 Have you ever been at the bottom of a Japanese mosh pit I have? Hello, my people, my name is Meachem. Today we're talking about how to study in Japan. So I actually went to Japan in 2020. If I had the opportunity to study four years in Japan, I would totally take it. And four years is exactly how long it takes for you to graduate in Japan. Like other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, you're going to start your studies in the fall time, which is basically September or October. So what can you study in Japan? Even though Japan doesn't have a lot of programs dedicated to international students, you can find programs in engineering and chemistry at Kyushu University, tons of global business programs from universities like Hosei, Nagoya, and Musashino University. There's also liberal arts degrees from places like Sofia University and the Akita International University. There's also a lot of degree programs in Japanese language. So if you want to study Japanese and major in that language and culture, really there's no better place to do it but Japan. All of those programs are available in English and normally I would wait to talk about the language barrier, but I feel like we have to address the tentacle monster in the room here when we're talking about Japan. The language is going to be hard. When I was there, I basically couldn't communicate sometimes. You've also got to deal with multiple writing systems. I mean, there's kanji symbols, but then there's the hiragana and the katakana systems. And in general, Japanese people just don't speak a lot of English. You're going to want to learn Japanese if you want to get around in Japan for a long time. As a tourist for two weeks, it wasn't that bad. There is a lot of English on signs and also all the train stations announce their stops in English. So it's easy to get around and do basic stuff, but if you intend to really live in Japan for a while, you're going to need to start learning Japanese and like now. Now, most English programs will also include a Japanese language component. You will have to take some Japanese language courses. So just understand that even if you're studying in an entirely English program, you have a difficult road ahead of you. I would rate it as four sumo fights out of five. But if you're still watching this, that means you're up for the challenge. You're not going to let a little thing like the Japanese language keep you away from Japan. Hell, that might be the reason you're going to Japan. What do you need to get into a Japanese? As usual, you're going to need 12 years of education unless you live in one of these countries. Belarus, Myanmar, Russia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, or... Really? Peru. My people. It's finally happened. Every single time I do one of these videos, I have to say how Peruvians have to take an extra year of college or like do ID or something in order to qualify because they only have 11 years of education, but not this video, not this time. For some reason, Peru is on the list of systems that are considered equivalent to the Japanese system. I am amazed. I am so happy. I never thought we would see this day. Of course, if you do have IB scores, that will make it a little easier for you to get in because without them, you might have to take some entry exams. The examination for Japanese university admission, or the EJU, is the typical exam for admission to universities. So, we're also going to test you a little bit in sciences and maths as well as some basic critical thinking stuff, reading comprehension, logic questions. A general aptitude test, basically. Most of it's in English with the exception of the parts that are in Japanese to test your basic Japanese level. Now, this exam happens twice a year, once in June and once in November, and that means we should start talking about when you need to apply to Japanese university. Public universities typically open up their applications one year in advance, similar to how the United States does it. That window typically opens up a little bit later though, like in November or December, and I say window because it is a window. You only have about one month to complete your application during the time that the application is open. Some universities have multiple windows, so you can try to apply at different times. To complete that application, you're going to need your transcripts and they don't have to be translated to Japanese. You can submit everything in English as long as you have original documents with a certified translation. Make sure that every page is stamped like crazy, like just get all the stamps, like boom, boom, boom, boom. They are very bureaucratic in Japan and they expect to see stamps from somebody in charge on every page of every official document, so make sure that your stuff is stamped and signed to hell and back. Now, once you apply to a university, you will get an ID number from that university and they will publish the ID numbers of those who've been admitted, just like in this wonderful clip from Shin Chan. You don't actually have to walk up to a board though, you can just go online, like you can see this example right here. The university publishes their results and now you know who gets in while still preserving your anonymity and if your number appears on that list, congratulations. It's time to start thinking about finances. Japan is surprisingly cheap when it comes to studying in Japan. Living, that's another story. Tuition in Japan is very much like it is in Europe. You could pay just a few thousand dollars per year. That's pretty cheap. The University of Tokyo, for example, charges 5,300... 