College in Japan (Study in Japan Q&A Part I)

Information on how to go directly from high school outside of Japan to university in Japan, as well as a bit of information on Japanese grad schools and private language schools.

Learn Japanese pitch-accent and pronunciation from my Patreon Series "Japanese Phonetics"

*Not entirely applicable to the JLPT.

[Pianobin]

22:55 Would internships take in foreign students?
23:35 What would you recommend as good ways to support yourself financially as a student while studying a degree in Japan?
25:43 How to get scholarships?
27:45 What's the base level of Japanese required?
29:53 University of Tokyo vs other universities
31:24 Campus life and access to housing
33:07 Common culture shock issues
33:56 MEXT Scholarships
35:22 Do I have to get the chest x-ray?
35:36 Does it help my application if my Japanese is better?
37:24 Approximately how long do you have to study to fully understand the Japanese language?
37:48 PhD in Japan?
40:09 Is it good to abandon a career and get language school visa before transitioning into a job vs applying directly from overseas?
42:17 How big of a boost would learning Japanese be for studying abroad? How effective would studying for N-levels be?
42:56 Is there a minimum age for language or vocational school?
43:22 How difficult is it to support yourself studying abroad? Room for extra activities (social, creative, hobbies, etc)?
45:16 Prices studying at a private vs public university?
46:24 Tips on building Japanese conversation skills while studying in Japan
48:15 As a translator is it better to have a certificate degree from your home country or target country?
49:16 General advice

[thebondthecurse]

I'm currently a grad student on the MEXT scholarship at Hiroshima University. My advice is if you want to come here to study, there should be a reason why studying x subject *in Japan* is important. Don't come here to study something that has nothing to do with Japan, that you could study anywhere, just because you like Japan. University, especially at the postgraduate level, is hard enough without adding culture shock on top of it, without a real reason you are passionate about to drive you to study here specifically.

[hansirolle]

As an european who paid 50€ per year for university and got 450 € every month from the goverment to be able to study there I find it always amazing how other countries education systems work. While doing my year abroad in Japan they gave me 1k € because they said Japan is expensive altough my dorm in Osaka cost half the price of my old one in Vienna

[eman]

Undergraduate students: reminder that IF YOU SPEAK GOOD JAPANESE (humanities) or are very good at maths and sciences (sciences), you should 100% apply for the MEXT scholarship. It's the best deal you could possibly get for studying in Japan, just keep in mind that depending on your country it could be ultra-competitive. I got rejected by Sophia U and then accepted by MEXT, so what gives? Apply anyway.

PS. I am 99% sure the details about the scholarship in this video do not apply to fully-funded MEXT scholarships so any other variants including partial, research and training scholarships I would recommend doing your own research on.

[cherriirin]

Regarding the question at 40:09, I know someone at uni who just graduated this past June with a computer science degree. He literally went to the Google careers page, selected the Tokyo office on a whim, applied, and actually got hired—but he actually doesn’t speak any Japanese at all. So it’s definitely possible if you can’t speak the language! Sometimes you just gotta go for it

[jai_nasu]

I love both his English and Japanese are quite neutral sounding and really easy to hear

[LeoSkyro]

Man, I wish I had discovered my love for studying Japanese back in highschool so I could have made something out of it and studied in Japan.
Instead I enrolled into courses because I thought they were the "correct" choice, flunked out and here I am at 25 without a degree.
I'm gonna study at a language school in Tokyo starting from January, and hopefully after that get into a senmon gakko... universities are just too expensive (I'm not American, uni here is much cheaper) and I cant afford another 4 years
So I'll do my best with that, it's the only thing I can do at this point.

