Learn Japanese if you want to live in Japan

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by BobbyCooper

The most intense and wonderful friendships I have had the pleasure to experience were from Koreans and Japanese people.


So yea.. I will be more than just fine I guess!

Fish behave a lot more differently out of water than they do in it.

[RickOShay]

Originally Posted by RealJames

Fish behave a lot more differently out of water than they do in it.

Dude I am sure this one goes so far over his head it hits the fricking moon.

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by RickOShay

Dude I am sure this one goes so far over his head it hits the fricking moon.

You're right..

BC, all people, including Asians, behave a lot differently when outside of their respective home countries. My Japanese and Korean friends in Canada were so completely different from my Japanese and Korean friends in Japan and in Korea.

[Gahzirra]

Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery

Yeah, I really hate to sound condescending, but a large majority of people I've met fit into three categories.
- The asshole who thinks he can bang every girl and abuse the system
- The social outcast who thinks they can make it in Japan because they're gaijin
- The fresh worker who doesn't know what they want to do yet so they think teaching in a foreign country will be a pushover job

I've met some really lovely people and also some people I know who will be lifelong friends, but to say that the typical person who comes to Japan (to live) is worth my time is a bit of a stretch.

So which one are you and what makes you special? playing Devils advocate

If I read correctly most of you guys all went to Japan knowing next to nothing of the language but have managed to pick it up.

I would state, Yes knowing Japanese prior to living in Japan would make life easier...What really you don't say? Yet many of you didn't follow your own pearls of wisdom, some things are easier said then done.

Fact is learning a language you are not immersed in will take you far longer and odds are you will still not learn the "correct" language.

So Wings, which courses and books would you advise he reads so he can have casual conversation with others in Japan...while your at it give him a time line on how long not being immersed in the language will take to be fluent.

@Bob Learn what you can to get you the basics, once there its sink or swim there will be difficulties but if you focus on learning it you will pick it up much faster and your Japanese will be the "Japanese" Japanese if you know what I mean. No book or college course will teach you that and like many things it is often easier to mold clay into a horse than turning a horse into a duck (meaning you wont have the bad habits or wrong usages of words messing up the correct ones you will learn).

I was able to find many friends to hang out with in Japan, there was no shortage of women who wanted to practice their English(helps being good looking ) It's pretty easy to find the ones that speak decent English they flock to the areas like Roppongi and Azubu Juban cause they know that's where the gaijin all are.

Good luck and have fun--as the others stated just be prepared for some difficulties. As long as you don't go in with ridiculous expectations you should be fine.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Gahzirra

So which one are you and what makes you special? playing Devils advocate

Not the person this was directed at, but as I pretty much agree with what was said (and what you quoted) I`ll take the bait.
#1 - Doesn`t apply to me as I`m female.
#2 - Doesn`t apply as I came to Japan for other reasons, and early enough that it would be hard to say that I`d lived enough to become a social outcast.
#3 - See #2. My arrival in Japan was prior to entering the workforce.

As to why I`m so special... Well, I am not one of the categories listed, for one. I live a normal life with no dependency on my "gaijin"-ness. (Language ability, yes - but not in a teaching capacity. I am a translator/interpreter.)

I would state, Yes knowing Japanese prior to living in Japan would make life easier...What really you don't say? Yet many of you didn't follow your own pearls of wisdom, some things are easier said then done.

I don`t really think the point was "Learn Japanese fluently before coming to Japan." It was "Learn as much Japanese as you can if you`re going to live in Japan." There is a difference. I understood it to be directed at all the people who want to live in Japan, but don`t want to learn the language. Just being in the country is NOT going to magically make you fluent - especially if you don`t really have an interest and surround yourself with English speakers. The better the foundation, the easier it`s likely to be.

There is a reason that people who didn`t know much Japanese before coming to Japan are pointing this out. Because they experienced starting out with little Japanese. You know, all that "more experienced" stuff isn`t a joke.

Most of the people who come to Japan do NOT learn the language. They get frustrated and drown in stress and negativity. Those who do pick it up are a minority. For the handful of people I`ve met who picked up Japanese... There are countless numbers who gave up, found it too stressful, were disappointed with not suddenly acquiring the language, or who stayed but never managed to pick up anything more than the most basic phrases.

[WingsToDiscovery]

Originally Posted by Gahzirra

So which one are you and what makes you special? playing Devils advocate

I'm like God; I exist outside of this realm.

Originally Posted by Gahzirra

I would state, Yes knowing Japanese prior to living in Japan would make life easier...What really you don't say? Yet many of you didn't follow your own pearls of wisdom, some things are easier said then done.

