International Studies major/(Japanese language) Major!

Hello everyone!
I am an English speaking student from the US. For my degree in school I study Japanese foreign policy and full fluency in Japanese language. My goal is to get my bachelors degree, then move to Japan in pursuit of my masters and an amazing career in translation, transcribing, and etc... I ama 26 year old single mother of a 5 year old. She is already learning Japanese as well, and I hope she ill be proficient before our move with the help of tutoring. If anyone has any information about, schools for myself and my daughter (elementary), jobs for people just getting to japan geared towards students and families, best locations to live and study, and any other information you find useful! Thanks everyone!!!

Hello Princess,
Have you browsed around on this site for info on living arrangements, etc...? This is a great resource for Japan info, so if you look at the articles section, or make use of the search function on JREF, you should be able to find tons of info on life in Japan.

Covid has shaken everything up, and it has particularly shaken up travel to/from Japan for foreign nationals. No telling how it will affect the long-term employment situation. "Work From Home" was not at all an option for most companies, but now it is becoming more widespread. This is good news because it frees you from having to live in Tokyo, or close to a train/subway station. It gives you a huge amount of options. Bear in mind, raising a non-Japanese kid in Japan means you probably want to be someplace where there are other kids/families like yours, otherwise the feeling of isolation can be very intense. Its nice for you, but especially nice for your kids, to have access to someone from a similar background. So if you are within, say, an hour of Tokyo or Yokohama or Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto you ameliorate this problem pretty well. Fukuoka and Sendai, or Hokkaido are also options if you are a bit more adventurous. However, the farther you are away from Tokyo or Osaka, the more you may inadvertently be limiting your options for jobs, education, housing, health resources, etc... And if you have family in the US, whom you will want to visit from time-to-time, the farther you are from an international airport more expensive and exhausting it becomes to get to/from the airport.

Hi Elven and welcome to the forum.

I am a little confused by your post. Are you saying you are fully fluent in Japanese?

Are you ethnic Japanese? Do you have any relatives in Japan?

You say you are looking forward to getting your Master's Degree in Japan. Are you planning to study at a program taught in English for fluent English speakers, or at a program taught in Japanese for fluent Japanese speakers?

Buntaro said:

Hi Elven and welcome to the forum.

I am a little confused by your post. Are you saying you are fully fluent in Japanese?

Are you ethnic Japanese? Do you have any relatives in Japan?

You say you are looking forward to getting your Master's Degree in Japan. Are you planning to study at a program taught in English for fluent English speakers, or at a program taught in Japanese for fluent Japanese speakers?

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Hi there,
Sorry for the confusion! I am not fluent in Japanese yet, but my main goal as a career choice would involve me to become fluent. I want myself and my daughter both to be fluent Japanese speakers. I would hope to attend a school that would help me learn Japanese culture, language, and etc... but is based for English speakers. I hope that cleared it up a bit.

xElvenPrincessx said:

Hi there,
Sorry for the confusion! I am not fluent in Japanese yet, but my main goal as a career choice would involve me to become fluent. I want myself and my daughter both to be fluent Japanese speakers. I would hope to attend a school that would help me learn Japanese culture, language, and etc... but is based for English speakers. I hope that cleared it up a bit.

Click to expand...

Hi Elven,

Is it safe to assume you have mastered the reading and writing of hiragana and katakana? Can you read and write at least a handful of kanji?