Support NeoGAF

[shanshan310]

Yeah, Japanese in university is no joke. I got a bit overwhelmed with the pace at times because my other more important units kinda took over. Also got a little discouraged since everyone else in the japanese class was on top of everything since japanese was their major. But, I got through it with the help of the overly nice japanese teachers at uni

Question: anyone familiar with any intensive Japanese courses in Japan? I thinking like something similar to that intensive chinese program at Pecking University type thing.

I only know of the JENESYS Training Programme for University Students Studying Japanese. Its a six week program, but I'm not sure if you have to be majoring in Japanese to apply.

http://www.jpf.org.au/grants/language.html#jenesysuni

There's also the Monbukagakusho Scholarship, which is for one year (i think). If anyone knows any better ones I'd love to know too.

 

[Zoe]

Question: anyone familiar with any intensive Japanese courses in Japan? I thinking like something similar to that intensive chinese program at Pecking University type thing.

I had a friend who did a month-long one. It cost a lot and required taking a placement test. I'm not sure how well it helped his Japanese though cause he was already near fluent since he goes there for work every few months.

He was the only American in there. All the others were Chinese wives :lol

 

[Deeku]

I only know of the JENESYS Training Programme for University Students Studying Japanese. Its a six week program, but I'm not sure if you have to be majoring in Japanese to apply.

http://www.jpf.org.au/grants/language.html#jenesysuni

There's also the Monbukagakusho Scholarship, which is for one year (i think). If anyone knows any better ones I'd love to know too.

Hmm, looks like it's for Japanese majors only. Plus I'm over the age limit...lol

6 weeks also seems a bit too intensive. The Peking University mandarin one is, I think, 3 months or longer depending on your current level. I could enrol in a diploma at a uni or something but I don't think I have the time to do it properly with work and stuff. Ideally, I'd want to go to Japan, spend a couple months there and learn the crap out of Japanese and be awesome fluent lol.

Edit:

So after some googling I've found a few and most of them pretty expensive.

This one seems like one I'd want to do: http://www.nichibei.ac.jp/jli/ But I think I'd prefer something at a university rather than a private language school.

There are others here if anyone else is interested:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/info/japanese-language-school-directory/

There's also an interesting article about japanese language schools in that link...lol

 

[LeroyPantwether]

any kind individuals out there feel like checking my japanese homework presentation? It is only a three minute long mini skit, and I am very concerned about my particle usage. Pleaseeeeeee

specifically these sentences and their particles and conjugation.....
scene setup...
[lady(shop keeper) ask if you are are american](and your character responds)

Bill- Hai Amerika jin desu. Watashi wa nihongo ga wakarimasu. Watashi wa GCC* no daigaku de benkyō o shimashita.

Sally- Sō desu ka. Doko ni hatarakimasu ka? ( or doko ni shigoto o shimasuka? or shigoto wa doko desu ka?)

Bill- Watashi wa disney ni hatarakimasu. Watashi wa shutchō de nihon ni kimasu ( or kimashita im not sure on tense ..i came to japan for business trip or i come to japan for business trip)

Questionable section 2scene setup) Bill(a businessman) is about to leave his interaction with Sally( a shop clerk)and as he leaves she gets his attention to ask him out but Bill is on his trip with company, more specifically his wife and daughter. but he accepts any ways to be nice.

Sally- A sumimasen (sally calls for bill) Biru san wa ashita doko no ikimasu ka?

Bill- Ja.... Watashi wa ashita no asa kaigi ikimasu

Sally- Ja.... ashita no ban wa watashi no pati desu. Biru san ni ikimasu ka?

Bill- Sō desu ka. Anata no pati wa nanji kara desu ka?

Sally- gogo hachi ji han made desu.

Bill- Ja.. watashi wa Hirari san to, Cherushi san(or chan or kun i have no idea of honorific to use as it is a father referring to his daughter to a stranger.)to ni ikimasu. Daijōbudesu ka?

Sally- (dismayed) Hai.... daijōbudesu... ja shitsureshimasu.....(goes back to tend store)

Bill- Ja Mata ( leaves store)



*GCC is the. college

 

[Gacha-pin]

I wonder Sally san is Japanese because she calls Billy san Biru.

 

[LeroyPantwether]

Sally is an American who lives in Japan and speaks Japanese. Billy is a small boys name Bill prefers to be called Bill as he is a man. Also Biru is the name the teacher assigned in the presentation outline.

