How To Study Japanese Kanji?

How do I study Japanese in Japan and Vietnamese in Vietnam?

• I have always been interested in Asian culture but Japan has held my interest for awhile. I am semi fluent I know about 600 Kanji. I can read hiragana and katakana. Right now I am not in school I am 23 years old and I would like to work or go to school in Japan to study Japanese. Do I have to enroll into a college here in the USA or do I apply for a language school in Japan? I don't know the first steps to getting there. Most language schools want you to have a college background or to be in college? I am confused. I also want to learn Vietnamese because it's widely used here in Houston Texas as the 3rd most popular language and jobs are paying good if you speak Vietnamese. The only good way to learn a language is to go to that country and be immersed. Please help.

• Answer:

  In most cases you need to have a college degree (or be on a sponsored exchanged via the college you attend) in order to get a Japanese visa as an American citizen. If you have that then all you need is enough money. Japanese language schools aren't like universities. If you want to go all you need to do is sign up, you don't have to apply or anything. They don't decide whether or not you get a visa though, the Japanese Immigration Office does. All the school can do is sponsor your visa and help with the application. To get a visa you'll have to send bank statements and things proving that you have enough money to pay for yourself to survive as a language student for however long your visa is (usually 1~2 years). As a language school student, you'll get a "pre-college student" visa status, which means you'll only legally be allowed to work 20 hours per week, and you have to obtain a special permit to do that. In short, it's very possible, but it takes work and financial backing. Don't know anything about Vietnam though. By the way: I'm a US citizen, studied abroad in Japan for 9 months through university, moved back to Japan after graduation as a language school student, got a job and have a normal 3 year working visa now. I have lots of foreign friends with all kinds of visa issues and we've all become involuntary experts on the process.