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[mexikan_C]

Hey I'm a 21 year old guy who graduated high school in america but I didn't have the chance to go to college and I'm planing on mouving to Japan in 2010 I'm trying to learn as mucha japanese as I can on my own until then but i wanted to know if there was a way for me to study in japan any help you guys can give will be arpisieted and aslso one of my friends told me that in japan the level of study in high school is in the same level as american college if this is true that i would have to satart over from high school and if so is it possible for someone my age THANKS.

[AroundTheWorld]

There are definitely ways to learn Japanese in Japan, although I cannot reccomend learning the language -before- you decide to study in Japan. I'm sure any Japanese friends you make who are fluent (or even those not fluent) in English would be happy to help you, and there are intensive courses in Japan for the Japanese language.

As for the transferance of your 'credit' in school, I think it might work. I'm sure they have programs for those studying abroad, but you might have to take an entrance exam (in English, most likely).

Study hard. Take a college course or find a teacher in your area. Self studying will not cut it in most cases, trust me.

[mexikan_C]

thanks a lot yo i apresiate your reply

[Charles Barkley]

Self studying will not cut it in most cases, trust me.

If you are motivated, self study (and the going out and using that self study) will do almost as much for you as study in classes. However, one thing it will not do for you is get you a visa.

Study at Japanese high school is not equivalent to study at american college (whoever told you that is crazy). Japanese high school = american high school. Different things are emphasized, and obviously you are going to have to start some things, like Japanese history, from scratch, but that's to be expected.

With that said, how do you plan do get over to Japan? There are very few jobs that will sponsor you for a visa if you do not have a college degree. Without a proper visa sponsor, you are looking at becoming a hostess on an entertainer visa, which probably doesnt apply to you unless you are a pretty philipino woman who wants a taste of human trafficking.

Student visas are possible, and there are plenty of language schools/college prep schools for high school grads, but those are almost entirely filled by Chinese, koreans, and other east asians, to the extent that you likely wont have much of a support system. Also, the living conditions for those students (multiple people living in small rooms) will be poor unless you are willing to spend a minimum $20,000 US + per year of study.

You could get a student visa doing a 6 month study program (only needing half of the above savings) and look for a job, but your japanese wont be great at that point..

My recommendation, if you want to live in Japan, is to get a college degree. Otherwise it will be a tremendous struggle should you even manage to get there. Good luck.

[Glenski]

May I ask why you intend to come in 2010? Job? Wedding? Vacation?

[mexikan_C]

well i intented to go to work over there to actuely make aliving i dicided that time because ineded that time to save some money, but after all of what I'm finding out in this website i will need a lot more time, wich sucks because I'm already 21 and I feel like I'm wasting time and now I have to deal with that and I realy want to go there i became interested in Japan about 2 years ago but the thought of going never crossed my mind... until now.

[Glenski]

21 is soooooooooooooooooooo young. Get a degree to at least make yourself eligible for a work visa, then come.

Or come and enjoy a vacation first. If you have never even set foot here, how do you know you want to live and work here? Answer: you don't. You just think you do.

[dblbstrd]

I agree with the above about taking a Japanese class.
I wouldn't have ever gotten around to it without taking a class (I was lucky enough to have it in high school), but when I found that I was genuinely interested, I also did a lot on my own time-- mainly I had some Japanese e-mail and chat buddies and figured out how to enter Japanese on my computer (which was a bit tougher at the time than it is now). I learned some basics in class, but got a lot of practical stuff outside of class. A good mix of both is the best way to get going!

If there is some field you are interested in getting into, as other posters have said, getting a bachelor's degree is a very sound decision, whether or not you will ultimately use it in Japan.

[mexikan_C]

that's some awosome advice from both of you and I aprishiated as for the comment from Glenski I admit that you have a point about me actualy wanted to live therebut due to lack of finacial resorces (broke) I cant realy plan a tripright now even if its just vacations, I'm working and saving money right now,but I'm afraid I'll have to us it to go to college, and I think I'll need a lot of money to go there.
Iprobably bother to much but can I ask you. What should I do?
THANK YOU!

