Ok, if Part 1 of this guide didn't scare you off or disillusion you too much (yes I was telling the truth when I said there's no magical girls), and you still want to be an ALT in Japan, it's time to start preparing. Naturally, there's a limit to how much preparing you want to do before you actually get hired, but with quite a lot of things, the sooner you start the better. So this part of the guide will be divided into two sections, preparations to make before and after you find a job. Actually finding a job will be covered in Part 3.

Things to Do Before You Start Looking for a Job:
1. Graduate from college. This is actually the most important step and it's not optional. Nearly all ALT jobs require that you have at least a bachelors degree before applying. They're not just being picky either, it's got something to do with a Japanese law. Anyway, it doesn't really matter what you get a bachelors degree for. Having one in teaching or English is certainly a plus (and could likely give you an edge over other applicants) but it's not a requirement. Any bachelors degree is fine so long as it's from a normal college or university.
2. Start learning Japanese. Many companies actually don't require any knowledge of Japanese to apply for a job. They figure that they're hiring you to teach English, not Japanese, so as long as you can speak English you'll be able to do what they're paying you for. Which is usually true, although knowing some Japanese will make your teaching experience a whole lot easier. Sure you're teaching English words, but you might have a really hard time explaining activities or the meaning of certain words/phrases if you don't know Japanese, especially in public schools. Not to mention that your life outside of work will be pretty difficult without at least some basic Japanese. If you're still in school, sign up for a Japanese class if there is one. If you're not, see if you can sit in on a class at a nearby school anyway or buy a study course and practice on your own. I recommend, Yookoso. It's the textbook I used in college and I think it's a fairly good one (you're probably gonna want the book itself, the work book, and the CDs; but make sure you get the first book, not the second, since you kinda need to go in order). If you're pressed for time, or want to build your own study course, here's a prioritized list of things to learn if you're going to be working in Japan as an ALT. I'd recommend doing at least the first three points before going to Japan.
  1. Learn to read hiragana and katakana along with the proper pronunciation.
  2. Learn the kanji for the numbers 1 - 10, 100, 1000, and 10,000.
  3. Learn some basic Japanese words and phrases. The more the better but at very least learn to ask things like what something is, where
      something is, what time something is, etc. Naturally also learn common words like directions, telling time, dates, days of the week, etc.
  4. Study basic Japanese grammar. Focus on basic sentence structure, simple verb conjugation, adjective use, etc.
  5. Learn some more kanji. The more the better but a decent text book can probably help you prioritize.
  6. Start on more advanced grammar and keep learning kanji.
Now I seriously doubt most people are going to have time to learn all 2000 ish kanji or all the Japanese grammatical rules before going to Japan. And that's ok. I know people who didn't start studying until they were already in Japan and they managed. But the more you know the easier your life and job will be. Like I said before, at very least I'd recommend doing the first three things on the above list before going to Japan.
3. Review your English. If you're in a private language school or a junior highschool, you're probably going to have to teach a decent amount of grammar so make sure you've got a good handle on the basics. Elementary school will probably have little to no grammar so this isn't as much of an issue but like I said before, you may not have much say in where you end up teaching. Plus poor spelling, grammar, etc will likely hurt your chances of finding a job.
4. Get a passport. Kinda hard to travel internationally without one.
5. If you want to improve you chances of finding a teaching job, you should consider getting TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) or TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) certification. Note that it doesn't really matter which one you get and, in most cases, the two are entirely interchangable. Anyway, there are entire degrees and special study courses in TEFL but if you don't have that kind of time there's some good and online study courses that only cost $200 - $300 and can be completed in a few weeks or less if you work hard. Take a look at www.teflonline.net if you're interested.