 

[AC!D]

any kind individuals out there feel like checking my japanese homework presentation? It is only a three minute long mini skit, and I am very concerned about my particle usage. Pleaseeeeeee

specifically these sentences and their particles and conjugation.....
scene setup...
[lady(shop keeper) ask if you are are american](and your character responds)

Bill- Hai Amerika jin desu. Watashi wa nihongo ga wakarimasu. Watashi wa GCC* no daigaku de benkyō o shimashita.

Sally- Sō desu ka. Doko ni hatarakimasu ka? ( or doko ni shigoto o shimasuka? or shigoto wa doko desu ka?)

Bill- Watashi wa disney ni hatarakimasu. Watashi wa shutchō de nihon ni kimasu ( or kimashita im not sure on tense ..i came to japan for business trip or i come to japan for business trip)

Questionable section 2scene setup) Bill(a businessman) is about to leave his interaction with Sally( a shop clerk)and as he leaves she gets his attention to ask him out but Bill is on his trip with company, more specifically his wife and daughter. but he accepts any ways to be nice.

Sally- A sumimasen (sally calls for bill) Biru san wa ashita doko no ikimasu ka?

Bill- Ja.... Watashi wa ashita no asa kaigi ikimasu

Sally- Ja.... ashita no ban wa watashi no pati desu. Biru san ni ikimasu ka?

Bill- Sō desu ka. Anata no pati wa nanji kara desu ka?

Sally- gogo hachi ji han made desu.

Bill- Ja.. watashi wa Hirari san to, Cherushi san(or chan or kun i have no idea of honorific to use as it is a father referring to his daughter to a stranger.)to ni ikimasu. Daijōbudesu ka?

Sally- (dismayed) Hai.... daijōbudesu... ja shitsureshimasu.....(goes back to tend store)

Bill- Ja Mata ( leaves store)

*GCC is the. college

"Sally- A sumimasen (sally calls for bill) Biru san wa ashita doko no ikimasu ka?"

Should that be "Biru san wa ashita doko ni ikimasu ka"

Because she is asking where are you going to, not where are you going of...?

Also: "Sally- gogo hachi ji han made desu."

This means "it's until [as far as] half 8 in the PM" Should it not be kara again? "gogo hachi ji kara desu". It's from 8.30pm? Or "hajime wa gogo hachi ji desu" ?? as for the start, it's half 8.

 

[LeroyPantwether]

@acid thanks you so much, the kara made mixup was a silly mistake on my part. and the particle confusion is just the type of thing im prone to screw up. again thanks for the corrections


also if any one could give me a good way to think of the particle ga as that one seems especially confusing, for me at least.

 

[Gacha-pin]

Sally is an American who lives in Japan and speaks Japanese. Billy is a small boys name Bill prefers to be called Bill as he is a man. Also Biru is the name the teacher assigned in the presentation outline.

Just focus on the particles and conjugation.

Bill- Hai Amerika jin desu. Watashi wa nihongo ga wakarimasu. Watashi wa GCC* no daigaku de benkyō o shimashita.
（はい、アメリカ人です。私は日本語が分かります。私はGCCで勉強しました。）

Sally- Sō desu ka. Doko ni hatarakimasu ka? ( or doko ni shigoto o shimasuka? or shigoto wa doko desu ka?)
（そうですか。どこで働いていますか？（or どこで仕事をしますか？ or 仕事は何ですか？））(second one is not good for this. I think the last one is best.)

Bill- Watashi wa disney ni hatarakimasu. Watashi wa shutchō de nihon ni kimasu ( or kimashita im not sure on tense ..i came to japan for business trip or i come to japan for business trip)
（私はディズニーで働いています。私は出張で日本に来ました（来ています）。（I have a question. In this situation, which is correct in English, I come to Japan or I came to Japan? ））


Sally- A sumimasen (sally calls for bill) Biru san wa ashita doko no ikimasu ka?
（あ、すみません。ビルさんは明日どこに行きますか？）

Bill- Ja.... Watashi wa ashita no asa kaigi ikimasu
（えーと、私は明日の朝、会議に行きます。）

Sally- Ja.... ashita no ban wa watashi no pati desu. Biru san ni ikimasu ka?
（明日の晩は私のパーティです。ビルさん、行きますか？ But this one sounds strange and desn't make sense though.）（ex: 明日の夜、パーティを開く予定です。ビルさん、来ませんか？）

Bill- Sō desu ka. Anata no pati wa nanji kara desu ka?
（そうですか。あなたのパーティは何時からですか？）

Sally- gogo hachi ji han made desu.
（午後8時までです。 This one isn't correct. You should say 8時からです。）

Bill- Ja.. watashi wa Hirari san to, Cherushi san(or chan or kun i have no idea of honorific to use as it is a father referring to his daughter to a stranger.)to ni ikimasu. Daijōbudesu ka?
（平井さん、チェルシーと一緒に行きます。大丈夫ですか？）You don't need to use san, chan or kun for your children in this situation.

