Japan

Hold on guys.. I'm not sure of the specific details for Japan, but I do know how it is in other parts of Asia.

1. If you don't have a University degree (much less a high school diploma) very few places will hire you. In fact, for you to qualify for a work visa teaching, you generally have to be accredited.

2. If you are charging for a service, don't you think you should be qualified? What age range do you plan to teach? what experience do you have? what qualifies you to teach other than growing up with English as your first language?
These are all questions you should be asking yourselves.

3. Japan has a relatively high start up cost. You may want to consider other countries in Asia that provide housing.

4. Japan (and Asia) are not always easy to "stomach". Some people move here and love it, others come here and quickly realize it's not for them. Before you go talking about getting citizenship in a country (which is a MAJOR step), you might want to try living there for a while.

*Just some advice from someone who has been there.

I just finished reading Juggy's response above me, and he raises a few very, very valid points. First of all, you need the equivalent of a 4 year degree to get a job teaching in English.

Secondly, simply forget about becoming a Japanese citizen--it is not happening.

Third, you should really, really visit Japan before deciding on moving there for any length of time--the idea of moving without actually being there is the absolute definition of "rushing in".

Fourth, if you don't go into teaching and you are not working for a Japanese company that is willing to sponsor you then work visas are extremely hard to land.

Honestly, just based on the details you've given I would suggest you look into studying in Japan for 1 or 2 years--study visas are much easier to get, most allow up to 20 hours of part time work, and it gives you a shot at looking up close and personal for jobs.

Finally, if you really do want to see some job listings for teaching--http://www.ohayosensei.com is updated quite frequently.

My own experience was teaching as an AET in Saitama-ken through the JET Program. Feel free to send a PM or reply here if you have any questions about my actual experiences.

Any and all information available for others to give here would be much appreciated. If I can learn as much as I can I can figure out what I need to get things moving in the right direction, even if that does mean re-examining my plans and adjusting my timetable.

What things can you learn with a study visa?

As for the climate and culture of Japan, I have a feeling I'd be more at home in Japan than I am in my current residence. I've looked at the good, the bad, and the ugly of Japan and from what I've seen it feels like it resonates more with my core self than most other places I know anything about. My problem might come not from the whole Japan experience, but from my Asperger's Syndrome and people's view of me in general. Then again, I might simply be viewed as your typical baka gaijin and they might not even notice I have a problem. >_>

I still have a lot to look into, but right now as it stands I have to do something. I need to move forward with my life. Something needs to change, and this is something that for years I've wanted to do. I just plan on doing it a bit sooner now, than later.

Pangea, I guess I'm planning to "rush in" because I really want to live where I know I'll be happy for the rest of my life. Just like Story, I know I'll be more at home when I go to Japan.

If you've ever watched Hard Gay on Youtube and look at the scenery in the background, that's what I'm talking about. It's beautiful, peaceful, and it's the kind of place where I would want to live.

Also, is there any kind of job I could possibly look for besides an English teacher? I'm not really a teaching kind of person.

While I think Pangea's being a bit much, he's got good points.

You really might be putting too much of your own feelings into the locale itself. Since I don't know, I'll ask: Are you now, or have you in the past, lived in a very large city? By very large, I mean something like L.A., New York, London, etc.

Because that's really what Japan (or at least what I think you're both looking forward to) is. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto... they're all big cities... just with a bit of individual flavor. To get that city lifestyle, you may not need to go to an entirely different country.

Me? I love big cities. Love New York, loved Osaka, loved Tokyo. And while I, too, want to go to Japan, I know that I don't really need to in order to get my urban fix. It's the lifestyle more than it is the location, you know?



That all aside, with some good corporate experience, notable references and knowledge of the language, you might be able to swing a translator position. But for "breaking into" Japan, a simple teaching job would probably be your best/easiest bet.

Still waiting for his Official BackAlleyBrawler No-Prize

I'm not trying to be a bit much; I'm honestly trying to help as far as what to expect and what they need to know/do (Hence, why I posted the job listing site and advised getting a study visa.). The only thing I tried to be blunt about was nipping the citizenship thing in the bud, as that is not how immigration into Japan works.

That said, there is a couple things I want to reinforce--culture shock doesn't care whether you are certain it is where you want to be; it is the reaction to making a radical readjustment in your life. I lived there, I speak the language, my wife is Japanese, I have led trips of 30+ students to Japan, and I have spent a great deal of time there. Every single time I go through culture shock, and, honestly, I almost did not make it through my first month living there on my own.