[johannespretorius]

Thank you for this, my son wants to study in Japan in 2020. Really appreciate it. have a great day

[hiropon]

dude tripped me out so much to hear you speak english! you've got such a nice voice mate <3

[slothicality]

I'm currently a freshman education student at 鹿児島大学/Kagoshima University. (A public university)
It was my dream to enroll in a Japanese university because I felt like it was the key to mastering Japanese. (and making Japanese friends) Before entering this university I was enrolled in a Japanese language program for a year & a half. That being said, my Japanese level is still not that high, so after the 面接/interview with the education department heads I was sure I was going to fail, but somehow I managed to pass. It didn't take me long to figure out it's partially due to the fact I'm American. I'm currently the first American student to enter this program. Honestly the universities are extremely interested having western students enter into their undergraduate and graduate programs, so for western students who are interested, there is an opportunity for you!! That being said, non English degree programs/programs that are not used to or geared towards a diverse student body or international students will not have a developed support system for international students. It's because you entered into a program meant for Japanese students and are expected on some level to study the same way a Japanese student does. Just something to keep in mind when choosing what kind of school or program you want to enter.

[TiaTitan]

I would be wary giving a cost of living per year. I think your approximation at 19:30 is a decent average.
I studied at a school in Tokyo for 6 months, but for a year program at the same school:
Tuition is $10, 000ish
Boarding/Dorm fees would be about another $10, 000
And as someone with finicky health, I had to keep a steady supply of allergy medication (sidenote: if you have hayfever in your country, odds are you will in Japan as well). To those considering school in Japan, don't forget to factor in the cost for maintaining your health <3

[masamiyaleco]

I graduated the Univ in Kyoto and Shiga established by the same educational institution which daddy Dogen worked for! then got PhD at Kyoto Univ. I still regretted not visiting APU by using the credit transfer system! And I swear I studied too hard while the Univ cause I majored in science and engineering, so don't misunderstand Univ students in Japan lol
I'd like to say Kyoto is one of the best cities in Japan for Univ students. Kyoto was the longest lasted capital of Japan and is the heart of the Japanese traditional culture. And there are many Universities so students can use the credit transfer system of the dozens Universities.
And for the first time in my daily life I had to speak in English was in the Univ at least in my labo cause there were several foreign students including government-sponsored foreign students (actually Japan's ODA tho) who couldn't speak Japanese and were exempted Japanese test, and I used to take part in the collaborative researches with foreign Universities.
I worked for a Japanese company
and also US company in Tokyo but now I'm a freelancer coz I don't wanna commute lol, and often offered from US companies but it seems I can't live there because of the fu*king medical expense system!

[triickzz]

this video could not have came out at a better time, thank you soo much

[joyride]

5:38 NONONONONO. You cant do that anymore. It was never allowed but the immigration officers kinda let it slide because it was a grey area, but now something changed and they are cracking down on this shit. You can NOT go from tourist-->working visa whilst in Japan.

[JJamesmale]

Holy cow I actually had my question answered here.
I'm already trying to create a career in translation, and I'm not a native English speaker so it's not related to "teaching English in Japan".
I just really want to live in Japan, at least for a while, both as a personal experience and to bring my Japanese to the next level. Studying there sounds awesome, but from a career standpoint having a translation degree/certificate in my own country sounds, sadly, more logical.
Thanks for your answer!

[nk]

Thank you so much for sharing this video with us even though you're obviously quite time-challenged at the moment
keep it up <3

[ATakahashi]

....Bruh. I'm going to Ritsumeikan APU in September....As a little first year.



Coming from Hawaii, the cost of living in Beppu, as well as tuition is cheaper. It's like I want to cry, it's a miracle.

[ArizonaRangerPE]

What do I need to do to come to english to teach Japan?

[NihonRebooted]

I went to college in Osaka via study abroad. Not exactly the same as the full experience but was amazing none the less. Kansai Gaidai was the name of the university. Feel free to ask any questions about that place if you are thinking of going there.

[TheBarbarios]

Moreover, for anyone interested, most universities that offer scholarships for complete tuition or partial are part of the program “TOP GLOBAL UNIVERSITIES”. Just search on google and you’ll find a bunch of results. You can also apply completely through the internet, with no need to go JAPAN or to use mail. Good luck everyone