What's new

Hello, everyone.

Shinsan

先輩
27 Jul 2007
107
0
26
こんにちわ everybody. I'm a Freshman in High School in the US and I am fascinated with Japan. I love everything Japanese. Ever since I was 10 I was facinated with Japan. Anyhow, I hear that It's possible for me to get a Student Visa to go to college in Japan? I would like to do that, but after College, I would like to teach English as well. Is this possible? Also, Is it possible for me to learn Japanese in 4 years? (I'm halfway done Katakana)

I also plan to apply for Citizenship after College.

Please help me out?


ありあとございます!
 
Last edited:
You might want to read everything I wrote on the FAQ.
Also, visit www.eslcafe.com/discussion and look at the 4 sticky FAQs there, as well as the link to Teaching on www.gaijinpot.com 's first page.

Short answers:

1) yes, you can get a student visa to study here, pre-college or for college. With special permission, you can even work PT on that.

2) yes, you can work after college. Work visas require a bachelor's degree (in any subject) or its equivalent, or a minimum of 3 years of work experience.

3) Learn Japanese in 4 years? Depends on how much effort you put into it, and what you mean by "learn Japanese". Japanese students take 12 years to learn the basic 2000 kanji (you could study more in less time, of course). Writing isn't the only thing, of course, in a language. Grammar, idioms, slang, honorific words, etc. will probably be far more difficult and will definitely require more than 4 years to be perfectly fluent.

You don't even need Japanese to teach English, by the way. Most schools prohibit it in the classroom here as a means to simulate immersion.

5) You want Japanese citizenship? Why? You're going to need to be here about 5 years anyway before you are eligible to apply, but why renounce your own nationality?
 
Thank you so much, Glenski. =) I am so happy this is possible. I want to apply for citizenship so I could actually live there.
 
By the way, Do they pay for housing with teaching or..? I'm not worrying about housing as I will probably be able to pay for it myself, But it's just a small question I've had.
 
I don't understand why you would want to give up your American citizenship. Are you Japanese ethicity wise or one of your parents Japanese? You can live in Japan without having to get Japanse citizenship. You can get permanent residency without giving up your American passport. If I were you I would not give up your US passport. You never know. After having lived in Japan for many years you might get home sick and would want to return home. Thats natural. Besides Japanese people don't have much negative thoughts on Americans.

I was never an English teacher because English isn't my native tongue. LOL. From what I heard from English teachers in Japan. Most schools as far as I know do not pay for housing. I know some schools pay a bit. For instance if an apartment costs 80,000 yen you only have to pay 50,000 yen. And the company pays the rest. A frined of mine told me this.

I say, go to Japan and check it out for yourself and keep your passport.
 
Oh, I did NOT know about that. I'll just become a permanent resident. My children will probably want to go back to America one day as will I. Alright, Thanks for your help.
 
Oh, I did NOT know about that. I'll just become a permanent resident. My children will probably want to go back to America one day as will I.

Then you won't be a "permanent" resident.

What year are we supposed to look for you to show up over here?
 
For just about as long as you've been alive, I've watched as an unending procession of teenagers made plans to move to Japan a few years hence. I'll make you the same offer I've made several others.....I'll take the day off and pick you up at the airport when you get here.
 
Alright, Thanks. I've worked on my Japanese every night since last year, but Last year I've been slacking off but I'll start working 2 hours everyday so hopefully I can nail this in 4 years :)
 
Also, I'm worrying about feeding myself and supporting myself in College, Are there any Jobs I can get while I'm in College or..?
 
Anybody? Also, How many out of the 50,000 Kanji must I know to read? Will I need to use the Kanji in work? I really want to go to college in Japan, but I don't know if I'll be able to read/write the language and everything by the time I do go. Can anyone answer these questions?
 
Tell ya what. You continue learning Japanese, and if two years from now, you still want to go to college in Japan, we'd be more than happy to answer any of your questions.
 
