The beautiful country of Japan is one of the must-visits in Asia because of their unique culture, food, technology and much more. Visiting the iconic Mount Fuji is one of the famous travellers bucket lists. Who wouldn’t want to visit Tokyo or the imperial palaces, the countless shrines and experience the J-pop culture?
Applying for a visa is nerve-wracking and stressful. Applicants are scared to get rejected by the consulate for whatever reasons it might be. As a Filipino citizen, our passport can sometimes be a challenge to visit certain countries in the world.
In my recent trip to Japan, I need to get a Japan Tourist Visa. I’m going to share my experience on how I managed to score a Japan tourist visa. It was surely worth it!
Last May 2015, I went for a solo trip to Japan. It was the first time I traveled solo and Japan was first visa-required country I ever visited. Since I found a cheap round trip tickets to Japan, I tried my luck and applied for my Japan Tourist Visa.
You can also seek help from the Accredited Travel Agencies to assist you with your visa application. The good news is that getting a Japan tourist visa is now relaxed. Just bring all necessary required documents and fill out your visa application correctly.
My Japan Tourist Visa
Check out my DIY Travel Guide in Tokyo for 7 Days.
General Requirements
The requirements may vary on your personal circumstances. Always refer to the Japanese Consulate / Embassy websites.
1. Philippine Passport
Damaged passports will not be accepted and must have at least two blank pages left! It is also ideal if you have at least six months left on your passport before it will expire.
2. Visa Application Form
You can download the Visa Application form here (source from the Japan Embassy) or ask the Accredited Travel Agency for a copy.
3. Photo specs: 4.5cm x 4.5cm with white background
Don’t forget to paste the required photo on your application. Check the photo guidelines of the Japanese Embassy here.
4. Birth certificate of applicant
Must be NSO copy and issued within one year of the date when you lodge your visa application. In case you don’t have an NSO copy, you need to submit the certificate of non-record together with the copy of your Local registration.
5. Marriage contract (if the applicant is married)
Same notes apply as in the birth certificate requirement. If you have an old or valid Japan Tourist visa, you don’t need to submit a copy of the Birth Certificate or Marriage Contract.
6. Daily schedule in Japan
Complete with the address and telephone numbers of your accommodation.
7. (if visiting friend) Documents or photos etc. to prove relationship
8. Invitation letter from Guarantor in Japan
You can download the form here. The form should fill out the form manually (handwritten).
9. Bank certificate
10. Income Tax Return (form 2316)
The original and photocopy are needed. If you are eligible for Multiple Entry, you are exempted from this (#9 & #10) requirements.
11. Residence Certificate (only applicable if Guarantor is Japanese)
12. Foreign Registration Certificate from City Hall (only applicable if Guarantor is not Japanese)
Here is a copy of the Guarantee Letter. You can download this in the Japanese Embassy Website or get a copy in the Accredited Travel Agency
Tourist Visa Fee
I processed my visa at an accredited agency here in Cebu, which is Friendship Manila for P1,200. Prices of different accredited agencies may vary.
EXTRA TIP: If you’d like to travel by train around Japan then you should get a Japan Rail Pass! Japan Rail Pass is a multi-use discounted ticket, valid for travels on all JR national trains in Japan, including Shinkansen bullet trains and Narita Express. You can select 7, 14 or 21 consecutive validity days.
Accredited Agencies
1. UHI
2. Discovery Tour Inc.
3. Rajah Travel Corporation
4. Reli Tours and Travel Agency
5. Attic Tours Phils. Inc.
6. Friendship Tours and Resorts Corporation
7. Pan Pacific Travel Corporation
Source: Embassy of Japan in the Philippines
The validity of the documents should be up to three months from the date of issue unless stated in the requirements. The documents would not guarantee your visa; the approval will all depend on your personal circumstances.
What if I don’t have an Income Tax Return? Can I still apply for a Japan Tourist Visa?
I wrote on my personal travel blog on how I got my Japan tourist visa without an income tax return. Please check out the link here.
I’ve mentioned in my letter of explanation that I am not employed by any companies here in the Philippines. I am one of the volunteers of non-profit organizations here in the Philippines which are The Kindred Nomads and Let’s Do It Philippines, so I still have reasons to come back to the Philippines. I also had my other international travels aside Japan, so I mentioned in my letter that I will be traveling a lot.
I’ve also mentioned that I am interested in the Japanese cultures, traditions, animations, fashion and the touristy places for photography purposes.
There are lots of things to do in Japan and two weeks was not enough. I was able to go back to Japan during the autumn season in November 2015, and the ticket I got was way cheaper than the first trip.
