The Tattoo Artist Book
Melvina Kryder
Advice For Tattoo Artist Moving To Japan2020/1/22 20:00 Hi again, I am a licensed tattoo artist working in the US, my mentor is Japanese and taught me everything I know, he and I plan to move to Japan to pursue our craft and live in the country where our industry was born, the best of the best live here. Despite what I just said, Japan is one of the worst places to live as a tattoo artist. Ifm making this thread to ask for advice from anyone else to has walked the path we are treading.
What information would you like to have known at the very beginning that would help us. It is a difficult path but we are not doing it because itfs easy or a good way to make money, we are doing this because we are dedicated to our craft. One day tattooing will finally be accepted in Japan, but it will come later rather than soon if people do not push the industry forward. This is a serious inquiry, if you only came here to criticize our line of work, do not bother replying to this thread. Letfs keep this civil please.by IrezumiTengu
Re: Advice For Tattoo Artist Moving To Japan2020/1/23 11:46 Hi there
Are you planning to work in Japan as a tattoo artist?
I think it may be difficult to obtain a visa for this as it doesn't fit into one of the many work visa categories. The closest one i can think of is artist visa but tattoo artist isn't in there as one of their examples, it's normally for things like fine arts and photography.
How many years work experience do you have within tattoo artistry? Do you have a bachelors degree?
If you don't have a degree or if you're relatively new in the industry it may be difficult to push for a visa.
Are you planning on asking a sponsor in Japan to apply for a certificate of eligibility? Do you have a contact who is an established company in japan to sponsor you?
Even then it may be difficult under tattoo artistry as their is no set category.
Are you looking to work a different job? If so do you have a degree or several years work experience in that field? If you do, you will not be able to also work as a tattoo artist as it would be against that particular work visas conditions. If you are pursuing a different job does it fit under any of the work visa categories?
I wish you all the best of luck.
It may be worth dropping an email to an immigration lawyer for advice. No many people here are qualified to give you concrete advice as they don't work at immigration nor are they an immigration lawyer.
So take anything on here with a grain or salt as immigration is so complex and different for everyone. A professional will be able to assist you and review your circumstancesby Kel (guest)rate this post as useful
Re: Advice For Tattoo Artist Moving To Japan2020/1/23 12:03 This would be almost impossible.
A tattoo artist does not fall into any of the specific categories that would qualify for a work visa.
There is an artist visa, but I'm not sure how likely of an option that really is. It would help if you were famous or internationally known in your craft.
Another option could be to find a sponsor (employer in Japan) who is willing to hire you.
You will have to have working experience, a name, famous arts if you would like to compete in this market which is as you mentioned still small.by justmydayrate this post as useful
Re: Advice For Tattoo Artist Moving To Japan2020/1/23 12:17 1. There is no visa for such job. You are not getting a work visa or any other visa for doing this (NO, artist visa is NOT for opening a tattoo studio).
2. Unless you have a japanese spouse visa, you won't be working as a tattoo artist in Japan.
3. Work visa requires a degree. Do you have one?
by T.K. (guest)rate this post as useful
Re: Advice For Tattoo Artist Moving To Japan2020/1/23 12:41 Just to clarify, I will not attempt to get a work visa as a tattoo artist, what I plan to do is getting a student visa in a Japanese language school, so I can atleast get settled and learn Japanese while Ifm at it. I have enough savings to not work for over a year. And I already have my mentors family available to sponsor me at their business (not tattoo related). The issue is finding a tattoo shop to work at and the legal gray area that is tattooing to begin with. Ifve been tattooing for 2 years and even before that, Ifve made art my career my entire life. If there are any tattoo artists on this forum that do live there, any advice would be appreciated. I will most likely have to work a normal job until I can find a shop to work at if I still canft find one before the student visa is nearing its end. (No I do not plan to tattoo while under the student visa, that would get my visa terminated)by IrezumiTengurate this post as useful
Re: Advice For Tattoo Artist Moving To Japan2020/1/23 13:08 What line of work are your contacts willing to sponsor you in?
There has to be a valid category for it and if there isn't immigration will not grant you one. It's not your potential employer you have to convince, it's immigration. You would have to have a degree or many years of work experience in the particular field.
You would also not be able to work as a tattoo artist on that visa as it's against the law. You have to work in the field your visa is for.
Japanese language school isn't a foot into Japan long term, it would help if you would go to a university straight after to persue a degree which would get you a job that has a visa category attached to it. But you would have to find a university willing to sponsor you with no high school diploma, that may be hard work.
You only have 2 years experience and no degree so definitely a work visa is not possible.
You also cannot do a working holiday as it doesn't apply to US citizens.