Sally- (dismayed) Hai.... daijōbudesu... ja shitsureshimasu.....(goes back to tend store)
（はい大丈夫です……orz。では失礼します……。）



I think one of the usage of が is similar to a/the in English.

There is a magazine on the table. The magazine is the latest issue of Koro Koro Comic.
（机の上に雑誌が乗っています。その雑誌はコロコロコミックの最新号です。）
I'm sure you don't have a problem with this usage though

 

[LeroyPantwether]

@ gacha pin.....oh wow i cannot possibly thank you enough. You have cleared up all my confusion. どもありがとございます

 

[AC!D]

also if any one could give me a good way to think of the particle ga as that one seems especially confusing, for me at least.

Ga works in lots of ways.The main ones you study first are:

1) to show a quality of the thing you are marking

and

2) possesion.

So I think of

[watashi wa] tenisu ga heta desu. (I am bad at tennis)

as being 'a quality of me playing tennis is that I'm unskillfull'.

or

kono seeta ga aoi desu. (This sweater is blue)

a quality of this sweater is that's it's blue.



When it comes to possesion, you use ga arimasu (for inanimate objects) or ga imasu (for living things) and not wa arimasu/wa imasu.

atarashii keitai denwa ga arimasu

I have a new mobile phone.

kawaii neko ga imasu.

I havea cute cat.

I'm sure there are better explanations though!

 

[LeroyPantwether]

＠ acid thanks again that explaination helped a ton and was especially applicable for the rest of my skit.

 

[Deeku]

Just think of "ga" as the particle that identifies something. Or, the way you were probably taught, the subject particle

Linking possession to "ga" is probably not a good idea since "no" is the particle associated with possession.

Also, "atarashii keitai denwa ga arimasu" does not mean "I have a new phone", it means "There is a new cell phone". Same with the cat example.

 

[AC!D]

Linking possession to "ga" is probably not a good idea since "no" is the particle associated with possession.

Also, "atarashii keitai denwa ga arimasu" does not mean "I have a new phone", it means "There is a new cell phone". Same with the cat example.

Actually depending on the context of the conversation, either translation is correct.

http://www.japaneseverbconjugator.com/VerbDetails.asp?txtVerb=aru&Go=Go

okane ga arimasu ka
Do you have money?

inu ga imasu
There is a dog.

 

[LeroyPantwether]

just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who helped

 

[NuclearWinter]

「げんき」という教科書を読んでしまったり、次はどんな教科書を使うのがいいですか。
（下手な文法を使ってすみませんでした。眠いし。）

I have one quarter left with my Genki 2 textbook. Since that seems to be the last book in the Genki series, what would people recommend that I would continue with after that? Are there any books that are similar?

'An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese' pretty much continues on from where Genki leaves you. It's what a lot of universities seem to move on to after Genki 2.

My personal preference for intermediate textbook is Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese (edit: cheaper here). I have less experience with it but found what I read to be more engaging than 'Integrated Approach', which was ok but I wish had more chapters using real Japanese texts for the reading exercises. I believe Tobira also covers a good bit more grammar.

I'll note that neither book has much in the way of workbook style exercises compared to the Genki series, and some people complain about that. Personally I didn't care about that as I mostly value textbooks for the structured reading exercises and progression in difficulty, which I found massively improved my reading comprehension.

 

[midonnay]

Heisig method really isn't compatible with taking a formal course though.

do it during the holidays..... 2 or 3 hours a day and you can get through book 1 in a month or two.

then the rest of the course can be spent building up vocabulary.

 

[Zoe]

do it during the holidays..... 2 or 3 hours a day and you can get through book 1 in a month or two.

then the rest of the course can be spent building up vocabulary.

Except when you're doing a formal course, the order you learn the kanji in is deliberate. If you step outside of that order (and learn it only halfway like Heisig does) you're setting yourself up to get confused.

 

[Arctic Feather]

Heisig method really isn't compatible with taking a formal course though.

True, but I suggested it because he said he's studying by himself for now. I think it sets you up well for a formal course later.

 

[midonnay]

book 2 isn't really essential.... (although the sections about phonetic components can be useful)

once you get book 1 down you can learn the readings as they come.

Or alternatively if time starved, you can just do the most common 1000 kanji ( they have a modified list with suggested order and strategies on the Revtk forum).

