Student Visa to Japan?
 

I heard there's a type of student visa called a pre-college visa, does that mean you can go to high school in Japan if you can get this type of visa? I guess I'm just trying to find a loop whole besides going through a high school exchange program. Can you go and live in and attend a Japanese high school with a student visa without going through an official exchange program like AFS?

Why would you want to do that?

I know it would already be expensive even without a going through AFS, but there must be a cheaper option than paying $11,500 through an exchange program. Is there any loop wholes?

It's loopholes. But wouldn't you WANT to use an exchange program, rather than having no support system, no foreigners to talk to, no established regimen?

I agree with this. You would definitely want the support system in place if you were going to a foreign country. Also, if the 11k price tag is throwing you off, have you considered what might be included with it? Room and board are likely included in that. In addition, it might include travelers insurance and other things you aren't thinking of but would want as a high school student going to Japan. Also, I don't know how long that program is, but considering that a year at one of my home state's better state universities costs about $4,000 more, that could actually be a fairly good price. Hell, I think I'm paying something like $13,000 to take a semester of language study at the college level. That being said, if it's a summer program, I could understand your apprehension with the price tag, but going to Japan for an extended period of time is going to be expensive regardless.

I`m going to offer my unpopular opinion.

Private high school exchange programs are a complete and total ripoff.
Families are paid approx. $200/month to host a student. If that - in many cases it is a volunteer activity, with the "payment" to the family being the chance to interact in English... Something that they far too often will push very hard if they have children. I have heard of and personally seen far too many situations where a family volunteers to have a student stay with them and refuses to speak Japanese to them, using them as conversation practice (Because this is what was promised to them in return for housing the student.) Obviously this makes it very hard to advance in Japanese language.

High schools will offer free tuition or even pay the companies to have a student attend to add an international flavor to the school.

Airfare is almost NEVER included.

Where does the $10,000+ you pay go?
Not to support either, as most of these programs are VERY light on that.

Most of the money goes into advertising, and into impressing parents so they`ll trust the company.

Sorry, but I have never seen a good high school exchange program.
Sister school programs - yes. High school level language courses - yes. Full year exchange programs? Not even once.

You really are better off looking into a dedicated language program, or in waiting until after high school to do a university program.