Looking to become an exchange student.

4 comments

1. You could reach out to the Japanese consulate in Australia to see if they have exchange programs but really your school guidance counselor would probably be able to help you. Or see if there is someone at your local college that can help, sometimes they have the resources for you.

2. It’s never “too late” to learn *something*. That said, the sooner you start, the sooner you can have something useable when you get there. I’d recommend starting with learning the two kana, hiragana & katakana, and then learning conversational Japanese. If you know the kana you can communicate on a basic written level if you couple it with basic conversational Japanese. That will give you a good enough foundation to get by while you’re there.

3. r/movingtojapan might be a better place to ask about programs and such.

4. I went in grade 11 (around 2003, I think) and I hardly knew any Japanese when I went.

   It was difficult and isolating for a while at first. But I am sure it is MUCH easier nowadays with smart phones and google translate and whatnot.

   But don’t use those things if you can manage without them.
   You will learn Japanese much better if you bring a real, physical dictionary with you. Also a notepad and pencil.

   Whenever you encounter a word you don’t know, ask the person to sound it out slowly for you so that you can be sure you got the right spelling, and then look it up.
   You will remember things better if you spend the time to look them up in a physical dictionary, as opposed to on google translate.