1 Year Working Holiday alone...

hello to all !
this site is awesome and i already have some contacts in japan :).
well i'm 24 y/o and am ending my on-the-job-training in about 2 years and after that i want to continue my study perhaps to get a higher degree !
well i want to travel to japan next year for 1-3 weeks (haveto watch my money) and after my training i want to make a working holiday for 1 year perhaps, cause it always was my dream to not only visit japan but live there to see how japan really is, if i really want to live there for a longer time, how the culture really is and so on ! i don't want to sound like a noob freak who reads mangas and wants to live in japan, i'm watching/reading everything from japan, culture, politics etc. and since my childhood am fascninated about asian culture especially japan, sure they also have their downsides whoch dountry doesn't have, i am from germany.

ok well to start with my questions:

-what can i do to make preparations for a working holiday? (i'm learning japanese !)
-can you recommend WH to me? i can make it till im 30 y/o and i thought i would regret it if i wouldn't do it and older...
-i have bad thoughts about loneliness in japan, far away from friends, family etc. but i also want to see/live in a different place and see if that's the place i wanna go to ! i always didn't/don't feel i'm right in my country (mentality etc.) that's why i think to make a longer trip to a country to realize more about the life.

well there are a lot more questions but i don't want to spam you.

thanks so much, i really appreciate your help !

It's nice to hear that you're planning this so well! It's great that you plan to visit for a while to get a feel for the country first; that's definately a must.

I don't have too many answers for your questions, but I'd like to discuss the loneliness. While you are leaving your old life behind temporarily, it is important to remember that since you're in a new place, you can start anew. Create new friendships, open new possibilities, meet new people who could be lifetime partners, etc.. so you should view your trip as a way to expand your personal network rather than "losing" someone. I think it would be a good idea to make a few penpals before you did the longterm stay, though. Because sometimes... it gets hard and you may have no one to talk to (in Japan, that is). When you meet great penpals they usually want to help you with your troubles and possibly keep you company. It's better than being in a country and feeling terribly alone. That leads to feeling homesick and ultimately may ruin your experience.

...Wow, I need to follow my own advice. |D

thank you very much for your nice response !
yeah i think i will make it, cause it's possible till you are 30 and then you may not get there for 1 year as a WH. but my parents tell me to end my on-the-job training first and then i can make this WH and work again with my training or continue my studying at university.
i'm 24 now, i studied some time + worked fulltime, but i wasn't motivated for my study or had a wrong subject.

the only thing i do not hope is when i'm totally fascinated in life from japan that i don'T feel so sad to leave it after 1 year :(

I myself am going to Japan for 11 months on a working holiday visa, in October, so I'll try to help...
Remember that the more money you save working at home, the less you have to work in Japan, and I'm sure you don't want to spend all your time in Japan just working to survive. Although I'm not entirely sure, I'd say if you can save something like, say, 500,000 yen, you can live comfortably on a part-time job in Japan.

And the requirements for the visa include possessing a certain amount of money, which differs depending on which country you live in... in my case it was ��1,500. So best to start saving early. I found it really useful to plan my finances out on Excel spreadsheets.

Learning the language is definitely good preparation... but also try picking up books on the customs of Japan, guides to living there, etc.

Of course, I haven't actually been to Japan yet, but I do know quite a bit about the working holiday visa, so if you have any further questions just ask!

so nice me to im goig to leave for japan for one year in october with a working holiday

well perhaps i'm a bit too idiotic to ask this but i can make a WH till 30 years old.
if i go to japan with 26/27 y/o and return and want to study to live & work in japan am i be too old when i finish my study when i'm about 31-35 years old?
it's not an exact age i'm giving now, only theretical.

Working Holiday Visa only allows one to stay in japan for six months to one year or 1.5 years. After the visa expires you need to stay in Japan on a different visa status or leave. Working Holiday Visas are issued to citizens of certain nations depending on nationality, determines the regulations on how long and age a limits:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2350.html

well i'm from germany and it's till 30 years old + 1 year WH !