Please help, I plan to move to japan.

[GoldCoinLover]

Well after being hospitalized for attempted suicide 3 times, and having depression, as well as not being the right target weight. I cannot join the military. So I plan to move to japan.I'm 17. I don't know any (or little japanese)

About to graduate high school. Thought I could be a physicst in the US, but I just don't know anymore. I plan to live in japan , if this is possible. Please understand I know no japanese and I realise most people on the street dont know english, so this is going to be extremely tough. A few days ago I heard Tokyo is the costliest city in the world. Good lord, what else? How am I going to support myself? I just got laid off from my job, can't figure out how to come up with the money to take myself to japan, let alone enough money to live there.

Please help me. If you live in japan, respond and give me some advice. Or if you know japanese. I need to know someone to contact when I get there to guide me.

 

[Keiichi]

Dude, if you think you can't even survive in the country that you know the language to, how is living in one that you don't know the language to make it any easier? First, get a hold of yourself. Moving to another country is not going to make everything all better. You probably can't even teach English there if you don't have a college degree. And you're only 17? This is probably just a phase then.
Go find a new job or go to college.

Keiichi

☝

 

[Kinsao]

This might sound like a stupid question, and I really am not wanting to sound sarcastic... Did you have some ideas about what job you would like and/or be able to do, when you move to Japan? You mentioned that you were going to be a physicist in the US, so maybe you could use those skills to find work in Japan? :? And learning Japanese at the same time

But, if you don't have a job at the moment, it's difficult because of the money... You feel maybe different to me, but I can only say, if I was in your place, first I would find some job in the US, it doesn't matter what job, but just to earn some money. Then, to spend some money on taking a Japanese class and save up the rest for your trip.

Doing a crap or boring job can be depressing though... don't want you to get sick again ☝ But, if you have an aim for the future, it is some different motivation, so it is seeing beyond the moment, and especially if you know the time is limited, you are working towards your goal so maybe don't feel bad....

Also, when you go to Japan (whether it is straight away or later) your Japanese skills will surely improve quickly because if you live in a country, that is only natural! Even if you think your languages ability is average, I am sure you would learn fast if you were living there.

But, of course if you're going to work in Japan, you will need to have some Japanese language. Anyway, you can try home study if there is no class near you, and also find Japanese penfriends, can improve your language skill. It sounds like you are determined in what you want to do, so I say, Good Luck!

But, it is well to remember, please make sure you are in good physical and mental health before you start on the big adventurous project... One thing is, if you get sick in another country you could find it more difficult to explain what is the problem and understand the treatments for you... Another thing is, you move away and leave behind friends, family and social life, and you have to start another social life from nothing. This can be difficult if you don't know the language well. So, maybe you feel lonely for a while... so it's important to be strong enough to get through that time. Maybe you don't feel very close to family or friends even in the US, but, when you move, it feels very different in surprising ways.

I think I have been preaching enough! :sorry: I hope you get some good advice from people on this forum

 

[duff_o_josh]

you dont need to know japanese but it helps. will you go to university here? how will you get a visa? the usa doesnt not have a working holiday here so i wonder.

 

[PopCulturePooka]

I'm going to be honest.
You won't make it.
You won't be able to find a decent or legal job without a degree and with your psychological history I'm not sure if any colleges would be happy sponsoring you for exchange.

Fact is, the first few months in Japan can be tough for any foreigner. Culture shock, new land, new culture, new language, some extremely rough patches, lack of money, building new social circles and worst of all a sense of homesickness and isolation.

It happened to me in my first three months and damn near broke me. And I was working full time and had people at work who had been through the exact same stuff that I could turn to if I really wanted too. However most foreigners living, working and studying in Japan have their own problems and lives, and while they may be willing to listen and help out as much they can, a sorry truth is that they just won't have the time or in some cases, bother, to help someone with a lot of problems. Theres so many weirdo screwed up gaijin in Japan that many of ther other gaijin just feel its better to leave the person to their own devices. Which just leads to more isolation. Let alone the Japanese and the way that they perceive people with depression and mental illness.

