Hey, I know a lot of people here are learning japanese for future trip/business plans so I thought I’d chime in with my experiences of being two months in japan while actively learning the language.
先ずは, I started learning the language about half a year before my flight was due. I started off learning with phone applications (Duolingo) and quickly understood it’s not for me. I then switched to mainly learning from genki 1 and 2 and most of my language skills came from that platform *alone*
I didn’t learn kanji, and didn’t focus too much on a large vocabulary because realistically I couldn’t put that much effort while trying to balance my work.
My trip was a solo trip, it started in Tokyo>Kyoto>osaka>nagoya>ise>Kyoto.
Here are my main points, hope you’ll find them useful.
– i was *super* anxious to speak with anyone, after having my first few experiences in the airport, conbini and with the hostel owner it became a lot easier. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, a lot of people will be genuinely surprised that you’re interested in their language and sometimes even give you tips as you speak. In my first 48 hours in Tokyo I quickly learned I didn’t put as much effort in practicing speaking/listening as I should. I would highly suggest any of you who are interested in coming to japan to find a good way to practice speaking and listening.
– find a partner to learn japanese with In japan.
This is easier said than done. I got very lucky and got a super friendly hostel owner that used to talk to me exclusively in japanese and took smoke breaks with me, after that I mostly struck up conversations with japanese hostel patrons. Do be gentle and understand that sometimes people don’t want to talk with learners because of the limited conversations, and that’s totally fine.
– as far as kanji goes, in my opinion it’s not needed for a short stay/trip because almost everything is easily translated with a phone and most places do have English Manues and accomodations. BUT, a lot of places that do have English Manues tend to leave out a lot of good stuff for some reason, i noticed this pretty late in my journey.
– if you are a beginner, making japanese friends tends to be tough with the language barrier, I did find 3 people that spoke good English so we balanced the conversations. Don’t let this keep you from trying! I met a lot of wonderful people who also wanted to improve their English.
– honorifics, this is a tricky one. I noticed early on that this is a very intricate thing that is reserved for native japanese so I didn’t dwell on it too much. From what I experienced from talking to people of all ages (20-75) that usually “spoken” japanese (meaning shorter verbs, and not a lot of です) is the norm. I did start most conversation in the “polite” way but usually got corrected to using the “normal” way of speaking.
– Lastly, have fun! I had a total blast, I was very lucky to meet new friends and people. And you would be surprised at how many cool situations you might end up even if you know basic japanese, from getting invited to dinner in a person’s rasturant to getting a ride through town to even landing a date.
My most important take is this: if you intend to socialize in japan, listening and talking practice are king. Wrong/not correct grammar is not frowned upon (you might just get a chuckle and a correction) and kanji study is mostly for further immersion.
I wish you all the best of luck! がんばって！
3 comments
First of all まず is usually written in Kana, and you don’t need は there.
Secondly if you asked before you went I would have just told you to go to one is the many language exchange events on Meetup. They provide great environment for learning and plenty of opportunities to talk to native speakers who can speak a bit English as well.
> got corrected to use “normal” form of speaking
What? Can you elaborate? The Mas-form *is* the normal way of speaking in Japan. Casual form is reserved for people who you are personally close to like closer friends, family, etc.
I have lived here for a year and I’ve never experienced what you described
I’m sorry. I cringe whenever people want to throw away kanji. More than 60% of the written language around you is kanji…signs, shops, products… The world really opens up if you just take time to learn a few hundred.
Furthermore, people have different goals? Many people who study Japanese want to read manga or would like the ability to order from a Japanese menu. Never say kanji is not necessary. It depends on your goals.
I don’t want to dismiss anything you’re saying here, but I just want to make it clear that the vast majority of what you’re saying — while undoubtedly true to your own experience — is only going to be applicable for a very beginning learner who is going to Japan with low expectations and the understanding that they’ll be a guest who is not expected to function in Japanese society at all.
The one thing I do agree with you on is the importance of speaking and not being afraid to speak if you hope to actually improve your communication skills and communicate with actual Japanese people
>as far as kanji goes, in my opinion it’s not needed for a short stay/trip because almost everything is easily translated with a phone and most places do have English Manues and accomodations. BUT, a lot of places that do have English Manues tend to leave out a lot of good stuff for some reason, i noticed this pretty late in my journey.
No, it’s not needed for a short tourist stay but if you want to experience Japan on a deeper level, of course you need to be literate — which includes knowing kanji.
English menus don’t leave out of a lot of good stuff “for some reason”, they leave stuff out because of course Japanese establishments are going to be more equipped for and more motivated to cater to native Japanese speakers — who probably represent the majority of their clientele — than tourists. Is this really so surprising?
>honorifics, this is a tricky one. I noticed early on that this is a very intricate thing that is reserved for native japanese so I didn’t dwell on it too much.
There is nothing about honorifics that is “reserved for native Japanese”. If you actually want to function and assimilate in Japanese society, it is necessary to be able to have a functional command of polite language, which includes honorifics.
Sure, Japanese people don’t expect tourists who are there for a couple of weeks to master honorifics. This is very different from saying they are “reserved” for “native Japanese”.
>From what I experienced from talking to people of all ages (20-75) that usually “spoken” japanese (meaning shorter verbs, and not a lot of です) is the norm. I did start most conversation in the “polite” way but usually got corrected to using the “normal” way of speaking.
It’s impossible to understand specifically what you are referring to here or what you were “corrected” from or to. If you are still a beginner, there is a chance that you were just speaking stilted Japanese and were being corrected to something more natural-sounding.
If you were speaking “polite” です・ます-form Japanese in a fluid, natural way, I can’t imagine anyone “correcting” you because this is how native Japanese will interact with strangers more often than not.
—
**TL;DR — I don’t want to denigrate or diminish your experiences, but it seems like the vast majority of your post comes down to “If you’re a beginner who is traveling as a tourist to Japan for a short time, don’t sweat it because Japanese people won’t expect much of you and you can probably get by with English, broken Japanese, and random apps most of the time.”**
**I mean, of course this is true, but I think most people who are seriously studying the language are going to want to set higher goals for themselves than this.**