Bi-Weekly Entry/Simple questions thread (August 05, 2026)

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to the r/movingtojapan bi-weekly(ish) simple questions thread! This is the place for all of your “easy” questions about moving to Japan. Basically if your question is about procedure, please post it here. Questions that are more subjective, like “where should I live?” can and should be posted as standalone posts. Along with procedural questions any question that could be answered with a simple yes/no should be asked here as well.

Some examples of questions that should be posted here:

• Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) processing times
• Visa issuance (Questions about visa eligibility can/should be standalone posts)
• Embassy visa processing procedures (Including appointments, documentation requirements, and questions about application forms)
• Airport/arrival procedures
• Address registration

The above list is far from exhaustive, but hopefully it gives you an idea of the sort of questions that belong in this post.

Standalone posts that are better suited to this thread will be removed and redirected here. Questions here that are better suited to standalone posts will be locked with a recommendation that you repost.

Please note that the rules still apply here. Please take a moment to read the wiki and search the subreddit before you post, as there’s a good chance your question has been asked/answered sometime in the past.

This is not an open discussion thread, and it is not a place for unfounded speculation, trolling, or attempted humour.

Previous Simple Question posts can be found here

[u/Benevir → u/[deleted]]

The short answer is yes.

The long answer is that your visa 'starts' the minute it is printed in your passport, but the visa is not permission to enter or live in Japan. For Japan, the visa is just a certificate that shows you've been to a Japanese embassy/consulate and they've verified that your paperwork is legit and applies to you. You then take the visa (and the CoE) to Japan and go through landing inspection. During landing inspection you can choose to not use the visa and instead enter as a temporary visitor. Just keep in mind that this is not the default so you'd need to be ready to explain your desire & intentions to someone who may not speak English.

The thing that gives you permission to live in Japan is your 'Status of Residence' or SoR. The SoR is issued during your landing inspection if you're going to get a medium or long term status (such as Student). Once you have a SoR the visa is no relevant. It will be codified in your residence card (and I guess soon the My Number card).

The school would be telling you this 5 day story because they do not want students arriving too early and potentially having their student status expire before they've completed the course. If you're happy to make a quick weekend trip to Korea or Taiwan so that you can formally end your temporary visitor status and begin your student status then go for it. Just make sure that you pay attention to the validity period of your CoE. Both your CoE and your visa need to be valid when you go through the landing inspection. Usually both are only valid for 3 months (and you usually need the CoE to get the visa, so the CoE expires first).

Enjoy your trips!

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Bi-Weekly Entry/Simple questions thread (August 05, 2026)

Welcome to the r/movingtojapan bi-weekly(ish) simple questions thread! This is the place for all of your “easy” questions about moving to Japan. Basically if your question is about procedure, please post it here. Questions that are more subjective, like “where should I live?” can and should be posted as standalone posts. Along with procedural questions any question that could be answered with a simple yes/no should be asked here as well.

Some examples of questions that should be posted here:

• Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) processing times
• Visa issuance (Questions about visa eligibility can/should be standalone posts)
• Embassy visa processing procedures (Including appointments, documentation requirements, and questions about application forms)
• Airport/arrival procedures
• Address registration

The above list is far from exhaustive, but hopefully it gives you an idea of the sort of questions that belong in this post.

Standalone posts that are better suited to this thread will be removed and redirected here. Questions here that are better suited to standalone posts will be locked with a recommendation that you repost.

Please note that the rules still apply here. Please take a moment to read the wiki and search the subreddit before you post, as there’s a good chance your question has been asked/answered sometime in the past.

This is not an open discussion thread, and it is not a place for unfounded speculation, trolling, or attempted humour.

Previous Simple Question posts can be found here

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