I hope you will find this guide useful. Good luck to your Japanese Tourist Visa Application and don’t always forget to check the Japanese Embassy website for updates. Here’s the DIY Travel Guide to Tokyo and List of Cheap Hostels in Japan.
Things To Do in Japan
Use the search box below to find the best day trips in Japan
Here’re some of the things I did during my Japan’s first trip last May 2015 and second trip in December 2015:
- Eating sushi and lots of Japanese foods – I’ve been a fan of sushi since I ate it first in Japan, and you can buy it for at least 100 JPY a plate.
- Visiting the Hachiko statue in Shibuya – it’s the famous loyal dog in Japan who waited for his master from the train station.
- Shibuya crossing – the busiest street in Tokyo
- Buy souvenirs at Don Quixote
- Visiting Shinto shrines for free like Meiji Shrine and Yasukuni Shrine
- Nightlife in Roppongi which happened during my first trip for two nights
- The chance to see Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree
- Visited Ginza where Tsukiji Market, Ginza Shopping Street, Ginza Kabukiza Theatre, Tower and Ginza Yonchome intersection are located.
- A visit in Harajuku where I ate crepes and the chance to have a photo with a cross-dresser at Takeshita Street
- An overnight bus ride experience with Willer bus going to Osaka
- An onsen experience is a must – it’s a public bath where you can just be yourself naked
- A day trip to Yokohama
- The Osaka experience at Osaka Castle and the Universal Studios Japan
- The Kyoto experience at Fushimi Inari Shrine, Arashiyama or the Bamboo Forest, Kinkaku-Ji or the Golden Pavilion, Ginkaku-Ji or the Silver Pavilion
- Feeding deer in Nara
- The roller coaster rides at Nagashima Spa Land
- My first autumn experience in Japan
- Visited the zoo at Ueno Park
- Kawagoe, Saitama – The Little Edo Tour
- Seeing the glimpse of Mt. Fuji from the window seat going to Hong Kong
If you have any questions or would like to share your personal experience about getting a Japan Tourist Visa, just comment below!
OTHER VISA APPLICATION ARTICLES:
- Guide on How to get a UK Visa – Tourist, Marriage & Residency
- Guide on How to get a USA Tourist Visa
- Guide on How to get a Schengen Visa (for Europe travel!)
- Guide on how to re-apply for a Schengen visa if you get rejected – Remonstrance Process of Schengen Visa
- Guide on How to get Japan Visa
- Guide on How to get AUSTRALIA Tourist Visa
- Guide on How you can travel to visa-free countries around the world based on Kach’s travel experiences to 69 countries!
About the Author
Roxanne M. Tamayo is the blogger and photographer behind iTravelRox. She is an aspiring digital nomad and a volunteer, among others. Her one-country-a-year travel started in September 2013, until she got the idea of solo backpacking during her trip to Palawan in September 2014. The rest of the story is ever progressing.
Comments 30
Hello everyone. I just want to share my experience applying for a Japan visa. My wife and I were in Japan from Oct. 9-23, 2018 and visited her younger sister that lives in Hiroshima. My wife was in Japan twice before and her previous applications were guaranteed by her Japanese brother-in-law. This time it was just me and her without any guarantor. I work for the government by the way so complying with all the requirements was not that hard for me but I was still feeling uneasy since it was my first time to apply for a Japan visa and I have no travel history outside the Philippines to vouch for. We submitted the following requirements to Reli Tours & Travel Agency;
1. Passports
2. Visa application form (filled-up computerized)
3. ITR
4. COE
5. Service Record
6. Company ID
7. Bank Cettificate (with receipt)
8. Bank statement (3 months)
9. Daily schedule in Hiroshima, Japan
10. Birth certificates
11. Marriage contract
We submitted our application on a Saturday and by Thursday the following week I received a text message from the agency that our passports are ready for pick-up. I was a bit nervous on the way as they won’t say if you’re approved or denied. When I got to the agency in MOA, Ihad to wait for awhile outside as there were too many people claiming their passports and others applying for a visa. When I was called I instantly knew that our visa application was approved as I could on the back of our passports that there was no “RED” sticker.
There were some factors that I considered helpful in our application. First, the travel history of my wife to Japan previously. In her previous 2 visits to Japan she was given 90 days but she would come back after more than 2 months only (she misses me…). The second would be my employment in the government where I submitted my service record indicating the number of years (15) in public service. This is ground enough that I will not stay illegally in Japan because I have a permanent full-time employment in the Philippines.
My personal experience in the application was very swift. We did not stay that long in the agency after they browsed all the documents we submitted. And my experience in Hiroshima for 2 weeks was something that I’ll always remember in my heart.
P.S.
We are going back to Japan on Dec. 22-Jan 5 along with our 3 children.
