Living and working in Japan

So i'm a big fan of Japan, but i was wondering if i should study/working there or not. Here are some of my questions!

1. Do you have to study there for working and living there? I'm referring to doing the university, etc. Do you have some kind of advantage? And can you work there without doing university?
2. I hear a lot of stories about overworking, especially in Japan. How much free time do you really have if you work there? And why sometimes when japanese people have free time they still prefer to work?
3. I heard stories about discrimination as well, like if you're a foreigner and you want to work in a japanese company they'll prefer hiring a japanese than you. Is it that hard for a foreigner to find a place to work?
Sorry for some stupid questions, but i'm really confused. Hope to seeing some answers down here!

Your questions are very general so I can only give general answers. The actual experience might be quite different.

1. Do you have to study there for working and living there? I'm referring to doing the university, etc. Do you have some kind of advantage? And can you work there without doing university?�hhave to �g no, but it would make it easier. .What you should be able to do is speak Japanese at N2or N1 level. If additionally you studied in a Japanese university that would be a plus and you�fd get into a position very similar to a normal Japanese student when job hunting with some pluses (other language) and potentially some minus (as foreigner). But you should generally have not big problem finding a job.
However there are other avenues to find a job in Japan from English teacher (the route a lot of foreigners take , no Japanese required) to finding a job in your field of expertise if you have already a good working expertise.
Not sure if you mean with your last sentence to work in Japan without having graduated from any university. It is possible (eg cook visa), but a university degree makes it easier to get a visa).

2. I hear a lot of stories about overworking, especially in Japan. How much free time do you really have if you work there? And why sometimes when japanese people have free time they still prefer to work? depends on your work and your company. Japanese stay a long time AT work but are incredibly inefficient while working. A lot of paper administration... the working culture is different. So you will need to see if it is good for you or not. Regarding PTO most people I know hardly take all their PTO days. It seems to come out of a sense of duty. And no culture of long vacations. You also normally don�ft get a backup while away. On the other hand side many Japanese companies close for 1 week in May, potentially 1 week or half a week in August and then about 10 days around New Year. Plus Japan is a country with a lot of local holidays. I don�ft remember how many out of the top of my head, but when I moved to The Netherlands I was shocked that there wasn�ft one every month.
3. I heard stories about discrimination as well, like if you're a foreigner and you want to work in a japanese company they'll prefer hiring a japanese than you. Is it that hard for a foreigner to find a place to work? it depends. As in most countries you need to be of benefit for the company over other applicants. Eg if you apply in a company where English is never ever needed and your Japanese isn�ft veey good, well that will be hard. If you apply somewhere where English or other languages or skills you have are appreciated you will be prefentially hired because you have something more to offer than the average Japanese applicant.

My personal suggestion would be to come to Japan for 3 month (or 6 if your visa allows) and study Japanese in a language school. That�fs never going to be a wasted experience. You can see a bit for yourself how Japan is, how you do with the language and all.

Enjoy dreaming of Japan!