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Metabo Law and Foreigners

At the risk of having it ignored again, I'll ask again:
What is it you are interested in studying here and what sort of work are you interested in doing here?
It wasn't ignored; it was assumed that your question was rhetorical, meant for introspection on my part to assist me in developing a plan.

So let me tell you what I CAN do, and you can sit there and laugh at me. (Another assumption I made, based on how I perceive your attitude when you post)

I can troubleshoot software and possibly resolve most issues. I'm rather adept when it comes to the Microsoft Office suite, and I'm not just referring to Word and Excel but also Access. I regularly use a Mac without Microsoft Office software, and I know my way around Pages and Numbers. I don't get into the hardware aspect, but I do know the difference between RAM and ROM, I know what a processor is and what a graphics card is for, and I know the dangers of static electricity, just to name a few things. I know the basics of home networking, and I can magically resurrect a wi-fi signal. My AAS is in Information Technology with an emphasis on Multimedia, and I think I only succeeded because I knew how to use Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and 3DStudio. I've had a couple jobs in tech support, where I sit in a call center and either remotely control a user's computer or I verbally walk them through procedures. As a girl doing tech support, I have had the rare customer who believed I must be some kind of receptionist who'll direct the call to the appropriate department.

I also have more time in retail than I want to admit. Because of having retail jobs, I have excellent time management skills, and know when to delegate tasks if need be. I've aided my coworkers in their duties and taught a few things I've learned over the years. I'm excellent at multi-tasking, knowing when to put my focus on something more important and resuming my previous task when I'm able. I remain patient and calm even in stressful situations, and have actually laughed when managers asked how I was holding up after dealing with an unusually irate customer who kept criticizing me. I was actually promoted to low-level management before personal reasons forced me to move out of the area. Oh, and I scan and bag well, and I do a good job of walking around and asking if customers need help, but I figured that much was obvious by saying I've worked retail. I just wanted to add a few things that are less obvious.

So what would I like to do?

I do like office work. I've never aspired to becoming a secretary, and I think the whole feminist movement over here would tell me not to settle on that when I could be the CEO. Earlier this year, I worked at a law office and helped the paralegal by scanning documents, putting them into folders, and complaining about how screwed up the alphabetization is of all the existing folders and how I can't find anything. I looked at the paralegal's job and saw it as something I could do, although she didn't appear to be more than a receptionist, which is still something I could do.

I don't mind working retail, but it doesn't pay well unless you're an assistant store manager. Would I mind working retail in Japan? No, I wouldn't mind, especially if I was in a popular tourist spot and my English fluency meant I'd be an asset to the store. If I need a job in Japan and any one will do, I'll do retail.

My aspirations of "going to Japan one day" turned into "looking for work in Japan" when reading someone's tale of being an ALT and thinking I could be an ALT as well. From what I understand, an ALT doesn't need to know Japanese, but a willingness to learn the language is a plus. An ALT is there to speak and write English to help the class become more fluent, by assisting the teacher of the class. However, I don't have a bachelor's degree, as we all know, which is a requirement to become an ALT. I certainly wouldn't mind being some kind of assistance to anyone trying to improve their English-language skills, even if I'm not necessarily an ALT.

I know I'm not the only American wanting to go to Japan, in fact I have a few friends who haven't been yet and one who wants to go back. If there's anything in the realm of tourism that I can do, I'll do it. I'm sure some hotels would like an extra English-speaker working the front desk. I wouldn't mind being a tour guide. I don't want to take a job away from a Japanese person, I'd rather assist in communicating between foreigners and natives.

As for studies, I wouldn't mind becoming a teacher. My significant other's mom has been a bit of an inspiration, as she teaches students who have learning impairments such as ADHD. I'd be interested in teaching literature as well as the English language.

I'm also interested in learning to prepare food as artistically as what I've seen. If that means just working at a place that adds some style to regular Japanese food, that would be fun. I don't want to make sophisticated food, I'm satisfied with just knowing how to make ramen and okonomiyaki and such but I want to make it look pretty.

If there's a way I can take Japanese lessons in Japan while working to assist others with their English proficiency, that would be ideal as it's a reciprocal exchange.

I'm not asking what Japan can do for me without first offering my skills.

Sure, that sounds great, have fun with that.
I'm sensing sarcasm.
 
So let me tell you what I CAN do, and you can sit there and laugh at me. (Another assumption I made, based on how I perceive your attitude when you post)

If I wanted to poke fun at you I could and would do it in about two lines, tops.

