Really want to live in Japan!

[Haven]

Hello, everyone. I have big plans for the future (living in Japan). I was wondering if anyone could help me out:

My main plan is to be a foreign exchange student for a year, then finish up with college in America, get my bachelor's degree in something(having trouble finding out what I want to do), then live in Kyoto in a small apartment, then work my way up, like first eating very cheaply, then start saving money for other things, and that's pretty much it. My main problem is finding out what jobs are popular for foreigners, transportation, etc. So, if anybody could help me out, I would deeply appreciate it?

[Hatredcopter]

Originally Posted by Haven

Hello, everyone. I have big plans for the future (living in Japan). I was wondering if anyone could help me out:

My main plan is to be a foreign exchange student for a year, then finish up with college in America, get my bachelor's degree in something(having trouble finding out what I want to do), then live in Kyoto in a small apartment, then work my way up, like first eating very cheaply, then start saving money for other things, and that's pretty much it. My main problem is finding out what jobs are popular for foreigners, transportation, etc. So, if anybody could help me out, I would deeply appreciate it?

Well, you've got a good plan going. Being an exchange student allows you to experience daily Japanese life before actually moving there for good. You're finishing college, which is good, since you do need a bachelor's to work/live in Japan. Irregardless of what degree you pursue, you can get a job in teaching English pretty easily in Japan. That's what 98% of foreigners do for a job when they come here. After you've had some working experience in Japan, it's possible to branch out into other jobs not related to teaching English. Translation and interpretation are also well-suited to foreigners, but your Japanese must be top-notch. I'd recommend attending a university that offers Japanese if at all possible. As far as transportation goes, it depends where you live. If you're around one of the major cities, the rail systems can usually serve you fine. If you're a little further out, many opt for a car. It's pretty easy to get a driver's license in Japan, but not so easy to get used to driving on the other side of the road (at least it wasn't for me).

Hope that helps.. if you have any other specific questions I can try to answer them.

[Haven]

I'm still in middle school, so I'm not finishing college, that's what I'm planning to do when I get in the middle of college, though.

[kireikoori]

As someone very impatient to return to Japan and in college right now, I've thought of some similar things. However, I'm worried about a few things.

- How good of a grade point average do I need to get into a Japanese college? I figure colleges in Japan are a lot stricter when it comes to grade point average.

- As a person who is going to a community college right now because it's cheap, I'm worried that there wouldn't be a Japanese college out there cheap enough for me to be able to afford. How cheap can I go to college in Japan for?

[Haven]

Those are some good points raised, there. Yeah, I figure I'll get my grades back up, then start saving money, and so on and so forth.

[matt19261]

Could you get a bachlors degree in a japanese college(or college in japan)?