High School Exchange Programs

Since I'm not quite used into posting in forums, despite we're in the internet era, this will probably end up being a very long post, sorry for that.

I'm an italian 16 year old (and one day!) student currently enrolled in a regular italian public high school, which is said to be one of the best in my hometown, Milan, and I've just completed my tenth grade in education.

My grades have always been fairly good, but due to an illness, this year, I've lost 2 months and half of school but despite that I've somehow managed to still pass the year, ending up studying half of every subject book in the last month, giving from 3 to 5 tests a day, but as a result my grades went extremely low.

(I'm not sure if you're familiar with the process, but to be more specific about my situation I've actually been rejected until September into three subjects, and I'll give tests in these just before the start of the new scholastic year, it's common practice in Italy.
Useless to say that now I'm more than ready to give this tests.)

Since when I was 10 or so I've become interested in almost everything that is Japan, it's culture, it's language and so much more.

I've always wanted to visit Japan, maybe to live there a day, but I've never taken these dreams seriously, almost considering myself those as childish dreams. It was such until about a year ago, when growing up I realized that Italy wasn't the country were I belong, nor the place where I'd like to grow up my childs in a future.

So I've started chasing my dreams, trying to understand the japanese language with the help of some books, and gathering all kind of informations from people who've been there as tourist, or went there for work.
Focusing with particular attention on the negative aspects that may show up once there.

I slowly realized that Japan was a pretty solid choice of where to live and decided that it had to be my future.

My plan of life (if that makes any sense) would be to live in japan.
To achieve this I'd pretty much need to enroll in a japanese university to get a decent job in order to allow for incomes.
But just like doing this I feel I'll never get much integrated with their culture and society, which is so far from ours.
So I thought about engaging in
a japanese high school, and since, to my kwnoledge, I don't have any japanese family connections, my only chance would depend upon High School Exchange Programs, and family hosting.

And after over an year of discussions (almost as a birthday gift) my parents have accepted my choices of life, and they also gave me a go on the possibility of studying abroad for one year. Which will be either this 2010 or 2011.


Now this was some kind of brief story of my last 6 years of life, I'm really sorry it ended up being so long, thanks for reading thus far.


On with the actual questions...

All the High School Exchange Programs Italy - Japan that I've found would lead me into a public japanese school, I might be misinformed here, but from what I've red in Japan to access a fairly good university you should be associated with a good High school (usually a Private one with a high-cost) beforehand, could you please confirm this?
Also none of these companies would allow me to choose a specific town were to be hosted (seems like the hosting families pick the candidates, or that the matching happens at random) so I might end up being in Tokyo aswell as being in the middle of the countryside. Since I'm quite ambitious of understanding the japanese society to move there permanently in a few years, an experience in the countryside may not be as formative as one in a big city like Tokyo, Osaka or such. The questions now are:
Do you think that this statement is correct?

Would you happen to know a company that allow students to pick a city where they'd like to be hosted, or even better, a family that would be glad to host a foreign student in a big city?
note: Money isn't a big problem as far as the numbers don't go over the sanity, also scholarships are extremely welcome of course, although I'm not that sure that I could get one...


The scholastic year of Japan is quite different from the Italian (In Japan school starts in April and ends in March while in Italy starts in September and ends in June). At my age in my country school isn't anymore compulsory so...
If planning to enroll in a japanese high school, should I enroll in the italian one and spend 7 months here without completing it, to move onto the japanese one or should I wait that 7 months and use them to improve my japanese/education in subjects?


About my skills: as said above, my average grades have always been fairly good but last year due to illness they've droppen down quite significantly.
My english is pretty good (Triple checking grammar of the post.........DONE!)
And here I won't lie, my japanese is really awful, to get an idea I'd be ready to take the JPLT 4 (Japanese Language Profiency Test) which is the lowest grade.

As for the japanese I'm studying it hard even if by myself right now, but I'll surely take some courses sooner rather than later.

