Hello, I am a 16 year old junior in high school residing in the United States. I want to move to Japan after high school but am not sure what I should do. I know what I would like to do is unrealistic, considering I don’t know Japanese(I plan on starting to learn very soon, life is just chaotic right now), but I just want some advice so that I can plan. I plan on graduation halfway through my senior year, as I have enough credits and don’t want to be in highschool anymore. I also plan on taking a trip to Japan around that time for a Kyudo(traditional Japanese Archery) seminar. I wanted to just take a one way flight, stay in Japan and study Japanese with the aid of being immersed in the culture. I wanted to do this so that I could possibly apply to a Japanese university when the time comes, or, if I do change my mind, I could always just come back to the U.S, but I’m not sure what visa I would apply for, as I’m not sure if my stay will be over 3 months, or if I should find a study abroad program from my second senior year semester. I have read on this subreddit that many people suggest going to college in the U.S then moving to Japan after. But I wanted to leave the States as soon as I could, partially due to the cost of college over here as well as for other reasons that I won’t get into here. I have a good support net here if things don’t work out, but I just wanted some advice on what options I have relating to moving to Japan after Highschool and what options I have. Thank you
3 comments
So you need a B.A to get a job for a work visa. As a US citizen you can visit Japan for 90 days with a U.S. Passport. You could do University in Japan, but you can only get a scholarships to pay for school, but the rest will be loans. You absolutely will need Japanese to live there comfortably. I suggest starting college in the US and take Japanese classes as s start.
I just want to hone in on one point of your post, for any other young US people reading. Higher education in America does not have to be expensive. Unless you are aiming for very specific goals or industries, your school will largely not matter. You do not need to go to a university that costs $20k a year. I know dozens, if not hundreds of foreign professionals here in Japan that are successful and went to no-name schools. I have spent my entire adult life in Japan in the financial services/consulting industries at managerial/director level, retired from full-time work in my 30s, and am financially set for the rest of my life. I went to a US school you’ve probably never even heard of.
Community/state schools in the US are very affordable. Scholarships are very helpful. If you, the person reading this, including OP, are young enough, you should 100% focus on knocking your high school and standardized test results out of the park. It will change your life. You do not need to go to Harvard. OP, based off your post history, you live in Minneapolis. Minneapolis community/technnical is about $6k a year in tuition. This is approximately the same as Ritsumeikan.
Please let go of the myth that all education in the US is ultra expensive or even required. You can come to Japan with a solid and affordable four year degree and be successful. I promise. Just. take. your. time.
I don’t have a super detailed answer for you, but I would concider studying Japanese in an American college or university that participates in study abroad programs.
Similarly, look up JET. I’ve known a few JETs, but I don’t know much personally. You don’t have to study Japanese to teach English 🙂
https://jetprogramusa.org/eligibility-criteria/