busking in japan

i was wondering, something i enjoy doing is playing guitar in the streets of my hometown burlington ontario. i make a bit og money, but was wondering if that would be "ok" to do in japan. do people do that there? i know some places that don't like people to do that.
i ask this because its a great way to earn a few extra quid for coffee money.
haha.
so,
yes?
no?
maybe?
toki doki?

I believe it is forbidden in most cities of Japan. For example, in Tokyo, you would require a license to be a street musician. It is strictly regulated.

Furthermore, if you plan on taking money, you would require a work visa.

I've seen police "busting" people doing this without a proper permit/license. As mentioned if you are a foreigner you'll need a proper visa with permission to get money on top of the proper permits.

Justin,

And aside from the legal aspects, I don't think it is normally considered a way of making money in Japan, as people here are not generally accustomed to giving money to street performers.

thanks to all of you, i'm glad i learned this before i went
haha, that wouldn't have been fun, getting thrown in a cell cause i was busking
o well, i'll find a nice spot by the ocean where i can play :P
one more thing, my japanese friend told me that a lot of teenagers like to dance in the streets and stuff, his sister did and all, is that a really common thing?

In Nagoya almost every weekend there are live bands in the sakae park and down the street there are a bunch of teenagers dancing in front of a glass building that they us as a large mirror.

I'm also a visitor so I know nothing about permits etc...

sweet, sounds like fun
what kind of music would the bands be playing?
i'd definitely want in on that :P

Justin,

After dark, you will often find kids playing music, singing, or dancing in front of stations in Tokyo or in the suburbs. In most cases, they are not doing it for money; they are doing it for practice, to impress their friends, to build up a fan base, or to get noticed by a record company.
At weekends, the area in front of Akihabara station is packed with "bands" and their fans (mostly male otaku types) all dancing in unison.

even if you don't get money, its still really cool that that sort of thing goes on.
i'm Definitely bringing my guitar with me when i move there.
what genres do they play???
i like rock and stuff, j pop is cool too, but i like mostly american music.

Justin,

Akihabara is 90% anime music or squeaky j-pop.
If you like rock, then you ought to visit Yoyogi Park in Tokyo on a weekend.

i don't think i could play that kind of music tooo well.
what kind of rock would they have there?
old stuff?
new stuff?
everything stuff?

Justin,

I would recommend you to go to Shibuya station on a saturday night around 9:00pm. And be sure to look at all sides of the station. The genre there varies from folk, pop to rock-ish stuff.