What is Japan like, the people and the cities?

Question:

I'm 19 and in college for culinary arts. And ever since i was about the age of 10 i've became obsessed with the Japanese culture. I love their food, their fashion, their music (huge jrock fan :P), manga, and anime. But most of all i LOVE their cuisine, and wish to go to Japan to study/master the Japanese cuisine. Right now i was told I can do a study abroad program but every time i think about it i get sooo scared, and nervous, like almost sick to my stomach. I really want to go there, but i don't know whats holding me back? I've never been to Japan, don't know my way around obviously xD and will be going alone. What are the people there like? Will they be rude towards me? Does being a white girl have anything to do with it? lol. I speak the basics of Japanese but not enough to sit down and have a conversation. And i can't read Japanese characters for the life of me, And the colleges i looked up stated that most of their classes are very "English limited" which i guess means, they won't speak a lot of English? I hope to find a college in Osaka or Tokyo, i've only did research on the cities and watched videos of people touring the places, but have no idea what it would actually be like? I'm pretty sure the Japanese are quite nice, and I'm not racist, i actually love the Japanese. And sorta hope to find my future husband there haha :P. But do a lot of people speak english? I won't except them too since it's their country, I'll just study more Japanese xD. I've also never been on a plan before either, and I guess im just really worried about getting lost, something bad happening to me, or i won't be happy there? I was also wondering if Colleges in Japan have dorms like the Colleges in America do? If so that would be great, cause my other concern was, whether i'd have to find a way to pay for an apartment with no job >_<;;. Thank you for taking your time to read this, and sorry for it being soo long! :D

Answer:

Haha don't worry about it being a long message, I have read longer =D
I am from England but moved to Japan a year and a half ago, I got married to a Japanese national and now have a baby. I am still studying Japanese in my own time, the longer you live in Japan the better it gets at speaking it.
I have been to alot of restaurants in Japan, sushi, udon, ramen, mcdonalds, kfc etc but I have never seen a western person working in any restaurant =( Only 1 in Starbucks.
What's holding you back is fear, I think you are afraid of the unknown because you haven't been to Japan. I was the same and I also hadn't been on a plane but I built up the courage to go for it, however I had someone with me at the time. You shouldn't go on your own to any country.
Japanese people have never been rude to me, they are polite and you should be polite back =)
About marrying a Japanese guy, it takes alot of work to get a spouse visa or any kind of visa. also you are only 19 so maybe it's a bit too far ahead into the future. Although, I got married when I was 22 haha!
I think colleges in Tokyo would be expensive, I haven't been but I am pretty sure they would be because its the capital. I don't know about Osaka, they may also be expensive.
I really think that you should have someone with you when you go to Japan, someone who can speak Japanese well or you should improve your Japanese more.
Japanese people speak a little English, I was lucky that my husband speaks good English. I think the younger generation would know English more than the older. =)
I hope I helped a little. Good luck!