hi, i know programs such as JET require people to have a bachelors(atleast) degree to even apply. but are there certain schools/programs that dont?

would a vocational degree be good enough? if so, in which field should it be?

what are you daily time schedules like, and what type of material do you teach(depending on grade)? thanks for the help :)

oh, last question, i was self taught japanese a few years ago from yesjapan.com, i got pretty decent at it. i was able to hold basic conversations over the phone with penpals.. but gave it up for a long time, and have forgotten about 95% of what i learned. do most schools require you to already know japanese?

I've been teaching English in Japan for more than 20 years. The rules have changed several times over the years, but one thing has remained fairly constant: most employers require a 4-year college degree. JET is a Japanese Ministry of Education initiative which recruits 4-year college graduates to come to Japan to teach in public schools for a maximum of 3 years. That said, some of the eki-mae (in-front-of-the-train-station) places such as ECC and NOVA will sometimes hire folks who have a 2-year degree, usually as non-sponsored part-timers. That means they need to be able to get a different kind of visa (culture, spouse, etc). Those visas will legally restrict the number of hours you can work for pay. I also have met people who claim to be making it on their own without college degrees. I'm not sure how they do that; it may not be legal and certainly requires a great deal of ingenuity and salesmanship from those who make the attempt. The point is, there are exceptions to most rules. Follow some of the links provided by other answerers and/or look at the Japanese Ministry of Justice webpage for more info about visas, etc. (see below)
Schedules vary with the type of work and employer. Expect to work most evenings and Saturdays. I started working as a corporate trainer and worked about 20 hours a week; the same job for the same pay now requires closer to 40 hours a week. Because I have a permanent spousal visa (my wife is Japanese), I have more latitude than some in terms of choosing what work I do, where and when. I currently have 5 jobs (an elementary school, a junior high, a senior high, a culture center, and several private classes) and work 6 days a week. I generally leave home about 7:30 a.m. and get home about 8:30 p.m. I spend approximately 30 hours a week in the classroom and several more hours in administrative tasks (reports, test making/grading, etc). My average commute is about 1.5 hours one-way. That is probably NOT typical, especially if you work in an eki-mae situation, but I make about twice as much a year as a typical eki-mae teacher. That's necessary for me because I have a mortgage and 2 kids in school. Only you can decide how much you need and what you are willing and/or able to do to get it.
My Japanese ability is very mixed. I have a very large vocabulary, but, frankly, my grammar sucks. I'm a much better teacher than student (I've never been a good language student). Most schools probably prefer that you NOT be able to speak Japanese; some require that you be able to converse with your colleagues (NOT your students) at a daily conversation level; some jobs may even require proof that you have passed a certain level of Japanese proficiency (there is a government-administered test given once a year throughout Japan). Basically I would say that you don't NEED any Japanese to get started.
You DO need a visa and that requires a sponsor (some visas can self-sponsor); most but not all employers require a 4-year degree (not necessarily in English); you do NOT need Japanese ability for most entry-level teaching jobs.
See below for sites advertising various kinds of jobs in Japan.

Try these two websites -
http://www.eslcafe.com/
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/
Esl cafe has a huge forum and you can ask your questions on there. Transitions gives lots of useful information.

In order to work in either Japan or South Korea you must have at least a degree from a four year college. It can be in any area, but must be from a four year school. A vocational degree will not be enough, due to visa requirements. You can, however work without a 4 year degree in many south-east asian countries. Their requirements are much more relaxed.