I live in Japan!

[Hatredcopter]

Originally Posted by Kyumika

I have a few questions...

Right now I'm currently 16 , a sophomore in high school, and living in the U.S. I have a dream of living in Japan and staying there for good. I want to go there for college but what are the requirements? How much is it? And does it matter what age you apply to become a citizen? If you aren't sure if you want to become a citizen is there a limited time you can stay in Japan? I heard three months was the limit until you have to go back to your country and then can come back...
As for the language...how long does it usually take to learn it almost fluently? Do you have to speak it really well before you can go to college/live in Japan?

A few points...

> Visit Japan before you decide to live there. Kinda hard to want to live there for the rest of your life if you don't know what its like. A lot of people come here and end up.. well.. not liking it (but thats just a minority I suppose).

> It's very, very difficult to get into a Japanese university. You need to be absolutely fluent in Japanese BEFORE you even try to get in to a university. If you're not fluent, then you won't have much of a chance of getting in.

> There are, however, a small number of universities there that conduct classes in English (Sophia, Temple, and a couple others). They are very expensive, however.

> Don't worry about citizenship. That's a whole different thing for people who have lived in Japan for many years. What you need to be worried about is the visa. A visa allows you to stay in Japan. When you go to Japan without a visa, you're allowed to stay there for only 90 days.

> If you go to school in Japan, you can get a student visa. This type of visa will allow you to stay in Japan until after your schooling ends. After it ends, you must leave. If you work in Japan, you can get a working visa. However, you can't get a working visa unless you have a bachelor's degree from a four year university (American, Japanese, or otherwise).

> In learning Japanese, it depends on how intensive the classes you take are. You WILL need to take classes to learn Japanese fluently... you can't do it on your own. With intensive classes, you can learn Japanese in three to four years. With regular classes, it'll take four or more years probably, unless you're very diligent.

In my opinion it's not worth trying to go to school in Japan. Entrance examinations for Japanese universities are very tough and Japanese people themselves struggle with it. Given that you're a sophomore now, you probably won't be fluent by the time you graduate high school. Therefore, it'll be sort of hard to attend a Japanese university if you don't know Japanese.

My recommendation to you is this: attend a university in the US. It's much cheaper (if its a state school), and you can find one that offers Japanese classes. While you're attending that university, you can sign up for a study abroad program for a year (or one semester), and study in Japan for a year. It's much less expensive to do this, and you get a taste of what its like to live in Japan before trying to actually move there permanently.

Hope that helps...

[deadthinker]

i was wondering if anyone could help me.
in april it is likely i will be moving to work in tokyo, japan. i would confirm the job before moving however so that isnt a problem and i dont seem to have any problems with a visa etc. but i am a british citizen i dont want to sound stuck up at all but a british passport is a good thing to have and is important to me as i will be returning here in around a year +. i was wondering if anybody knew how often i have to return home in order to keep my british citizenship?
also with the job i will be doing i only need english language but i understand i will need japanese aswell. i already studied for some time and graduated my course with japanese 1 although this is only basic do you believe this will be ok for the time being since most conversations i will have will be in english and the people i am staying with speak only english. i have thought about times when i would need japanese and for most situations i can think of i would be able to hold a conversation well, but i wondered your advise on this.
any advice would be greatly appreciated ^^

[sugoiaisukurimudesu]

I'm going to visit Japan next summer, but I doubt I would ever live there. I used to think I would in highschool, but I'm dating this really nice guy.. Anyway he's said he would be willing to go with me anywhere and wouldn't mind living in Japan, but he's such a picky eater! He couldn't eat much of the food near the coast in Virginia. I am pretty worried about the food in Japan. I like seafood, but I really haven't eaten much other than shrimp, salmon, cod, and crab all my life, and even the smell of the california rolls make my stomach upset (and they aren't even raw). Anyway, if it's like that for me, it's got to be 10 times worse for him!!
That isn't the only reason, but it's one of the biggest. As much as I am interested in Japanese style homes and the language, I would miss my family and I know they would take me leaving the wrong way. I almost wish I could live a double life.

[Kyumika]

Originally Posted by Hatredcopter

A few points...

> Visit Japan before you decide to live there. Kinda hard to want to live there for the rest of your life if you don't know what its like. A lot of people come here and end up.. well.. not liking it (but thats just a minority I suppose).

> It's very, very difficult to get into a Japanese university. You need to be absolutely fluent in Japanese BEFORE you even try to get in to a university. If you're not fluent, then you won't have much of a chance of getting in.

> There are, however, a small number of universities there that conduct classes in English (Sophia, Temple, and a couple others). They are very expensive, however.

> Don't worry about citizenship. That's a whole different thing for people who have lived in Japan for many years. What you need to be worried about is the visa. A visa allows you to stay in Japan. When you go to Japan without a visa, you're allowed to stay there for only 90 days.

> If you go to school in Japan, you can get a student visa. This type of visa will allow you to stay in Japan until after your schooling ends. After it ends, you must leave. If you work in Japan, you can get a working visa. However, you can't get a working visa unless you have a bachelor's degree from a four year university (American, Japanese, or otherwise).

> In learning Japanese, it depends on how intensive the classes you take are. You WILL need to take classes to learn Japanese fluently... you can't do it on your own. With intensive classes, you can learn Japanese in three to four years. With regular classes, it'll take four or more years probably, unless you're very diligent.

