College and financial questions

Hello,

I'm a freshman in high school and have started looking into colleges. I've dreamed of going to a college in Japan since I was little and found out my grandmother used to live in Japan.

I would love to pursue a career in music, and I was also thinking of creative writing or fashion; possibly even a translator. I have not decided on which one, but I have a little time left before that decision. I am certain that music will be in my career because my love for music has always been strong. This might not be a firm choice, but a dream is a dream.

I've been looking into Mie University and would like to go there and have also been looking into other colleges such as Kyoto University, International University of Japan and a few others. I was just curious if there are any colleges anyone might like to suggest? My knowledge of the Japanese language is only a beginners, but I have been buying books and looking online for more information. My pen-pal from Japan said she is even willing to help me learn some Japanese as well. I am also taking time to learn Hiragana and Katakana because I know this will help greatly.

My thoughts is to hopefully start fresh out of high school if my grades are good enough and possibly even get scholarships along the way. My parents and my friend have mentioned exchange programs which I know are perfectly fine. I hate to sound stubborn and selfish, but that is not what I want. Personally, I would rather take 4 years of college in Japan if this is possible. The smart thing to do would to take a semester in Japan... but something tells me this is not what I want.

Another question I have been curious about is money. I know it won't be cheap if I happen to get accepted to a Japanese college in the future, but I was wondering if anyone possibly had an estimate of what the price would be? I would like to start saving up as much money as possible now to help if even in a small way.

Thank you!

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+40750

One of the requirements for studying in a university in Japan is language knowledge.