What do I need to do to move to Japan?

Well,as the title suggests,I want to move to Japan,along with like one or three other friends.However,this will be next year or the one after,but I want to be sure I know what to do by the time we want to leave so that the transition can be easier.
I know that we will require visas,but the thing is,I don't know what kind of visas we need to get.Well,simply,I am not sure what I would need to do to get residency and even before that,how we could get an apartment and jobs to keep ourselves going.

Can anyone please tell me what to do in full detail?I would really appreciate any help that anyone can give me.
Thank you.

You have not provided any of the details we need to know to give you any advice, for example age, nationality, education level, qualifications, work experience etc. These are the important factors as far as visas go. What do you want to do in Japan? Work, study?

You could also try an internet search, or even just on this site, for topics like "moving to Japan" "live in Japan" or "Japan visas", as topics like yours come up all the time. Do a bit of research, and come back if you have any specific questions that you haven't found the answers to.

SORAcake,

Your profile says you are a 15-year-old high-school student from the US, in which case your options are extremely limited. If you have the funds (i.e. rich parents), you could move to Japan to study Japanese for a year or so. But if you wish to move to Japan to work and possibly settle down, you will need a university degree, which I understand usually takes four years in the USA.

You will need to follow the basic immigration rules common for most countries.

Assuming you like to start living in Japan 3 years from now, you will have to have (1)sufficient amount of money showing to the Japan Immigration you will not be burden to their society-or live as a homeless person, (2) you will also need a responsible Japanese national to sponsor you, (3) or you have a job in Japan (employment contract), and (4) you have not committed a crime in U.S. can get you a visa.

For a temporary resident in Japan, you can (1) visit Japan as an tourist or (2) attend a Japanese school as a exchange student.

SORAcake,

Unfortunately Stanforgal's first suggestions do not apply to you and your friends since in 3 years you will just be graduating high school and will lack the main requirement for a work visa, namely a bachelor's degree. The best option for you guys to move to Japan long term is to go to college and complete a degree. That gives you about 7 years to continue planning and really get prepared.

In the meantime, the advice to come temporarily as a visitor or exchange student would be a great way to experience the country and see if it really is a place that you would like to live in in the future.

Contrary to what stanfordgirl said, there is no requirement to show that you have enough funds to support yourself in order to get a working visa- that applies to the student visa and the working holiday visa.

You need a bachelor's degree, and an offer of fulltime work from an employer if you want to work here- all quite a way off for you I'm afraid.

Definitely look at coming over as an exchange student, or at doing part of your university degree here. Both of those options don't come cheap however.

Hearing that you're only 15 right now you NEED to get a fluent handle on the language, that includes speaking, understanding, writing & reading. You need to do good in school and find the perfect balance between japanese and education.
You need four years in a college if youre planning on staying there with a job or if you marry a native japanese person. I advice on going to Japan first on a tourist visa for the maximum of three months and find a job, if by a small chance you get the job then good, your company (or whoever you work for) can now validate a good reason for you to stay.
It's pretty much in America when people come over its either because they married an american, they were stationed here in a war, or they found a job and kept it.
Apartments can be expensive depending on where you want them from $700 a month and higher in tokyo, you'll need two or three times more when you buy you're apartment up front. since you're going to need to pay for food, wants, and you're apartment you'll need to be good at you're job.
If you get an apartment in a small part of Japan then its going to be a little less but not by much.
If you're parents are not supportive (as mine weren't) then this is going to be extremely tough. If this is you're absolute dream though then don't give up on this, you need to have that I-know-this-will-happen attitude each day. Hopefully this helped and see you in Japan :)