[oldtownroad]

“The most similar existing status is usually used by tourists, does not allow work and allows a maximum stay of just 90 days”

I don’t think that’s correct. A tourist visa doesn’t allow you to work locally but they do not limit working remotely for an overseas company. For example, if you’re on vacation in Japan from the US and an emergency happens at work, you can join a call without risk of deportation.

[makeitdouble]

Authorities won't be running after you, or a digital nomad traveling by bike the country while working on his blog. But those are still violation of the tourist status, they're just too small to be cared about.

It would be another story if you published a movie shot in Japan while on a tourist visa.

[oldtownroad]

Why are they a violation of the tourist status? A tourist is someone who brings money in to the local economy, that’s why tourists are coveted. If a person visits Japan for a week and spends $2000 on a hotel and $1000 on activities, why would the Japanese government change their view of the trip if that tourist was also taking zoom calls from their hotel room?

There’s the belief we all apparently hold that tourism isn’t tourism if you take a laptop, but nobody can evidence such a rule because it’s apparently an implied rule: maybe we can get to the bottom of it by asking why, what explanation / reason would there be for such a rule? Why does taking zoom calls from your hotel room change the nature of your trip?

[lupire]

What if my blog is a vlog?

What distinction are you drawing?

[alibarber]

No, this is the correct interpretation in a lot of countries, you are performing paid work there regardless of who and where the employer is.

Emergencies are all well and good, but turning up at the immigration desk and saying you don’t plan on working when you actually do will lead to trouble in a lot of places.

[nerdbert]

In what places has it led to trouble for tourists to work remotely in their hotel rooms or Airbnbs? Leaving aside cases when those tourists brought that trouble and scrutiny on themselves through other actions like getting into barfights or shoplifting.

[oldtownroad]

Can you share the tourist visa regulations for Japan that say this? I haven’t been able to find any. Thank you :)

[syspec]

How do business trips work then?

[elzbardico]

Well, it is clear that the understanding of Japan's government regarding working with a tourist visa is different than that and that it indeed didn't allow working even if remotely for an overseas company.

Otherwise, they wouldn't hassle themselves to introduce a new kind of Visa that is geared towards exactly this kind of situation.

[oldtownroad]

A digital nomad visa serves an important purpose: it allows someone to stay in the country longer than as a tourist. The existence of a digital nomad visa bolsters the understanding that digital nomads are allowed to use a tourist visa.

A working visa is very difficult to get in most countries and requires local sponsorship because of the risk to the local economy — you’re potentially taking a local job from local people. Tourist visas are easy to get because there’s no risk: a tourist arrives, spends money, leaves. A digital nomad is a tourist by every measure.

The reason tourist visas are short is to ensure people don’t move to the country without permission. A digital nomad doesn’t present a risk to the local economy so bumping their length of stay is safe for the local economy, hence, digital nomad visas.

[MattGaiser]

> you can join a call without risk of deportation.

Is that a definite interpretation of the law or just an in-practice one? I have had friends have issues are borders with this, albeit not with Japan. That countries feel the need to clarify this the world over tells me that this isn't totally settled.

[nicbou]

This is what happens in practice, but in theory you're not supposed to live and work from somewhere without the appropriate visa. All German residents are expected to have a residence permit (if non-EU) and to pay taxes in Germany.

It's just not possible to enforce that.