What are my Chances of Survival?

[yukio_michael]

I'll be going to Japan in a bit, hopefully before Golden week hits and I'm going to try to stay as long as I can, or cash permits.

I have friends in Chiba, Toukyou, & Kyotou who are going to be hosting me around town so I've gote ~some~ contacts, more than many people, I suppose.

I hope to have somewhere around 10k to travel with and if I can find work, do that... my question is this:

For someone who has pretty good comprehension of Japanese as concerns pronunciation with a fairly common vocabulary, how much could one learn strictly through immersion in the language itself?

I'll have someone to help me with the language at all times (trading English lessons for Japanese is the way to go, if you ask me)... so again, that's a big help.

Any thoughts on this? I really don't have to be ~anywhere~ so, I want to be there, as long as that's feasible or even practical.

ども！

[Nosferatu1022]

Television!
テレビネットワーク｡｡｡ And lot's of it! :P

Just a silly suggestion... But if you really want to acquaint yourself with everyday speech and whatnot, why not watch the local news? :wave:

[yukio_michael]

I watch a lot of Morning Masume, Hello! Project, and the like, but generally people don't bother recording the news. I get what would be, enertainment news!

[PopCulturePooka]

I watch a lot of Morning Masume, Hello! Project, and the like, but generally people don't bother recording the news. I get what would be, enertainment news!
Then you're getting goofy slang aimed at 13 year old girls. Oh my, imagine the laughter.

Try and track down TV dramas and boring looking movies aimed at adults, and listen to what the guys say.

[Xkavar]

Might I also suggest that you carry a lighter and a pocket knife with you at all times to increase your chances of survival in an earthquake/fire/typhoon/hurricane/terrorist attack/car accident/lost in the sticks/social situation involving making your own cigars.

Which is quite frankly what I thought the thread was about.

[Nosferatu1022]

Do like FirsthousePooka suggested, :D.

I've found even watching some Japanese action movies helps... Action/Drama, rather. Even listening to some Japanese music can help some, just with pronunciation of some syllables since the music can stress them out a lot. Music isn't highly effective, but does help some. Also, by news I mean the boring 8 o'clock type news, world news, etc. Not the talk-show/entertainment type.

[Dekamaster]

Dunno about finding work...do you need some additional documents for that ?

[yukio_michael]

Then you're getting goofy slang aimed at 13 year old girls. Oh my, imagine the laughter.

Try and track down TV dramas and boring looking movies aimed at adults, and listen to what the guys say.I know, it's fairly stupid, but entertaining none the less... though, I'm not paterning my speach after it! :-)

I'd like to find TV dramas, I've long read that was a good source of common dialogue, though there are no rental places where I live that rent anything but HK stuff...

I live in impoverished Orlando, FL. We have a pretty great Viet Namese community, but the only thing that Japanese + Orlando turns up are sushi restaraunts.

I don't watch anime for speach... I watch a lot of movies, though some of the dialogue is a little stilted depending.

I consume everything that I possibly can.

[PopCulturePooka]

Also when you touch down, be careful what you say to people when they ask your hobbies and interests.
Saying you are an anime fan and like Morning Musame, while ok, will probably drop your social standing down a whole lot. The standard Japanese person doesn't like an otaku at all.

[yukio_michael]

Saying you are an anime fan and like Morning Musame, while ok, will probably drop your social standing down a whole lot. The standard Japanese person doesn't like an otaku at all.Oh yes, I know! I've had a room mate from Tokyo, and a neighboor from Osaka.

I'm fairly (reserved... that's what I meant) about the ammount of anime/jpop that I like... I definitely don't advertise the fact that I listen to HALCALI. (and that's at the top of my list)...

I'm hoping to memorize a few PVs so I can wow people at karaoke. ;)

[PopCulturePooka]

Oh yes, I know! I've had a room mate from Tokyo, and a neighboor from Osaka.

I'm fairly (reserved... that's what I meant) about the ammount of anime/jpop that I like... I definitely don't advertise the fact that I listen to HALCALI. (and that's at the top of my list)...