I really suggest a trip before moving with any sort of permanence for one very simple reason--get the most severe reaction out of the way when you KNOW you get to leave again. Being able to go through it once is a great way to be sure you can go through it on a large scale, and it allows you to prepare for it.

A great deal of study has been done on culture shock, and there is a pattern most individuals go through--the first few weeks present an euphoric feeling of adventure and excitement. From about 3 weeks to 5 months people hit the culture shock wall and, to varying degrees, reject their adopted culture. Around 6 months comes what most people want, which is when cultural acceptance takes root, and the transition can really start. The key is being able to get through that middle stage.

Finally, teaching jobs require a college degree and Japanese sponsorship to obtain a visa. Call it a good goal to set if you have not made it the collegiate level at this time. (If you have, start looking at that job listing service I posted.) All visa entry requirements, regardless of type, can be found at http://www.mofa.go.jp/ under the visa link.

Oh yeah, studying abroad--it is much easier to do this even as a person just finishing secondary education. http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/ is a good place to start doing your research on this option.

Again, not trying to be a killjoy, but there is some research that needs to be done to ensure you get to go when you want and to do what you want. Again, if you're looking for permanent residency, start looking up the skills that Japanese companies are looking to import, peruse the mofa page above to see what needs to be done, and start making some educational decisions so that you leave a program with the skills necessary to get a job over there (many skilled labor positions require just certification in a 1 year program.).

If you're looking to teach you need to get the equivalent of a Bachelor's (regardless of concentration), assuming you do it on the level, and, frankly, spending a year in Japan studying at one of their schools should boost you fairly high up the candidate list when it comes time to interview.

Do they have schools in Japan that teach game design or manga art? Well, it might slow my plans down a little, but I can see about getting into the art school in Burnaby, BC, Canada. It's one of the top 5 rated schools in the world in their field. It'll require a bit of a change as well, but might be a good intermediary step. I just hate delays in my plans though. Oh well. It's not like life lets you have full control of life's events. Thanks for all of the additional info. I'm horrible at research and applications/forms and stuff and they make me nervous as hell.

There are manga/animation/game design schools that do, in fact, accept foreign students, so feel free to start looking up some of those options. (The one I took my students to also offers intensive Japanese lessons along with the art training.)

Also, you might want to consider looking into Digipen as you are a Canadian native--seeing as how the school is essentially owned by Nintendo, they can also place people into Japan.

Finally, Konami runs a game institute in Japan that accepts foreign students with the caveat you are expected to know Japanese before you come.

Aye to all of the above, but keep in mind that language is not an easy obsticle to ovecome.

I studied Japanese in school, but I only really learned it when I was thrown into a town for 2 years with a total of 2 other native English speakers.

Apparently, according to many of my friends, I spoke with a Tokyo-accent and used the slang of junior high school students (the people I taught). The second part is probably why I never taught Japanese to business men, heh.

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I studied Japanese in school, but I only really learned it when I was thrown into a town for 2 years with a total of 2 other native English speakers.

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That's actually one of the best ways to learn a foreign language, as stressful as it may be. You're hearing it constantly, have plenty of opportunities to practice, and you're more-or less forced to. Its how you learned your first language after all!

In general that is... when my best friend was living over in Japan it annoyed the heck out of him that everyone wanted to practice their English with him rather then speak Japanese. Those that didn't just stare at him because of his red hair, that is.

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I really suggest a trip before moving with any sort of permanence for one very simple reason--get the most severe reaction out of the way when you KNOW you get to leave again. Being able to go through it once is a great way to be sure you can go through it on a large scale, and it allows you to prepare for it.

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WISE words spoken. I would take them to heart if you really plan on doing all this, OP.

I'm taking in all this info and considering everything. I don't want to muck this up. Especially because I don't foresee and help with any of this. I've gotten into bad situations because I was promised support that never happened and so now I expect that I have to do everything myself. Which means this might take a while, as I mentioned I am horrible with researching stuff, filling out applications, making the necessary phone calls and other similar tasks. They stress my brain out, confuse the hell out of me and bring my usual stellar performance down next to zero. I'd love more help with this stuff, but I'm not going to bother asking when I know I'll be told to just do it myself. Anyway, I am very grateful for even this small amount of assistance I've received here so far. I'd like to thank each and every one of you for this small bit of help.

On another note, does anyone know much about TOEFL? My friend in Vancouver mentioned it. His wife has a few friends that are teaching English as a second language and so he brought this up. My google search brought me this website http://www.toeflgoanywhere.org/ and I want to make sure I'm headed in the right direction.