[Charles Barkley]

Use your money to get a U.S. college degree. Take Japanese classes part time. Take a trip to Japan if you have a chance. There I planned the next 5 years or so of your life--easy eh?

Also, learn how to spell the word 'appreciated.'

[Glenski]

Yup, as Charles pointed out, plan ahead. If you are broke now, you would only be miserable here.

Get the degree. It helps in the long run in most places.
Study Japanese. There is no way that will hurt, and it is a definite necessity in most non-teaching jobs (plus, it helps with daily life and doesn't hurt even with teaching jobs).
Learn more about the market you want to enter. If you don't know that, explore and see what you MIGHT be interested in.
Study more about the market IN JAPAN, and about business practices in the office here.
Save money.
Visit if you can. You won't be disappointed.

[mexikan_C]

Thanks I'll see what I cand do. By the way, can ask you how is my spelling.

[Nall-ohki]

Thanks I'll see what I cand do. By the way, can ask you how is my spelling.

OK. Let me say a few things here, and some of this is going to be harsh.

1. Working in Japan is (almost) impossible if you don't get a degree or 10 or so years experience in a trade.

Japan is not an open immigration society. Unless you are exceptional in some way that you could get a company in Japan to go to bat for you, you will not find work there. Even with a college degree, the economy isn't strong enough to support large scale immigration.

To work there takes work.

2. Your spelling is not good, but keep trying. :)

English is the number one skill companies foreigners for in Japan (primarily for English language instruction).
If you are not a native speaker, you are going to have an uphill battle (though there are exceptions). If you are not a native speaker, your English will have to be good to even attempt it, and your current level (as judged from your posts above) is not sufficient.

3. Japanese is key

If you can't sell yourself in Japanese, you will be stopped early. Learn as much as you can, and I highly recommend language school in Japan at the very least if you plan to use this as a pillar of your attempt to go. Yamasa is a great school, located in a relatively cheap area (Okazaki), and I highly recommend them.

4. If your heart is set on it, do it, but have a plan.

Moving to Japan to work is not a lightly-taken on task unless you're young and teaching English. Even then, there are pitfalls and difficulties.

Don't assume that you're going to do everything at once and land that job in Japan and everything will work out. Go on vacation, or go to language school, or something beforehand.

Make a plan, change the plan when it doesn't work, and roll with the punches. Don't assume ANYTHING will go well. If you want it, go and get it, but don't underestimate the work you have ahead of you.

---------------------

If the above discourages you, I suggest you give up now.

If not, the best of luck to you. :cool:

[mexikan_C]

discourage is not something I pay atention to, my inglish is good is just my spelling that needs a little bit of work (ok, a lot of work) I'll check out that school though, your post actualy motivates me to keep doing what I want to do. Thanks dude

[Nall-ohki]

discourage is not something I pay atention to, my inglish is good is just my spelling that needs a little bit of work (ok, a lot of work) I'll check out that school though, your post actualy motivates me to keep doing what I want to do. Thanks dude

Another pointer - your writing lacks a lot of polish, something you'll have to have if you want to use your English professionally. Things like not capitalizing beginnings of sentences, grammatical mistakes ("Discouragement is not something I pay attention to. My english is good, it is just that my spelling needs a little bit of work.")

Spelling can be solved in many situations with a spell checker (my own spelling is atrocious), but incorrect grammar will single you out to native speakers.

Anyway, keep working at it. :cool:

[mexikan_C]

Thank you. I will make sure I work on it more.

[Glenski]

Even with a college degree, the economy isn't strong enough to support large scale immigration.The economy is not the problem. It's the government's attitude towards immigration vs. its need for immigrants in a society where the birth rate is negative.

[mexikan_C]

Say Glenski, could it be possible for you to explain that to me with words I can understand please, if is not to much to ask.
Thank you.

[Nall-ohki]

The economy is not the problem. It's the government's attitude towards immigration vs. its need for immigrants in a society where the birth rate is negative.

Not saying economy is the major problem here, but I'm also saying that the economy does not bend in ways that would support immigration on a scale, say, as large as the US.

Not that it couldn't be made to do so.

But point taken.