I guess you've never seen how many f*cktards come to Japan and immediately start crying because no one will speak English for them. Either it breaks them down, or they just swarm to other gaijin and start hanging out with them all the time. I know my statement "Learn Japanese if you want to live in Japan" sounds like one of the most obvious titles ever, but in truth it's actually a lot of tongue in cheek.

Originally Posted by Gahzirra

Fact is learning a language you are not immersed in will take you far longer and odds are you will still not learn the "correct" language.

So Wings, which courses and books would you advise he reads so he can have casual conversation with others in Japan...while your at it give him a time line on how long not being immersed in the language will take to be fluent.

And yeah, I think Nyorin said this, but I think this is where you accidentally took what I said the wrong way. I don't have any expectation for anyone else to be fluent. I simply suggest that people learn as much Japanese as they can before coming to make their lives easier. Learn from the mistakes from others (including myself) for not knowing as much as we should.

Originally Posted by Gahzirra

Good luck and have fun--as the others stated just be prepared for some difficulties. As long as you don't go in with ridiculous expectations you should be fine.

And that's all I want. Although the last sentence may not reach a lot of the young'ins in this forum

[BobbyCooper]

Originally Posted by RealJames

You're right..

BC, all people, including Asians, behave a lot differently when outside of their respective home countries. My Japanese and Korean friends in Canada were so completely different from my Japanese and Korean friends in Japan and in Korea.

James, you only need to answer me this question^^ have you been able to find friends in Japan?

See what I mean


can't be that hard then lol

Originally Posted by Gahzirra

@Bob Learn what you can to get you the basics, once there its sink or swim there will be difficulties but if you focus on learning it you will pick it up much faster and your Japanese will be the "Japanese" Japanese if you know what I mean. No book or college course will teach you that and like many things it is often easier to mold clay into a horse than turning a horse into a duck (meaning you wont have the bad habits or wrong usages of words messing up the correct ones you will learn).

I was able to find many friends to hang out with in Japan, there was no shortage of women who wanted to practice their English(helps being good looking ) It's pretty easy to find the ones that speak decent English they flock to the areas like Roppongi and Azubu Juban cause they know that's where the gaijin all are.

Good luck and have fun--as the others stated just be prepared for some difficulties. As long as you don't go in with ridiculous expectations you should be fine.

Thanks a lot for your help Gahzirra.

really appreciate it

have you anything what you could recommend me Gah? For the language I mean'?

[Gahzirra]

Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery

I guess you've never seen how many f*cktards come to Japan and immediately start crying because no one will speak English for them. Either it breaks them down, or they just swarm to other gaijin and start hanging out with them all the time. I know my statement "Learn Japanese if you want to live in Japan" sounds like one of the most obvious titles ever, but in truth it's actually a lot of tongue in cheek.

Fair enough...I just felt it could have been better stated as, 'If you are coming to Japan you will most likely need to learn Japanese...if this isn't something that interests you, Japan is not for you.'

As others have pointed out it really depends on where in Japan, Nyseko, was a good example it's a tourist hot bed and most of the staff that work there are all gaijin or Japanese fluent in English. An English only speaker could easily get by, they may have some difficulty elsewhere and learning Japanese would be a great asset but imperative...nah.

As I said when I was in Japan I avoided areas like Roppongi and Azubu-juban(where you are) so your view of the f-tards is probably skewed as you are where all the people who want to go to Japan but don't want to blend in but rather just carve out a gaijin stronghold.

"**Morons please read**If your idea of living in Japan is that it will be just like home and there is no adaptation needed, your wrong." would have been a better title.

[BobbyCooper]

Originally Posted by Gahzirra

"**Morons please read**If your idea of living in Japan is that it will be just like home and there is no adaptation needed, your wrong." would have been a better title.

Excellent Title Sir!!

[WingsToDiscovery]

Originally Posted by Gahzirra

As I said when I was in Japan I avoided areas like Roppongi and Azubu-juban(where you are) so your view of the f-tards is probably skewed as you are where all the people who want to go to Japan but don't want to blend in but rather just carve out a gaijin stronghold.

Out of curiosity, when you were in Japan (vacationing?) why did you avoid Azabu so directly? I can kind of understand Roppongi, but outside of there just simply being a larger density of gaijin in Azabu, there are quite a lot of nice shopping areas and cafes and such. I mean, it's not like you had to talk to anyone or anything, and most of the staff of such establishments are still Japanese, and will speak to you in Japanese if you know enough.