[Bugg333]

because i've been posting in the "scared to go to japan thread" to ask my questions, it seems that- because there are so many pages- my questions are skipped over, so i've decided to make a separate thread.

Originally Posted by Bugg333

I'm a mixed guy (1/2 black 1/2 white) in 10th Grade and i want to live in Japan as well. I am learning Japanese from books and whatever source i can get my hands on. I am 16 years old and I live in LA, Cali, USA. (the place where there are two seasons every year... Summer and Spring. ) I have always loved the Asian cultures and for many of years i have always loved the Japanese culture especially. So understanding the culture and history of Japan will never be a problem for me.

However, my concern is the grades. My parents have always kept on me about the grades and i have always been good about it, however i don't see how getting a 3.8 is possible... REALLY THOUGH. I get pissed when i get any C's on my report card, and my most recent report card had about a 3.3 average, with 3 A's, 3 B's and 1 C. (I play music too and im in a music academy, so i have 7 periods.) With a 3.3, am i going to be ok? I'm worried out of my mind dawg!!!!

And what other necessities are there? Tell me now so i can prepare as much as possible. What colleges are there that are near or in a city, and what GPA is necessary for which ones? And also, what cards/papers do i have to fill to go over there to learn, and after that, what would i have to get to live there after college? What range of jobs would be available?

Thanks

Originally Posted by SSJup81

You're already on the right track, studying the language and the culture. You should be fine.Well, once you graduate high school, look into universities that have exchange programs. It wouldn't surprise me if a place like UCLA had it. You can maybe minor in Japanese and then participate in an exchange where you can maybe spend a semester in Japan while studying. To go to an actual Japanese University, the way you're going on about it, you have to have a Japanese proficiency level of probably equivalent to the JLPT 1. Do you have any idea what your proficiency level is? Have you ever looked into taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT)?

Aside from having a passport, to literally live there, you will need a Visa. There are different types, work visa, spousal visa, student visa, tourist visa, etc. There are requirements as to how you get the visa, but one of the main necessities is having a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university.

Anyway, do you plan on literally living there or do you just want to visit for a like a month or something? If you literally want to live there, would probably have to try and obtain a work visa, which isn't easy to obtain, seemingly. You have to already have a job and a place of employment to sponsor your Visa prior to living there.

Originally Posted by Bugg333

Well i only recently got a book, which im starting to learn japanese from. Will I probably be able to pass this JLPT if i study japanese language for the next two years that i'm in high school? I want to actually GO to a university in Japan, not just a semester, i mean GO. I want to BE in it.

Well first of all, how can i get a Bachelor's degree if i plan on learning in a university in japan? I would have to get a student visa to go over there to be in a Japanese university, obviously, but i can't get the visa without the degree, so am i forced to have to take college in here in america before i can even try to learn in Japan? I wanna make this work.

Yes i plan on living there, i've put much much much much thought into it, and if i could choose any place to live, honestly, i'd want to live over there, and i'm confident that i'm not making the wrong choice. Also, i have alot of time to take care of whatever i need to get done before going over there. So i'm also confident that my goal of living there isn't an impossible one.
now for the work visa, if im going to learn over there, in one of their universities, will i need a work visa or a student visa? I thought i could get a student visa and then get a work visa when i graduate. and if i do that, i guess i'll have to get a job while im in the university, so that i can get the work visa? wouldn't i need a work visa for that though?

and lastly, this is indeed a possible goal, right?

Originally Posted by SSJup81

I actually doubt that you will be able to pass lvl 1 or 2, unless you have a really good memory and use Japanese every single solitary day in some way or form and associate with those who can speak it back as practice. In other words, maybe if you eat, sleep, and breathe Japanese, maybe you'll be able to reach that level, although I highly doubt that one possibly can in only two years with out being surrounded by it (but hey, everyone learns differently). I can see learning a lot and then continuing to improve upon it after going to Japan.

In the states, the JLPT is given in December every year at various test centers. The price varies depending on what level you take. I took lvl 3 this past December, but didn't pass it due to pretty much doing horribly on the first section. There are four levels for the JLPT, 4 being the easiest, 1, being the hardest. A person with a lvl 1 proficiency, "has mastered grammar to a high level, knows around 2,000 kanji and 10,000 words, and has an integrated command of the language sufficient for life in Japanese society." A person on this level, or higher, should be able to read, and probably comprehend, a Japanese newspaper and should be able to hold a conversation with practically strangers on the street. The best way to even be remotely close to this, imo, is to actually be emerged in the language.

A friend of mine studied Japanese for years...I'd say ever since he was about 12 or 13. He was great with reading, writing, and vocabulary, but due to the fact that he didn't have any formal learning until he did get to college, his speaking/listening wasn't very good at all. All his years of self-study did pay off when taking formal Japanese classes at his university. He then spent about a year in Japan as an exchange through his university during his third year.It'd be cheaper and more practical to just study in your home country and just do a cultural exchange. If you go to a university in Japan, your lessons will be in Japanese. I know some places offer English-language classes, like Hokusei Gakuen University in Sapporo, but, it's set up for "exchange" purposes.It isn't, but it'd still be more practical, and realistic, if you just study in your home country and do an exchange, and then return to Japan after you've graduated.Probably a student visa, but I'm not sure of the rules for a foreigner at a university obtaining a job. Maybe someone else can answer this one.Sure, just a very difficult one due to lack of fluency in the language.

Originally Posted by Bugg333

So let me get this straight, to learn to language to the necessary point, i would have to basically live over there, but to live over there, i'd have to know the language to the necessary point.

...so i should.... visit japan a bunch of times/be an exchange student, to live over there. something tells me i'm doing something wrong here..... but that's the basic concept that i'm supposed to be understanding, correct?

So at this point, it's looking like ima either go through many many trips to japan before even THINKING of trying to actually go over there, or i will just be another well educated, college-graduated dude in america who wishes he were somewhere else, and i DON'T want that! Any thoughts? I know it's about two years from college, but i'd like to prepare as much as possible, but hell- if there's no way to really make this happen, LET ME KNOW NOW, BEFORE I GET INTO IT, cuz if i follow this dream of mine for a year or two, and then i find out that i can't do it, it's gonna be really sad, but that shouldn't be an issue because it appears that it is indeed possible.

So anyways, i'm going to talk to college prep counselors at my school to see what they say, and any input i get from here will be much appreciated as well.