• Great things about studying in Japan
• Things you should know when studying in Japan
• Cost to study abroad in Japan
• Student Visa

Great things about studying in Japan

1. Of course, since Japan is famous as a land of all things high-tech, it has many good engineering and applied science schools, and Japan produces a solid number of engineering and science-majored graduate students as well.
2.  Japan is also known for producing many wonderfully designed products (such as the internationally popular designs from stores like Uniqlo, MUJI, and others). The foundation of this is Japan’s art and design schools. Over the last decade, the number of international students in art and design schools has been rising sharply, and academic institutions are actively accommodating young talents from overseas.
3. The Japanese government is promoting a “Study in Japan” program with the goal of attracting 300,000 students by 2020. (In 2008, Japan had 140,000 international students.)
4.  Along with this initiative, the government is offering various types of scholarship programs to non-Japanese who are looking to study in Japan.

For more information:

http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/toj0302e.html

Things you should know when studying in Japan

School year starts in early April (usually the first Monday of the month) and ends in mid-March next year.

School year is divided into 2 semesters, from April to mid-July and from September to mid-March.

There is long summer vacation from mid-July (from mid-June for universities) to early September.

It is compulsory to go to elementary school and middle school in Japan. Elementary school starts when children are 5 or 6 years old and middle school starts when they are 12 or 13 years old. Students graduate when they are 15 years old.

In public elementary and middle schools, lunch is provided by regional governments but no school transportation is provided.

Although it is legally possible to go to Japanese public school regardless of children’s Japanese ability, it will be extremely difficult to catch up classes if your child is not a Japanese speaker, since everything is taught in Japanese. If you want your child to learn in Japanese public school, it is highly recommended to send your child to Japanese school before they are 6 years old (that is, in first grade or earlier).

Undergraduate study:

Most of Japanese universities offer academic programs in Japanese only, meaning high-level Japanese proficiency is required. Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University is one of a few academic institutions where a dual language education is provided.

Graduate study:

Unlike undergraduate programs, a lot of graduate study programs are offered in English, meaning there is a wide range opportunities for advanced level study in Japan.

Cost to study abroad in Japan

Full time Japanese language schoosl:

Tuition: JPY 150,000-250,000 for a three month course
Living expenses (including accommodation): About JPY 80,000-100,000/month

University study abroad in Japan:

Annual tuition for public university: around JPY 500,000 depending on school and major
Annual tuition for private university: JPY 1,200,000-2,000,000 depending on school and major
Living expenses (including accommodation): About JPY 100,000-120,000/month

Student Visa

Countries with a visa-waiver agreement with Japan do not need a student visa in order to attend language courses that last less than three months. In that case, you can visit with a tourist visa.

For Chinese nationals, if certain requirements are met, visas can be issued for “individual tourists.”
The traveler creates a travel schedule in advance, and then asks an accredited travel agency in China to make the arrangements for the travel. The travel agency in China applies for the visa based on documents submitted by the person traveling and a travel agency in Japan. The applicant his/herself is not required to make the application.

If you are studying more than three months, you will need a student visa.

For more information: http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/long/visa6.html