Questions about Schooling/Living IN Japan

[CortneyLP]

Hello everyone! (or should I say Konnichiwa!?)
My name is Cortney, and I am VERY interested in moving to Japan for my last year of high school! (In fact, I'm leaving in February!)
I have a lot of questions, and I *LUCKILY* found this website!

my first questions are concerning schools.
-What is the average high schoolers age?
I'm going to be 17 when I arrive there, and I'm not sure if thats going to be too old! (in October I am turning 18 when I am down there)
-If I have already gotten 3 years of high school done, do I still have to take the entrance exams?
-if I do have to take the entrance exams, what do I have to prepare for? do I have to be fluent in Japanese?
-Are high schools easy to find? and when you do, is it a hassle to enroll if you aren't using a foreign exchange program?
-Can I get by for a while using a language translator and an after school tutor?
-Will recommendations from *most* of my high school teachers help my chances of getting in? (even if they aren't translated in Japanese?)
(also please note: i am done with all my high school credits, i do plan on going onto a university AFTER i spend this year in japan, i am not interested in going with a university, because i've always been interested in going to high school! thank you so much!)

Living alone?!
-Is living alone in Japan safe? will I be okay alone?
-Is there a lot of crime in Japan (I.E. Kidnapping?)
(please note: my financial situation is perfectly fine, i can afford to live on my own. THANK YOU :D)

Food:
-Is there a lot of cheap food down there (in convince stores, for us, the poor broke students!)

And finally:
after a while of living in Japan (appx. 4 months) going to give me enough experience to get into the swing of things? learn the language, and get around fine?

(ALSO- not to be mean, but i'm not interested in what i need to do or how impossible this may seem *i went to another forum, asked the same questions, and got nothing but discouragement* so please just answer the questions asked above, or along the lines of helping. again not to be mean, but i don't really want people asking about my financial situations, or how i'm going to do this!)

THANK YOU so much for all your help! I look forward to your responses!

[Mike Cash]

You are not going to be able to just fly into Japan on your own and enter a high school as a regular student, no.

[Uncle Frank]

Wouldn't it be nice if the world was so safe and intermixed that we could travel anywhere to live and work. I guess I will never live that long to see it.

Uncle Frank

:(

[nice gaijin]

