Going to Japan for a 6 month trip.?

Yeah, some countries you can breeze in in an out of. Japan is not one of them. You need a job first, so you can get a visa. Most foreigner jobs are McJobs teaching English in chain schools. It's like waiting tables. You smile and pretend you're enjoying it. Most Japanese are pretty dull. Go see Kyoto, Tokyo Disney Land, some hot springs, do some skiing perhaps, eat sushi. Don't stay six months.

If you're an American, you can't. A tourist visa is only good for 90 days..To work there you need a four year degree and a job offer before you get there. Buy a car ? Hope you're rich. Cars are not cheap in Japan. And they have far more laws of keeping a car than we do in the US. If you don't have a lot of money, you won't last long in Japan.

First of all, you won't be able to get a visitor visa for that long. You'll have to either get a student visa or work visa to stay in Japan for 6 months.

If you want to work there, you'll need a post-secondary degree and you'll also need to know at least a bit of Japanese.

No, taking out a loan just to go to Japan for 6 months without any definite reason is never a good idea.

It's difficult to make a lot of money in Japan especially when you're just starting out. You'll be lucky if you can afford a decent apartment on your salary. Forget about the car. Not only is it expensive to own a car in Japan, it's not practical. Japan has good public transportation system. It's very expensive to maintain a car in Japan, it's not worth it. You might be better off getting a bike, since they have huge parking lots for bikes by train/metro stations.

With money, you can enjoy everything as much as you want in Japan. Otherwise I don't think it is good idea. Poor stranger without knowing Japanese has nothing to do there.

Police will take you immigration office easily to deport you after 3 months. Working is totally illegal without certain visa. There are still many illegal English teacher in Japan though.

In Japan, good second-hand small car costs more than US$2000 including insurance and tax in cash. You have to know how to drive in left side traffic with right side steering wheel. I think buying auto is not recommendable and rather rent-a-car is much more better.

You say after graduation, so why don't you look into teaching English,as you will need to have a work visa to go and work, and if you don't speak Japanese you will have a problem getting other kinds of work.Even if if you DO have good Japanese it can be difficult, especially out of Tokyo.

Accommodation and transport are expensive in Japan.It is not a country to go to with little money! And no job prospects. But there are quite a few agencies you can look into for teaching.JET is an excellent programme, but not that easy to get accepted and it is for a year.

Cars - you need to know what you are doing - the equivalent of a Warrant of Fitness is very very expensive, which is why many Japanese ditch their car when this falls due after I think 4 years.
So while the car price may seem affordable - that is why. You will end up having to pay a lot of money to be able to drive it!

Check some Japanese websites and do a lot more research.Despite one answer there is plenty to do in Japan. It is a beautiful country, with a huge variety of activities. Both my children have lived there and one is still there after many years.