I want a design job in Japan but…
Q: I want a a design job in Japan but I don’t have a degree of any kind. I am good in the field of design and can speak some Japanese? How can I get a design job?
A: Ignoring your problems of not having a design portfolio with Japanese clients and finding a design job in Japan…
Basically you have a big problem getting a company-sponsored visa problem since you don’t have a degree. You need to prove you have at least 5-7 years’ experience in your field as a “designer”. That’s real experience, not flakey self-employment claims. You’ll need a great design portfolio with major corporate clients and/or a REAL work history as a design company employee in a real design-related company.
A “working holiday visa” is available for Western people who are not from the USA, but those visa’s are short-term lasting only a year or two—it’s a visa for a student on a lark. See the 3Yen post: Working Holiday Visa.
You could self-sponsor your own visa by opening your own design company in Japan, but you need plenty of capital, strict personal organization, legal groundwork and many months (if not a year or two) of preplanning. See the previous post about I want to start-up a new biz in Japan…
- 
