yes that is it! thank you.

This site tells me this:

* Is a visa necessary to enter Japan?
* I have some questions about my visa application. Who should I ask?
* How can I learn the status of the visa for which I have applied?
* How to use the Visa Telephone Service number:
* I would like to bring plants/animals into Japan. Where can I obtain information on quarantines?
* I want to bring some souvenir such as a few bottles of wine into Japan. Where can I find information on customs regulations?
* I am currently living in Japan and have some questions concerning the eligibility of my stay. Who should I ask?

None of which are questions I need answers too. I ASKED THE QUICKEST PROCEDURE OF OBTAINING A VISA, AND THE REQUIREMENTS. Not "Am I allowed to bring plans with me"

Well you asked for it.

独立行政法人日本学生支援機構-JASSO

You should get all the information you need from here. Click on the English link if you need to. In the mean time, I'd find a Japanese class fast and aim for JLPT 1.

I know a few friends who have chosen this path, it goes something like study Japanese --> get accepted by a Japanese university --> study more Japanese in Japan --> pass JLPT 1 --> start the semester in Japanese university.

Thank you very much my friend. I like the little "You can click on the English link if you need to" part. That was pretty cute :mtongue:

dear alanx

following the link i posted you will find info such as "application procedures before entry" with subcategories such as "Visa Applications". i don't know what you are referring to.

now i can't say that i am an expert on japan as i am not even an expert of my native country although having spent 25 years there. however in my experience manners and a certain humbleness towards things you don't know too much about will get you rather far. especially in dealings with immigration regardless of country.

1) Getting hired by a Japanese company willing to sponsor you.

2) To do that, graduate from college and pass their hiring procedure.

Don't understand what blimp is talking about.

But I have to go to New York to apply for a visa? Or at immigration office? Good God, this is confusing. I wish someone would just tell me the step-by-step proces so I can be done with all of this confusion.

http://www.jasso.go.jp/study_j/docum..._04_e_2008.pdf

Geesh if you can't even do these kind of basic research yourself in ENGLISH, what chance do you have in hell to get ANYWHERE in Japan. :rolleyes:

Do you know the Japanese word 厚顔無恥（こうがんむち）. You might hear a lot of that when you do get to Japan.

The EJU through JASSO is most likely on the same level of Japanese ability as the JLPT 1. This is as much as I can discern from glancing over practice books and past exams.

You wouldn't be far off. It's no stroll in the park that's for sure. You are sitting duck in Japan if you can't communicate... unless you are loaded with money and just there to spend money endlessly.