Hello, I apologize if there is a move appropriate sub for this post! I was wondering about English speaking universities in Japan and wanted some advice / ask a few questions.
For context:
I’m 23, American, and have a BA in communications from a college here. I studied Japanese in 2019 in Tokyo, although only for 6 weeks. I would definitely say I’m still a beginner at Japanese, (especially after so long) but I still remember all the hiragana, katakana, basic sentences, etc. Ever since then I’ve wanted to study there again and possibly move there some day.
The obvious choice would be language schools, but more recently I’ve been interested in art schools. I’ve been practicing art since high school and although I don’t think I have a strong enough portfolio now, I’m really trying to improve. Art and Japanese culture have always been passions of mine but I’ve never thought myself good enough to pursue it. Anyways, when I look at English speaking art schools in Japan the only one I can find a decent amount of info on is the Tokyo art university which is hard to get into and (from what I know) prestigious. I was hoping if anyone had any other recommendations on schools or if it would be more realistic for me to go to language school first, and then apply for an art school that is in Japanese so I would have more options (assuming I’m good enough at Japanese to do so). If anyone has any advice I would really appreciate it, thank you!
5 comments
My 2 cents.
I think language school is a waste of time and money for complete beginners. I would recommend getting to N3 in your home country before doing it, so you can have basic conversations, where immersion will have some positive affect.
If you can’t find other schools taught in English, then they don’t exist. Schools would advertise this, because it is highly unusual.
Just curious, what is your end goal here? That should be driving your decision.
Do you feel that the language school was helpful to you last time? It really does depend on what kind of student you are, and no one here knows that about you. If you think that it would help, by all means, go to a language school for a six months or a year.
That being said, I think the requirements for entering an art school are going to be quite high. You’ll need to work at immersing yourself in the target language above and beyond your language school hours, especially art-related vocab.
There are lots of art schools, and art vocational schools, in Japan. Effectively none of them are taught in English, so you’ll need to work on your Japanese first. Once your Japanese is good enough to attend them, you’ll be fluent enough to Google in Japanese and find what you need.
But I have to second /u/im-here-for-the-beer’s qustion: What do you want to ***do*** in Japan after art school?
Art is not a particularly viable career path in any country, but as a foreigner you’re going to have a *lot* of trouble making a living (and thus getting a visa) as an artist.
In order to get a working visa in Japan you need to get a full time job offer that pays what immigration considers a living wage. The *vast* majority of artists work freelance and on commission. No full time job, no visa. No visa, no staying in Japan.
And because I know *someone* will bring it up: ***The “Artist” visa is not applicable here***. The artist visa is for established, world-famous artists, not fresh art school graduates.
As an artist in Japan who went to art school in the US and have browsed at a significant amount of art school open houses in Japan, stay in the US. The quality of art education and the products that come out of them after graduation is some of the worst I’ve seen. There’s a reason why a large number of artists who work in the animation business are foreigners. Domestic talent is often NOT good.
I studied abroad at Osaka University of Arts for a year! They have some English accommodating programs in the printmaking department but otherwise you have to test in to illustration and character design. My friend was around N3 and tested into the class okay but did struggle to keep up. To my knowledge, most other art colleges do not provide English accommodations.
Perhaps a senmon gakko that teaches art and Japanese would be a good bet for you since you have a bachelors already. There’s Yokohama Design College, off the top of my head.
I’d make sure your portfolio is super strong before even leaving for Japan. I hate being the bearer of bad news but unless you are already a whiz, it’s going to be super difficult to break into the industry. If you do manage to get a creative job, pay is absolutely dismal.
I am a trained sculptor, but I also have 4+ years of experience in editorial/publishing which is the only way I’ve been able to stay employed with some stability.
It might be worth finding a job that is still creative and fun where you can showcase your talents, but also take home a paycheck to continue your pursuit of character design. With some experience on your resume, you’ll find that opportunities come up along the way.
Try applying to gallery shows, pop-ups, or artist events to get your name out there once in Japan, but don’t bank on getting a gig at a studio as a designer.