American going to College in Japan?

Question:

Hello everyone, I am an American who will be a Junior (Grade 11) in High School this year, but I want to attend College in Japan. For about a year it's been my dream to live in Japan, but until recently I had not decided what I wanted to do with my life; over my Summer Vacation, however, I've decided that I would like to work as a Game Designer for Nintendo Co. Ltd., and that I would like to attend the HAL College of Technology and Design (which has close ties to Nintendo, Microsoft, etc.) in the Shinjuku Ward of Tokyo, Japan. I'm very serious about doing this and I plan on moving there immediately after I graduate High School and applying for a Student Travel Visa, so that by the time I've completed my 4-Year Program I will have lived in the nation long enough to apply for citizenship. I've recently started studying the Japanese language, and have memorized most of the Hiragana Syllabary, and have a solid understanding of Japanese grammar, sentence structure, etc. I don't have to worry about paying my College Tuition, but I will need a way to make money for rent, food, and recreation, which, from what I understand, can be very expensive in a large city like Tokyo; So here's my questions: What kind of job(s) could an American College Student in Tokyo have to support himself? How much would it be realistic for me to expect to make on a weekly basis? If you have any other useful information, please let me know, and thank you very much in advance!

Answer:

First you will have to have near-native levels of Japanese. Many people who want to come and go to a Japanese university (in Japanese, rather than an English language degree) spend 1 or 2 years at Japanese school learning the language. You will then have to sit the EJU exam. Many do not pass this.

Four years in country as a student will not allow you to apply for permanent residency. You need a minimum of 5 years doing something which contributes to the country - for example, scientist, university professor, world-class sports coach.

You can, however, work on a student visa - up to 28 hours a week. Your best bet would be to teach English. You should earn about 3000 yen an hour. To live in Tokyo, you will probably need to teach 20+ hours a week to make rent and buy food. Your school will not be happy with that - I know the university I teach at discourages part-time work. You should try to get scholarships. Without scholarships, or serious parental investment, your plan is a no-go I think. Certainly, I always tell students flat out, if they are not willing to put in the work in school / college, they probably shouldn't consider coming. I am not saying you are unwilling, but just a heads-up.

Once you graduate, I think there is very little realistic hope of getting a job. You should be prepared with a contingency plan.