awalterj: I didn't know they hire non native speakers too, in that case your chances are much higher of course.
When I was your age, I had hardly been anywhere by myself and never been to Japan, either. A decade from now, you might achieve all your goals. If you're determined enough, surely you can learn the language via skyping with Japanese people. You can teach them English, they can teach you Japanese and it costs nothing. I believe it's entirely possible to learn Japanese even without going there first so don't let that hold you back.
Must add here that I don't speak Japanese, on my first trip I knew only one word (thank you) and that was it. After my 4th visit I decided that I could probably hold actual conversations if I knew the language so I decided to learn it by myself but I soon gave up despite having a cool language training game on my Nintendo DS and a couple books for Hiragana/Katakana and grammar and a book with practical lessons plus CD. You can learn kanji by practicing with little cards you can print form the internet. I didn't get very far, this is harder than a Wizardry game and sooo much grind. I then realized that I've gotten by just fine with sign language (waiving around arms like Stanley from Monkey Island) and I can say some very basic stuff like asking for directions and if all fails, just start listing all the Japanese food you like and that can substitute for any lack of language skills because all the Japanese people I've met LOVE food and they are very happy to hear when you like their cuisine.
"Okonomiyaki sugoi! Sukiyaki sugoi!" etc etc
Once I run out of dishes, I start adding city names so then I go like this: "Hiroshima okonomiyaki sugoi!" etc etc
One of my most surprising feats despite my non exisiting Japanese skills was making a hostel reservation over the phone from Switzerland to Fukui. The receptionist didn't speak any English so I had to piece together Japanese words like Lego. I thought surely that didn't work but when I showed up there, everything was OK and the reservation actually went through. That made me very happy because I thought my Lego-Japanese was completely useless.
Now you'll have to do much better than me if you want to work there, but I'm sure your skill is already 50 times better. So start skyping with Japanese people if you aren't already. It's a win-win for both them and yourself!
I didn't know either, until one of the girls from the Masters graduates said she got a job there as an English teacher for kids. Needless to say, she didn't want to go, she hated Japan (WTF was she doing in Japanese Masters???), she hated the Japanese people, she hated kids, etc. She was whining about how much she does not want this job, but she will take it only for the money. I just wanted to...... PUNCH HER SO BAD!!!! >___<
They LOVE when foreigners speak anything in Japanese. My teacher went to a Japanese orchestra concert here in Budapest, and all she said was "arigatou" and the musicians were all almost fainting, and all gathered around her, and treated her like their best friend. Same happened with my friend who studies Chinese. She ordered food in Chinese in a Chinese buffet, and she got double amount of food, drinks on the house :D
We have "international communication" lesson, where we skype with Japanese people. I didn't take it myself, but people who did said it's horroristic.
Phoning in a foreign language is terrible. My friend who is perfect English and teaches English, tried to phone with a bank in English, and she could barely make anything out.
Not sure I want to skype myself.......... >__>
Hiragana-Katakana--- hehehehehe! People who didn't know it already when starting university left pretty fast :P
It went like this:
"This is the Higarana, and this is the Katakana. Test next week."
Half of the guys stopped their studies :P
Kanji with cards you print works... except if your teacher tells you:
"100 Kanji/ week. Test in each Friday."
"5 pages to translate. Deadline two days from now." (3x, since we had 3 translation lessons :D)
YAY goodbye freetime :DD But it was fun. And I'm not being ironic, it really was fun :DD
I should reallllly start studying them again, since my state exam is coming in a few months, and I forgot a lot ._.