Moving to Japan?

[sn00pee]

Originally Posted by ArmenExchange

i heard the japanese u learn in schools (college) doesnt really transfer to real world japan. lol
someone there told me how i learned to talk is like girl dialect.
its easier to get immersed and slowly pick it up (still no easy task tho)

plannin on studyin abroad there jan 10. stoked for it and pickin up what i can of the lang now.

It transfers, but for a foriegner, they really dont get to use keigo in real world japan so it seems useless.
and of course most people only learn about the tokyo dialect, which i cant really stand anymore.

 

[ricekrispies420]

since you're planning before moving there. suggest you learn the basic language which is essential to get around of course. know where you are movingto..and of course what is around it. dont wanna move into a place thats too crowded or far away from everything.

 

[dont be a menace]

i studied japanese for a couple of years in high school, learning the characters are definitely easy but only hiragana and kanji though. i still haven'tlearned kanji cause i stopped right when we were learning it. and from seeing vids, pics, etc. of the signs in Japan i highly suggest learning kanji as well. idon't think it's something you can learn in a year though.


and for the dudes here writing in Kanji, where'd you guys learn it? or where can I learn it online? that's pretty much the only thing i can't readnow, of course i'm still having problems understanding what i'm reading though

 

[ittakesalittlebitmore]

I stayed in Japan with an ex girlfriend a while back and will make the following observations.....

*I felt very comfortable, noone stared at me as a foreigner (i'm black & was in Sapporo) and was welcomed everywhere, esp by girls.

*Food, shops etc are astonishing

*Do visit your local 'onsen' (hot baths), its a godsend and very relaxing

*Dont go if you cant read & speak Japanese, this is essential and NOT easy

*The society over there is very conformist and 'Matrix' like, you may feel isolated and cut off in a way thats hard to explain. They have a saying overthere thats a metaphor for those that dont conform tp the ideal....'The nail that stands out will be hammered back in'

*The government, economic and social situation in Japan is HORRENDOUS, far worse than many places i've seen. Extremely corrupt at a government/economiclevel, extrememely perverse at times at a private one, extremely odd at a societal one..

*Job prospects are very limited for foreigners unless you have native level Japanese or are willing to teach English. The Japanese do not accomodate foreignersvery well and have plenty of discriminatory policies and signs that you will be shocked at.


If I had to be honest....if you're expecting some Asian paradise of coolness, cosplay girls and amazing gadgets expect to be VERY disappointed because lifein japan is harder than you can ever imagine...Read this about racial issues in Japan and prepare to be enlightened...

Racial issues in Japan

 

[fugualarmclock]

Kanji's kind of easy to use on the computer if you kind of know what you want to type. Install the language kit (I forgot how) and get the proper Firefoxextensions to translate. So as you type you can see whether or not you're using the proper one or not.

For offline usage get a good dictionary, some drill books and some blank paper to practice.

Know proper onsen etiquette before you go otherwise you'll just be confirming why a lot of Japanese have exclusionary policies.

 

[devildog1776]

Originally Posted by LimitedRetroOG

Dude, if you don't know Japanese, don't bother. Japanese is the hardest language to learn. Second is Chinese, then Korean. It's gonna take you YEARS to learn it.

lies... japanese is easier to learn than chinese korean mandarin etc.....

 

[smedroc]

ehhhhhhhhhhhh.......nanda??

i reckon it would be pretty cool trying out my basic (manga acquired

)japanese on the natives

Even simple questions would sound epic...I'd be asking for directions but my tone would suggest the fate of the world rested on my shoulders

 

[dont be a menace]

Originally Posted by fugualarmclock

Kanji's kind of easy to use on the computer if you kind of know what you want to type. Install the language kit (I forgot how) and get the proper Firefox extensions to translate. So as you type you can see whether or not you're using the proper one or not.

For offline usage get a good dictionary, some drill books and some blank paper to practice.

Know proper onsen etiquette before you go otherwise you'll just be confirming why a lot of Japanese have exclusionary policies.

so kanji pretty much replaces words with a character right? so if i type ongaku it would replace it with a kanji? pretty much i need to learnkanji as if i have no idea of what it is..

onsen?

