For example, my friend was a potter in England for years so he could show that he was interested in learning Japanese pottery.
That made it possible for him to find a teacher and also helped get the visa.
They dont want people using the cultural visa as an excuse to be here - they need to see a genuine interest and intent.

The Japanese government wont take people's words for stuff they want proof, so the $15,000 would work (if you could show an original bank statement in your name) but a friend offering to pay you each month would not.

Yes, I am sure about all this and I remember Craig going through all this 2 years ago or so.

On page 5 of this document: http://www.moj.go.jp/ONLINE/IMMIGRATION/16-1-1.pdf

It has spaces for Self Supporting or Remittance from outside of Japan, wouldn't a family member's bank statement and signature be enough there? or even a friend's if they're willing to sign it and attach their banking info? i mean it's on immigration's own form and all!

the only evidence i have in my interest in cultural activities is fairly anecdotal stuff. i have correspondence dating from 2004 or 2005 with a swordmaker but i don't want to move all the way down to kansai to learn smithing just yet.

how do people who want to study ikebana or bonsai here on cultural visas prove they want to study if they weren't florists or horticulturists or something before? the best i can do right now is show that i have made some garments before on a sewing machine, i have some old websites online i created dedicated to the research of japanese martial arts, and i have some people who will vouch for the fact that i attended their martial art lessons. pretty slim pickings.

Sorry Cory, Eric is right.

I tried to give them copies of bank statements and filled out all the forms and they rejected them.
They wanted original bank statements in my name.

If you have income from outside Japan they want to see income statements from registered companies or rental agreements or whatever in YOUR NAME.

Doesn't matter who fills out forms or writes letters in your country - they mean nothing to the Japanese government.
They are strict and pedantic about rules.

Ikibana or bonsai students would need to have studied a western equivalent in their own countries.

Letters saying you did some martial arts would not do it unless they were from a recognized school saying you practiced regularly for a number of years and achieved a reasonable rank.
Websites and garments wont help either.

I know how you are feeling, I hit a lot of walls trying to get work visas before I took the other route.

They are super strict and everything must be proper and by the book.
Maybe too many dodgy gaijin have come here over the years and it has made them cautious - I don't know.

And yes, without the degree or AT LEAST 3 years teaching at a real school, you cant get the working visa either.

You may need to settle for some 2-3 months holidays here now and again, sorry friend.

It can be incredibly hard to get visas other than work visas and even they can be a b*tch!!

I know a guy that made art from metal on a big scale in Europe and who had studied heaps at university about 1800's European swords or something and he was studying sword making somewhere in northern Honshu.
Dont know what visa he was on but.

Sorry dude!
It is tough when people want to come here and cant get a visa but it happens alot!!

I'm kinda confused about this whole visa thing. It seems complicated but let me explain my situation. I plan on studying in Japan after graduating high school, which means i have a couple years on my hands until then. What would it take me to get into a school in Japan get a working visa and maybe eventually live in japan. Maybe.

Look at the working visa thread..
Tough without a university degree.
You may be better off getting a student visa to study and request a permit to work 20 hours a week..
It is possible.. maybe.
I saw some ads on this page for Japanese language schools in Japan too