Any help from anyone in Japan would be greatly appreciated =)
 

Erm, I don't know where to start... I'm just wanting someone to talk to from Japan because after university I'm thinking of moving over there. It's something I've always wanted to do and I just need some general information. It's still a while away but there is no harm in having a head start :D . Any feedback would be nice. Cheers :) .

What kind of things do you want to know?

Erm... Now there's a question... Lots of things really. How well will I have to be able to speak Japanese to get any kind of work to support myself over there? I'm learning to speak it now but I'm terrible at the moment =/. The language barrier is my biggest concern.

Oh and I appologise for posting this in the wrong section. I should have gone on travel advice or something similar but I don't mind making new friends =P.

well the language itself is slightly hard to get a nack at but eventually it does get easy

Hmmm. I'm going to practice it a lot anyway but will a couple of years studying it by myself be enough or should I get a teacher? I'm still at the basics so I havn't hit any of the hard stuff yet so I don't know whats in store for me yet =/...

i would try want u know and if u still dont understand it then get a teacher

You will have your job decided before you go to Japan, and there are jobs, like English teacher, which you really don't need Japanese.

But the more Japanese you know the better for living in Japan.

that is true

What kind of work are you looking for? Because anything other than teaching English, and you will need to be pretty darn good. Unless of course you have a special skill, like engineering or something and work for a company that transfers you here. But just coming here and trying to find a (good) job outside of teaching English and you will probably need to be at JLPT level 1 (which probably takes most determined and dedicated learners about 4-5 years to pass).

That seems fair =). Which parts of Japan do you recomend I should definatly check out?

Check out as in sight seeing?? Because where you live will most likely be determined for you by your job.

Ohhh so when I plan on moving over there I need to get a job over there first or is it the government which decides on what work would best suit me? I want to be a teacher anyway =). I'm just going to have to study really hard because I've been thinking of it for 5 years and I still really want to do it. :D

There are tons of places worth seeing...it will depend on where you are located for your job.

(Sighs) My special skills are art and photography which arn't very useful but I do have quite a long time to learn the language so I actually have a chance. Is JLPT some sort of language test you have to take? Oh and it's cool I actually want to be a teacher :D ... The only thing is not an english teacher :( . I guess I can't be picky though :D

Everyone thanks for all the help!:D :D :D Please still talk I just wanted to show my grattitude :)

I went through the JET Programme, and I would recommend looking into it.

I was placed in a public high school, and it is common for the English teachers from foreign countries to also help out with clubs they are interested in. You could certainly help out with the photography club at your school.

Well, I would say you are probably looking at having to join up with the English teacher crowd. It may not be what you want to do, but it is certainly a way for you to get yourself here. I too would recommend you look into the JET program. The pay and benefits are by far the best in the world of entry level English teaching. No special degree in English is necessary either, just a 4 year BA/BS in any subject is fine. You also do not have to have any Japanese ability, but I would highly recommend learning it the best you can to anybody who thinks they want to live here for a while.

Ahhh Things are looking up for me. These clubs are extracurricular activities? So it would be like a class but just for fun with trips and events? That wouldn't be too bad. I'm really passionate about photography so even if it is just for fun atleast I would be able to help out/teach the students in a completley relaxed environment. :D

Once again thanks for all the feedback. It now doesn't seem like an impossible task :D :D :D

Well... Where you go depends on where you get a job.
Where you get a job depends on the method upon which you get a job.

If you come to Japan first (I'd recommend Late February early March) on a work vacation visa you can apply to schools (High/Jr/Elem) and have a job by April. You may get stuck at an Eikaiwa (lots hire around this time too since Juku really kicks up around April) because of a lack of experience.

The more Japanese you speak the Better. If you are really, REALLY Fluent then schools will be more interested in you (like native fluency) you can also get in at jobs like translation, editing, IT, and possibly Trade (Especially if you speak more then just English and Japanese) The more you speak the easier you'll find everything anyways.

Anyway I've got a lot of info up on my Blog if you want to check it out. It has a bunch of job search links, some Eikaiwa reviews and the process I went through to get a job here.

Somewhere over the Ramen Bowl