half japanese going to japanese highschool?

hello, i know similar posts have been made here before, but i wanted to ask slightly more specific questions.

i want to be able to study in a japanese highschool after i graduate from highschool where i live to immerse myself in the culture and study (i will graduate this year in june 2024). and since i have a late birthday, in japan i would still be in year 3 of highschool. so, i was wondering if there was any complications there? would they see me as someone who could still continue highschool or someone who has finished highschool (i hope this makes sense) and therefore wouldn't "need" to enroll in highschool?

also, how would i go about finding such highschools? for added information, i have a japanese passport and i have some relatives who live in japan, so visa problems and staying there would be of no problem as they could act as my legal guardian. i am fluent in speaking and have also taken the N3 test and Kanji Kentei 7 kyu, but i am confident i could achieve at least N2 and 6 kyu. although, that is not the level people my age in japan are at, i am positive with some studying i would be able to catch up. my concern is with the entrance exams. i have some half japanese friends who got into some middle schools in japan without any entrance exams, so i was a little confused there. does this vary by region or the level of "prestige" a school has, perhaps?

i was also wondering if some schools would offer support as i am an international student? if i am behind on some kanji learning would they provide accomodation? i will add that this is not a must.

thank you!

that is not the level people my age in japan are at, i am positive with some studying i would be able to catch up
For perspective: Some years back I was talking with a Japanese lady that had taken their son out of Japan for five years. Up until the age of 11 or 12 they were fully fluent/immersed in Japanese at school. On return, they were way behind and never managed to catch-up. Your being "positive" you can catch up might be wishful thinking.

Oh another story wanting Japanese high school.

would they see me as someone who could still continue highschool or someone who has finished highschool (i hope this makes sense) and therefore wouldn't "need" to enroll in highschool?

The latter idea is more likely. Generally, once you have graduated from high school in your home country, you would be considered to HAVE COMPLETED your secondary education, and basically there is no need to enroll in high school again.
You might find any exchange system instead, but note that this kind of systems tend to have age limit and not to be for students on the final grade (12th) like you.

In my opinion, in your case, it would be more realistic to aim directly for university admission after graduating from high school at the age of 18. For example, you could consider using the overseas returnee system (帰国子女入試) or preparing through any course for university admission at a language school. This approach would be less of a waste of legal effort, time, and money.

I totally agree with the above two posts. I think both are true.

also you are using "double standard", sometimes you say you are a Japanese and in other times you say you are a foreigner, in the same post.

Stay with your family.
Go to a language school.
Get a job at a combini.

You would most probably be considered as “having completed high school education.” So the best course of action in my mind is that you enroll in a Japanese language school, study the language, and aim for entering a university in Japan, while staying with your relatives in Japan as your guardians.

sorry, i forgot to mention that i can read and write until a middle school year 3 level if that changes anything!

also, thanks for replying everyone, i appreciate it! also, i was wondering if it was clear that i am half japanese half white, and have citizinship in another country, but with a japanese passport. so i AM a foreigner AND japanese. also, i don't turn 18 until the end of this year. not that those points really changes anything, just clarification!

also i wasn't planning on doing a full year of highschool just half a year or so. but i will look into a language school like you all said!

sorry! i keep having to add things, but i do go to a japanese language school where i live right now.

You just didnt ask the question did you? If you wanna exprience living in Japan. The language school would need to be in Japan also.

What 3x peeps have recommended is:-

Stay with your family in Japan.
Go to a language school in Japan.
Get a part time job in Japan.

「since i have a late birthday, in japan i would still be in year 3 of highschool.」
Unfortunately, schools are not likely to think that way. Instead of looking at your age, the admissions department will be more focused on how many years of education you've completed. Assuming you're from a first-world English-speaking country (U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, etc.) the kindergarten-high school standards aren't so different from Japan, so if you've already completed high school in one of those countries, odds are schools in Japan will consider you as having already completed high school, and so not eligible for admission.

