Moving to japan as a photographer at 18?

This is a pipedream. Absolutely, positively a pipedream. No chance of happening. Zero. Not gonna' happen. Others have already mentioned the 'visa' world. That blows all chances of this pipedream happening. Saving up money is NOT going to help. (Ballpark $10,000 plus a month's salary until your first paycheck.) Visa. Visa. Keep saying that over and over like a mantra. Pass the visa obstacle? Now start saying 'job offer' over and over again. Keep in mind that being a photographer isn't anything special that there aren't already a lot of Japanese wanting to do. And I hate to tell you, but living out in the country as a photographer? Who do you think you are, Ansel Adams? Between 'visa', 'job offer' and 'My name isn't Ansel Adams' this should serve to sufficiently pop this pipedream of yours.

Yes you need a bachelor degree and Japanese companies will not hire you. you are not a native level speaker. The only way they will is fi you can show them something that other Japanese people can not do.Unless you get married

Have fun being homeless forever

You need a four year degree to get a work visa, or 10 years experience in a needed job field. I'm afraid photography isn't one of them. You need to have a skill a Japanese doesn't have.

Sorry honey... but that would be a very hard dream to reach.. unless you become so famous and good like Demarchelier! I'll give you some reality here: it will be extremely hard to get a job as a photographer here cause you will need a Japanese work visa, and to have that you will need a Japanese company to sponsor you. You might need a lot of experience, have to be really special, to stand out that japanese companies would find you utterly irresistable not to hire. If you are dying to live here, work as an English teacher, marry a Japanese guy, or someone with Japanese citizenship, then, you will get a long-term residency, and be able to work and do almost the same sh!t japanese people do. If you work and gain experience before you come here, you might be able to get a job.. but some places might turn you down (just cause you're gaijin.. yeah I know, reality is a *****.. ), so you might have to consider studying photography one more time here in Japan. I'm just telling you an option here... (PS, people in this section are rude, hehe deal with it! xD ) I dunno about the 10 year experience! it depends on the company! if there ever is a company that is willing to hire someone overseas..? no... there are many people here already, waiting in line for jobs honey... so... it's very unlikely to find a company. I dunno how it works, but why not try working for a company there, that will allow you to travel and work as a photographer here in Japan? Like Nat Geo, CNN, that sorta stuff. Who knows, right? ;D

Firstly, you need a college degree AND work experience. Because you are a non-Japanese, there has to be a reason for a Japanese company to hire you over a Japanese. In fact, a Japanese employer has to justify the hiring of a non-Japanese to the Japanese government or else the government will not issue a work visa. You could work for a fashion magazine in your home country and get assignments to Japan. Maybe after you prove yourself, you could apply to be transferred to the branch in Japan. If you are good enough, you might catch the attention of a magazine editor in Japan. Secondly, there is no way to move to Japan and THEN get a job because no one will hire you if you do not have a work visa. You have to line-up the job FIRST before you can get a visa. Thirdly, fluency in Japanese is an absolute must. If you can't read, write or speak Japanese, you will not get a job for ANY Japanese publishers. You might not even get a job transfer to Japan from your local employer because it is a dream job and many people will be applying for it - not just you. Fourthly, cost of living in a big city is very high. Japan is a very expensive place to live and the major cities are the most expensive places in Japan. But the large cities such as Tokyo and Osaka are where the jobs are - if they were hiring. Which brings us to the biggest obstacle for the immediate future - global recession. Japan, just like every country on earth is suffering bad economic times - high unemployment, few jobs, rising cost of everything. And people who have jobs are guarding theirs like a ton of gold. If you are thinking of a quiet leisurely pace job with no stress, forget Japan. Stress on the job is par for the course in ANY job in Japan. While all of the above are daunting, it was not meant to dissuade you from your goal but to make you realize the amount of hard work ahead of you if you really want this dream. You stand a better chance of success if you have a realistic view of what you need to do and you really have quite a mountain to climb if you want your dream job.