I got a lot of demands for an English translation to this one. It took some time but here it is, the translation of my original article. While I was preparing my application for a working holiday visa, I obviously had to read through a great deal of web pages, blogs and forums only to find very inconsistent and contradictory information. In this article, I would like to sum up the main points that I think are essential to make your application successful.

First, if you are thinking of applying, don't put yourself under to much pressure: it is relatively easy to get a working holiday visa if you do it with the right info. Now, with this fact in mind, I am always amazed with how little people I talk to know about it or how insecure they are about applying. Ok, let's put things straight, if you are eligible, a working holiday visa is without the shadow of a doubt the best alternative for a person with the desire to spend an extended period of time in Japan.

The main advantage of this one year visa instead of the three months tourist visa is that you are allowed to work full time in the country. It gives you total freedom of your whereabouts and you are sure that you won't be taken back home if your employment terminates itself (as would happen on a normal working visa). I hope that this article, by showing how easy a working holiday visa is to get, will encourage people to take the chance and go on with this life changing experience.