「i want to be able to study in a japanese highschool after i graduate from highschool where i live to immerse myself in the culture and study...so, i was wondering if there was any complications there?」
Again, if you're hoping to enroll under the standard admission system (i.e. not in a specific program for visiting international students), then yes, this will probably be complicated. Once more assuming that you're coming from a country with more-or-less equivalent education standards to Japan, it would be like if someone who had grown up in Japan and already graduated from high school there were to move to your country and say they wanted to repeat their last year of high school in order to learn about the local culture. There might be some schools willing to accommodate that request in some form, but it's unlikely that they'd accept the person as a regular admission.

「how would i go about finding such highschools? for added information, i have a japanese passport and i have some relatives who live in japan, so visa problems and staying there would be of no problem as they could act as my legal guardian.」
While you may or may not have visa issues that will need to be cleared, there's still the matter of housing. Since you said "i have a late birthday, in japan i would still be in year 3 of highschool," I'm assuming that you would be 17 when you arrive in Japan. At that age, you would still be a legal minor, and so not allowed to rent an apartment and live by yourself.

That reduces your options to either schools that have a dormitory or schools within commuting distance of your in-Japan legal guardians who you are living with. If your plan is to live with your relatives, you might want to start by contacting the community they live in (city hall, board of education, etc.) and asking about what sort of study opportunities they may have for you.

「 i forgot to mention that i can read and write until a middle school year 3 level if that changes anything!」

That probably isn't going to help you if your goal is to attend a Japanese high school as a regular student, because it would mean that either:
1. If you're taking high school year 3 classes, you're going to be three years behind the level of language being used by the textbook/teacher/other students
2. If you're taking high school year 1 classes, you're going to be two and a half years older than all of your classmates, which is a pretty significant difference at that age.

At the risk of sounding pessimistic, it's debatable how much of a cultural experience you'd get by attending regular Japanese high school classes for the last half of year 3. Socially, that's a time when things are winding down for most high school students - they've already established their circles of friends and club activities, and they're getting ready to move on to the next stage of their lives, so it might end up feeling like you've arrived late to a party just as it's ending, leaving you with very little time to make personal connections with classmates who are already busy with a lot of preexisting relationships.

Many people have suggested going to language school in Japan instead, and, assuming your studies there go well, you could then enroll in a Japanese university, which would allow you experience student life in Japan in a potentially more meaningful and enjoyable way than a half-year, tail-end of high school experience.

Another possibility would be to look into exchange programs between universities in your home country and ones in Japan. This is the route I took after my initial hopes of studying in Japan in high school didn't work out, and I am still close friends with many of the people I met during my year of college in Tokyo.

thank you everyone for answering! i will take all of your advice and consider looking at universities/language schools in japan! sorry, if i was a bit unclear at times, i realize that now and i appreciate all of your help! im writing this to say that i have all the information i need now.

i have some half japanese friends who got into some middle schools in japan without any entrance exams, so i was a little confused there.

In Japan, elementary school (shougakko) and middle school (chuugakko) are compulsory education, so you don't need to pass exams to be enrolled in a public school of your specified district.

On the other hand, senior high school in Japan (koukou, for ages 15-18) isn't compulsory education, so anyone wishing to enroll must pass some kind of an entrance exam.

In contrary to what many people may think, a lot of senior high schools in Japan, be it public or private, would accept students with very low academic skills. I'm quite sure your skills won't be a problem as long as you face the exam in a serious manner. Race, nationality and visa status aren't an issue in enrolling a public school of any kind in Japan. (Living in Japan is another issue, but it seems to be okay in your case.)

Your problem would be that you'd have completed high school elsewhere. So, like others have suggested, you should either (A) give up graduating your current school or (B) come as a high school exchange student or (C) graduate your current school and study in Japan at establishments other than a high school.

In any case, if you want to enroll in a high school in Japan, you should discuss directly with the schools you have in mind before you make any moves. They would give you specific advice.

There are thick Japanese magazines telling you all about what you should do to enroll in high school, while listing all high schools in your area. If it's difficult or expensive to obtain one in your country, your relative in Japan may be able to help you by discussing at a large book store.

Meanwhile, Google tells you about 海外から日本の高校に行くために必要なこと
https://www.google.com/search?q=%E6%B5%B7%E5%A4%96%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E...