Best General Age To Move To Japan

So as the name suggest what seems to be the average age for foreigners moving to Japan. If my plans go as I believe they will I'll be 22 by the time I move to Japan which is right after I get out of College. Do you think this is a good time. Actually I would love to move now but no I have to get a 4 year degree first. I'm not the waiting type when it comes to something I desperately want and will do whatever it takes to reach it.

I will assume you are a native English speaker (American, Canadian, British, Australian).

There are 2 main ways considering your age and point in life.

Move before school and study and graduate there (then likely work)
Move after school and most likely teach English.


Moving before school:
Your Japanese is probably not at a level to study in Japan right now. Maybe you can take classes before hand and prepare, but I doubt you have that much time. It takes much more time in another country to learn that much language skill for most people.

If you have the financial ability (yourself or parents) you can go to a language school for 1 or 2 years before college and study there and after then you will definitely be ready. I or others can give you links to a few webpages of some language school websites. Also some schools have programs which start in English or they teach only Japanese classes the first year then the next year you start classes for your field of study. I saw a program in Waseda for something like this.

Right now that's your only way to get a visa to stay in Japan for an extended period of time.

There are many ways to get a visa, but the 3 basic (school, work, marriage) cover almost everyone.
For work, that goes with the 1st major way of studying in Japan and working afterwards, or the second way.
Get a degree overseas then come to Japan with a work visa. You're Japanese probably wont be at a level to do many other jobs other than teach English. Even if you majored in Japanese. And even majoring in Japanese...that doesn't give too many job opportunities. A job for that major you will have to search yourself.
You will be coming to teach English. Decent pay.

If you are 100% sure set on living in Japan and are capable of getting the money for it from yourself or family then you should study in language school in Japan first then transfer to a school to earn a degree in Japan.
Then after that you can do the fun process of job hunting. I'm graduating soon and job hunting now. It's sooo much fun in any country (sarcasm btw)

Well my plan is as follows

working till spring of 2012 so falls done with and I have money saved up now im not sure how long it takes to get a bachelors degree but usually it's four years so here goes

term = semester
Jan - May 2012 18 1st term
Sept - Dec 2012 19 2nd term
Jan - May 2013 19 3rd term
Sept - Dec 2013 20 4th term
Jan - May 2014 20 5th term
Sept - Dec 2014 21 6th term
Jan - May 2015 21 7th term
Sept - Dec 2015 22 8th term

In my last term I will be trying my hardest to get a job but it may not work out and I may have to wait a year but I don't think so. Now I think I'll be majoring in English Literature or something along those lines due to the fact that I do want to teach but teaching in a foreign country sounds way better. In between these terms I will be working along with volunteering to teach at a local elementary school to kids, Join our Asian Studies Club at the University im going to, and try to create an Anime, Manga, Japanese Learning club. Though this may sound difficult the only trouble I seem to have is the wait of going in January of 2012 and having to work till then to afford my first year of college. By the way the college Im going to cost around 7500$ for admission and around 500$ for books then commuting home so add another 1500$ for gas so around 10000$ per year which aint bad at all with scholarships and grants what do you think. Is this a good plan or should I change something

Anyone find a flaw in my plan because I can but I want to see if you can point anything out

@mr1niko...
you are just like the others who have come here and have the ''Japan dream'' !!!

'I'm not the waiting type when it comes to something I desperately want and will do whatever it takes to reach it.''

yeah yeah..we will see in 4-5 years time, what happens.

another thing...
how long do you plan to stay... for the rest of your life ??

i don't think you will have enough $$$ for your stay...teaching jobs in Japan don't pay much... have you thought of that.. hmm, don't think so !!

I do not believe that Japan is a dream country for the first part however I do believe It is better then where im at now though that's my opinion.

Tough a general assumption can be made that English Teacher Don't make much in Japan can be true your looking at the first few year. If granted you may not stay there that long. What I'm trying to get at is this though you say I need to grow up maybe you need to look in the mirror maybe you need to figure things out like I hav for the past year or so. Though these plans are not set in stone they can and will happen. Why can't I wait for a very simple reason I despise the people of this country not all but the majority.

It's your plan and your life and up to you where you see your life going. I'd only add that you may want to be prepared for some flexibility in your dates. University is not at all like secondary school. A lot of incoming freshman don't realize that and get surprised by the amount of work that gets piled on or the fact that their professors are not interested in any excuses about assignments being late and dock marks. Also, be prepared to change your area of study. Many students find that part way through a degree they develop different interests and change their major. I'd just focus on the degree first and everything else will fall into place afterwards.