Shinsan,
If you are a freshman in HS, then you will not be able to get a work visa here if you plan to come in only 4 years. You need a bachelor's degree (the usual route people take) or at least 3 years of teaching experience (private lessons don't count) to qualify for such a visa. You could come on a student visa if you enrolled here FT, or on a cultural visa if you studied some craft under a master, but in both cases you would have to get special permission to work, and then only PT. If you are on a student visa, there are jobs, of course, but you would have to know a certain amount of Japanese for most jobs. For example, work at 7-Eleven, and you'd need to know how to deal with the register, stocking shelves, vendors, and co-workers/boss all in Japanese.

Glad to see you got citizenship figured out. You don't have to change your citizenship to live here. Permanent Resident status (like mine) is attained only after a single person has lived here 10 years (people married to Japanese need wait only 5 years). But, you can stay and live on many other visas and keep renewing them.

By the way, Do they pay for housing with teaching or..? I'm not worrying about housing as I will probably be able to pay for it myself, But it's just a small question I've had.
99% of the time, expect to pay for your own housing and airfare.

Also, How many out of the 50,000 Kanji must I know to read? Will I need to use the Kanji in work? I really want to go to college in Japan, but I don't know if I'll be able to read/write the language and everything by the time I do go.
People graduate HS here knowing about 2000 kanji, and that is barely enough for most to read a paper. Lots of kanji you aren't taught is also in the newspapers, too, especially terms for science, engineering, business, medicine, and government terms.

Using it at work will be a necessity, but to what level will depend on the job. You have to expect everything here to be written in Japanese, just like everything in the USA is written in English: tax forms, applications, utility bills, etc. And, if you work in a convenience store, you may even have to deal with postage and shipping, movie titles to rent, and people who pay for their utilities there -- all in Japanese paperwork.
 
For just about as long as you've been alive, I've watched as an unending procession of teenagers made plans to move to Japan a few years hence. I'll make you the same offer I've made several others.....I'll take the day off and pick you up at the airport when you get here.

Ah, yes it was only 8 years ago that I was a freshman in high school and hit by the notion that I really wanted to live in Japan and that was all I had in my sights. During those next few years, I must admit I sort of lost sight of reality and didn't have much perspective of what adult life would be like or what I should plan to do with myself. Actually, it's a shame. Looking back I could have done at least a few things more productively than I did in high school (Instead I suffered from the classic "senioritis" long before senior year). But, that is the way of youth, I guess.
At the time I had set my sights on getting a job teaching English, as it was the most obvious way to get to Japan. I later realized after starting college that I didn't really want to teach ESL and I had other things I would rather do with my life (and I'm glad I figured this out, really).
It also occurred to me that I might try doing my full four years of undergrad over there so I wouldn't have to stay the extra four years stateside. I tried very hard, covered a lot of ground, but came up well short. They won't grant you a student visa unless you can prove that you have a certain amount of finances to support yourself for at least the first year (minimum 10M yen or about $10k US). I firmly believe this worked out for the better.
I'm not saying that necessarily has to be the case-- there are good reasons to want to study in Japan, and ways to make it happen. In fact there are more ways than there were when I was a senior in high school, as the monbukagakusho ugrad scholarship is now available for US students to apply. This is a highly competitive scholarship, though, so if you want to get it, you'll have to work your butt off. In my opinion, that scholarship or having the money to support yourself are almost the only two ways to get to Japan for a full four years of undergrad. Much more realistic (and not terribly competitive) is a one, or even two year exchange program that you can get into after you've finished at least a year of college. There's all sorts of "free" money out there, and you can have a blast for a year in Japan, learn a lot of Japanese and other things, and not have to pay a cent for it. And after you've spent at least a year in Japan, you should have a different perspective on it-- you will know whether you really want to commit yourself to living there indefinitely.

Shinsan, I know you might not like to hear this-- when I was your age, I certainly didn't-- but, you might be better off doing your bachelor's degree in the US anyway. It's said that in general, the quality of undergrad education in Japan is lacking. If you stay in the US you don't have to go very far, it doesn't have to cost you that much depending on your situation, and you can get a well-regarded, and generally good quality education.
Also, please think about what it is you actually want to *do* in Japan. If you truly want to teach English, that's fantastic-- you might also want to then consider getting a postgraduate degree in ESL education or something similar. In my opinion, most of the best quality teachers are those who teach at the university level (meaning they have PhDs). I know at your age, that much more school doesn't sound too appealing, especially when you still have four years of high school left on your plate. You definitely don't have to go and get postgrad degrees right away after you finish college, but it should be something that you'll consider if you really care about being a teacher.

