Moving to Japan when I am an adult

I am currently in high school with a 4.0 GPA, but want to live in Japan when I am an adult. I love Science and Criminal Justice, so I am most likely going to go into something along the lines of Forensics or CSI. My dad lived in Japan before I was born (I live in the United States) but passed away, so I don't have anyone I can ask about this. My mom is not about to allow me to move to Japan or do an exchange program, so I will be doing everything after I am 18 on my own (I was born in July so I'll be graduating at 17), with limited financial help from my older sister. I was wondering when and how I should make the move. I want to live there permanently, not on the 90 day Visa. Should I go to college in the USA and then move to Japan once I am done studying? Or, go to an exchange college in Japan? Should I start my life in the USA and after a few years of working, move to Japan? I am planning to start learning Japanese soon, so I won't be completely clueless when I get there if I go to college in Japan. I have done some research but this is also part of it, so I know this is a very major change to my life I'm planning. Should I teach English in Japan instead? My main question is about the college, but I would love any advice I can get. Thank you!

This isn't about studying at college and some people will possibly disagree with me on this, but teaching English in Japan isn't really a career or something you want to do for a long time. At least, for most people it isn't. There are a very limited number of positions teaching at universities and vocational colleges that could be very attractive to someone actually interested in teaching. To land one of these you will need relevant qualifications and/or experience. Some language ability would obviously help a lot too. These jobs aren't really relevant to people only thinking about teaching as a way to live in Japan. The vast majority of positions are at English "conversation schools" or as ALTs in public schools. Both are low paid. Neither offers any real career progression. And both, in my opinion, are mind-numbingly boring. If you want to know whether I think you should pursue this over a career in forensic science or something similar, it's a big no.

If you are truly sure you want to live in Japan in the future (and want to live a happy, fulfilling life), I would suggest not rushing anything. Be willing to wait. It might take ten years, who knows? But it will be much more worth it over sacrificing your career to English teaching jobs. Study something useful, in America or Japan, doesn't actually matter. Science is possibly good. Study really hard, maybe do postgrad afterwards, or go straight into a job in America. Meanwhile, start studying Japanese like, yesterday. Study really hard. Get really good at the language. Most foreigners suck at Japanese but it's possible to get really good if you're willing. By the time you graduate college, you can be good enough at Japanese to work in Japan. So start studying. Not soon, now. If this is really want you want, I mean. So you've got your foot in the door (at the very least) of a decent career, and you've got a high level of Japanese language ability. Now you can start applying for jobs in Japan that are actually relevant to you and your interests. And there's no real guarantee you will get one, but if you pick a career path which is actually open to foreigners in Japan then I'd say you have a decent enough chance provided your language skills are up to snuff. But the beauty of this is, even if nobody in Japan wants to hire you, you've got a good career in America instead of being stuck singing Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes for your Japanese students whose English never gets better because the people teaching them aren't actually teachers.

TL;DR: Work really hard on your chosen career because there's a chance you can pursue it in Japan. But get to learning Japanese seriously because although it's not that hard to be better than your average foreigner, it takes a lot of time and effort to reach a point where you can actually do business in Japan.

Good luck.

Thank you so much, this really helped, and I'm looking at Japanese textbooks right now. To be honest, I really wasn't planning on the teaching, I just threw it in there because I've heard good things about the program. Thank you for this info, and it really makes sense because in science majors take a few years to establish a good reputation for yourself, before you get paid more and are allowed to take on more jobs.

To get good at Japanese is said to take 2,200 hours of study - real work, and if you have some aptitude for it (six years at 1 hour/day). Some people do lots of study, but it never really sticks. I know some people here that are fluent, but they have been speaking/using Japanese for a few decades now.
Irrespective of the language - you can survive/live/work with some pretty basic language skills, you need an entitlement to live here. That might be as a student (language school) as you're unlikely to have the language skill to get into a Japanese university unless they have a specific English program. Otherwise, you should aim at a university degree as a minimum, and be sponsored in work/for a job. You cannot simply come to Japan and live. (and then if your visa/residence status is not renewed, then you're out of the country - bye bye Japan)

Hi!
Many US Universities also offer study abroad programs in Japan. It can be a good way to spend some time in Japan and make sure you really do want to live there and give you a chance to experience Japan in a way you can't as a tourist.

The JET Program does not pay that badly. It is very hard to get into and you are not going to get Central Tokyo or Osaka. (Though I do know someone who got Saitama and I did know someone who got Kyoto, like actual Kyoto City. ) It pays about ~2,800,000 yen a year and includes partial payment of unemployment insurance and health care. You must have a college degree though. Japanese knowledge and if you spent a college/university year abroad would definitely give you a leg up in your application. If you stay with the program a 2nd year your salary goes up to 3,600,000. While I would not recommend teaching English in Japan permanently or even long term. Being in Japan on a program like JET is a good way to look for a future job. You should not consider breaking your contract, but being in Japan already does have its benefits when applying for a job in Japan. I know several JETs who once their contracts ended got another job in Japan. The only one who is still in teaching, is at a University, the others all got jobs in other fields. One of them got Permanent Residence a few years ago and just bought a condo in Osaka, where she works. Teaching jobs via places like Nova and Geos are pretty bad. The pay is lousy and they do not give you a consistent schedule making planning time off a challenge. I don't know as much about Interac, but the salaries are considerably lower than JET's. JET has a strong alumni network and if you think you want to go that route you can reach out to some alumni to get a feel for the program and possible advice on how to make yourself a stronger candidate once you graduate from college/university. JET also has a CIR program where you are put in governmental offices. Those positions tend to require a much higher level of Japanese skill.

The reality is most people don't come to Japan to teach because they want to teach, they go to Japan to teach because as an English speaker it is the easiest way to get a visa to live in Japan. Japan is not going to let you just move there because you want to.

Another good way to get to Japan is find a skill that will help you work for a company that has subsidiaries in Japan. I know several people who have worked at foreign company's Japanese branches. One worked for a French company and lived in Chiba-ken and then in Fukui before being transferred back to France and another worked for a large US bank doing tech work and got transferred to their Tokyo office.

Good luck!