Hi.
I am almost 30 years old and I've been looking to move to Japan for quite a few years now as I have visited the country 5 times in the last 12 years and love it there. I have a Master's Degree from a Norwegian university and I was working for a couple years before being unemployed since last year, and now I just work part-time, and trying to save as much money as I can.
I figured now would not be a bad time to try such a thing since I do not have a lot going for me here in Norway anymore and I have money saved. My Japanese level is quite weak, but i'm confident that I could pass N5, but there is still a long way to go.
I've considered 2 options.
1st is Taking a 2nd Master's Degree in Japan (It seems the vast majority of courses are taught in Japanese, and the process of selecting a professor, and contacting said professor as a international applicant was not considered good advice from what i've seen on here). I'm however not super interested in doing such since I would end up studying something very similar to what I have already attained a degree in.
2nd is taking an intensive Japanese langauge course in Japan and focusing on achieving Japanese working proficiency in a year or two. I would hope to start working at least part-time during my studies as well.
I've seen a lot of conflicting advice on here, but i'm willing to hear some responses based on the information i've provided.