So I'll be going to Japan just after the new year.
I'm a huge fan of linguistics and am seeking to learn as much Japanese over the course of the 90 days a tourist visa will allow me to stay in Japan.
I'm seeking advice from anyone/everyone willing, so as to dodge avoidable pitfalls. As of now, here's my plan:
I'll arrive in Japan shortly post New Year (I'm buying the ticket next week on my B-Day so I don't know the exact date yet.)
On arrival, I'll check into the guesthouse I intend on living at for the duration of the three months. Here's the group home I intend on staying at:
Warabi
(If anyone has experience with J&F I'd love to hear your insight. I want to make sure this is one of my best options while living in Tokyo.)
I speak next to zero Japanese but will study Japanese for the next three months before my arrival. I have experience learning other languages and am confident I'll have a very rudimentary grasp of the language on arrival. My goal is to gain as much language proficiency as possible over the course of my stay. Spoken Japanese is far more important to me than written Kanji/Hiragana/Katakana and will be my focus during the stay.
Here's my big question though:
What advice does the community here have for me to make the transition into the Tokyo life as smooth as possible?
There's all kinds of little things I've run into in the past that I'd like to avoid if possible. (Example, issues using local transportation, scammy cabbies, inflated product prices for foreigners, etc.)
For example, when I arrive in Tokyo, I'll need transportation to the guesthouse location. I'm assuming I'll take the train but is there anything I should know about how to use the train? Is using a cab ridiculously expensive or is it a viable option? What about shared transport (Like the south american "collectivos").
Any other tips or tricks the community could give me would be awesome.
At this time, I'll be traveling on a Tourist Visa, but since I'm incorporated as an LLC, perhaps I can find a way to extend the visa for "business" purposes. Though I'm sure I'll have to talk to someone with more experience before that really becomes a possibility. For now, the trip is planned for 3 months.
Lastly, while in Tokyo, what would you say are the top 5 things I should do/try?
My goal is complete immersion in the language/culture.
Thanks in advance for the advice!
JRad the Bad