I'm sorry that no one can give you the answers you want to hear.
but Japan immigration isn't for everyone, it's for people that Japan wants to live there. You have to be a desirable candidateby Kel (guest)rate this post as useful
Re: Advice For Tattoo Artist Moving To Japan2020/1/23 13:18 I have enough savings to not work for over a year. And I already have my mentors family available to sponsor me at their business (not tattoo related).
You still need a degree or 10 years experience for a "work visa" whatever their "business" is.
The issue is finding a tattoo shop to work
If you are "working" in a tatto shop that belongs to someone else and doing some kind of "work" for money it is called working and it requires a work visa. Even if you have a degree and manage to get an IT job at Google Japan and decide to work at a tattoo shop it is still illegal. You can't do other side job that is not related to your work visa. And I don't think you can get a work visa for a full time job and make tattoo for free late at night.
You are actually beating around the bush...by T.K. (guest)rate this post as useful
Re: Advice For Tattoo Artist Moving To Japan2020/1/23 14:10 Here's a story that happened to a friend, he came on a student visa in Japan, he worked for a company. The job was an unskilled job, it was taking care of the traffic on the road. The boss of the company wanted to sponsor him for a working visa but he has NO degrees. Even for an unskilled job and a sponsor, immigration couldn't give him a working visa. They extended his visa 3 times and everytime at the end it was refused because he needed to provide a degree. So like people above said, it's almost impossible to get a working visa in your conditions.by LawAnnoucement (guest)rate this post as useful
Re: Advice For Tattoo Artist Moving To Japan2020/1/23 14:20 Thank you for mention "I will not attempt to get a work visa as a tattoo artist, what I plan to do is getting a student visa in a Japanese language school,"
As you student you still need to comply with regulations.
You can only work 28 hrs maximal each week.
Also you need to check with the language school if you are allowed to work since some schools do not allow, since you come to Japan to study.
There was a case in Osaka where a foreigner started a tattoo shop named chopstick tattoo in Osaka.
But this person is arrested because he did not had the correct licenses (Medical Practitionersf Law, hygiene license etc.) to work as a tattoo artist. You need to follow a Japanese education for licenses. The licenses you have are not applicable in Japan since in Japan there are different regulations etc.
by justmydayrate this post as useful
Re: Advice For Tattoo Artist Moving To Japan2020/1/23 20:58 Between looking through this and your other thread, uJapanese language school requires diploma?v, I think you might be somewhat confused as to how the work visa system works.
It sounds like your plan is:
1. Enroll in a Japanese language school that will give you a student visa and come to Japan.
2. When the student visa expires, get hired by your tattoo mentor's family for some kind of non-tattoo artist work, then get a work visa and work as a tattoo artist.
But work visas don't work like that. It's not just a matter of saying to the Japanese immigration bureau "I have a job in Japan" and then they say "OK! Here's your work visa!" The work visa is something you have to apply for, with the person/organization you'll be working for acting as your sponsor. In addition to paperwork that the sponsor has to file, they have to meet certain responsibilities (primarily showing that you, specifically, are a necessary employee and that you'll be earning enough to support yourself).
Again, it's an application process, not a rubber stamp one. It's not as simple as the company saying "We want to hire this person" and a visa automatically being issued. Generally, the immigration bureau needs to be convinced that the job makes a positive contribution to Japan's economic or cultural environment, and that the benefit is enhanced by having a foreigner do it. But if you have a less-than-high-school-level education (as mentioned in your other thread) and only one year of Japanese classroom instruction, it's unlikely that you'll be able to perform a job that meets those requirements.
In addition, work visas are usually tied to a designated field or industry. Not working in the field your visa is for, and/or working in a field outside of it, could be seen as visa fraud, depending on the circumstances.
You've also mentioned that you're a licensed tattoo artist, but your license in the U.S. isn't going to qualify you for that sort of work in Japan. Especially since tattooing is a quasi-medical procedure, you're going to need to get certified in Japan, and I'm guessing taking the test in English isn't an option, so you're going to need to get your Japanese skills, in a specialized vocabulary field, up to a pretty high level.
Sorry if this sounds overly negative, but you've got some serious roadblocks in your desired path, and you might need to adjust your course a little. Also, while I don't mean to be overly suspicious, it seems like you've got a lot of your plan riding on getting a lot of support from your mentor (a place to live, a job that gives you enough money to support yourself, a work visa), but you still have a lot of questions for us Internet strangers about the specifics of finding a job and getting a visa. Those are things you might want to discuss with your mentor, and if he can't give you concrete answers, you might want to look into some sort of backup plans/safety nets in case he doesn't end up being able to provide the support you're relying on.by . . . . (guest)rate this post as useful