Things to Do After You Find a Job:
1. Keep studying Japanese. The more you know the better.
2. If you can find out where you're going to be working and/or living do some research. See if you can find some maps, look for web sites with details about the area, check it out on Google Earth, etc. Things you may want to pay particular attention to are nearby attractions, local festivals, and, most importantly, locations of nearby convenience stores, post offices, grocery stores, and train and/or subway stations. If you're going to be in or kinda close to a big city like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, etc pick up a big map (a lot of larger bookstores will have them). If you want to explore the area and see the sights on your days off you should also get a big Japan tour book or two.
3. If you haven't already, do a little research on Japanese culture. Basically, you want to know enough so that you hopefully don't commit any major errors. If you've got a tour book, it'll probably cover most of the basics but you can also find entire books about Japanese culture and adjusting to life in Japan.
4. Figure out what to bring. First off, keep in mind that on most airlines you're gonna be limited to two checked suitcases (weighing no more than 50 pounds each) and a carry on.
It may be a little while before you get a chance to do much shopping so make sure you bring all the basic travel stuff (toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, comb, razor, etc), any medicine you may need, and the like.
For clothes, you're going to need some nice stuff (nice pants/skirts, button down shirts, ties, etc). Think standard business attire. If you've got room you'll want a whole suit. Casual clothes and maybe gym clothes are a good idea too but keep in mind that most schools won't let you dress casually at work. Unfortunately, the best way to tell what's ok is by looking at your co-workers, which you can't do till you're in Japan, so just bring a good selection.
As far as electronics go, I'd highly recommend a laptop and alarm clock. Portable game systems and MP3 players are also nice if you'll be riding the trains a lot (either commuting or touring). That aside, bring whatever you want (and can fit in your suitcases). Nearly all electronic stuff from the US will work in Japan. All the normal batteries (AA, AAA, etc) are easy to find and you can plug nearly all US electronics into Japanese sockets without a problem (however, three prong sockets are pretty rare in Japan so if you're got anything with a three prong plug pick up a 3 to 2 converter before you go, they're easy to find). If you're not from the US or Canada, you'll need to do some research and see if your electronic stuff will work with a simple shape converter (which you'll likely have to order online). If the shape of the plug is the only problem a converter will be fine but if the voltage in your country is drastically different from Japan's, you'll probably need to either buy a bulky and expensive voltage changing gizmo or just buy new stuff in Japan. When it comes to cellphones, some will work in Japan and others won't (check with your provider). Either way though, international roaming fees are extremely high so you're probably better off renting a Japanese phone or sim card (or signing up for a plan if you'll be there for a couple years or more).
Bring anything else you think you'll really want or need (Japanese reference material, tour books, etc), keeping in mind that you're probably gonna be there for at least a year.
5. Make a small collection of stuff you can use to show off your home country, state, city, or whatever. A nice photo book is ideal. Maps, little flags, and regional knick-knacks are also good. Just a few things you can pass around when people want to know about where you're from.
6. Set aside some money. For one thing, about 99% of the time, you've got to buy your own plane ticket, and tickets to Japan usually don't come all that cheap. In addition, keep in mind that you'll probably be in Japan between one and two months before getting your first paycheck (and said first paycheck is probably going to have a lot of deductions because of initial fees) so you'll need enough money to pay for food, transportation, bills, etc in the meantime. Plus you probably won't be getting a fully furnished apartment so you'll need to get some basics (kitchen stuff, bedding, etc). I can't really say exactly how much you'll need, since situations vary a lot, but I'd recommend setting aside at least a couple thousand dollars in addition to the cost of your plane ticket.
7. Get a plane ticket. Don't expect your company to pay. Just find out the when they think you should arrive (and how to get from the airport to where ever you need to go) and then either call a travel agent or shop around online to try and get a half decent price. Keep in mind that if you can move in a week or so before your job starts it'll give you some time to unpack, shop, and get acclimated before things get busy.
8. Your company probably already discussed the visa application process with you (if they didn't talk to them about it ASAP) but make sure you fill out and submit all the forums and other things they need (the earlier the better). You can go to Japan without a visa and can even work without a visa...if you're not caught. But to work legally and to stay more than 90 days, you're going to need the appropriate visa. It's ok if you have to go to Japan before you receive your visa (I did) but the sooner you get it the better.
9. Change your money to yen. You can do this in the airport once you get to Japan but it'll save you the hassle if you do it ahead of time. Since many places in Japan don't take credit cards you're gonna want to change at least most of that money you set aside into yen. Don't even bother with travelers' check as hardly anywhere accepts them. However, you should probably also bring your ATM card (cards from many large banks will work with international ATMs in Japan) and perhaps a major credit card (Visa is the most commonly accepted).
10. There's lots of other assorted stuff you could do before going (for example, renting a cell phone so you won't have to sign up for a service plan while you're in Japan, seeing if your bank has a Japan branch, etc) so put some thought into it, talk to your company, and do your best to prepare.

Think you've got all that? Preparing to move to another country can seem rather overwhelming at times but the more planning and preparing you do ahead of time the easier things will be once you arrive in Japan. Now, ready to start looking for a job? Then let's move on to So You Want to Teach English in Japan... Part 3: Job Hunting.