Moving to Japan: what would it take?

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So this is just an idea I've been tossing around, and definitely wouldn't be something I'd do until I've finished my education, but I think it would be cool to live in Japan for a time...maybe for a season, maybe a year, maybe for life; who knows. All depends how well I can adapt, and if I get homesick.

So basically, I'm looking for a rough cost of what it might take to move there.

I have no problem with learning the language (doing it right now!), even though some say it's not necessary, I feel learning how to read/write/converse in the language is anything but a hindrance.
I'd never live in Tokyo, northern Japan/Hokkaido would be my target area. Some small(er) city for sure...
Employment wise I'd probably be looking for something related to auto mechanics, which I figure would not be hard to find employment in that trade.

Well first off you'll need a career first that would work well in Japan and a lot of money to find a place that rents to Gaijins once you can establish that you are good to go.

Quoted & highlighted for emphasis; unless it'd be hard to find a job as an automotive technician...?

Are there places that would not take me because I'm gaijin?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyP3EGpZ-c8[/youtube][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anLP4uKdjh8[/youtube]

Hasn't the Japanese government pretty much established that they don't want foreigners moving in unless they already have a job lined up ahead of time?

If you ever do go there, don't try to buy imported food as that is notoriously expensive. Buy Japanese brands and food, that is much less expensive. That is what I've read on going over there, and trying to get 'brands from home' is what makes people spend a whopping amount.

That's a bit of a pain, since it's a bit of a trial to get the proverbial 'foot in the door' as far as employment goes. I'm guessing the OP might have more success seeing if he can get a part time job lined up beforehand, depending on what he can find. If it were me, I'd have to see if I could get a low level job first since those might be a bit more easy to do while one acclimates.

I see that you live in Canada. Luckily, Canada and Japan have a Working Holiday program.

http://www.ca.emb-japan.go.jp/canada_e/Visa/working_holiday.html

With this program, you don't need a special skill to get a working visa.
But I strongly recommend learning Japanese as much as you can before you go. You can only obtain this type of visa once, and it's only for 12 months so you don't want to waste your time not being able to communicate when you get there. Finding a job is hard even in your first language, imagine writing a resume, filling out applications and doing interviews in a foreign language. It won't be easy.

Find out everything about this program, read some stories of people who participated in it on the web and see if that's something you really want to do.

Keep in mind that Japan is very expensive nationwide, not just in Tokyo. Also, apartments are often much smaller than their American counterparts (but still larger than the old block apartments they have in Russia).