Take it from one fellow Abundant American to another, but if you're this thin-skinned in the presence of less-than-pc terms regarding body size anonymously over an internet connection and halfway around the world, then I have concerns for how well you will deal with the looks and remarks from the people in Japan, who as much as I love them in general sometimes can be exasperating as hell when it comes to their seemingly total inability to stifle themselves regarding another's BMI...especially a foreigner's.

I've given you nothing but entirely serious, sincere, and dead earnest answers to your questions, based on long personal experience living and working in Japan and I really fail to see how you perceive them as laughing at you. Perhaps you thought it was just another skinny person mocking you. It isn't; I'm fat too.

I did read all that you wrote above, but for the sake of space am not quoting it here. You still haven't said what you want to study here or what specific career you would want to do here. I got the impression from your remarks that you don't understand the nature of Japanese Immigration requirements. You can't just move here and look for a job and none of the skills you mention would satisfy the conditions to get you a working visa, even if there were some employer here who wanted to hire you.

The way it works is a bit odd and counterintuitive. Essentially, you don't come here and look for a job....first you get a job offer from an employer who will sponsor your working visa, then you apply to Immigration for permission to come here to work. The actual visa category and requirements will vary depending on the nature of the work. In most cases and oversimplifying things a bit, you're generally going to need either a bachelors degree or 10 years of experience in a profession. This is why I said you need to figure out exactly what it is you want to do, what the requirements are, whether it would qualify you for a working visa, and whether there is any demand for it. You need not give a thought to whether you're taking a job away from a Japanese local... the system is pretty much designed to prevent that. An employer has a need for an educated/trained/experienced professional and can't fill the position from local talent, or the position needs some particular aspect of the foreign person's foreignness (language ability, usually) and then the government allows someone to be brought in. Japan is extraordinarily welcoming to foreign visitors (tourists) and famously uptight and restrictive when it comes to letting people move here and work here.

While there are foreigners working here in blue-collar, unskilled, semi-skilled, service sector, etc for the most part you really can't get a visa to come here for the purpose of doing those things. You need to figure on completing a degree, whether here or there really doesn't matter, and come out the far end of the process with some focused specific job skills and qualifications which are both visa eligible and marketable to Japanese employers. This is why I said your brain, personality, and attitude are what matter. This is why @WonkoTheSane said you're at least four years away from having to worry about how your gut will or will not affect your life in Japan. You're not going to have any life here at all until you educate yourself on the nature of the visa system and the nature of the type of work for which you have a snowball's chance in hell of getting hired to do here and what you have to do to make yourself eligible. You feed the Immigration Ogre or you don't get in.
 
If I wanted to poke fun at you I could and would do it in about two lines, tops.
I just pictured you sitting in front of your computer, laughing at my naivety or something. If it bothered me, my last post wouldn't exist.

About the only thing I have 10 years of is retail, unfortunately.

Is there any kind of schooling I can do in Japan, and go over on a student visa, without already being enrolled in college over here?
 
Is there any kind of schooling I can do in Japan, and go over on a student visa, without already being enrolled in college over here?

Absolutely.

You run into the problem of language, though. If you can't function in Japanese then you will have a far more narrow selection of schools to choose from. If you wish to attend a school where the language of instruction is Japanese then many (but not all) will have passing the top level of the JLPT as a requirement for admission.

There are various financial and other requirements to be met and hurdles to jump, but it is certainly doable. There are many foreign students studying in Japan.

It comes down to: what do you want to study?; is it taught in a language you can function in?; do you have the funds?
 
If I have to bust my rear trying to get a scholarship, I will. It'll help.
That was one of the first things I was tracking down, the scholarships. I don't remember which official site had a list of all the scholarships, but I downloaded the Excel file and color-coded it as I narrowed down what I was looking for.

Are there any particular schools you recommend, or prefectures I should prefer or avoid? Just in general, not necessarily based on a major.
 
If you have any information at all on scholarships then you have more information on scholarships than I do.

If you're limited to the very narrow selection of schools which teach in English then you're really not going to have the luxury of making a selection based on location. You'll pretty much just have to take what you find where you find it.

Have you started learning Japanese?
 
I don't know why this thread is in the Japanese News section. It should be in the Practical one on employment.

