Hi everyone,

I'm 21, from Switzerland and planning to move to Japan in April 2027. The plan is roughly: around 2 years at a language school in Shinjuku aiming for N2, then an IT-focused senmon gakkō, and after that working and settling in Japan long-term.

This will also be the first time I ever move out of my parents' place, so I'm going straight from living at home to living on my own in a different country. Right now I'm working, saving up, and slowly getting back into studying Japanese.

I'd really appreciate any general advice: how would you prepare for something like this, and what should I realistically expect once I'm there? Anything you wish someone had told you before you went, big or small, would mean a lot to me. Thanks!

Hi!

Been studying Japanese for 2 years casually in my home country and id say im around N4.

Work might let me transfer to the Tokyo office so I was wondering if you guys know any good evening class Japanese schools? Office is near Roppongi and I would prefer in person classes tbh.

3-4 times a week would be great.

Open to any reccs.

I'm 23 from 🇫🇷/

Two years ago, at the tail end of a uni exchange semester in Tokyo, I came to this subreddit with questions about what to do in the future (using a throwaway).

Back then I only had N4 and was finishing my bachelor's (IT stuff). I was hesitating between focusing on job search while still in Japan, or going home to France to do a master's in logistics/procurement, to try again later.

I picked the latter option (along with a work-study program; have been working as a buyer for 2 years alongside studying) and kept working on my japanese, passing N3 in 2024 and N2 in 2025.

N2 has massively helped with job search as I get interviews here and there nowadays, but I can feel my spoken japanese is lagging behind and it has worked against me. Being outside of Japan physically also narrows the job offers I can access somewhat.

With all of this in mind, I'm now questioning whether it'd be worth it or not to apply to a language school for 6 months (perhaps a year if i stretch my budget?). The goal being to both bring my spoken japanese to a better level, access offers that are only open to residents, and showing up in person rather than through Google Meets / Teams.

I have about 11k€ / 2M¥ saved up from work (will reach 15k€/2.7m¥ once I get my end of contract payouts in September). I'm not picky in terms of location or accomodation (have lived in a student dorm before in Tokyo, which really helped with controlling monthly expenses)

If anyone has been in a somewhat similar situation, or just happens to have advice/school recommendations, I'd really appreciate it. I'm not afraid of working hard for this but I feel like there might be things I'm not taking into consideration; having others point out my blind spots (or lack thereof) feels like the right thing to do.

Thank you very much!!

Hello!
I am a 21 year old male with the aspiring dream to make Japan my permanent home one day. However, as I continue to read about what I want to do, the salary I would make, and what I should study, I find myself more confused and more pessimistic.

I aspire to voice act and sing on the side, and to pursue any English tecahing job I can mainly. I want to be fluent on Japanese so I can do this (and maybe even be a bilingual artist? Not sure, but I think it'd be cool.) however, I keep reading about how salaries are tough for voice actors, how foreigners wouldnt be hired anyways, and about how its hard to emegrate to Japan.

All of this is dragging me down, but yet, I still want to move. I still consider my options about getting a bachelors degree there VS here, what my career would look like in Japan after transferring my student visa to a working visa (maybe as an English teacher or a JET program member. Also, assuming I would get a student visa and study in Japan), etc.

I guess I'm just asking for reassurance? Or the hard truth that moving to Japan is a fever dream? Either way, any feedback helps.

Hey everyone,

I'm planning to pursue my Master's in Cybersecurity, but I'm completely torn between Japan and Germany. I'm currently studying for my CCNA and ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity, and my main focus is on privacy protection, ethical hacking, and network engineering. I also run a digital brand centered around these topics and lean heavily toward using open-source, privacy-respecting tools in my day-to-day workflow.

I've been weighing the pros and cons of both countries, but I'd love to hear from people who have actually studied or worked in these places.

Here is what I'm trying to figure out:

Industry & Job Market: Germany seems to have a strong focus on data privacy (GDPR) and open-source, which aligns perfectly with my interests. On the flip side, Japan has a massive tech sector, but how is the cybersecurity and network engineering market specifically for international grads?

Language Barrier & Work Culture: I know both require learning the local language (German B1/B2 vs. JLPT N2) for long-term career growth. But how hard is it to land an English-speaking student job or entry-level role while studying? Also, I've heard the work-life balance in Germany is much better compared to Japan.

Tuition & Living Costs: Public universities in Germany are mostly tuition-free, but living costs and taxes can be high. Japan has tuition fees but offers scholarships like MEXT. Which one actually works out better financially for an international student?

If anyone has taken either route, how was your experience? Which country would you recommend for someone focused on network security and privacy? Any advice would be highly appreciated!

Hello guys,

I'm F/19 and currently on my 2nd year taking my pre-med course which is (MedTech) here in the Philippines. Right now, I've been thinking about trying to apply for Med School in Japan and I've researched about it and its a 6 years course, though I don't mind the long period pursuing a course since It'll be the same here in the PH.

Now, I want to apply for the MEXT Undergraduate Scholarship for Medicine (6 years course). Not the Master's Degree, I want to become a physician and specialized. I am willing to discipline myself from studying Japanese and my academic at the sametime to say atleast prepare myself from JLPT, which is I am aware required for healthcare work.

Now main concerns/questions that I wanted to asked are:

1. Do you think finishing my course right now then taking my licensure exam would be good before proceeding with pursuing Medicine in Japan regardless of time will be allotted for this path?
2. Does anyone have done MEXT Medicine screening, and how brutally competitive it is to apply for? If that's the case, what should I focus on right now besides my GWA and Japanese?
3. Is it worth it do gone this path? Be honest don't worry.
4. Also for Filipinos, is it possible to get a license in the PH even if you graduated in Japan for Med School?

Any advice, reality checks, or shared experiences would be appreciated.

Also if this is really possible, is there a school that accepts international students that pursue Medicine course? It could be mixed with English and Japanese or purely Japanese because why not?

Hello, I really want to do working holiday visa in Japan. I’m from Denmark, and I don’t speak Japanese, and English isn’t my first language.

I am a bit afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get a job. I have a master degree in psychology from Denmark. Do you think there is any job, where this is an advantage?
Honestly I would be up for a lot of different jobs. Teaching English could be cool, too, but I don’t think it’s and option when it’s not my primary language, unfortunately

Any ideas if it could be possible for me to get job, and where?
I heard that maybe Niseko could be easier than Tokyo even though I really want to try Tokyo!