Moving to Japan will not help your problems and will likely make things a lot worse for you.

Best bet is to move somewhere new in America, or try a holiday in an english speaking country.

Get your life in order, go to college and get a degree and then look at coming to Japan.

Sorry.

 

[Buntaro]

GoldCoinLover.

You *cannot* get a job in Japan unless you have a college degree. I think that the Japanese Customs officials will not even let you into the country unless you have a return ticket home. (My Japanese friend's father is a retired Japanese Customs official.)

Get a college degree, then try to go to Japan.

 

[PopCulturePooka]

GoldCoinLover.

You *cannot* get a job in Japan unless you have a college degree. I think that the Japanese Customs officials will not even let you into the country unless you have a return ticket home. (My Japanese friend's father is a retired Japanese Customs official.)

Get a college degree, then try to go to Japan.

Also many of the companies that will employ you to work in Japan (eg English schools) will be VERY wary about hiring someone with depression and suicide attempts. Its a HUGE risk on their behalf to do so.

Nova questioned me because I suffered a bout of minor depression for a few months after a family tragedy. I had 'gotten over it' at least a year before I applied, but Nova still demanded a letter from the doctor stating that I was ok now and fit to travel and work.

 

[yukio_michael]

I'm going to give you advice that you don't want to hear, even though, it is I think, the correct path that you should follow: DO NOT MOVE TO JAPAN.

There, it sounds bad eh? Moving to Japan isn't going to solve any of your problems, the problems that you are having now will be ten-fold in another country where you will need to find gainfull employment and, if you wish to have any sort of meaningful relationship with another human being, you will need to learn the language as well.

Take some time to study the language, get a job doing something not that stressfull, figure out if you really want to go to Japan and moreover why you do... (I'm not saying "WHY WOULD YOU!?"...)...

You know, you've already missed Japan's "cool phase", the 1990s, so, in that aspect---Japan isn't going anywhere... you can take your time.

Have you ever stayed for any long amount of time in another 'English speaking' country? You might try that first... You should move to a country with the idea that you are going to contribute something other than a poverty statistic. I don't know if Tokyo is the coolest city in the world, (it's certainly the mecca of Japan, and is great if you enjoy $400.00 Hysteric Glamour jeans...)* but...

*actually, you can get those just about anywhere but it goes so well, the retro 90s style, the absurd expense.

 

[Emoni]

Ok, I really can't think of much of a way to say this sugar coated so I'll just say it and be honest and direct.

Don't go, you aren't ready yet at ALL. You are asking for a serious problem, and this is from someone who understands some of what you might be going through. You are purposefully setting yourself up for disaster, and that is a BAD THING.

Interested in Japan? Study it, learn the language, and for your own sake GO TO COLLEGE FIRST. Trust me, it will change your life and open up things you never expected. The difference between a high school graduate and a college graduate is huge on education and experience. Get to college NOW anyway you can, preferably through community college. Then after you've studied the language sign up for a study abroad program. You can even major in Japanese language, or international business with a focus on Japan and the language and culture. After you graduate you can sign up for the JET program which has both business and teacher oppertunities. I know this because I have looked into all this myself and am going one of these routes.

Keeping it short. Don't go, you aren't ready or able to handle it yet. You will be though, but get your butt to college first or you will regret it for the rest of your life. I promise you that you will never regret it and it is a far better use of your money than trying to manage in the most expensive city in the world before you are even an adult.

 

[Silverpoint]

Dude... no joking aside, you're asking the wrong people. None of us here are qualified to answer you questions, because they go much deeper than simply moving to another country. Get some help from a professional, then have another think.

Good luck

 

[michael1981]

well we shude have sead this go ther for 2 month see if you relay like it

if you do go back to japan 4 month later for 2 more months if it go well stay a year then come back for a monthif it go well then decide if you will stay ther

hoep this helps

 

[GoldCoinLover]

Thank you for the responses. I think I'm going to visit japan first.

