Hi. I recently came back from a 2 week homestay programme in Kyoto and I really miss Japan. I really want to go back. I'm still kind of young so I know I won't really go back there for a couple of years. Any ideas?
Japan - 4 Answers
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1 :
You usually need working or student visa to live in Japan. For working visa, you have to get a job offer from a Japanese company. But you can't look for a job in Japan without a visa. So you need it before you enter Japan. For student visa, you have to be admitted to a Japanese college. You need to pay tuition and living cost for 4 years. It could be about $80,000.
2 :
To work and live in Japan it is best to know proper Japanese. I have been some like 2 years all together in Japan and it was always hard for me, cause I don't read kanji. In some countries (germany) it is possible to get a "working and holiday" visa. you can get that only once in your life, and until you turn 27 oder 28, I don't remember. It is valid for one year.
3 :
I would recommend coming to Japan either to study for a year, or going to a Language school for a year or two after graduating from college and teach English only part time at first. Any decent language school will give you lots of organized, fun Japanese experiences like going to hot springs or Kyoto and you will learn the basics of doing business--how to write a rirekisho (resume) and speak keigo, which are skills many foreigners from the west lack, let alone the language itself. I worked full-time for a McEnglish school when I was 22 and spent a year in the bottom of a bottle, chasing skirts and being an ass, like all the other guys there. I regret wasting a year and wish I had gone to a language school instead (I learned no Japanese that year either)-- Whatever you do, don't stay in a clique of foreign people and eat at McDonalds every day...You'd be suprised how many young people end up doing that.
4 :
I know exactly how you feel. Everything about you is itching to get back as fast as possible. Sometimes even sacrificing future opportunities to do so. I've been there more than once. First thing to do is calm down and find a way to surround yourself with enough j-stuff to keep that monkey off your back but still stay motivated. To live here long term you're gonna need a BA in something. Doesn't matter what cause it's just a way to show perspective employers that you can stick with something for the long term. As this question comes up here so much you might have more than a little competition doing a year abroad but it is very possible. If you really want to stay here long term you have two major choices: pop over and work at an English school while bulking up your social network and then make your break when you get a chance, or Stay in the states and find a job that could potentially position you in japan later. This option, while a bit crap in the short term, is the best way to stay here long term and have a more comfortable lifestyle. Which would you rather be:? The borderline broke English teacher who got here fast but lives miles from anywhere ans is pounding konbini bought beers before entering the club cause he's short on green. Or the guy whose company provided him with an apartment deep in the thick of town and an expense account to boot. I know that the seduction of getting ones butt back over here is a major pull, but once here the chances for advancement aren't super great unless you really bust your hump.
