With age-old Japanese traditions – as typified by those nurtured from the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (late 16th to early 17th century) to the Edo Period, which lasted nearly 300 years – at its foundation, Japan flexibly assimilated the culture of Western civilization later introduced to its soil. However, even with the rapid growth of Japanese economy and the development of advanced technology after World War II, Japan continued to retain its original culture as well. That is to say, the old and new have coexisted until today. This is what brought about Japan’s diversity and fascination which still attracts many foreigners.
Japan is also a country with rich nature, diverse topography, and beautiful turns of the seasons. Haiku verse which has blossomed by absorbing the natural essence of each season is an example of a very unique Japanese literary culture. The country’s rich variety of local festivals, annual events, and folk entertainment are also most likely the result of Japan’s nature and topography.
If you have been in Japan, you might say that you are a big fan of hot spring resorts, “Onsen”, a unique Japanese version of the spas. Others may know about J-Pop, Japanese films, or even the nail arts. Even those who have never been in Japan may be interested in the beauty and delicacy of Japanese cuisine – some says that it must be enjoyed with both the eye and palate – as well as Japanese culture represented by in Kimono, tea ceremony and Ikebana flower arrangement, or traditional sports such as Judo, Kendo and Naginata.
The main focused reasons or charm of studying in Japan can be as follows:
Developed economy and advance technology
Japan is an economically-advanced country with a high degree of scientific technology. People in the universities and enterprises make advanced basic research and applied research every day while new technology and theory have been developed or exploited one after another. These scientific technology and academy theory work as tool to support people’s life and society over the world. As the social foundation, a variety of high level education has been practiced. There are over 700 universities or colleges in Japan. The number of vocational colleges in Japan is near to 3,000. The education spread from traditional academy fields, like law, economy, engineering, science to the modern fields, like environment, information, tourism, cartoon, and animation or computer game.
Unique culture and cosmopolitan
Japanese or Japanese culture has its own uniqueness. However, if you are surrounded Japanese culture, you will find all its uniqueness has its own origin. Moreover, these origins could also be understood as the common foundation which is link with the people of the whole world. You could not only get knowledge of advanced and specialized knowledge through studying Japan but understand your own country and language itself by studying Japanese and Japanese culture at the same time as well. What is more, it will deepen your understand of the world. This kind of multi-cultural understanding will form your new personality which comes from your studying abroad experience.
For your dream
There are lots of foreign students play an active part in the company related Japan or Japanese company both in Japan and their hometown after studying in Japan. Basing on the results of lots kind of questionnaire, we found that those foreign students thought of their experience of studying in Japan as the great fortune in their life. The success of studying Japan is not the dream which could be realized without any difficult. However, it is the dream which could be realized if every one of you make progress toward your goal. Meanwhile, perhaps you will be distress by the different culture you have yet got used to; perhaps your will be pleased with your new discovery. Please challenge to study in Japan, realize your dream.
Think about your life course after your graduation
If you are thinking about studying in Japan, you will be eager to know which school is good for you or how to get via, etc. This is why you are browsing this homepage. This homepage will provide you useful information. Before reading how to select school or get visa, please think about one thing. ‘After graduating from Japanese college, university or vocational school, what are you planning to do next? ‘
Find a job in Japan
Graduating from college or undergraduate course is the basic qualification in order to find a job in Japan. If you graduated from college or undergraduate course outside Japan, this basic qualification is also be considered to be fulfilled. If you graduate from vocational school and get the degree of ‘specialistE you also meet this working qualification requirement. However, basic qualification cannot guarantee your success of job-hunting.
In order to find a job in Japan, foreign students should make the same job-hunting activity as Japanese students. It is necessary to have advanced Japanese-speaking ability and be knowledgeable about Japanese society custom. You must learn the necessary knowledge which are related to the job you want to do. Moreover, by appealing your own personality which Japanese students do not have, your job-hunting will be successful.
Therefore, let’s think about the ways to master the aforementioned knowledge during college days in Japan.
Aiming at being a scholar
There are lots of Japanese graduate schools whose research work in certain fields are in the high rank on an international scale. There are foreign students whose study related to these fields aim at being scholar or teacher in universities in their future. For example, there were a student come to study in Japan after the graduation of undergraduate course. Studying language school for two years, then spending one year in the graduate school as a research students, two years for master course while 3 years for doctoral course. Totally it cost 8 years for him (her) to graduate. If (s)he came to Japan at 23 years old, (s)he will be 31 after 8 years. Meanwhile, (s)he may get married or have a child. Therefore, there are lots of foreign students studying in the graduate school with their families. Studying in Japan for the long term will decide half of your life. So make clear of your goal of studying in Japan.
Experiencing living in Japan
Japanese animation or drama may be shown in your country. After watching Japan via TV, you maybe want to try living in Japan and understand Japan by your own eyes. If so, why not try living in Japan and studying in Japan at the same time? Price is high in Japan. Especially if you rent room in Tokyo, in this case it cost 60,000 to 100,000yen a month. So if you choose study in Japan intensively at a short run, it will be helpful to alleviate the economic burden as living in Japan.
Enough time for preparing
It is rash to decide the school to go or make financial plan just after listening to the advice from friends with study abroad experience or the information provided by study abroad mediator. In addition, it is also thoughtless to apply the school without comparison with others just because its deadline is near at hand. It is difficult for you to change school halfway after you come to Japan. On some occasion, it is also impossible to transfer from one school to another. Even if you succeed in transferring school, you have to pay for admission fee again. Generally, vocational school or university in Japan starts from April, so you have to wait until next April if you want to transfer. Of course you have to go to and from the school you do not want to attend and pay for the tuition. In order to avoid these things, you ought to spend enough time on information collecting and study abroad preparing. Please think that these preparations are inevitable, even if one year behind schedule to come to Japan. Please make full use of this one year to begin Japanese learning in your home country. It will be helpful after you come to Japan.
Do not rely on part time job earning
One characteristic of studying in Japan is that foreign students are permitted to take part time job. Students in Japanese school could work four hours a day while university students could work no more than 28 hours a week. (During the summer vocation, eight hours a day is permitted.)
However, living expense and tuition in Japan could not be covered by part job earning. No one will employ a person who cannot speak any Japanese and no one guarantee that you could find part time job anytime within the limit established by the law. Even you find part-time job, you have prepare for the days when you have to quit the job because of thesis-writing or job hunting. Therefore, you should make a plan that you could afford for both the tuition fee and living expense without part-time earning. Then part-time job earning will be your spare money for the future. Scholarship and tuition fee reduction are same. You should not come to Japan if you cannot afford all the expense without scholarship or tuition fee reduction. Please make a plan that scholarship and tuition fee will be your spare money to live in Japan.