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Your Japan working holiday itinerary, from Hong Kong

Pick the places you want to see, find out what each one is like through the year, and add your own plans. Choose your passport and it follows what your embassy asks for. Your itinerary builds as you go, ready to save as a PDF.

Next: Choose the month you arrive

Step 1

Your trip

Know your flight? Add the day and airport (optional)

The day goes on the first line of your form. The airport lets us check your first stop makes sense from there.

Hong Kong passports: you can do a Japan working holiday once in your lifetime. Check you're eligible
Your details for the embassy form (optional)

Fill these in to print them on the form, or leave them blank and write them by hand. They stay in this browser.

Step 2

Choose your stops

Tap a region to see what it's like in each season, then add it to your plan. Not on the list? .

Helping Hand · Open now

Want a job lined up in Niseko?

The Season Programme helps with your visa, writes your Japanese CV and finds you a job, with support throughout. £650, paid only once your visa is granted.

About Niseko

Hokkaido

Niseko

Japan's best-known ski area, with a large international community, and a quieter, green summer of hiking and rafting.

Step 3

Your stops

Nothing added yet. Add a region above and it appears here, ready for your plans and reasons.

Step 4

Your application checklist

Everything else to get ready for your visa application. Tick things off as you go.

When to do what

  • Applications are taken in four periods a year, about two weeks each (in 2026: January, April, July and late September). Late applications are refused.
  • Choose your arrival month in step 1 to see when to apply.

What Japan's embassy in Hong Kong asks for

0 of 9 ready

  • How to get it
    Download it from the embassy's page, fill it in on screen and sign it by hand. Write "N/A" rather than leaving boxes blank where that's asked.
  • How to get it
    Usually 45 x 35 mm, taken in the last 6 months, on a plain background. Photo booths and pharmacies print this size.
  • How to get it
    Check it's valid for your whole stay (some embassies want a year) and has blank pages. Renewals can take weeks, so do this first.
  • How to get it
    Your education and work history, on the embassy's form where there is one. Keep it current and honest.
  • How to get it
    A copy of both sides, unless the embassy asks for the original.
  • How to get it
    A copy of your diploma, or a certificate from your school or university.
  • How to get it
    An official statement or bank certificate in your own name. Most banks can print and stamp one at a branch.
  • How to get it
    JLPT results, a course certificate, or a short note of how you've studied.

Hand it in yourself at the Japan Visa Application Centre during an application period, in this order, with copies on single-sided A4. You can't add documents afterwards.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Embassies change their lists, so check the embassy's own page before you apply. Your ticks stay in this browser.

Already applied? How did it go?

What Japan's embassy in Hong Kong asks for

Your itinerary goes on a written statement in your own words rather than a table. Every embassy turns away vague entries like "sightseeing", "work" or "as above", so name real places, events and classes, and keep the holiday ahead of the work.

  • Write in Japanese, Chinese or English, cover your reasons and your plans, and finish with your name, HKID number and an ink signature.

The documents for your visa

  • The visa application form: signed the same way as your passport. You can leave the guarantor and inviter boxes empty
  • A passport photo: 45 x 35 mm, under 6 months old, attached to the form
  • Your passport: copies of the photo and signature pages, and of any Japan entry stamps
  • Your itinerary: one statement covering your reasons and your plans, in Japanese, Chinese or English, ending with your name, HKID number and an ink signature
  • A CV: on the consulate's form, in Japanese, Chinese or English
  • Your national ID card: a copy of the front of your HKID card
  • Proof of your highest qualification: a copy of your graduation certificate, or a letter from your school
  • Proof of funds: about HK$22,000 or more: a savings certificate or bank statements
  • Proof of Japanese study (optional): JLPT, Japanese school or Japanese culture certificates

Applications are taken in four periods a year, about two weeks each (in 2026: January, April, July and late September). Late applications are refused.

From our research of Japanese embassy pages, last checked 1 November 2026. Check the embassy's own page before you apply. We aren't connected to any embassy, consulate or the Government of Japan.

Frequently asked questions

How long can I stay in Japan on a working holiday visa?

Up to a year from the day you land. The visa is a holiday first, with work allowed to help pay for it, so most people combine a few regions and seasons.

What should my itinerary include?

Where you plan to be each month, and what you plan to do there: named places, festivals, day trips, classes and the kind of work you would look for. Embassies turn away vague entries like "sightseeing" or "as above". The ideas we suggest are a starting point: look them up and write what you find in your own words. Choose your passport and the builder adds what your embassy asks for, such as a reason for each place or where you will stay.

Do I need a budget in my itinerary?

Only if your embassy asks. France's form asks for costs and expected pay, so the builder switches a rough budget on for French passports. Elsewhere you show your savings separately, with a bank statement, and the itinerary is about your plans. You can still add a rough budget for yourself.

Is this itinerary official?

No. It is a free planning tool, not an embassy service, and Working Holiday Work isn't connected to any embassy, consulate or the Government of Japan. Only the embassy decides your visa. Where we have your embassy's form, the builder lays your plan out the same way, but forms change, so check your embassy's page before you apply or book.

Where is my plan saved?

Only in this browser, on this device. Nothing is sent to us. Use Save as PDF to keep a copy or share it.

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Not sure you qualify yet? Try the visa eligibility checker, or see how Helping Hand can line up a job before you fly.