whatever terms they please.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Japan is a country that is expensive to live in. Having minimum salary requirements already filters out the type of 'digital nomad' who would otherwise become a burden on society or those who merely seek immigration from Africa or South Asia under the disguise of the 'digital nomad'.

Japan is not particularly expensive. It's significantly cheaper than USA, Canada, Western Europe, Australia, NZ, etc. US$68,000 is enough for a very comfortable life there.

Particularly if you’re not living in Tokyo, Fukuoka for instance is significantly cheaper despite also being a densely populated city with the usual amenities.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#173
post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know this sounds stupid. However i still paid taxes, health care, a mobile contract, banking, etc in Switzerland. The actual savings should be in living and food. On short term I rarely rented below $800/month for a single room flat. (Vs $1000 for a old house in Switzerland) for food I have to cook myself now Vs. Eating out twice a day in Thailand. Without actually moving and centering your life to a cheap country…

US may actually be cheapest for someone like you. Move to rural Kansas, get a house for like 80k with full utilities, kitchen, and starlink.

Might sound surprising but I am looking at immobilia in some parts of Switzerland at the same price range. I enjoy the good health care, fair taxes and generally the environment. My entertainment (outside of my techy home) is nature now.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I also find it weird because "To be eligible for the new status, applicants must have an annual income equivalent to 10 million yen ($68,000) or more" which means the newly created Digital Nomad class needs to have 2x the average GDP/capita in income?

So they only want high earning workers from developed countries, basically the kind of immigrants every other country wants but doesn't dare say it out loud. What's wrong with that? Their country, their rules.

> basically the kind of immigrants every other country wants but doesn't dare say it out loud

Many nations have high standards for immigration relating to income, wealth and professional qualifications. There is absolutely nothing hush hush about it, not even remotely.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#175
post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A night or two in jail doesn't sound the worst for that kind of savings. Especially if you have someone to pay 'rent' for a nicer cell space.

What kind of savings? I live in Switzerland now and barely spend more in a lazy month than I did in 'super cheap thailand'

I challenge this as someone who frequents Thailand and the SEA region. You can get a nice condo (short-term airbnb/utilities paid) for $500 or less; only 20 minutes from central Bangkok. Sure, more expensive options exist. But comparing Switzerland to Thailand when it comes to living costs is plain ridiculous.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#176
post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That logically doesn’t make sense. Salary workers will still receive their paycheck even while on travel/holiday/vacation. Are they violating tourist visa restrictions? If a person checks their work email while on a tourist visa?

As others have mentioned, they work for a company in a different country what doesn't matter. They usually won't work while there. It's not realistic to expect a one-man internet company to be anywhere for longer than a few days without 'working' in a way or another.

By chance are you German? I ask given my experience with German’s cultural predilection for following rules to the letter.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#177
post #165
post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't even get hung up on the website part. Pretty much any business traveler is making money when they're traveling and may even be doing business-y things like going to a conference or meeting with customers. Some countries require a special business visa for that but many/most don't and mostly don't give you a long precise list of what you can and can't do.

In fact for any visa outside of Europe I had so far I signed a long precise list of things I can and can't do. That's what all the small text is about.

China I definitely needed a business visa to go to a conference. Malaysia was some sort of visa on arrival thing. Indonesia I don't remember but it wasn't something I had to get ahead of time and that was business. Japan I don't need a visa from the US nor Singapore; ditto for Europe.

It's entirely possible if I needed a visa for some of the countries I've been to, I might have needed a business visa of some sort for customer meetings etc. But I've very rarely needed to get a visa for countries I've traveled to.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#178
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To each their own - I think its rather crass to castigate a whole country because your own travel didn't find whatever deeper level bond you were searching for. I for one am suspect at being able make a good friend that lasts forever in 5 minutes. That sounds more like power dynamics in that you had something to offer them then some kind of mutual friendship based on shared interests. That said to each their own.

Maybe. But prior to visiting Japan I actually studied Japanese for 5 years and after visiting it I stopped and quickly forgot whatever I learned as I simply didn't have any reason to as whatever I wanted to find wasn't there (I guess I was looking for a sci-fi wonderland full of robots or something, instead found tired uninterested people everywhere). Wrt Brazil folks, there was no power dynamics between us, they did…

Did you study the culture of Japan or the language? And yes it does sound like you were hoping for some kind of extraordinary event which probably made it all the more unlikely that you were going to find that travel nirvana.

Whereas I am guessing you had no expectation in Brazil and were pleasantly surprised. I'm sorry you didn't have a good experience though I stand by my statement to each their own. Tough to compare societies/populations/cultures based on a sample size of one.

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#179
post #156
post #79

People seem to underestimate how limiting tourist visas actually are. Imagine you sell digital products automated or something like that. You would have to literally shut your website down if you go somewhere on a tourist visa so you don't accidently make money. You might think there are exceptions, but no there usually aren't. And now imagine you actually live from a digital business you run yourself. You literally…

These rules and laws esp. with regards to visas and immigration are not about the rules themselves. They're a proxy for government to be able to control the types of people they think benefit their society (and whether or not to let them in the country). If you fit within those concepts of what is deemed acceptable, no one will bother you. Are you a rich, white professional class person with a first-world passport? Y…

Why bring race into it?

Re: Japan to introduce six-month residency visa for 'digital nomads'

#180
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's fairly presumptuous of you.

Perhaps, but perhaps also less presumptuous than anybody who thinks they have an innate right to go to Japan on whatever terms they please.

My mistake. You're not presumptuous. You're just rude.
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