As for studies, I wouldn't mind becoming a teacher."
Gosh! Such dedication. Do you have any idea...
  • what it takes to become a teacher
  • to become a university teacher vs. ALT vs. elementary school/junior high FT teacher, etc.?
  • what any of those teachers does?
  • how much Japanese you'll need?
 
I don't know why this thread is in the Japanese News section. It should be in the Practical one on employment.
I'm sorry, I put it here because I was originally asking for more information on the Metabo Law and how, if at all, it applies to foreigners. If a moderator wants to move it, they can.

Gosh! Such dedication. Do you have any idea...
  • what it takes to become a teacher
  • to become a university teacher vs. ALT vs. elementary school/junior high FT teacher, etc.?
  • what any of those teachers does?
  • how much Japanese you'll need?
Honestly, if you're going to be sarcastic and condescending, I'll ask that you go elsewhere. You could have very easily taken another five minutes and written your post in a way that would explain each of your bullet points, instead of looking down your nose at me.

Or better yet, be like Mike and ask questions for clarification. "Do you want to be a university teacher, elementary teacher, ALT,...?" From whatever answer I give, you can then tell me, "okay, you need to do this," et cetera.

But I shouldn't have to tell you other ways you could have written your post. You already know you could have been informative and helpful; you chose not to be.

If you have any information at all on scholarships then you have more information on scholarships than I do.
There's living support funds for overseas students taking language intensive courses! It's amazing! But seriously though, because I realize what I'm financially up against, I started looking for ways to cut costs to help narrow down my options of where I should go.

If you're limited to the very narrow selection of schools which teach in English then you're really not going to have the luxury of making a selection based on location. You'll pretty much just have to take what you find where you find it.

Have you started learning Japanese?
Hai. Arigatou gozaimasu.
I could flip my keyboard into hiragana, but that doesn't exactly show I learned anything except how to turn on international keyboard layouts.
 
So I should lean towards being a teacher, for example?

That was kind of the opposite of what I was trying to say. I meant that pretty much whatever career you pick you're going to face gender or weight-based discrimination at some point, in Japan or elsewhere (although in Japan it may be more transparent than you're used to). Maybe you could avoid the worst of it if you go for something like nurse/childcare worker/secretary, but I think it would be extremely unlikely for a foreigner to be sponsored for a visa to do those kinds of jobs even if they were well-qualified. And even if you're in a traditionally feminine job, sexist comments would still crop up in your everyday life. I just don't think it's something you should base your ambitions off (clearly, since I chose one of the most male-dominated careers there is... and I'm going to Japan next year to do physics research, so there's that).

Yes, you being female or overweight or not ethnically Japanese could play into whether you're hired, how much you're paid etc. But a far bigger factor will be - are you actually qualified to do this job? Is it a job that even allows you to be sponsored for a visa? If you want to work there long-term then as Mike already mentioned you'll either have to identify a specialised skill that you have or utilise your native English ability by jumping on the ALT/eikaiwa train.

Or marry a Japanese guy. That's probably the simplest way TBH.
 
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Honestly, if you're going to be sarcastic and condescending, I'll ask that you go elsewhere.
Well, if you want to read tone into black and white text, that's your prerogative. If you want to further make matters worse by not responding at all except to brush me off, so be it. I saw a lack of true interest, knowledge, or commitment in what it takes to be a teacher here and honestly wanted to give you the benefit of my 18 years' experience. Fine. Want to throw that away? See ya later. I'm not the one who loses here.
 
Well, if you want to read tone into black and white text, that's your prerogative. If you want to further make matters worse by not responding at all except to brush me off, so be it. I saw a lack of true interest or knowledge in what it takes to be a teacher here and honestly wanted to give you the benefit of my 18 years' experience. Fine. Want to throw that away? See ya later. I'm not the one who loses here.
Except instead of giving me the benefit of your 18 years of experience, you gave me crap. How are bullet-point questions giving me any kind of information that I can use?

"Well, I didn't see any true interest or knowledge in what it takes to be a teacher..." Please, do inform the class. Which mountain must I climb to meet the guru of teaching? How many days must I fast before he bestows upon me his great wisdom? Must I submerge myself in bitter cold waters to reach enlightenment? Is this part of a secret society that I must join by first spilling some of my blood as part of a sacred ritual?

Based on your post, becoming a teacher must involve more than going to college and getting the appropriate degree. Being a teacher involves more than knowing the material and how to present it, and how to assist students who are having issues understanding the material. The life of a teacher is more than grading tests and preparing upcoming lessons.