535,000... It's hard. 535,000 yen per year, but if you convert that to dollars at today's exchange rates, that's only about $5,000 a year. Even in a private university that charges more, you're still only looking at paying about $11,000 a year. But you can make that deal even better with a government scholarship from Japan. Japanese government scholarships are issued by the MEXT. That's the Ministry of Education, Sport, Culture, and Technology. They really mix a lot of things in with their ministries. That seems like a few different things that should be separate things, but they're not separate things. They're one thing, MEXT. They can give you a full tuition payment. If you get a full tuition scholarship from the Japanese government, you're also going to get about $1,000 a month to use to cover your living expenses. And that money is going to be vital because living in Japan is not cheap. In particular, food and shelter, which are like the two most basic things you need to survive are quite expensive in Japan. I mean, while I was there, the cheapest option that wasn't cooking at home was to go get ramen for like $5 or $6. Now it is a big bowl of ramen. I mean, it'll fill you up, but still you're spending a lot of money just on lunch. The only cheaper option really is to like walk into a 7-11 and just grab some food off the shelf and eat that stuff, which actually isn't that bad. Cooking at home is a possibility, but at the same time, your space in your house is not going to be very big. You're not going to have room to prepare a gourmet meal. I don't know what you know about Japanese apartments, but they are tiny. So we've got like the room and there's the bathroom and the showers behind that door and that's the kitchen and that's the futon and I'm back here in bed, right? That's what a Japanese room looks like. This is it. And that costs a lot of money too. You've got to pay about $1,000 a month just to live in a shoebox and that's if you can even get a shoebox. Demand for housing in university areas, skyrockets in the two months leading up to the start of the semester. So if you're going to start in October, do not wait until August to start figuring out your housing arrangements because all of the Japanese students that go to that university are going to do the same thing and they have an advantage. They're locals. They can secure a contract much faster than you can. You should try to start looking four months before you go. So if you're going to start in October, start looking in June and July, make some arrangements, even if you have to pay an extra month or two to reserve an apartment, it's really worth it. There's also the option to try to land a spot at one of the residence halls. There's a lot of difficult things in Japan, but none are more difficult than finding a residence hall. Universities openly admit that they don't have enough space for all of their students and that residence halls are the first to go. The minute you get admitted, start reaching out to the university to ask about residence halls, find out where they are and try to reserve a spot. It could save you a ton of money. A residence hall option might only cost you two or $300 a month, which could be a quarter of what you'd have to pay, for instance, to get an apartment in Tokyo. You will get discounts on public transportation and even some food and activities as a student once you get your student ID card and transportation around the country is amazing. It is flawless. It is like the best transportation system I've ever seen and it's super cheap. You can get around town very quickly from one side of a massive city like Tokyo to the other in just a few minutes and it's really, really economical. If you can't get a next scholarship, there are scholarships from local prefectures. So take a look at your local government to see if they have scholarships as well. Most universities also have scholarships. So between the Japanese government, your local government and the university itself, it's really possible for you to find a scholarship package that greatly reduces the cost of studying in Japan. At worst, you probably are gonna spend $30,000 a year with no financial aid at an expensive university paying out of pocket for an apartment in Tokyo. At best, you might only pay a couple thousand dollars a year because you got a full ride tuition and you got your room and board covered and extra money in your pocket from the government. The visa process is extremely simple for Japan. All you gotta do is take a passport size photo to the Japanese embassy along with your acceptance letter from your university. There's also a document called the Certificate of Eligibility that the university has to send you. They will issue that document domestically in Japan and you will have to download it from the Immigration Services website and then take that to the embassy as well. They're also gonna ask you for proof of financing and they typically expect to see $17,000 US or two million yen per year to show that you have enough to survive for not only your studies but your life in Japan. When you arrive in Japan, you're gonna get your landing permit which is a cool little blue sticker. Then you take your passport with your student visa to a local office where you'll register and get an ID card and with that, you can also get permission to leave and come back and continue your studies. Honestly, I think studying in Japan would be an amazing option for people. If you've never been to Japan, I would recommend you just go check it out anyway because it's honestly one of the best trips I've ever had in my life. I got to see so many cool things. I think it would be awesome to spend four years there. Honestly, 10 days in Japan was just enough time to let me realize how much I was missing. I want to go back and hopefully I can go back and visit one of you guys when you're studying in Japan. So if you need some help trying to apply to Japan and getting in there, hit us up with preposcore.com. We've never sent anybody to Japan but I would love to. It would be like a dream come true for me to help somebody study in Japan. So hit us up and let us know if you want to give it a shot. And that, my people, is everything you need to know to study in Japan. Thank you for watching and I'll see you next week.