Thank you for sharing 🙂 Kailangan po ba stamp received ang ITR? then ang bank certificate namin is debited directly sa account so wala po kaming resibo.
Hi, im leaving for japan this oct10-16. Until when ako pwedeng mag apply ng visa? Like a week or two before my flight pwede pba? Thanks!
hi..ask q lng sna kung pwede kmi ng taiwanese husband q n nktira n ngaun s taiwan ang maggarantor s mom q ppuntang japan, expenses paid by us? plano kasi nming mgbkasyon s japan ksma mom q pro xa lng mgisang mgaply ng japan visa s pinas at aq dto s taiwan… wla xang ITR, at bank account lng nya eh thru my remittances.. bibigyn lng nmin c mom ng garantor letter pra s visa? TIA
Hi.
We are Filipino seafarers and we want to apply a Japanese visa in the US. Would that be possible? We’re planning to go straight to Japan after our contract. Thanks for your help.
Yes po, just go to the nearest Japanese Embassy! =)
It is possible to get approved even if you don’t have enough money? I mean, I don’t have a bank account. I use my payroll debit card and maybe request a copy of my bank statement. I can provide the other requirements. Been to other Asian countries and first time here to apply for Japan Visa. Please help. Thanks #Japanismybucketlist
It is possible if you have guarantor but if you don’t have they need bank statement as a proof you have enough money for the said trip.
I applied for a tourist visa in japan group tour kmi but na deny kmi lahat then the agency told us that after 6 months pa kmi maka re apply ng tourist visa..pwed po ba na mag apply ako mag isa na hindi pa 6 months…kc group tour man ang inapply namin po at denied po kmi
Hi, kelangan po ba may flight tickets na bago nag apply tourist visa? I’m currently here in the US, plano ko sana mag japan tour with my two younger siblings(both of them nasa pinas) when is the right time to buy the flight tickets? And when is the right time to apply for the Visa? And we are gonna be travelling with my USCit husband(im also gonna apply my Japan tourist visa here in the US, Im a US resident with PH passport) im just worried para sa two younger sisters ko kasi they will apply for the Japan visa sa Pinas, should I buy the flight tickets first to go with their requirements para it can be shown that we are all travelling together? But im worried baka madeny sila. Sayang yung tickets, what is the best airlines na refundable ang tickets? Im so sorry for too many questions, this is for my younger sister as her “ultimate college graduation gift” -and shes sobrang anime Addict 🙂
i have a questions, how many days po ba dapat ilagay sa applications if you are going to japan, and i applied a visa – relatives.. 3 times n po kasi ako n denied, and my guarantor was my mother who lives in japan.
and once again, i dont have ITR 🙁 dahil freelancer lang po ako since natapos ko yung college
Hi,
I’m planning to apply a japan tourist visa in saudi arabia while my wife & daughter will be applying japan visa in the philippines.
Is there a problem if we apply in separate country?
None. That’s fine Erich 🙂
(This is my original question. Again, sorry for the inconvenience)
Hi! I am a freelancer here in the Philippines. Hence, I have no companies to go back here. How can I apply a visa and for the ITR if my status is kind of self-employed? Hope you can help me with this.
Well you have your own business here you should show them at least some proof of your business like your business permit 🙂
im also a freelancer here in philippines 🙁 i want to know or what to do about ITR, because i didnt work or apply some companies since i graduated my college..
Hi.., ang salary ko per month ay almost 14,000 meron akong ITR andsavings sabank na almost 100k… do you think na pwede na ito at may chance maapprove?? ang inaalala ko kasi ay mababa ang sahod ko at therefore mababa din ang lalabas sa ITR..
I think that’s enough na. Sometimes kasi you just have to show at least 50,000 Php in your bank account.
Hi gusto ko sna magapply work for japan….ano po dapat ko gawin…
Useful discussion – I am thankful for the points – Does someone know if my business can acquire a template Costco Order Form example to edit ?
We’re really glad that you find this post interesting Yu Main. Though I’m not sure about if you can acquire a template COF sample. maybe you have to ask the agency about that 😉
How many days before my travel date should i apply for japan visa?
Just to be sure, apply not more than 60 days before your departure date or at least 15 working days before the date of your intended departure. ❤️
You guys are so amazing, Keep up the travel and more power to you !
Thank you so much Japanese School 🙂 ❤️
Have you been to other countries before japan? I honestly feel nervous thinking of applying for a tourist visa for I’ve read that there’s a big chance of getting denied if it is Japan you are going to visit first. 🙁
Hi King Muzares,
Yes po! I’ve been to Malaysia, Hong Kong and Macau before flying to Japan 🙂
not counted— those places don’t need visas