So please, if you're going to criticize me for "not showing interest and knowledge," present your knowledge and I'll decide if I still have the interest. You aren't being helpful at all if you continue to sit there and say, "well I know what I'm talking about, I have all this experience and knowledge" unless you actually present me with something of use. "You want to brush that off and throw me away?" Yes, actually, because you're selling me a facade and telling me it's a mansion.

That was kind of the opposite of what I was trying to say. I meant that pretty much whatever career you pick you're going to face gender or weight-based discrimination at some point, in Japan or elsewhere (although in Japan it may be more transparent than you're used to).
I already realize this, and I don't go for certain jobs as a result. I know which jobs tend to favor a conventionally attractive person to drive sales or otherwise give the business a certain appearance overall. I mentioned being a teacher as an example, because although there are plenty of male teachers, it seems to be a traditionally female role.

Maybe you could avoid the worst of it if you go for something like nurse/childcare worker/secretary, but I think it would be extremely unlikely for a foreigner to be sponsored for a visa to do those kinds of jobs even if they were well-qualified. And even if you're in a traditionally feminine job, sexist comments would still crop up in your everyday life. I just don't think it's something you should base your ambitions off (clearly, since I chose one of the most male-dominated careers there is... and I'm going to Japan next year to do physics research, so there's that).
The maternal units in my life asked why I didn't want to go into nursing. I think they only saw the side of it where the nurse gives medication and checks vitals. I saw the side of it where I would have to deal with bodily fluids of all kinds, I'd have to stick needles into patients, and I couldn't see myself doing it. Not to mention, I've seen hospitals enough times just as a visitor, and I don't think I could deal with it emotionally. I have to give a lot of credit, and especially respect, to those who are in nursing fields, but it's not something I could do.

I could be a secretary, but I think I'd have to find someone who'd need a secretary who was fluent in English. I might not get many hours if I did find such a job, because most of the business would be done in Japanese. Something to consider if I get more proficient in Japanese, I guess.

Yes, you being female or overweight or not ethnically Japanese could play into whether you're hired, how much you're paid etc. But a far bigger factor will be - are you actually qualified to do this job? Is it a job that even allows you to be sponsored for a visa? If you want to work there long-term then as Mike already mentioned you'll either have to identify a specialised skill that you have or utilise your native English ability by jumping on the ALT/eikaiwa train.

Or marry a Japanese guy. That's probably the simplest way TBH.
I think my significant other will only allow me to marry a girl, but I can't see myself taking time for romance while I'm in Japan. I do tease him that I might end up with someone who looks like Hyde... but i digress.

I'd like to head in the ALT direction. Not sure if I mentioned it, but that's what made me think I could probably find work in Japan just for knowing English. Finding out I needed a Bachelor's was a bit disheartening, which is why I looked to see if there were other options for finding work or going for classes. I'm not ready to give up on going to Japan. If I have to take classes over there to get my foot in a door, then I want to see which classes I can take and which doors will open enough for my foot to get wedged in there. If I'm not an ALT, I might find something just as worthwhile.
 
I'm sensing sarcasm.
Your meter is off, what I was trying to express was exasperation and resignation. Frankly, it feels like you're shopping for the answer you want because you don't like the answer you're getting which is that you have some educational work to do if you want to make this happen.

Look, here's what it comes down to:

If you want to work in Japan you need at least a 4 year degree.

If you want to have a few options aside from the English teaching you can be hired to do with a random 4 year degree, you need a useful 4 year degree and solid skills not easily found in Japan.

If you want to have a wide variety of options you need to add in solid Japanese skills and/or an in-demand skill-set which is nearly nonexistent in Japan.

I'd like to head in the ALT direction. Not sure if I mentioned it, but that's what made me think I could probably find work in Japan just for knowing English. Finding out I needed a Bachelor's was a bit disheartening, which is why I looked to see if there were other options for finding work or going for classes. I'm not ready to give up on going to Japan. If I have to take classes over there to get my foot in a door, then I want to see which classes I can take and which doors will open enough for my foot to get wedged in there. If I'm not an ALT, I might find something just as worthwhile.

Taking classes will not wedge your foot in any door which bypasses the basic requirements of immigration.

As to the whole discrimination thing...