 

[finnns2003]

Originally Posted by dont be a menace

i studied japanese for a couple of years in high school, learning the characters are definitely easy but only hiragana and kanji though. i still haven't learned kanji cause i stopped right when we were learning it. and from seeing vids, pics, etc. of the signs in Japan i highly suggest learning kanji as well. i don't think it's something you can learn in a year though.


and for the dudes here writing in Kanji, where'd you guys learn it? or where can I learn it online? that's pretty much the only thing i can't read now, of course i'm still having problems understanding what i'm reading though

learning kanji is easy but tedious. there are thousands of characters. for a beginner, i wouldn't call it easy. especially because a charactercan have multiple meanings.

 

[finnns2003]

Originally Posted by ArmenExchange

i heard the japanese u learn in schools (college) doesnt really transfer to real world japan. lol
someone there told me how i learned to talk is like girl dialect.
its easier to get immersed and slowly pick it up (still no easy task tho)

plannin on studyin abroad there jan 10. stoked for it and pickin up what i can of the lang now.

yeah, i mean... masu form and desu form are used less than you'd like. but it's still good to know an entire language, in my opinion.

 

[bkdan1]

Originally Posted by finnns2003

yeah, i mean... masu form and desu form are used less than you'd like. but it's still good to know an entire language, in my opinion.

I'm playing, I'm only playing! But I agree with learning the language completely. Class rank, seniority, and manners are all considered to beparamount, so knowing when to be polite/honorable/casual is good.

 

[finnns2003]

Originally Posted by bkdan1

Originally Posted by finnns2003

yeah, i mean... masu form and desu form are used less than you'd like. but it's still good to know an entire language, in my opinion.

I'm playing, I'm only playing! But I agree with learning the language completely. Class rank, seniority, and manners are all considered to be paramount, so knowing when to be polite/honorable/casual is good.

 

[finnns2003]

Originally Posted by ittakesalittlebitmore

I stayed in Japan with an ex girlfriend a while back and will make the following observations.....

*I felt very comfortable, noone stared at me as a foreigner (i'm black & was in Sapporo) and was welcomed everywhere, esp by girls.

*Food, shops etc are astonishing

*Do visit your local 'onsen' (hot baths), its a godsend and very relaxing

*Dont go if you cant read & speak Japanese, this is essential and NOT easy

*The society over there is very conformist and 'Matrix' like, you may feel isolated and cut off in a way thats hard to explain. They have a saying over there thats a metaphor for those that dont conform tp the ideal....'The nail that stands out will be hammered back in'

*The government, economic and social situation in Japan is HORRENDOUS, far worse than many places i've seen. Extremely corrupt at a government/economic level, extrememely perverse at times at a private one, extremely odd at a societal one..

*Job prospects are very limited for foreigners unless you have native level Japanese or are willing to teach English. The Japanese do not accomodate foreigners very well and have plenty of discriminatory policies and signs that you will be shocked at.


If I had to be honest....if you're expecting some Asian paradise of coolness, cosplay girls and amazing gadgets expect to be VERY disappointed because life in japan is harder than you can ever imagine... Read this about racial issues in Japan and prepare to be enlightened...

Racial issues in Japan

good points. i feel like some of it is generalizations, people will take it in differently, but a large part of what you say is spot on.

 

[finnns2003]

i'd agree. people are much more laid back in japan. different mentalities, different demeanor...

 

[koolbarbone]

If you don't speak Japanese, you're pretty much just relegated to teaching English. But that's not a problem, most programs actually do not wanttheir teachers to know Japanese. And you will pick up the language by being immersed in the culture. Don't let people on here tell you that it's hardto learn because most people who live in Japan pick it up very easily.

If you want to live there as a career you will be working very long hours so hopefully that is something you do not have a problem with.

Apartments are considerably smaller than they are in America.

If you like to party, it's hard to beat Tokyo's nightlife. Just be ready to stay out until at least 5:30 a.m. every time you go out since the trainsshut down after midnight.

If you are respectful of the people and the culture you shouldn't have any problems at all. Most people fall in love with the culture, but the only way toknow for sure is to visit.