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Originally Posted by DesiredMess
Do you like it better in Japan or America, and what are some of the biggest culture gaps?
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I definitely prefer it here. I feel uncomfortable and strange in the US when I visit.
As for culture "gaps"... That is a pretty difficult question. There are tons of little things.
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And how are the people over in Japan different from American behavior wise?
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People tend to respect other people. Most people don`t abuse their "rights", just because they`re in a position to do so.
Example, in case it`s hard to figure out what I mean;
A crosswalk - In the US, people will (often) cross as slowly as possible, because they have the right of way. If someone hits them, it`s their fault. Who cares if they`re inconveniencing the people waiting! It`s their *right* to take as long as they feel like.
In Japan, most people will hurry across, often even nodding in appreciation to the cars that stopped for them.
There doesn`t seem to be nearly as much "I`m better than everyone else, screw them." crap.
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I'm sorry, I really want to learn up on the culture. I'm serious about moving to Japan one day, and I want to learn how to live like a Japanese instead of one of those complaining homesick foreigners.
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The thing is, some people can do this, and some people end up turning into complainers because they just aren`t capable of adjusting. I think that this is far more of a problem now than when I first came to Japan. At the time, there weren`t as many people who wanted to visit/live in Japan. There were a lot fewer urban-legend level impressions floating around. And people usually didn`t form their entire images of the country from anime/manga.
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How much language should you know before you go to Japan?
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This depends a LOT on how old you are and how long you plan on being in Japan.
If you`re young, and are going to be here for a long time, then you can easily get away with not studying much of anything and picking it up here. If you`re in your 30s and are going to be here for 2 weeks, then learn as much as you can ASAP.
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And what are some good courses to learn it?
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Can`t answer this one as I learned here, no courses.