What keeps you in Japan?

[Anna Summer]

Good thing is that even if there is a barrier, you can still learn a lot. I have probably learned more talking to my Japanese friends than in school(well the basics are still important to know) but speaking more openly without being shy all the time is basically thanks to my friends (they don't speak any English so I'm forced anyways to speak Japanese)

 

[e-smile]

Good thing is that even if there is a barrier, you can still learn a lot. I have probably learned more talking to my Japanese friends than in school(well the basics are still important to know) but speaking more openly without being shy all the time is basically thanks to my friends (they don't speak any English so I'm forced anyways to speak Japanese)

that's how I learned Japanese (combined to self teaching through books when I started). but lacking academic learning my reading writing level is very low compared to my conversation level.

 

[AngelicBlight]

In general there's a foreigner pass if you're white or black (though being black in Japan is really not fun). Being Asian there's a big expectation that you have to speak Japanese and speak it well, but if you're white, they're always like "wow, you speak X language, that's so cool". I'll be like "I speak English and Spanish" but they won't really care too much since most people's conception of foreigner is a white, and if you're like that, they give you quite a lot of allowance but if you're chinese or korean then they expect you to have perfect grammar and to show respect in the normal Japanese way, and you will get called out a lot if you don't. Don't know the whole thing since I've not experienced it as a white person, but its what I hear or what I see when I chill with some white or black friends at places with jp people

 

[vondoom]

academic learning is no excuse/reason for not being able/being able to read/speak/write japanese... everybody can study that at home without any difficulty... i also dont think that there is any excuse for not speaking the language of the country someone is currently residing in...
im not talking about native level, or any highly advanced proficiency... but honestly, you study the language before you move, not after you did... and usually in your leisure time, since you also need to learn a skill....

 

[e-smile]

academic learning is no excuse/reason for not being able/being able to read/speak/write japanese... everybody can study that at home without any difficulty... i also dont think that there is any excuse for not speaking the language of the country someone is currently residing in...
im not talking about native level, or any highly advanced proficiency... but honestly, you study the language before you move, not after you did... and usually in your leisure time, since you also need to learn a skill....

I'm not using it as an excuse, I know I would master the kanjis if I put enough effort on it even on my own. I just wanted to explain that my conversational Japanese level is not proportional to my reading writing level and I think it would have been if I learned both at the same time through academic courses. Also I meant that you can improve you conversational level without actively trying to learn, you can improve during your daily life if you're surrounded by Japanese people, while reading/writing has to go through additional practice.

And at certain level, not mastering reading writing is a barrier to improve your conversational level. For example if I start living in Spain I'm pretty sure I'll learn Spanish faster than Japanese because I can already read the words on the sites, newspaper, books, magazines ... but to read Japanese you don't have to know only one alphabet. I know both hiragana and katakana, I can read around 400 kanjis but that's not enough to read even manga without furigana and that's a barrier.

 

[User#8628]

(though being black in Japan is really not fun

My female black friends quite like Japan. Its definitely a lot safer than in America and some people may make really unsensitive comments but a lot of people also admire them.
Japan had a half black Miss Japan for example and dispite she had a lot to of haters (likely much more than a half white woman would have) she still won it!

 

[User#8628]

academic learning is no excuse/reason for not being able/being able to read/speak/write japanese... everybody can study that at home without any difficulty... i also dont think that there is any excuse for not speaking the language of the country someone is currently residing in...
im not talking about native level, or any highly advanced proficiency... but honestly, you study the language before you move, not after you did... and usually in your leisure time, since you also need to learn a skill....

Some people have a busy job that would hold them back from this. If someone would be working a full time job with Japanese job hours at an international company, i really doubt they have time and energy for over one hour self study a day at home. People have their lifes and they need to relax too and not studying doesn't always make someone stupid or lazy.
Also i didn't start studying Japanese until i came to Japan and i was in no time at the same level as some friends who did study it before because there is just a lot more "in the wild" practice in Japan.

 

[vondoom]

well reading is tough... i struggle with the onyomi usually... i read a lot, though... manga and books... some i can read without much effort, for others it takes an hour for two pages... manga was surprisingly helpful... wonder why i didnt start that earlier, since im an avid comic reader since 96...

its always difficult to find something i like though, my criteria is: no school/robots/sports/fantasy/space/hitler

and yes, kanji are crucial unfortunately...


usually asians study japanese and a skill at the same time, while westerners only study one of them... no idea why that is... since the day i moved here i didnt have any day withoit having to know intermediate to advanced japanese... of course there are enough people who dont need that, i am very envious... but i wasnt that lucky, otherwise i wouldnt have gotten a flat/job/etc...

