[Squinting Fry image] Can’t tell if knee-jerk reaction or just a jerk…

Anyway, you’re unquestionably going to need your school’s involvement in this process, so my suggestion is research some programs and bring some information about them to your school’s guidance counselor (if you’ve got one. If not, pick someone else appropriate). A good place to start may be the Japanese consulate or embassy – http://www.atlanta.us.emb-japan.go.jp is one site I found, but don’t think Atlanta has the only Japanese consulate in America. The Japanese government often has exchange programs running, and may even offer scholarships. Alternately, http://www.studyabroad.com is a search engine specifically for, well, studying abroad. Admittedly (like Google) it’s never going to tell you which one is the best, but it’s a place to start.

Your guidance counsellor might have better ideas, but it’s important to show them that you’ve honestly put some effort into researching things first – much more likely to get their stamp of approval.