"16 pages of posts is just too much to go through" <--- HAH! It's not I just went throught it all (basically) in one sitting!
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||～Nyororin～|| - ほんとほんとにどうもありがとうございます。
I really truly appreciate the time and the effort you have taken and are taking to impart your knowledge and experience to help out and benefit those who are in need of such information and insight on living, studying and working in Japan. Thank you.
I could plan my move to Japan and my whole life in there just on what you've written in this thread! (jokes)
Nah, seriously, thank you for providing this ocean of resource on this site. 
Now a little something about me:
I'm a 19-year-old guy. I live in Finland and I'm originally from a city called Tampere. It's a city with a population of a bit over 200 000 people. It's one of Finland's biggest cities, but the cities in Finland are not that big, since Finland only has 5 million inhabitants.
Currently i live in a small town called Keuruu. It's some 120 km nort-east from Tampere and has a population of 8000 (I t hink). I'm there to study in a Bible school since I'm a Christian and want to learn more about the word of God.
I have a girlfriend whom I love very much and to whom I'm very committed. I'm going to move to Japan with her one day. I'm studying Japan on my own (really trying to find native Japanese speakers to help me with my studies). Marika, my girlfriend, will soon start to learn Japanese as well and I'll be helping her out with that (since I'm a quick learner when it comes to languages, and I already know some Japanese (although very little).
Why do I want to move to Japan?
Well, there are a lot of reasons and a lot of fealings involved and I'm not sure if I'm capable of putting them into an organized form, but I'll give it a try.
Firstly, what I've seen Japan in Japanese movies, in documents about Japan and in anime series (Yes, I do love anime), has really left me with a beautiful image of Japan.
Secondly, I love the language (firstly, it sounds beautiful and secondly, its structure is interesting, to say the least), and I'm crazy about languages! I'm really gifted with them and like to study and use as many languages as possible, mainly to better communicate with and relate to the native speakers.
Thirdly, I like to travel a lot and see different places and cultures. I'm the kind of person who doesn't feel comfortable staying in one place for a lifetime. However, I'm not unable to "root" in one place even for a long time, and I'm able to adapt excellenty to anywhere. And right now I feel it's time for me to move on, move out of Finland and move in somwhere else. And it just so happens that that somewhere else is in Japan - where in there, time will tell. (Oh, and, I have a feeling that says I need to go RIGHT NOW, but for practical reasons, that variable receives the value in 3-7 years.)
For more than the reasons I've given, I can't say. It's something holistic. I know I want to go to Japan and I know I will. It's only a matter of when and how.
The plan I have at the moment is to get an undergraduate/college degree and then apply for the Japanese Government / MEXT scholarship for university studies in Japan. I would take Japanese language and culture as my main subject. This is what I feel is the best way go for now, based on the information I have at the moment (of which a great deal I've gotten from here.)
That's my story. Nothing more to it, really, for the time being.
Oh, if you're willing to teach me Japanese, or know anyone who might, will you please add me to your msn/yahoo / give them my contact info:
MSN:
[email protected]
Yahoo!:
marukyuusu
e-mail:
[email protected]
Cheers!
EDIT:
The plan I have at the moment is to get an undergraduate/college degree and then apply for the Japanese Government / MEXT scholarship for university studies in Japan. I would take Japanese language and culture as my main subject.
Unfortunately I just found out the last year I'm applicable is next year, and I don't have the degree I'd need to be qualified... Or, well, technically I'd have time till March, 2009 to complete a 3-year degree... Crazy as I am, I'm still concidering it, although there's no chance I could realistically do it in that time 
I quess some people have done it in that time, but...
I quess I'll have to find another way then. I am persistant enough about going to Japan, however, that there's no doubt in my mind I'll get there one way or another, and be able to have a life studying and working in Japan.
EDIT:
「Unfortunately I just found out the last year I'm applicable is next year」
Completely sponsored by the government of Japan/MONBUKAGAKUSHO/MEXT, that is