Thoughts on studying abroad in Japan?

Who doesn't want to study broads in Japan?

Seriously though... I haven't had a chance to go to Japan yet but work with quite a few people who have been there and none regret it.

 

This is one of those opportunities that if you let go you will regret... Whatever sacrifice you would have to make is worth it.

I've only visited japan twice (never kyoto), but it is amazing.

1 vote for go...

 

I would do it, I've only been once but had a great time Japan.

HOWEVER, you know that Chinese is the more 'useful' language at this point, right? Going to China would probably do more good in the sense of a career, and understanding of world affairs in this century. I regret cancelling two language-study trips to China...

 

Kyoto is a beautiful city, great mixture of old and new. And people there seem to be more gentle (could be just due to their soft accent). I've visited there several times but only as a tourist, and enjoyed very much each time.

Depending on which part of summer you go, you may hit the rainy season (June) or typoon season (Sept), and summer there can be quite hot.

 

Neither is more 'useful' than the other. The world is chock full of people that are fluent in many languages. There is nothing particularly useful about a person that is fluent in English, German, Mandarin, Taiwanese and functionally literate in a few other languages.

The number of massively literate speakers of Mandarin as a second or third language is not particularly small. The same goes for Japanese and even Korean. Literacy of the local language is a small part of a person's ability to communicate with the locals.

 

Can't think of a reason why you could want to miss out on that opportunity.

 

I would definitely want to study broads in Japan during typoon season.

Seriously, I've had a few friends study in Japan and they loved it. One friend decided to do some Kendo training while he was there. They kicked his white butt all over the place. Still a good time, though.

You should do it.

 

I disagree, some languages are definitely more useful to learn. Spanish, Chinese and Arabic should be priority for Americans right now IMO. Sure, you could learn Maori or Ebo or some lesser-used languages and still get the educational experience and mental expansion, but I think it's hard to deny that learning Chinese is statistically more likely to be useful in the future than Japanese. Sure, maybe *his* career will focus on things to do with Japan, but China is the future of Asia.

Don't Taiwanese speak Mandarin?

 

I know all about you and your asian women Josh

Good luck in studying a broad.

 

The speed that you get a US passport depends on a few things. First thing you should do is find out if your parents got you one when you were younger and you just don't remember (US passports are good for 10 or 12 years, can't think of it off the top of my head).

I had to go get a new passport so I could go to Italy with my girlfriend last year, I did it at the absolute last minute (4 weeks) and I still got mine. I just paid some expedition fee (I think it was $200) and it showed up in 9 business days.

Just go to your local post office, almost all post offices in the US have the facilities to processes the forms and even take the photos.

 

Just to be clear, it is career dependent. In my area, learning Chinese is only marginally beneficial, whereas ancient Greek and Latin would be a major boon. That being said, in the business world, I do agree that China is the future and a knowledge of Chinese would be very useful.

 

Do it! If not, youll regret it in the future like i do right now, i passed up in studying in Spain during the summer.

 

You'll be huge in Japan!

 

Are you translating ancient texts? Or a rare book store/auction house?

 

Neither - working on a PhD in philosophy.

 

Chinese, Japanese, ANY language you can add to a resume` is a GOOD language. I'd love to learn Chinese and Russian, but it's a bit late in my career to be doing that, I'm well into the 'over 40 discrimination' crowd.

 

Aaah. I see. That makes sense. Chinese wouldn't be good though (I suppose most philosophy out there to study is Western rather than Eastern)?

 

Correct, although there is a fair bit of Chinese philosophy; however, it is not my concentration. One of my professors does work in Chinese phil. My focus is mainly contemporary ethics, so english is the primary language. Although for the standard philosophical curriculum, the focus in on history of philosophy, with the primary texts being written in ancient Greek, Latin, or German.

Armed with my already broad knowledge of philosophy, in a few years I will be able to say, "Would you like fries with that," in two dead languages!

Just to keep this on-topic: a friend is teaching English in Japan (he doesn't speak a word of Japanese), and has related that it is an amazing experience. I would think that studying abroad in Europe is fairly commonplace, but Japan seems like quite an exotic destination that should you should try and experience.

 

Japan is a wonderful place. I'm losing count on how many times I've been there now (over a dozen) in the last 4 years. Some places to think about:

- Hiroshima - mostly for the museum, but the town is pretty cool
- Nagasaki - another H-bomb museum, but the most relaxed Japanese town I've been to
- Nara - quaint town with plenty of deer
- Nikko - just stunning
- Kamakura - easily accessible from Tokyo and worthy of a day trip to see the big Buddha
- Tokyo - there's actually not much to see in Tokyo (IMO), though there are some spectacular museums (National Museum, Edo Museum)

If you really want to experience Japan, start riding a bike so you can go long distances in remote areas. The larger cities are a bit boring. Too many western stores. Head to the smaller towns and country and you experience the real character of Japan.

If you have time to go a few weeks before school starts, consider getting a Japan Rail pass. Just travel all over the place on that to see as much as possible on the cheap. Those are good for 7, 14, or 21 days.

Also, go to baseball and soccer games. Loads of fun.

 

Agreed! We stayed for part of our visit with an elderly couple in an old farmhouse an hour outside the city, and their son drove us around the countryside and through mountains to little remote towns where the kids freaked out about seeing gaijin. It was a pleasant surprise to tour some rural areas of Japan, because people tend to only think of high density cities.

 

My brother-in-law studied in Kyoto for a year. He enjoyed it and found it a rewarding experience. He did a lot of traveling throughout Japan. According to him, many Japanese are unabashed racists. They openly refer to Americans as Gai Jin (a derogatory term for foreigner). The housing situation is interesting. Finding an apartment is based on a system of bribes.

By the way, there is no such language as Chinese. The two primary languages are Mandarin and Cantonese.