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Learn Japanese if you want to live in Japan -
05-10-2011, 01:35 PM
This is the biggest piece of advice I can give, and I can't stress it enough. The end of this summer will round out my first year living in Japan, and if there was one thing I wish I would have done, it was to learn more Japanese before I went. My Japanese wasn't horrible, but it wasn't good either. I was able to survive, but I wasn't able to live. Now, this summer, I'm spending the entire time playing catch up with my Japanese language and having friends tutor me so I can start off the new school year with a much more solid foundation. But if I'd only done this before leaving Japan, I'd have had a much more fulfilling experience. There were many times where I would get frustrated or depressed simply because it bothered me that either I couldn't understand what was being said, or if I could, I couldn't express my own opinions coherently.
There are so many benefits to knowing Japanese before going, such as: -Making friends -Startin a relationship -Getting a job -Interacting with people -Being able to do legal and other work -And more. (Of course you can "gaijin smash" your way through this stuff, but that's not the point of this thread) I have two friends who are "para para" and both came to Japan at relatively the same time as me; one is a girl who's been able to land multiple part time jobs, make tons of Japanese friends, do all of her own work, etc. And the other guy has reaped all of the same benefits. I've been able to do most of this, but it's been a much more uphill battle than what they faced when establishing themselves. Now, these people wouldn't necessarily stick out back home, but they're able to accomplish so much in Japan because of language ability. So that's my advice, as obvious as it is. Learn Japanese if you want to live in Japan. My photos from Japan and around the world: http://www.flickr.com/dylanwphotography 
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05-17-2011, 12:56 PM
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I came here with next to no Japanese, basically 3 words. After the first few months of thrill of being in a new place wore off, the massive handicap of not being able to communicate with the majority of the population was a major slap in the face. Since then I associated only with Japanese people. If you don't learn Japanese, or don't have time to learn it, before you come to Japan. Do yourself a favor and absolutely don't make any friends who have English as their first language, preferably who don't speak it very well either. This helped me learn Japanese so much, well conversational Japanese. Now I can start to hang out with foreigners and make them feel guilty/jealous for not knowing much Japanese. 
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05-17-2011, 10:09 PM
Unfortunetly I won't be able to learn any Japanese before I go..
 Time is killing me lately and my tests as well.. I hope to at least learn the basic saying in order to ask for the way, food and all what comes with it. Do you believe this is really bad guys? I can't wait any longer to finally go to beautiful Japan. I am hoping to make as many Japanese friends as possible with my English skills. I really don't want aynthing to do with foreigners while I am there. Really nothing!!! I know that I will most likely meet them when I am teaching English though.. but I'm gonna try lol^^
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05-18-2011, 03:02 AM
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I mean, after a few days, surely struggling to make the Japanese understand your English, and only being able to have basic conversations with their broken English will get tiresome, boring and lonely. I see your location is Germany, and I see your English is great if German is your native language, but not only would you have to grapple their Japanese, but you'll have the added pressure of speaking English too. Not being able to use your native language for so long seems a little daunting to me... Just curious, have you been offerd a job yet? Because I was pretty sure they only employ native English speakers to teach English in Japan... It'd be an interesting case if you've been offered the job.
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05-18-2011, 07:08 AM
I am going to second this. I have said similar things in the past.
I think a huge amount of difficulties experienced by foreigners living in Japan are rooted almost entirely in language. It is like looking at the world in the dark - there are lots of things there, but either you can`t see them or can`t see them clearly enough, so the mind makes them into things they may not be. Sometimes this is just confusing, frustrating, and tiring - but other times it leads to the "everyone is talking about me" / "everyone is being racist toward me" syndrome experienced pretty frequently by foreigners in Japan. I came to Japan with a handful of words, a couple of basic sentence patterns I could use, and a few full phrases. Nothing even close to conversation level. I think that I could read most of the Hiragana, and about half the Katakana. Basically, about as much as someone who is studying could pick up in a week or two. I never really actively made the choice to not associate with foreigners. I did a homestay, so really had no choice. The high school I attended did have exchange students, but we did not get along in any way whatsoever... So I went out of my way not to associate with them because we hated each other. I don`t recall feeling particularly lonely, even when I wasn`t all that good at speaking. The most depressing experiences I had were bullying at the hands of the other exchange students... Now I speak fluently, and have no problems related to cultural or language differences. The cultural stuff comes hand in hand with the language, so speaking Japanese is far more important than just communication.
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05-18-2011, 07:31 AM
Nyororin you reminded me of another intrinsic value of knowing the language
it gives an insight to the culture which can help avoid awkward situations
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05-18-2011, 09:52 AM
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I was told from many friends and other Forum members, that I will have great chances to get a job if they are pleased with my personality and character, look, kindness and first impression. It's the most important part for the Japanese people I heard. Also, I am about to finish my A-Level with a A in my advanced course in English. I would also do a TOEFL Test if neccessary?! Haven't decided yet.. do you think I should do one? I will look for teaching job opportunities when I arrive in Tokyo/Osaka. Then I thought to just contact them via phone or skype and arrange a personal Interview with them. I have experience with only talking in English and I love to speak English while learning some Japanese for one year That really wouldn't bother me the least. Infact I would be glad to get away from the German Language again haha^^I just hope to make as many Japanese friends as possible I will start the next month or so to make as many Facebook, penpal and skype friends as possible. I can't imagine feeling lonely while spending time only with Japanese and Koreans Unfortunetly I only met Koreans while I was traveling throughout OZ, NZ.
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05-18-2011, 11:58 AM
It must be a sort of Hell to be living in a country where you cannot really communicate with others. LIMBO.
RealJames seems to have managed-- is it the fact that one has no option but to listen and t ry to follow conversations. I should imagine one would have to get books and Courses on the language to really know what you are talking about-- or for the Japanese to understand you. WIngs-- Have you now managed to mix and communicate better now? They do say when learning to swim it is best to Jump straight in. But One should make real efforts to learn the language. Wings are you Happy living in Japan? Is it what you expected? this also demonstrates what it must be like to be deaf and unable to communicate properly.
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