I'm hoping to memorize a few PVs so I can wow people at karaoke. ;)
ROCK!
Haha I have probably the biggest collection of Japanese robot toys on this board. Over in Japan I was nuts for them and happily told people I collected. Until I realised that actually lost me friends and women.
Then I took to hiding them in a lockeed closet when people visited me.
Hahaha.
They really dont like their otakus.

[yukio_michael]

ROCK!
They really dont like their otakus.Didn't Otaku start out as an honorific term? It's the same as say, Anata, as a pronoun, but has of course changed in it's general inflection.

The American perception of Otaku is definitely different than the mainstream Japanese perception. Appleseed? What's Appleseed? :wave:

[den4]

if you buy your JR Rail pass through your travel agent before it's too late and don't eat at extra fancy restaurants in Ginza that will put a hole in your wallet and don't plan on spending money on touristy trap things but are fairly inclined to walk as much as possible, and taking the least expensive form of transportation whenever possible, and avoiding taxis during the day and the middle of the night (when all the trains shut down for their daily servicing), then you should survive easily with 10k...

but if you're going to buy the latest gadgets at Akihabara or Yodobashi Camera, go jumping into them nice bars and hotels and get the best wines and meals, then your 10k will easily go down the drain in a matter of days, or even hours, if you're not careful... :D

good luck and have fun! :D

[yukio_michael]

I don't think I've ever done anything touristy in my life. Take it from me, I'm a pretty miserable person to travel with if you really want to see the sights.

Luckily, I have a place to stay I'd say for the entirety of the time I'm there, and I expect to do everything I can to maximize my funds.

It's drinking that wories me. Somehow I always manage to go out for a night on the town and spend way more than I thought I would.

[budd]

"What's Appleseed?"
ttp://www.jref.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12862&highlight=appleseed
otaku are one of the few groups in japan that actively steal, other than the yakuza?
my language teacher was one, and she said she was always so ashamed, "because they shoprift, they smell bad, and they have poor manners"
actually, in my opinion (after watching them closely), they act like american nerds...
no diff between tgs and e3, except tgs has all japanese games...

[yukio_michael]

"What's Appleseed?"
http://www.jref.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12862&highlight=appleseed
すみません。It was a joke! Iknow what Appleseed is. ;)

[PaulTB]

Dunno about finding work...do you need some additional documents for that ?
Incidently, do you know what the text at the bottom of your sig picture says ?

この画像を無断転載を禁じます。
Unauthorised reproduction of this picture is prohibited. :relief:

[budd]

"すみません。It was a joke!"
i've seen even worse
good luck, have fun

[FireyRei]

Trading language, language exchange. Don't bank on that, most of the time people will either speak only Japanese or only English with you. Mainly you have Japanese people who really want to practise their English (forget speaking Japanese with them), and those who don't give a **** about English (there are millions of these people), and few will mix. Just get ready for the typical - "I spoke Japanese but they replied in English", it happens a lot, and is one reason some foreigners don't bother learning Japanese.

[Shas]

www.tv4all.com has some free japanese news channels i think you can watch, that could help since you get used to the understanding or so

i dont know just see if it helps :>

[yukio_michael]

www.tv4all.com has some free japanese news channels i think you can watch, that could help since you get used to the understanding or so

i dont know just see if it helps :>Thanks, I'll check it out. It's not surprising, I have a much easier time with the paterns of female aouncers' speech than men.

I've actually got a place to stay in Chiba, ready for me... Hopefully I'll get there before Golden Week.

[budd]

hopefully isn't the word
again, good luck

[Xkavar]

This is late, but are you able to buy any Japanese to English cassette tapes or CDs you can listen to while you're over there? Or a language dictionary?

[yukio_michael]

I have casettes, but it's so anoying, being used to CD's, mp3s etc... I paid $70usd, for the accompanying tapes to Japanese for Everyone, and I had to have them special ordered from Japan (with a little help from a friend from Tokyo)... now, I just watch movies and try to write down dialogue and double check the words with a native speaker...

Japanese dialogue tapes grate on my ears if they don't sound natural enough, especially Plimsuler... ugh... benkyou... benkyou.....