You are a minor; you will not be able to just go and find a school and enroll yourself.

~~~
-What is the average high schoolers age?
Most students are 18 when they graduate
I'm going to be 17 when I arrive there, and I'm not sure if thats going to be too old! (in October I am turning 18 when I am down there)

-If I have already gotten 3 years of high school done, do I still have to take the entrance exams?
You will most likely not be permitted to enter school in this way, as the education systems are different and your credits will not transfer.

-if I do have to take the entrance exams, what do I have to prepare for? do I have to be fluent in Japanese?
Fluency in Japanese is necessary for more than just taking the entrance exams.

-Are high schools easy to find? and when you do, is it a hassle to enroll if you aren't using a foreign exchange program?
Again, you will not be able to do this.

-Can I get by for a while using a language translator and an after school tutor?
no.

-Will recommendations from *most* of my high school teachers help my chances of getting in? (even if they aren't translated in Japanese?)
no. and no.

(also please note: i am done with all my high school credits, i do plan on going onto a university AFTER i spend this year in japan, i am not interested in going with a university, because i've always been interested in going to high school! thank you so much!)

This is not a matter of discouragement, because what you are talking about is pure fantasy. I recommend looking into the rotary club if you really want to go to Japan as a high school student.

[KirinMan]

-Are high schools easy to find? and when you do, is it a hassle to enroll if you aren't using a foreign exchange program?

Would the high school you are attending now allow a minor walking in off the street, without parental consent, to enroll in your school? Particularly for just 4 months? That I'm sorry is ludicrous.

Not to mention a person that can not speak, read or write in the language that the teachers are teaching in, or not even having a place to live.

Find an exchange program, it will save you a lot of disapointment.
(In fact, I'm leaving in February!)
Enjoy your stay as a tourist.

[KirinMan]

(ALSO- not to be mean, but i'm not interested in what i need to do or how impossible this may seem *i went to another forum, asked the same questions, and got nothing but discouragement* so please just answer the questions asked above, or along the lines of helping. again not to be mean, but i don't really want people asking about my financial situations, or how i'm going to do this!)
No one here is being mean, and I have seen you post this on a couple of other forums, the wording may be a bit different but everyone is telling you the same thing.

I suggest you rethink your plans, it is kind of hard to help someone out that doesnt want to accept the facts as they are. That isn't being mean or nasty just honest, and I would hope that is what you were looking for.

I also notice you haven't taken the time to reply to anyone here either. If it was that serious for you I think you would be checking in to find out what people are saying and reply to their posts.

[Glenski]

Hello everyone! (or should I say Konnichiwa!?)Hello is ok, since we're mostly native English speakers here.

My name is Cortney, and I am VERY interested in moving to Japan for my last year of high school! (In fact, I'm leaving in February!)But you don't seem to have a program set up yet.

-What is the average high schoolers age? 17-18

-If I have already gotten 3 years of high school done, do I still have to take the entrance exams?As I wrote above, you don't even have arrangements made. That much is obvious. You will have to set up things with an exchange outfit like the Rotary Club or some other, so that they can choose the school for you, make arrangements to be accepted (no tests are necessary), and figure out who you will live with.

-if I do have to take the entrance exams, what do I have to prepare for? do I have to be fluent in Japanese?No exams are necessary, but knowing as much Japanese as possible won't hurt your daily survival. Most schools that I know will provide some Japanese training (fairly intensive).

-Are high schools easy to find? and when you do, is it a hassle to enroll if you aren't using a foreign exchange program?I don't know anyone who has made arrangements without a foreign exchange program. You might be able to do it, but I strongly suggest that you work with your school on this one. After all, you are going to leave them for a year, and your credits in Japan may not even transfer, so you might have to take a year of schooling back home when you return in order to graduate.

-Can I get by for a while using a language translator and an after school tutor?What is a language translator? A dictionary? A person? You will probably be able to survive without either of those, but like I wrote above, it can be tough. None of your classes except Japanese (and English if you are put there) will be taught in English. That said, I can tell you that many students are accepted with zero Japanese ability, but that doesn't mean their lives are wonderful here. They struggle a lot, as you can imagine.

-Will recommendations from *most* of my high school teachers help my chances of getting in? (even if they aren't translated in Japanese?)[You are going to need them anyway. The more the better. But you don't need a recommendation from every teacher.

Living alone?!
-Is living alone in Japan safe? will I be okay alone?You won't live alone. You will have to live in a homestay situation.

\-Is there a lot of crime in Japan (I.E. Kidnapping?)Pretty safe, but it is not crime-free.

(please note: my financial situation is perfectly fine, i can afford to live on my own. THANK YOU :D)Sounds nice, but you will have to have a guarantor here to rent most apartments, and schools are not likely to do that for exchange students. That means living in a gaijin house (like a boarding house). Not the most private of situations, and you may not have facilities to cook there, which will only add to your expenses.

Food:
-Is there a lot of cheap food down there (in convince stores, for us, the poor broke students!)Convenience stores are everywhere, but do you plan to live on that type of food? I thought you had enough finances to live on.

And finally:
after a while of living in Japan (appx. 4 months) going to give me enough experience to get into the swing of things? learn the language, and get around fine?What do you call the swing of things and getting around fine? You get out of the experience what you put into it. In 4 months, don't expect to learn a lot of Japanese unless you devote many hours a day to it. Social interactions will be limited due to the students' inability to use English very well. Same may be said for homestay families.

(ALSO- not to be mean, but i'm not interested in what i need to do or how impossible this may seem *i went to another forum, asked the same questions, and got nothing but discouragement* so please just answer the questions asked above, or along the lines of helping. again not to be mean, but i don't really want people asking about my financial situations, or how i'm going to do this!)Expect answers like mine as the most straightforward. Mine are not meant to be flaming, but you don't seem to have a handle on what goes on, so people like me will have a lot of questions for you. I worked in a private HS here for 4 years, so I know a lot of the exchange student situations.

[maushan3]

I am VERY interested in moving to Japan for my last year of high school! (In fact, I'm leaving in February!)
So, are you going in February as a student, or as a tourist, or just relocating there and finding a high school on your own, or what? I don't understand.

-Are high schools easy to find? and when you do, is it a hassle to enroll if you aren't using a foreign exchange program?
The best, and possibly only way to go to a JHS is on an exchange program. Please take time (if you're serious about this) and look at these following links:
www.usa.afs.org
www.asse.com
Or just go to your local Rotary club. You apply, wait to get accepted and start all paperwork to leave. Some students leave on March, some on August.

-Will recommendations from *most* of my high school teachers help my chances of getting in? (even if they aren't translated in Japanese?)
You will need a couple of those if you enroll in an exchange program.

(please note: my financial situation is perfectly fine, i can afford to live on my own. THANK YOU :D)... -Is there a lot of cheap food down there (in convince stores, for us, the poor broke students!)
So, is money not going to be a problem, or are you poor broke?, I don't get this contradiction, please explain with more details.

[/QUOTE](ALSO- not to be mean, but i'm not interested in what i need to do or how impossible this may seem *i went to another forum, asked the same questions, and got nothing but discouragement* so please just answer the questions asked above, or along the lines of helping. again not to be mean, but i don't really want people asking about my financial situations, or how i'm going to do this!)[QUOTE]
I assume you are taking all these responses like "discouragement", but in fact, they aren't, it's just a reality check, please, if you are taking this seriously, the only way to do it is thorugh an exchange program.

Peace, Mauricio

[KirinMan]

None of your classes except Japanese (and English if you are put there) will be taught in English.

Ummm......:cute:


Just one other thing, I wonder if she realizes that the school year is close to ending for Japanese kids in February. I know of HS's that graduate the first weekend in Feb. And as everyone here knows schools here start up in April.