I kind of learned all of this as I went along, so I thought I would pass some of the info on for you to think about, I don't mean to be pessimistic or anything. Japan is a great place and I hope to go back, and I have to say that as much as I didn't want to when I was in HS, it was really worth hanging out and at least finishing my undergrad here in the states first.

db
 
Ah, yes it was only 8 years ago that I was a freshman in high school and hit by the notion that I really wanted to live in Japan and that was all I had in my sights. During those next few years, I must admit I sort of lost sight of reality and didn't have much perspective of what adult life would be like or what I should plan to do with myself. (Some very sagacious and useful stuff snipped)

Would you like to guess how many times I've actually had to take off and go pick someone up at the airport?
 
I remember when i was 13 and I wanted to live in Canada, I thought everything in Canada was wonderful, the same thing happened when I was 16, but it was regaurding Japan. Point is fads come and go, Japan seems to be the hot trend among high school students in the US right now. I am 26 now, and I am going to Japan for the first time in April, I don't think I could throw away being an American to live in a country I really know nothing about. (reading can only take you so far).

Key is if you really want to live/work in Japan I would look in the USA for a company that sends their employees over to Japan. That way you can at least get buy only knowing a little Japanese, or in the best case they will give you an interpretur.

My advice, which again I wouldn't listen to when I was in High School, would be to get your degree in the US, and then evaluate yourself... or at least take a small trip to japan to see what its like.
 
Would you like to guess how many times I've actually had to take off and go pick someone up at the airport?
Zero? :wavey:
As for myself, I might make it yet, but under very different (and better) terms than when I first dreamed the whole thing up.
 
Thankyou for your advice everyone. My plan has changed. I'll go to college here and then I will go to Japan. I need 4 years(Bachelors) to teach English Correct?
 
That's correct.
You might find that getting a Bachelor's degree is not so bad at all, if you pick a field that you find stimulating and enjoyable. Choose wisely, and college will be a fantastic experience (much better than high school!).
 
A trend you say? It sure is, but on the other hand, isn't it just wonderful that in case, while the fever lasts, you manage to learn few things about Japanese language, you might be able to continue with it a couple of years later. And hey, there aren't that many Americans/Europeans who are able to speak Japanese, so this kind of weapon always has a sharp edge.
And you see, not many people have the luxury to do something COMPLETELY unrelated to the past life of their ascendants, and their lifestyle. So push forward, fight to be a winner! :D Okay, this sounds like a cliché, but it sure is true. Learning a language requires a huge load of effort, but it has exactly 0% risk. Although, its quite dangerous for your bank card once you discover how many books there are on amazon about Japanese language.
 
When I study my kana for 2 hours a night every night, I am motivated and ready. I am excited for what is to come in 8 years time. I know it could be hard, but I know I'll finally be to where I want to be. I may only be able to Speak/Write/Read up no Na Ni Nu Ne No in Katakana, but I got this. I think I might be able to learn kana AND the 8,000 or so Kanji I need to know to be able to read and such. But of course, after Kana, I'm going to learn the Spoken Language, master that then go to the hard stuff (Kanji) If anybody would like to help me achieve my dream that would be awesome. 👍:)
 
Would you like to guess how many times I've actually had to take off and go pick someone up at the airport?
You're lucky you weren't making that offer when I was in high school, because here I am 7 years later, real as day and having the time of my life :)
But all of my ground transportation in Tokyo and airfare to Tokushima was covered, so it's all good.


To be fair though, I too was considering scrapping the idea towards the end of my senior year in college, and that's why I also can't help but give a chuckle at ninth graders who have already "decided" they will live in Japan or even (gasp!) get Japanese citizenship.
 
Jimmy, It's not a joke at all. I've been interested in Japan since last year.. I'm not a little kid, I'm smart enough to make decisions.
 
It wouldn't make a difference if you were 45. Nobody is ever old enough to "decide" what they will be doing or where they will be 7 years in the future.
Despite all your astounding maturity, you have failed to realize that.

Life is what happens while you're busy making plans for the future.
 
Back
Top Bottom