[jpdrag0n]

I have some advice for you. In no way is the following meant to be offensive to anyone. I don't mean it to be offensive but I've seen alot of people on this forum and first-hand having big dreams of coming here to work/study/live here for the rest of their lives and I just want to add my personal opinion.

1st. If you want to come to Japan, first contact your college's study abroad office. This option is of course, for people who haven't gotten their bachelors degree yet...including me. There they will tell you your options and the general cost of coming here. I doubt alot of people on this forum have actually checked out how much it costs to live here...and it isn't cheap.

2nd. If you want to come to Japan to "study manga" or "become an artist" I would recommend you re-think your decision. I've seen these opinions on JF alot and it really doesn't make sense. Unless you have a level 1 on the JLPT I don't see you getting a job working as a manga artist. There are plenty of Japanese people vying for these jobs as well.

3rd. Learn Japanese. Learn it to the point where you can carry a conversation for a couple minutes. Coming here knowing "konnichiwa" and "your name to moshimasu" will put you in a sticky situation. Being able to communicate will make your time here ALOT more fun.

4th. There are a lot of people on JF who think they can just pack up their bags and move here. First off, you need a work visa or student visa if you're studying. Getting a work visa isn't as easy as some of you think. You need to have a job lined up and moreover, you need to prove to the Japanese gov't that your specific skills are needed more than a Japanese person with the same qualifications. I believe this is why MMM said most foreigners teach foreign languages here because there aren't that many native English, German, etc speaking Japanese here. This highlights that your skills can't be found in the Japanese labor pool and therefore they will let you enter Japan.

5th. For the people here who think Japan is some kind of anime fairy land...its not. Schoolchildren study and they study hard. All of my Japanese friends went to juku (cram school usually after school to study more) during high school. Even in college, where its said to be a little easier, my friends are still taking their final exams. I finished early because I'm an exchange student but most of them have 8-10 tests and a couple reports to write. In the US I had 3-4 tests total and maybe one report to write. And if you want to come to Japan to work at a company, you must be crazy. People here want to get out of Japan to stay away from Japanese companies. I honestly don't want to wake up at 7 am, commute on a packed train for an hour, work my ass off until 8 pm, forced to go drinking with your colleagues after work (yes sometimes its required), then drag myself home on the last train home (again packed to the max). I see salarymen commuting to work everyday and all I see is blank-faced zombies shuffling from train to train. If this is what you want, go for it.

Other than that, Japan is a great place. I recommend coming here to study, learn the language, experience the culture and food, but if you want to start your life anew here, I strongly advise you to think it through...preferably after you graduate college since most of you are still in high school/college.