# 18 y/o and moving to tokyo



## gharper

Hi i live in the UK and just finished doing college....I haven't been to university and only have around 3000£ to my name. I was wondering if its possible to just go and live there at this age? 
Is there much volunteer work around which will pay for an apartment whilst i learn japanease etc. This way i will be able to use poker as a small income whilst having a place to stay.

Thanks for advice.


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## Joppa

gharper said:


> Hi i live in the UK and just finished doing college....I haven't been to university and only have around 3000£ to my name. I was wondering if its possible to just go and live there at this age?
> Is there much volunteer work around which will pay for an apartment whilst i learn japanease etc. This way i will be able to use poker as a small income whilst having a place to stay.


Try to get working holiday visa, which is available to British citizens aged 18-30 for one year. It's just about the only visa that enables you to live and work in Japan, as you don't have a degree (e.g. for teaching English). £3000 is around 400,000 yen at the current horrible exchange rate, which will only pay for a maximum of three to four months without earning some money. There isn't much volunteering that comes with free accommodation, as housing is very expensive there. Try to find gaijin houses for your long-term housing needs. There are many good Japanese conversation classes, but fees aren't low. Do try to get a good grasp of the language (speaking isn't too difficult), as without it you won't find many job openings, esp for someone without experience or degree-level qualification. Now isn't a good time to go job hunting, as Japan is suffering from slow growth just like anywhere else, but casual jobs are quite widely available, though low-paid (around 1000 yen an hour).


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