The UK and Japan are becoming more and more romantically intertwined as the Asian country welcomes British employees who wish to work remotely from there. This week, Japan began to provide a six-month visa for digital nomads. When added to the current three-month "tourist" visa, this allows British Japanophiles to pursue remote employment and sightseeing for nine months. As a result of post-Brexit travel restrictions that limit their ability to stay in many EU countries, Brits seeking to escape the crisis caused by rising living expenses are increasingly in need of these types of visas. Japan’s visa is aimed at high earners (£52,000 or above) but experts say lower-earning digital nomads could consider just turning up – UK visitors are automatically granted three months’ stay in arrival – or other visas. “Most citizens of visa-free countries to Japan are able to visit for three months at a time for a combined total of no more than six months per year, while a select few, including the UK, are allowed to stay the full six months consecutively,” notes Melvin Shepard, spokesman for relocation consultant Japan Remotely. This is known as “visa-free status” or the tourist visa, but working on this visa is in a grey area. Mr Shepard says despite the ambiguity it is best not to work, even remotely, on it despite conditions allowing for “business” activities – making the nomad visa worth the extra effort. “That visa-free status is not for the purpose of remote work. Japanese immigration clearly states that the purpose of this short-term visa is ‘for tourism, business, visiting friends or relatives’, etc,” he says. Short-stay and digital nomad visas offer a sweet spot where candidates can enjoy a honeymoon period without having to deal with long-term challenges residents face, such as registering for health insurance, or pay local income tax. Other options for living in Japan include student visas, working holiday visas (18-30) and a “start-up” visa.