a former assistant of my former boss studied something abroad and she studied english before she moved until she was good enough to get by and then studied at night, working/studying full time during the day... and that is no exception, especially among artisans, who study continuously... my boss(es) did not only expect the same from me, to them any other way was unthinkable... so naturally i had to advance my skill set and the language (and i was already quite okay at speaking japanese back then)... and that boss had me working way past midnight, straight after i returned from school (visa reason), nearly every day...
fortunately i was used studying a lot in my leisure time...

i still study every day, though often its just reading, while working about 80 hours a week (usually only one day off)... as said assistant said: "i just slept less"...
that is more or less normal for creative people here who dont work in front of a screen... you work and improve you skill in your leisure time... since i also got to improve my japanese, i got a little bit more to do...

as for studying in the wild, i do approve that and any other form of passive learning, once youre good enough to do that... years ago there have been a lot of things i thought i understood, only to find out that i hadnt a long time later... i hear/read similar mistakes from other people... how often is the past tense not used to show the past, for example...
another good thing about that is that there are a lot of words that you cant find in dictionairies unless they are very specialised and those are japanese to japanese dictionairies usually...

of course no one has to choose my way of doing that... among japanese it is not uncommon, though (leave out the slacker generation^^)

 

[monalisaoverdrive]

In no particular order:

#1) My job. It's pretty steady and despite working at an eikawa, I have a lot of loyal students so my job is pretty easy, stress free and I make quite a bit.
#2) I love Tokyo. The architecture, the nightlife, the beautiful spring, walking to the konbini - the small things. I guess I'm a sucker for these types of things.
#3) My girlfriend.
#4) Always discovering new things even after being here for almost four years now. I'll head back home someday but for now I want to stay here.

 

[e-smile]

its always difficult to find something i like though, my criteria is: no school/robots/sports/fantasy/space/hitler

and yes, kanji are crucial unfortunately...


usually asians study japanese and a skill at the same time, while westerners only study one of them... no idea why that is... since the day i moved here i didnt have any day withoit having to know intermediate to advanced japanese... of course there are enough people who dont need that, i am very envious... but i wasnt that lucky, otherwise i wouldnt have gotten a flat/job/etc...

a former assistant of my former boss studied something abroad and she studied english before she moved until she was good enough to get by and then studied at night, working/studying full time during the day... and that is no exception, especially among artisans, who study continuously... my boss(es) did not only expect the same from me, to them any other way was unthinkable... so naturally i had to advance my skill set and the language (and i was already quite okay at speaking japanese back then)... and that boss had me working way past midnight, straight after i returned from school (visa reason), nearly every day...
fortunately i was used studying a lot in my leisure time...

i still study every day, though often its just reading, while working about 80 hours a week (usually only one day off)... as said assistant said: "i just slept less"...
that is more or less normal for creative people here who dont work in front of a screen... you work and improve you skill in your leisure time... since i also got to improve my japanese, i got a little bit more to do...

as for studying in the wild, i do approve that and any other form of passive learning, once youre good enough to do that... years ago there have been a lot of things i thought i understood, only to find out that i hadnt a long time later... i hear/read similar mistakes from other people... how often is the past tense not used to show the past, for example...
another good thing about that is that there are a lot of words that you cant find in dictionairies unless they are very specialised and those are japanese to japanese dictionairies usually...

of course no one has to choose my way of doing that... among japanese it is not uncommon, though (leave out the slacker generation^^)

I'm envious at chinese who already know the kanji's meaning and composition.

off topic advice on manga : 20th century boys, monster, battle angel alita, akira, vagabond, vinland saga, great teacher onizuka ...

 

[vondoom]

ah, thx... just yesterday i was talking to someone about which book to read next...

 

[just4fun]

Right now........there's nothing for me to stay in Japan for.........and will soon be out the door.

 

[TAG Manager]

Right now........there's nothing for me to stay in Japan for.........and will soon be out the door.

Good luck on your next adventure. You'll be missed here but you're always welcome here!

 

[Garcian]

Interesting topic, also in no particular order.

1) I was fed up with my home country and wanted to live somewhere completely different. Now that I made it, I see no reason to give it up.
2) Salary. While most starters and part-timers are paid horribly, you can make decent cash when you are in the right spot at the right time and use your chances. Like anywhere else, I guess. The only real minus on the workside is the lack of holidays.
3) Peace. It might sound strange, but coming from Central Europe, there is a lot of tension/aggression in the air that I was just getting tired of. I think it is beautiful to, say, go to a football stadium and see families and kids there. I will put cleanliness in this category, too. Really really nice.
4) Convenience. Basically, you can do everything you would do during the weekdays on the weekends as well. I really enjoy that. Trains going regularly, shops being open, just a much nicer life.
5) Women. Without being racist or anything, there is just a high number of women that I am attracted to. That may not necessarily relate to appearance, but also manners, overall atmosphere.

That is about it.