Keïteï Ventures

After spending the Summer in the Yorkshire Dales working in a hostel my time like all things soon came to an end. I had been working as a seasonal position so come November I was done and ready to travel again. I’d always wanted to live in Japan and decided now was the time.

Off to London I went with my documents for my Working Holiday Visa;

• Passport
• Visa application form & recent passport photo
• My CV
• My itinerary for my whole stay
• My statement saying why I want to live/work in Japan
• Proof of £2500      or       £1500 & a return ticket.

 At the Japanese Embassy it all went pretty smoothly – had it in the back of my mind that I’d missed something or forgotten to do something. I passed through the airport-like security entry, collected my ticket number and waited. Ten minutes later I was called forward and asked to present my documents to the worker at the window. He carefully read through them and proceeded to put them into a pile –  except the final piece which was kept to the side. My heart stopped. 

O no, what didn’t I do? Or do that I shouldn’t have done? The man pointed at my bank statement and was pondering why the money hadn’t gone in regularly. Ah! I then quickly explained that it was my saving account and whenever I had £1000 saved in my current account (he referred to it as my salary account) I moved it across. He looked confused for a moment before appearing to accept my reasoning and gathered my documents and shuffled to a side room. I was left standing there, have I got the visa? Do I wait?
Shortly enough he returned and pointed at piece of paper telling me to come back in a week with precisely £16. I asked if a friend could collect on my behalf. He nodded, only if I wrote a letter of permission and signed it. And that was that, a week later and £16 down I had visa sticker with the emblem of Japan and my face allowing me to live and work in Japan!

I’m keeping a Vlog of my Ventures here.