Sounds like you have it down pat. I must say I have just finished three years of university and while it sounds like a long time to wait, it went pretty quickly.

BTW, I'm assuming your from the northern hemisphere, but in Australia the more general Bachelors Degrees are 3 years not 4...
And also, if you're keen on going to Japan earlier, maybe consider exchange? Or perhaps scholarships offered by the Japanese government to study there. I think it's called Mombukagakusho.
I'm sure you have thought of these options. All the best.

It might be a long way to get your dream come true but it is good to plan of coming to Japan in advance. Please study Japanese along the way and make your dream happen someday as you have planned. Take some trips to Japan if you are allowed to see if you think you can fit into Japanese society.

I can be flexible with my dates and times though im sort of like Light in Death Note believe or not I know how to do it and am able to do it. But that's beside the point. I can be flexible with my dates im not sure if the rest of the world can though that's the only problem. Like I said im not the waiting type but I guess it's this generation with automatic everything but still. You make good points over that's it's my dream however I know the majority of the people using this website have the same "dream" though I hate that word due to the fact that it could or could not happen.

i agree with what PURAN said...
during your school breaks, take a trip to Japan and do some sightseeing.

Then you can see how daily life might be for you in Japan..and then you can decide what you want to do.

After your trip to Japan, your mind is still set on living as a local there...

then good luck to U (^-^)

as the Japanese would say.. "ganbatte" (do your best !!)

You've never been to Japan and you compare yourself to an anime character. You think Japan is better than your own country, despite having never gone.

You're in for a shock when you go, because Japan is no real-life anime.

I'm not trying to compare myself to an anime, manga character. I'm not an Otaku if you wondering. I'm just saying that as a general similarity so people on her can get a picture of how I think and plan that sort of thing. Many of you think that I have never been to Japan before though I have but your under the general assumption that I haven't. However I never stated otherwise so I understand. I went to Japan when I was 16 over that summer for 3 weeks. It was very fun I especially like the fact that I was surrounded by a christian ideology or an American ideology as well. I think that's one of the reasons why I want to move to japan no one shoving down your throat a religion you don't believe in. I'm agnostic by the way though I'm started to get into Shinto tough.

Hi,
i am sorry to say "3 weeks" is too short to make a decision, whether you want to live the rest of your life in another country, and to experience daily life there...

since you were 16... you were most likely to have gone with your parents, so your parents would have made the difficult decisions.

for myself I'm currently 28...
over the past 5 years, i have been to Japan over 20 times, staying each time for about 2 months on my own.

Most have been here for business, and the rest for sightseeing.

After this period... i feel that i am in a better position to decide whether i would like to spend the rest of my life in Tokyo.

You're...starting to get into Shinto?

You'll be best checking out the Buddhist ways before you start with thinking Shinto is for you. x)

As to stay on the topic, you may want to visit Japan some more to see whether it is for you or not, but other than that, I'd say the best age to move to Japan is 25+ if you want to be able to be fully independent.

However, get going with getting a degree of some kind before you start to think that Japan is for you. Get learning Japanese and how to write it, then try and get into a Japanese language school.

You'll be required to have a hefty amount of money in your savings. For here, it's recommended to have £8000 saved, then loan £7000 since you're unlikely to get a job immediately with certain visas. I don't know what it's like in the US.

Hopefully that made sense, but just to recap: (research Buddhism, research Shinto optional) get degree, learn Japanese, search for language school, get money. By the time that's all done, you should be between 22 and 25. If you can, you could always take part in a student exchange program since I've heard there's a lot in the US.

I had to visit Japan 4 times for about a month and a half each time to know whether I wanted to stay or not. It felt like a second home to me ^^

While I am Scottish, I did grow up around Buddhism, so naturally the cultural value Japan holds over Scotland is a lot more. I'm really not into the Christian community, it feels so...foreign :(

"Now I think I'll be majoring in English Literature or something along those lines due to the fact that I do want to teach but teaching in a foreign country sounds way better"

You can teach English in Japan, in private language schools. To teach in public schools you have to learn teaching in Japan, in Japanese.

Go for your dream but try to understand that it will take you many many years to be fluent in Japanese, even if you graduated 1st of your class in Japanese studies in your home country.
Language is only part of it.. there is also the cultural context around the language..why you use this word and not that one depending on circumstances.

I have staff and friends--in North America that, after 30 years, still can't master English properly. Even those that had a high education in their native country. And English, French etc. are way easier than Japanese.