For a long while I'd wanted to go to Japan, to just be there.
I was never a total japanophile, but I certainly exhibited some of the key traits of one: generalisation of Japan and Japanese culture, desire and sincere appreciation of an entire country and people without direct experience of such, etc.
A few months ago I dropped out of university but didn't care because I had started planning to go to Japan. I'd been studying Japanese for a few years with positive results and made up my mind that I now wanted to become fluent in the fastest way I could think of, going to live there.
Since I just left uni and had no job I wanted to get going there as fast as possible, so I applied for a working holiday visa and started contacting a homestay organisation.
My friend said I might be better off just going there as a tourist to see if I actually liked living there, but I brushed them off thinking that it was a done deal and I'd just have to bite the bullet to acheive my dream ASAP.
However I've now ended up in a location I really dislike and with a family I find difficult to live with all month, and have decided to return to England at the start of the next month.
I just wanted to write a short post imploring people who have the same desire I had to thoroughly and prepare and consider what might happen to them and what they will do in Japan once they get there.
MMM said 'Japan isn't a giant amusement park'. I have found truth in these words.
Please everyone throroughly research the area you're going to and plan cautiously　and short-term, at least to begin with. Do
not arrange to stay anywhere for up to a month unless maybe it's with friends.
I'm not looking for a fight. If this advice can help anyone enjoy their experience of Japan any better that would be satisfactory.
Feel free to ask me any Qs about my experience as I've written a lot already.