In my opinion it's not worth trying to go to school in Japan. Entrance examinations for Japanese universities are very tough and Japanese people themselves struggle with it. Given that you're a sophomore now, you probably won't be fluent by the time you graduate high school. Therefore, it'll be sort of hard to attend a Japanese university if you don't know Japanese.

My recommendation to you is this: attend a university in the US. It's much cheaper (if its a state school), and you can find one that offers Japanese classes. While you're attending that university, you can sign up for a study abroad program for a year (or one semester), and study in Japan for a year. It's much less expensive to do this, and you get a taste of what its like to live in Japan before trying to actually move there permanently.

Hope that helps...

It does. I've always been a bit naive about these sort of things. I originally planned on learning the language and then attending college there for a year/semester then returning here to finish college. Then I plan on getting my masters degree and hopefully getting a job in Japan if I like it there. I just love the culture and the language, that's why I like Japan so much. Thankyou for your suggestions, it helped.

[imeka]

Even though my dad is japanese, he gets mad at me everything I watch a Japanese drama, or even just Shin-chan. He told me if I go to live in Japan, I can't ever come home again. My mom is great she'll let me live there, she just wants me to come back to visit every once in awhile. I'm a junior in high school, I'm learning as much japanese as I can, I'm getting ahead of the class but too bad, I kind of just want to get away from my dad. People say I seem older than I am, I get mistaken for a college student. I'm sorry to say, but I hate my dad. He smokes, he gets angry easily and he's rude. I went to Japan last year and next year I'll go with the high school band class, I'm paying for it myself and there's going to be fundraising for it.

[DreamingtoJapan]

ok so undoubtedly I have missed much since I did not read but a few of the above replies... sorry

I am 39 years old and have recently become infatuated with Japan... food, traditional music, arts, scenic beauty, etc. I am thinking about coming to stay in Japan for a few months if not longer. My work experience to date includes childcare, tourism related retail, various arts/crafts, and housekeeping. I am also a fairly skilled writer and photographer. I learn languages quickly (at least the basics), but do not have a Bachelor's degree.
What would you say my options are?

Thanks in advance from someone trying to figure out if this is practical or simply a dream!

[Thuglife]

Sounds like a dream.
But you should give it a shot instead of regreting later that you didn't

[LolitaLover]

my dream is to visit japan then live there one day, i love the culture and the people are so nice, but.. i am from Australia and 21 years old, did not go to university and left after grade 11 to become a mechanic, that did not work out =( now i am just at some dead end job just making money to live.

but my hobbies are Photography and Fashion, my other dream is to become a Fashion Photographer for a magazine, but hey i am not that great.

i could always just save up and visit for a week and stay with an old friend who i talk to allot but if i wanted to stay any longer i feel like i would be a burden

i would much rather stay for a month or more so i could make some friends
also i don't know much Japanese but have not had much time to study it either.. i know some words but thats about it, i do plan to study more when i get some free time.

i have 50,000 Australian dollar ( 70 if i sold my car ) but i have kinda put that away for when i want to buy a house ill use it for some deposit money.
so i would have to save to travel.
and if i wanted to live in japan i feel like it would be really hard to get a job also.

im sorry for such a long post what i really.. well want to know is for the people who have moved there from over sea's what do you do for a job now and how hard was it to get the position
and do you think i really have any chance

[aikochan86]

LolitaLover -

Hi there! I'm 21 and live in Australia and I haven't got a uni degree either. I had to stop uni a while ago and have been working boring jobs since then.

On Friday I'm going to Japan for 2 months. My parents gave me a ticket for my 21st birthday but I worked hard and saved for food, travel and accommodation by myself.

Take advantage of the 90days tourist visa by saving really hard and going away for a month or two. Your city will probably have a sister city in Japan and you may even be able to organise a homestay through them. Homestay is not only a lot cheaper than hotels/hostels but it means you can truly experience the Japanese lifestyle and learn the language.

You are probably not going to be considered for employment without a university degree. That said, there are many ways to get into uni in Australia and a lot of support out there to help you through your degree.

Also, think about if you really want to live and work in Japan and what kind of job you would be happy doing. There's nothing stopping you from working over here and going on a holiday to Japan every 1 to 2 years!

However, if living in Japan is your true dream then you can achieve your goal! Hard work and a passionate attitude can get you anywhere.

[LolitaLover]

Originally Posted by aikochan86

LolitaLover -

Hi there! I'm 21 and live in Australia and I haven't got a uni degree either. I had to stop uni a while ago and have been working boring jobs since then.

On Friday I'm going to Japan for 2 months. My parents gave me a ticket for my 21st birthday but I worked hard and saved for food, travel and accommodation by myself.

Take advantage of the 90days tourist visa by saving really hard and going away for a month or two. Your city will probably have a sister city in Japan and you may even be able to organise a homestay through them. Homestay is not only a lot cheaper than hotels/hostels but it means you can truly experience the Japanese lifestyle and learn the language.

You are probably not going to be considered for employment without a university degree. That said, there are many ways to get into uni in Australia and a lot of support out there to help you through your degree.

Also, think about if you really want to live and work in Japan and what kind of job you would be happy doing. There's nothing stopping you from working over here and going on a holiday to Japan every 1 to 2 years!

However, if living in Japan is your true dream then you can achieve your goal! Hard work and a passionate attitude can get you anywhere.

thanks allot for posting back, how would i find out about the sister city? im from the gold coast, your reply has helped me