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Thank you. As much as I would like to take your advice about undergraduate/graduate school, I'm not sure how I would fare as I am already an undergraduate, and my knowledge of Japanese isn't that great (it's been on the backburner for a very long time, usually I haven't paid attention to it) and I'm not sure how I'd fare doing a course in Japan; I don't think I would like to be studying the subject I do (ECE) much more beyond graduate level, though I guess I'll see about that. If it's not too much to ask, what are Japanese university fees and ease of entry like?

Do you have any advice or ideas where to look if I want to go into a career teaching English in Japan, if such a thing isn't too laughable? :)

Edit: one of my biggest concerns is whether I can apply from abroad, as getting into Japan in the first place is an issue.

[mattnumbe]

For jobs teaching English (it's not really a career choice unless you end up getting a proper teaching degree or happen into something special) check out www.gaijinpot.com it's, despite the name, one of the most credible sources for English teaching jobs. For universities, public universities in Japan are incredibly cheap when compared to universities in the US. Tuition for the university I went to was less than 5,000usd/yr (a tenth of what I paid in the us/year for undergrad) and there are scholarships a plenty. Check out the MEXT scholarship or JASSO. I ended up getting both which paid for my living expenses as well as school. Like I said, working part time on top of that I was living very comfortably. So, going to school will grant you a very affordable apartment, gym membership, very good intensive Japanese lessons, an education, friends, the chance to work up to 28 hours a week, and if you get a scholarship, spending money, on top of the education of your choice.

Search for the G30 program. There are a bunch of public universities here that participate in G30, which is made for foreign students, in English and it's very well funded.