I work in a field which is female dominated (95.5% female, 4.5% male) and yes, here and there I've run into morons who have negative (and a few positive, which are just as ridiculous) opinions of my abilities based on my sex. But it's not reasonable to say that just because a relatively few people are morons that one's life will be dictated by morons. Some people are jerks. Move on. They are the vast minority and the rest couldn't care less about your weight, sex, or anything else which does not impact them. I know it's in vogue right now to see discrimination everywhere, but in the real world it's not that rampant. I got turned down for an office I looked at to rent specifically because I was a foreigner... But the other 10 offices I looked at had no issues with that whatsoever. This is not an epidemic, it's a small scale fact of life that some people are jerks and the best thing about them is that they quickly out themselves as such. The only way one is truly hurt is if they then internalize these experiences and start to see them everywhere and live in a world colored by their false perceptions of what other people are doing or thinking.
 
Your meter is off, what I was trying to express was exasperation and resignation. Frankly, it feels like you're shopping for the answer you want because you don't like the answer you're getting which is that you have some educational work to do if you want to make this happen.
I'm not really shopping for an answer.

Well, I am shopping. Have you looked at the average tuition costs for an American university? I'll wait, if you want to Google that.

Did you know my Associates degree cost me $30,000? That's $15,000 per year, okay? And for what?

I was looking at Japanese universities today, namely ones that offer English-based classes. Hokkaido U costs $5,342 for tuition. Per year.

American universities are overpriced. So yes, I'm shopping for a particular answer, I'm looking for the one that says I'll be able to come to Japan and study for less than going to American universities. If I have to take out a loan, I'd rather have a loan for $22,000 to pay off than one for more than that.

Taking classes will not wedge your foot in any door which bypasses the basic requirements of immigration.
And I'm trying to find where it says I need a Bachelors in advance. All I can find is that I need to be accepted to a Japanese school to be sponsored for a student visa, or hired by a Japanese company that will sponsor a work visa. It's not clear on the Embassy website that you need a Bachelors; I noticed it as an ALT requirement because of Wikipedia saying that either JET or Interac made it a requirement.

I'm finding universities that say I need at least 12 years of schooling in my home country, which is Kindergarten-Senior year of high school from my understanding (that's 13 years, I can count). I need the Bachelors degree if I'm going for a Graduate course, otherwise I can enroll in Undergrad studies.

As to the whole discrimination thing...

I work in a field which is female dominated (95.5% female, 4.5% male) and yes, here and there I've run into morons who have negative (and a few positive, which are just as ridiculous) opinions of my abilities based on my sex.
Hey, work in tech support at a call center. You'll get the occasional guy treat you like you're the receptionist, like you're going to pass along the call to someone else. I know gender-based discrimination. Anyway...

But it's not reasonable to say that just because a relatively few people are morons that one's life will be dictated by morons. Some people are jerks. Move on. They are the vast minority and the rest couldn't care less about your weight, sex, or anything else which does not impact them.
Pretty much what I learned about the real world after I got out of high school. Believe me, I'm more confident than I was back then. My Metabo Law inquiry was more about the fines and such, not about how Japanese society acts. I can handle people, I'm sure of it.

I know it's in vogue right now to see discrimination everywhere, but in the real world it's not that rampant. I got turned down for an office I looked at to rent specifically because I was a foreigner... But the other 10 offices I looked at had no issues with that whatsoever. This is not an epidemic, it's a small scale fact of life that some people are jerks and the best thing about them is that they quickly out themselves as such. The only way one is truly hurt is if they then internalize these experiences and start to see them everywhere and live in a world colored by their false perceptions of what other people are doing or thinking.
I just realize there's some professions that are better suited for people of a certain appearance. For example, I don't have the correct bust-to-waistline proportions for a certain restaurant known for women in white shirts and orange shorts. I might end up working behind the scenes in the kitchen, but I couldn't fit the uniform for the waitresses. I'd rather do something more intellectually stimulating, anyway.

I don't see discrimination everywhere. I see opportunities for everyone, knowing that some people are just better suited for certain roles. Some views are nonsense, as I believe men are as capable as women for doing work around the house and raising families, and women are capable of STEM careers as well. I wouldn't expect a car repair shop to hire me, because I just barely know what's under the hood of my own car, but I'm not going to say that a woman can't repair my car because she might have picked up a few things from her dad. Age, race,... doesn't matter, if a person is capable, if they can do the job, that's what matters.

