About studying in Japanese Universities...?

(hey i'm also 18 and taking my "A levels" -> we call it HSC =P) well, i think there's certain reqirements to live there...u need to be employed by a japanese employer before going there i think....(i'm not sure) you are possibly gonna aim for a student visa? so perhaps look into the requirements for that. I think all (or MOST) of the japanese universities are japanese based and you need to hav a certain level of knowledge in order to understand the lessons. Perhaps you can go to a university in your country, and apply to join an exchange program?? I plan to join an exchange program in my 2nd yr of university, and the requirement is that i must have a level certificate in the Japanese language profiency test (it's equilvalent to studying japanese for 2000 hours...or more i think) so it'll be very difficult to get in and to get around by yourself if you don't know how to read or write any japanese. All courses in japanese universities are , as i said, based on japanese. it's all taught in japanese..so even if you take foreign studies, it's still going to be heavily japanese based. About the certificate, i think it's different for every course, but if you have in mind where you would like to go, you can always go on the website and send them an enquiry, i'm sure the university staff will be more knowledgable and will have better advice to give you.

id say being able to read and write japanese would pretty important in a japanese uni, if you want to understand the lectures, read the notes, find the bathroom etc... you can study courses like east asian studies or japanese history/culture in uni here combined with other degrees. these courses normally have a 12 month eschange visit in 3rd year (they do at edinburgh uni anyway) where you go and study 3rd yr in a japanese uni. but bear in mind that you will have to get to that level of japanese in 2 years, with some all japanese lectures in 2nd year. better get a phrasebook ;)

i cant answer that question, but i can tell you as an American living in Japan.....YOU WILL LOVE IT!! I lived there for 4 years and loved every minute of it. the people are welcoming as well. (they might want to take your picture like they would a celebrity, but they are really friendly) good luck with your travels!

I have experience to help you on this one...my son is currently studying at Waseda University. He went because his major is Japanese with a second major in foreign cultures. He got accepted thru a highly competitive program at his college. He had already had 3 years of Japanese in the states. He had to take a written test here and a oral interview before a board to get accepted. He was the only one from his college accepted there. Now that he is there.. even with 3 years of Japanese and kanji he is tired at the end of the day from translating in his head all day. His host family only speaks Japanese. He is having a great time.. but the classes are FAR harder than in USA. Plus it was a VERY expensive program and it didn't cover many things they failed to mention.. good luck and really research it.

Japanese universities are intended for Japanese students. English is not widely spoken in Japan, so all classes (outside of English oral communication) are taught in Japanese. You need to be able to understand Japanese at a native level to be able to follow classes. Additionally, Japanese university is much more expensive than most American universities. Even if you are accepted, you need savings of about $20,000 per academic year for tuition, plus living expenses. You will be too busy to work a part time job. The only exception is the Mormon missionary school Temple University of Japan (TUJ) which teaches classes in English, but it is still very expensive. Anyway, a degree from a Japanese university is not worth very much outside of Japan. For a foreigner it won't be worth much inside Japan either. You can do a study abroad program or student exchange and visit a Japanese university for a couple of months to a year, either living in a dorm for foreigners or doing a homestay with a Japanese family. You need to have at least intermediate level Japanese and an interest in studying Japanese language and culture. You can apply via the study abroad office at your university, but these programs are VERY competitive.