Both in english and in japanese I don't have any certificate since I've studied japanese by myself and all my english comes from the internet, videogames and such (no, school has been completely useless in learning english)so...
Which tests would I need to take in order to enroll in a japanese high school?
And at about what JPLT level would I start to actually understand what the japanese teacher will say? (I suppose the first but...)

And finally the last question:
If let's say I'll go to a japanese high school for the year 2011-2012 and if in 2011 in Italy I'd be enrolled into the 12th year, which is the next-to-last in our scholastic system, will I end up being in a 11th (next-to-last in japanese system) or in the 12th year (which would be their 3rd year of upper secondary school) ?


I again apologize for the epic lenght of this question, I included all that I thought were useful to answer my questions in a proper way, but of course I must have forgot something important but anyways...

Many thanks to whoever will reply.

If you actually red thus far without skipping you're my hero!

If you are not familiar the Japanese language currently, it might be quite difficult for you to be simply joining a Japanese high school for one year, don't you think? Is there any way you can come for a bit shorter term exchange program, like a few months over the summer, so that you can first experience living in Japan for a while? People I know who came on a long exchange program tended to have studied quite a bit of the language beforehand. (And as far as I know, they had no choice of where they get placed.)

There is another way to go about this - you can complete your high school in Italy, then if you really want to come and attend a university in Japan, you can come for a year or two Japanese language course, where you can study so that your Japanese language will be sufficient for university leve studies, then apply with a university here.

OR, I don't know what kind of job you might be interested in in the future for yourself, you *could* complete high school, and attend a university in Italy, maybe with a minor in Japanese language, so that you get to stay in Japan for a semester or so during your university course.

I do know that I'm quite of a fish out of water asking about a full year in a japanese public high school without knowing much of the language.

I do feel already old, if I only had set my goals a few years ago...but anyways.

Good thing is I still have from 8 to 20 months to improve my skills, and just lately I discovered that with effort I can learn quite a good amount of notions in a short time, not saying that I'd speak fluently japanese in this short amount of time but...that's basically why the question about around which level of JLPT (I can only use this as a reference right now) I'd be able to understand lessons. So that I can get an idea about the incredibly big amount of words and kanjis that I'd have to study.


About the short or summer exchange programs, I do have considered these, mainly because I have actually never visited Japan once, but the last question I posted would show up asking me if I'd be disposed to basically repeat a year done in my High School in Japan, while still growing older...a new question is raising do I suffer of Peter Pan Complex?

About ending here the High School I'm not completly sure about how this will affect a future carrer plan in Japan, since my school is emphasized on the italian culture (e.g. I study latin and ancient greek but very few science and mathematics) and move to a more "international friendly" school would lower my credentials (I suppose).
Some thoughts about this would help aswell.
Although if I'd end up doing so I'd gladly accept you tip about moving to japan for a shorter term and before university partecipating in a language school.

Last but not least about enrolling into an italian university and then partecipate in some kind of erasmus I wouldn't test my luck trying to get a job in japan with international companies (I even don't think that there are much italian with offices in Japan) or with an italian university degree.

Thanks again for your reply and for reading my long posts.

You have a lot to consider, like what career you are looking to take?
No matter if you finish your high school in Italy or do a year exchange, the outcome is the same. Being an exchange student in Japan in no way helps with a future there. It's a cultural exchange program for both sides.
AK has given two really good options you can look at.
If you are looking for a future in Japan just remember you are going to need to obtain a BA from university studies, or work for a long time in Italy in the given field you want to work in.
You need to ask yourself what the best or what the easiest method for you to build on your future goal. You may find that working on your degree in Italy might be a lot faster.
You might also find after doing language study in Japan you may not want to actually live and work here after all.

Last but not least about enrolling into an italian university and then partecipate in some kind of erasmus I wouldn't test my luck trying to get a job in japan with international companies (I even don't think that there are much italian with offices in Japan) or with an italian university degree.

Don't think of your Italian university degree as something that is not regarded highly. It will be your Bachelors that is just as highly regarded there as it is for many other countries. It doesn't mean you have to work for Italian companies. You have a BA, if you can do the job you are applying for then good - that will be what the future employers will be looking for.