If I was too worried about being discriminated against, I wouldn't still be looking for a way into Japan. If someone had answered my original post by honestly saying that Japan wouldn't even allow me a visa if I'm over a certain weight, then I'd be done with this discussion. At that point, I'd decide if it was worth it to lose weight, and my dream of visiting Japan might die unless things change. I mean, I've already heard that "Japan hates foreigners" and at the same time I've seen foreigners embraced as friends by Japanese people in Japan, so I already know that there's quite a bit I should take with a grain of salt.
 
I'm not really shopping for an answer.

Well, I am shopping. Have you looked at the average tuition costs for an American university? I'll wait, if you want to Google that.

Did you know my Associates degree cost me $30,000? That's $15,000 per year, okay? And for what?

I was looking at Japanese universities today, namely ones that offer English-based classes. Hokkaido U costs $5,342 for tuition. Per year.

American universities are overpriced. So yes, I'm shopping for a particular answer, I'm looking for the one that says I'll be able to come to Japan and study for less than going to American universities. If I have to take out a loan, I'd rather have a loan for $22,000 to pay off than one for more than that.


And I'm trying to find where it says I need a Bachelors in advance. All I can find is that I need to be accepted to a Japanese school to be sponsored for a student visa, or hired by a Japanese company that will sponsor a work visa. It's not clear on the Embassy website that you need a Bachelors; I noticed it as an ALT requirement because of Wikipedia saying that either JET or Interac made it a requirement.

I'm finding universities that say I need at least 12 years of schooling in my home country, which is Kindergarten-Senior year of high school from my understanding (that's 13 years, I can count). I need the Bachelors degree if I'm going for a Graduate course, otherwise I can enroll in Undergrad studies.


Hey, work in tech support at a call center. You'll get the occasional guy treat you like you're the receptionist, like you're going to pass along the call to someone else. I know gender-based discrimination. Anyway...


Pretty much what I learned about the real world after I got out of high school. Believe me, I'm more confident than I was back then. My Metabo Law inquiry was more about the fines and such, not about how Japanese society acts. I can handle people, I'm sure of it.


I just realize there's some professions that are better suited for people of a certain appearance. For example, I don't have the correct bust-to-waistline proportions for a certain restaurant known for women in white shirts and orange shorts. I might end up working behind the scenes in the kitchen, but I couldn't fit the uniform for the waitresses. I'd rather do something more intellectually stimulating, anyway.

I don't see discrimination everywhere. I see opportunities for everyone, knowing that some people are just better suited for certain roles. Some views are nonsense, as I believe men are as capable as women for doing work around the house and raising families, and women are capable of STEM careers as well. I wouldn't expect a car repair shop to hire me, because I just barely know what's under the hood of my own car, but I'm not going to say that a woman can't repair my car because she might have picked up a few things from her dad. Age, race,... doesn't matter, if a person is capable, if they can do the job, that's what matters.

If I was too worried about being discriminated against, I wouldn't still be looking for a way into Japan. If someone had answered my original post by honestly saying that Japan wouldn't even allow me a visa if I'm over a certain weight, then I'd be done with this discussion. At that point, I'd decide if it was worth it to lose weight, and my dream of visiting Japan might die unless things change. I mean, I've already heard that "Japan hates foreigners" and at the same time I've seen foreigners embraced as friends by Japanese people in Japan, so I already know that there's quite a bit I should take with a grain of salt.
Good, I'm glad to see you have sense about this whole metabo business.

If I were you I would consider carefully whether a degree from a Japanese university will carry weight in the USA in case you decide to live in the USA in the future. I don't know. I've heard they aren't as well received but I've only ever studied in Japan. I know if you wanted to do my job in the USA you would have to do your higher education in the USA or one of 5 other countries which have a reciprocity agreement on licensing.

Good luck!
 
So, update.

The more I Google, the more I talk to you guys, the more I "grrr, arrggg!"

While I'm confident that I could get some of the school-based scholarships, I've also been looking into FAFSA and student loans on this side of the ocean, and... I hit a wall. I can get FAFSA, I can get it for a number of colleges abroad, but none of the colleges are in Japan. As for student loans, I don't have enough confidence in my credit score. A regular loan would have to be paid back almost as soon as I take it out, and I'm not sure if I could pick up a basic job in Japan.

I do want to continue learning Japanese. I'm going to keep trying.

I've got friends who are urging me to become a writer, and I'm going to take that route as a supplement to everything else I need to do. Maybe I won't end up getting a work visa, but I might be in Japan one day for research for whatever I'm writing.
 
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