It seems to be working out well. In spite of what they say about their regulations for contacting the company, I don't bother them unless I have to, and they don't bother me unless they have to. We seem to be working things out well this way. My schools are happy, my JTEs have all requested that I come back, so Interac isn't complaining and they're paying me regularly. I don't have any real issues to bring up with them.

I'd like to train there as well. Is there a type of visa you can get that will let you train there for a few months?

You're have to get some kind of job. If you have a degree, thats not too difficult (if you dont mind teaching english in an eikawa).

The best bet for a few months is a working holiday visa but this depends which country you are from. If you are Aussie, Kiwi, Canadian or Brit, it is a real possiblity but for some reason its very difficult for Americans to get one.

There may be a way of coming over only to train on some kind of student visa. If your current dojo has connections here and your grade is high enough, you might be able to come over on some kind of exchange program where the dojo in Japan takes responsibility of your visa. I dont know if you can do this, but its worth looking into.

To find out your opinions, you should visit or e-mail your nearest Japanese embassy and they should be able what you can and can't do.

Hope it works out...