text: studying abroad in japan for 1 year. student visa? tourist visa? i am thinking of going to japan for 1 year to study japanese. but i don't know how long it would take to get everything settled (paperwork, visa, language school, etc.) ??would it be best to have a tourist visa or a student visa? i have been told that i need to prepare at least 6 months in advance, is this correct? a tourist visa in japan is only for 90 days, whereas a student visa should last the entire time you are registered in school. get the student visa unless you want to leave the country every 90 days.