Automotive enthusiast wanting to move

I'm a 19 year old US citizen considering moving to Japan in the (far) future. I'm currently attending a technical school to get my certifications in automotive repair and performance and will most likely work in a performance shop. I understand that obtaining a Japanese work VISA requires a bachelors degree or 10+ years work experience. Say after I do get the experience, how hard would it be to find employment in Japan in the automotive field?

I want to do as much research about the country before I make my final decision. I moved to the US when I was 12 years old and was forced to adapt to the American language, culture and lifestyle. After developing a strong passion for cars at age 15 and living here for 7 years my views towards the country have changed. I have always been amazed at Japan and its accomplishments especially when considering the size of the country. I believe that the Japanese are passionate people that love what they do, making their hobby their profession and don't feel the same way about Americans. I am a very simple person and need very little other than my car and legal road racing events to compete in to be happy. I am interested in learning Japanese and adapting to the culture and lifestyle.

Sorry that was so long (maybe this box just makes it seem so) but thanks for reading it. I'm curious, whats life in Japan like for the typical automotive/motorsports enthusiast?

hi !
Japan is all abt Tokyo i feel..
This never ending city is good platform to explore u r thoughts/Dreams but if u u really wnat to be here and do some thing BIG no one can help you widout Japanese language.itsa must !!
good luck

In the automotive field, and if you want to come to Japan, what I can imagine (and I know some people who are doing this) is someone getting a degree in engineering, build up some experiences at a Japanese company's engineering center in the US first, doing automotive engineering/design, then getting a few years' work assignment to Japan through that company. Of course, in the meantime, you would be learning the language as well...

What do you exactly mean by "performance shop"? I know what an auto repair shop/garage is, but not sure about "performance shop."

If you mean automotive repair shop, then unfortunately your chance of getting a job in Japan could be quite slim, as Auto Mechanic requires a national license, and people in Japan attend local technical college (2 years or so after senior high school) to get that license. There would be no advantage for any potential employer in Japan to hire you if you come from a US technical college :( Please keep in mind that while a bachelor's degree or several years of relevant work experiences is an immigration requirement, you will still need to find an employer, who will "sponsor" you for your work-permitting visa, before you can apply for the visa.

A performance shop builds and tunes racing cars for certain applications, usually doing repair and restorations also. The money isn't nearly as much as the repair field, however. Thats a lot of good info, the mechanical engineering route sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the info.