affording homestays
 

I have been searching the costs of a homestay in japan and it all really seems alot for people of such a young age to be able to afford, there fore i think there must be a way of doing something to be able to afford it i.e working while living in japan. i am very new to this idea and would love to be able to visit japan to learn the japanese language but i really cannot afford it say if i wanted to go for 6 months to a year. is it possible to be able to work while studying and what process would i have to go through to be able to do that visa wise. do i have to have a degree before i can go and start studying?:confused:

you can't legally work in japan with a student visa

No, you can.
You will need permission from your school, and it is only part-time (not to mention that it`s not exactly that easy to find work if you`re below university age...) but it isn`t necessarily going to be illegal.

Since you are from England (you do live in London, right?), you can get a working holiday visa without any special paperwork or sponsorship. The WHV is good for 6 months, and, as you can tell by the name, you are allowed to work (part time) with this visa.

You should look into companies which offer homestay/language programs. These are not cheap, but they are all-inclusive, and they usually offer financing, so you can pay for your trip a little bit, month by month.