What is schooling in Japan like?

Question:

I'm currently a sophomore in highschool in Arizona, US and was wondering if it's too late for me to be a transfer student to go to Japan to study a year or two. I've always loved the culture and just EVERYTHING about Japan =) Also, do I need to have any specific requirements to do this? For example, do I need to be able to speak and understand Japanese? Also, what are the classes, extracurriculars, and teachers like? Is there a lot more homework compared to America? And the key question is if Japanese universities were better than America's and how they differ from American universities too. Also, how is dating in high school viewed upon over there? So in the end, I'm just wondering what the high schools and universities are like there for academics, peers/students, extracurriculars, and differences from US high schools and universities. Thanks so much for taking your time to answer this! ^^

P.S. Are all the high school/university students there typically happy and optimistic or do they hate their lives? haha, thanks!

Answer:

You can't join a high school or college in Japan without speaking, reading, and writing Japanese.

>And the key question is if Japanese universities were better than America's and how they differ from American universities too.

They study for entrance exams in Japan. But do not study much after joining a college. That's the biggest difference.

All other questions like dating, homework, happy, etc, it just depends on each person or school.