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Greetings!
I am recently thinking to pursue my doctorate in japan (I know it is far away, I am still a first year undergraduate).
I am studying "communications and computer networks engineering" in Lebanese university-saida.
Anyways I want to plan about it and have some questions:

1) how hard is it to get to japan? (I would learn the language online till then)

2)what are the requirements?(for travelling and/or applying to university).

3)have you or someone you know visited japan? (If yes please post the experience if possible).

4)What universities in japan are accredited in lebanon?

5) what are the average costs of living there as a student.(outside tokyo).

6)is there any tips I should know before hand? (Aside from ones mentioned on youtube and such).

Thank you :)
Hello there my aunt is married to a Japanese dude so I'll try to answer some of your question.

1- Not so hard. Visa is basically easy to get I guess.

2- I am not really sure.

3- Yeah my aunt lives there:
- Life is not so easy because jap are like machines.
- Earthquakes are a pain in the ass.
- NEVER mess with yakuza or any other gang member.
- NEVER EVER try to buy weed, you will be banned forever if you didn't go to jail. Law about weed/drugs is so thought.
- Sushi is NOT like what you eat here.
- Japan is Expensive.(ONE lettuce leaf cost 4USD)

4- Don't know.

5- No matter where you live, if you're going as a student it's going to be expensive. Most of universities are located in major cities, (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya...).. Even if you're going to live outside the whole city, you'll never make it to class at time using metro at rush hour.(PS: Metro is also expensive)

6- Forget about it. You still in first year anyway, so pursuing your doctorate is not before 5 or 6 years right?
Japan is not your best country for education(Unless of course you live there) There is plenty of reputable universities in Europe/America where it's cheaper and life is easier.
scorz wroteHello there my aunt is married to a Japanese dude so I'll try to answer some of your question.

1- Not so hard. Visa is basically easy to get I guess.

2- I am not really sure.

3- Yeah my aunt lives there:
- Life is not so easy because jap are like machines.
- Earthquakes are a pain in the ass.
- NEVER mess with yakuza or any other gang member.
- NEVER EVER try to buy weed, you will be banned forever if you didn't go to jail. Law about weed/drugs is so thought.
- Sushi is NOT like what you eat here.
- Japan is Expensive.(ONE lettuce leaf cost 4USD)

4- Don't know.

5- No matter where you live, if you're going as a student it's going to be expensive. Most of universities are located in major cities, (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya...).. Even if you're going to live outside the whole city, you'll never make it to class at time using metro at rush hour.(PS: Metro is also expensive)

6- Forget about it. You still in first year anyway, so pursuing your doctorate is not before 5 or 6 years right?
Japan is not your best country for education(Unless of course you live there) There is plenty of reputable universities in Europe/America where it's cheaper and life is easier.
About the expensive part, may I ask in what city your aunt lives in? (Different cities, different prices)
By "sushi is NOT like what you eat here", do you mean it is better or worse?
I know there is a lot of time left, but its better to always plan ahead. Even if it is just a little :)
It was my dream when I was a teen to go and study Manga drawing there (or video game editor) but life made me stay in Lebanon.
If you can go don't hesitate, you will live with the most advanced and civilised people in the world, it will be a huge shock coming from the most chaotic country ;)
I've heard some quasi-ecstatic stories about japan from the two persons I know who went there (mainly about toilets having 10 buttons on them and stuff like that).
I know someone who went to study in South Korea, but that's all.
My main concern for you would be the language. I don't know how much of a genius you are but Japanese is difficult for us.
Japan is a very expensive country. I hope your plan works out but it will be very difficult. The language is a huge barrier to this as well.
you need to have a pixelated penis
I recommend to watch the movie The Thing 0 (Japanese edition) so you see how Japanese society is like
@specility
She lives in Tokyo. Well it's the most expensive place in .jp. But other cities are not that much cheaper.
Sushi is much better. She told me the worst sushi restaurant in japan is better than the best one here. (Obviously..)

Now when it comes to Japanese, or may I say " Nihongo ": It's not "hard" to learn it, it's "weird".
Now I can give you some advice if you want to learn by yourself:

Nihongo is divided to 3 parts: Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji.

Hiragana: It's the native jap "alphabet" (And the easiest to learn IMO)
Note that there is no "letter" but character.

Katakana: It's mainly used to write the words that are not jap origin: For example "scorz" ==> ソコレズ (so-co-re-zu)
(After learning Hiragana Katakana may be a bit harder, because it's "almost" the same sounds but different characters)

Kanji: It's basically Chinese-origin symbol used in the language (That's the hardest part!)


Pronunciation is a joke. Grammar is not that hard also... Once you've learned the alphabet, the rest will be easier.

And please stay away from ROMANJI!! It will ruin everything. It's like learning Arabic using Latin letter. ( Chou ya man kifak lyom? ) <== You can't learn Arabic with that.
I know this sounds weird, but it might be good to look at some economic indicators of the country, check the worldbank data portal.
It will give you idea about median income, age, population growth, gender gap, wages, income per age group and a data view on society.

You can also easily compare it to other countries you know like OECD countries or EU and see for yourself.

Also dig up some publication that did a report on Japan and read them.

Also, try to find a conference to attend and just go there [It will help you get your paper work easily and also if you choose a tech conference, then you will see the tech community there]. It will be a small cost to know if you want to move there and live your life. You will be able to see the place and try imagine yourself there, find a hackerspace or a tech community that can help you with your questions etc
From what I know from documentaries and mouth to ear, the biggest barrier is the language and the culture. For instance the way you salute, the way you behave, the way you react (it's seen as rude to cheer when watching a football match) etc. But often when the Japanese get drunk they forget all that.
Japan has always been an odd country for the rest of the world, but it's also awesome.

Here's an HSBC survey that will give you some data about the country:
https://expatexplorer.hsbc.com/survey/country/japan/united-states

As you can see work comes way ahead of personal life. But it doesn't mean that once you go out with a friend or girlfriend you can't share your culture as well. Since Japanese men are generally distant, you will have an advantage on that aspect.
3 months later
I'll be applying to japanese universities next month and i am going there as an undergrad.
If, hopefully, i get my merit scholarship , will it be hard for me to cope with life in japan as an 18 year old?
Do you recommend it?
Is the education there much better than here?
Does the education in japan guarantee a better future for me?
Thanks in advance
It will guarantee you the same future, unless it's a really great university. Just study in Lebanon and go do your masters in Japan if you're really looking to study there.