 

[duff_o_josh]

if youa re determined enough you can do it. after all im working here with no degree.

 

[Mike Cash]

But aren't you on a working holiday visa? For which he isn't eligible?

I'm also working here without a degree. I recommend very, very strongly that he both get a degree and do whatever it takes to help him with his other issues before he decides to live and work in Japan....or anywhere else, come to think of it.

 

[duff_o_josh]

well he could do the student visa part time work scheme. depending on what institution he is enrolled in depeneds on his allowed working hours, but i mean working 20 hours a week in japan teaching english can bring you a lot of money. ofcourse his depression will stop him from achieveing anything like that and not to mention the fact that he probably has no determination.

 

[michael1981]

good GoldCoinLover glad you tucke what i sead to heart every 1 can agree a small trip be best for now

 

[GaijinPunch]

I recommend very, very strongly that he both get a degree and do whatever it takes to help him with his other issues before he decides to live and work in Japan....or anywhere else, come to think of it.

This is possibly the best advice given in these forums... ever. Get your degree... makes life a lot easier.

 

[Jack]

i second the motion, you totally dont seem up to the battle of survival you will face trying to move to Japan,
good luck to you.

 

[nice gaijin]

I am turning 21 soon and I just travelled to Japan for the first time; I've been studying the language for two years, read about the language and culture extensively and discussed various issues regarding the country with whoever I could find, and when I went, I still felt that I wasn't ready. I'm curious as to why you want(ed) to move there at 17 with no experience with the language. Why Japan?

I strongly suggest visiting for a couple weeks at least, if you can afford it. Getting away from your life for a while sounds like a good idea anyways, but really keep your eyes open; it's hard as a visitor to see some of the issues a foreigner faces when trying to live in Japan. Aside from the exorbitant cost of living (Tokyo is second only to London, last I checked), actually getting your own place is full of challenges. Getting a job can be just as difficult, considering you speak only english and your very young age.

To compound the issue you have no real income to speak of... I'm not loose with my money and I spent almost 2 grand on my trip including airfare, and that's considering I spent only about one out of five weeks in hotels. If I didn't have my friends there, I would have been completely lost and gone broke in a hurry.

My best advice to you is to keep going to school and find out about exchange programs with Japanese Universities. Start learning the language as soon as possible, start with hiragana and katakana (the basic phonetic writing system) and get a good book on Japanese grammar (the Japan Times is the best publisher for grammar books I've come across so far). Most exchange programs will arrange practically everything for you and there are a lot of scholarships to help out people. Most programs also have things set up so you are still only paying your normal tuition even though you are studying in a foreign country. Beyond that there are teaching programs for college grads who want to work in Japan, but again, you are going nowhere without a degree.

I understand your need to escape, and if you are really dead-set on Japan then please look into these things, but you are picking a really tough country to assimilate into. Try if you can to go and see Japan as a tourist, and keep your eyes open. It's a beautiful country (outside of tokyo) with a lot to see and do, but there's a lot of trouble foreigners are likely to get themselves into, and most of it is trial and error. You might find those rose colored glasses start to slip off your nose.

So again, for the sake of your own future, go to college and make an educated decision about where you want to go in life. You might want to go to a more affordable place with a language more similar to your own; Buenos Aires is a beautiful city, and in the top ten least expensive cities to live in comfortably, and Spanish is a hell of a lot easier to learn than Japanese.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Attend college where you are, learn Japanese, then move!

I plan to attend a university in England.

 

[extricate]

you gotta be joking right man?

 

[Davey]

you gotta be joking right man?

you are aware that this tread dates back to 2005, do you?

 

[yukio_michael]

you are aware that this tread dates back to 2005, do you?

Can we close this thread, in respect to GCL... he's at a different place NOW obviously than he was then, and I think, any other answers or comments will prove fruitless.

Yours, in respect.

~ Michael.

 

[Mars Man]

I will close the thread, then, and if any of the team members reason I have erred here--still new at this, you know--please feel free to correct me.

Thanks for the in-put and the notices on the motion of closure. MM