Studying abroad in Japan

Hello, I am 17 years old and will be graduating from a continuation high school in a year. Im a year late of graduating because i had major depression and went through a lot of anxiety so i pretty much took a break from school for a year and started going back to a Continuation high school to earn my diploma.
Anyways, I want to study in Japan and my parents fully supports me. That being said I a few questions to ask.

1. Are there any Community colleges in Japan?

2. Do i have any chance of getting a student visa and being able to attend college in Japan with a continuation high school diploma?

3. Does anyone have any suggestions for someone in my situation?

Any help would be very appreciated. Thanks.

Good to hear that you recovered from your condition and have been able to finish high school :)

1. The concept of "community colleges" was born in the States, I believe. There are schools with the phrase "community college" as part of their names in Japan, but those tend to be private schools/institutes offering hobby-related courses, and are not really "colleges."

What is close to it in nature in Japan would be "senmon gakko," translated more like "technical college/institute" or "specialist training college/school." What subject do you want to study, by the way?

2. If it is acknowledged in your country as official "senior high school completion" certificate, it should be accepted as "senior high school equivalent" as well. But you will need to ask the specific college you want to apply to. If you get accepted by the college, that's when the student visa application process starts.


One question: are you fluent in Japanese? To attend a university/college in Japan, you need to have quite a good level of the Japanese language, in order to follow the classes.
Many non-Japanese students-to-be enroll first in a Japanese language school full-time for a year or two to prepare for college entrance exams.

Haha thanks :)

If i applied to a senmon gakko, would i be able to get a student visa or does it only apply to universities. ive been thinking about studying English and becoming a English teacher in Japan.
I know a little Japanese ive been teaching myself.

teaching yourself isnt enough. I have a friend there. and he said that you have to have a certificate confirming that you graduated from a japanese school

You can also check out Temple University's Japan campus for programs in English.