 

[AngryMoth]

Woohoo, my pen pal letter finally came...and I have a question about the second line.

My question is about the third to last character (the one after 春 I've never seen it before. I've done my best to draw it in my translation apps but to no avail so I was hoping someone here might be able to help me out?

 

[Zoe]

Woohoo, my pen pal letter finally came...and I have a question about the second line.

My question is about the third to last character (the one after 春 I've never seen it before. I've done my best to draw it in my translation apps but to no avail so I was hoping someone here might be able to help me out?

Looks like "flower" (sorry, no Japanese input here). It's the second half of the person's first name.

 

[mehdi_san]

Woohoo, my pen pal letter finally came...and I have a question about the second line.

My question is about the third to last character (the one after 春 I've never seen it before. I've done my best to draw it in my translation apps but to no avail so I was hoping someone here might be able to help me out?

That's 花 right?
(beaten)

 

[AngryMoth]

Aha, thanks guys. I was confused as I kept seeing the last stroke as っ but its the wrong way round for that now I look at it again.

 

[Memento_Mori15]

Can anyone suggest a good JLPT book for N2 or are the grammar books the OT posted good enough? I'm planning to buy them tomorrow. I took N5 two years ago, when it was first introduced and passed(it's the easiest level). However, I didn't take the test last year(I wanted to take N3) due to lack of funds. So this year, I would like to at least pass N2. So I've been reading manga in Japanese since I can buy them at a local book store for practice as well.

 

[shanshan310]

Can anyone suggest a good JLPT book for N2 or are the grammar books the OT posted good enough? I'm planning to buy them tomorrow. I took N5 two years ago, when it was first introduced and passed(it's the easiest level). However, I didn't take the test last year(I wanted to take N3) due to lack of funds. So this year, I would like to at least pass N2. So I've been reading manga in Japanese since I can buy them at a local book store for practice as well.

White Rabbit Press has a large selection (even if you don't plan on buying from them take a look at their items). I have the vocab book for this series, which I have found fairly useful. Only issue is that its not very good at explanations. It will usually have a word, and instead of translating it use it in a sentence and translate the whole sentence. You also might find something like a grammar dictionary or a Kanji dictionary pretty useful. I personally have been using Tobira - gateway to advanced Japanese, which has all the grammar and kanji for N2, apparently. However, they don't actually teach the kanji in that book, just slowly introduce it into paragraphs in every chapter (so you have to look them up on your own). The grammar explanations are amazing though, and there are a lot of them. I guess it depends what you're looking for.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Woohoo, my pen pal letter finally came...and I have a question about the second line.

My question is about the third to last character (the one after 春 I've never seen it before. I've done my best to draw it in my translation apps but to no avail so I was hoping someone here might be able to help me out?

It's "花" (hana -- flower) as has been pointed out.

That's her name, which mostly like reads as Sakurai Haruka.

 

[Deeku]

White Rabbit Press has a large selection (even if you don't plan on buying from them take a look at their items). I have the vocab book for this series, which I have found fairly useful. Only issue is that its not very good at explanations. It will usually have a word, and instead of translating it use it in a sentence and translate the whole sentence. You also might find something like a grammar dictionary or a Kanji dictionary pretty useful. I personally have been using Tobira - gateway to advanced Japanese, which has all the grammar and kanji for N2, apparently. However, they don't actually teach the kanji in that book, just slowly introduce it into paragraphs in every chapter (so you have to look them up on your own). The grammar explanations are amazing though, and there are a lot of them. I guess it depends what you're looking for.

So you're using that Tobira book for N2 prep? Hmmm, might buy it then. I'm starting to get serious about doing a jlpt soon!

 

[Jintor]

Language is hard :<

 

[shanshan310]

So you're using that Tobira book for N2 prep? Hmmm, might buy it then. I'm starting to get serious about doing a jlpt soon!

Yeah, though I might need additional resources (not sure yet). Which level are you going for?

Language is hard :<

It is indeed &#12364;&#12435;&#12400;&#12387;&#12390;&#12397;&#12290;It does get easier, especially if you can spend a bit of time living overseas. After a while things just start to flow.

 

[Jintor]

It's just so frustrating because I excel at most other stuff (well, maybe excel is putting it strongly) since I already know, you know, the language, the building blocks... argh. Nothing to do but work at it I guess.

Law isn't helping either. Probably won't get to do languages next semester either...

 

[shanshan310]

It's just so frustrating because I excel at most other stuff (well, maybe excel is putting it strongly) since I already know, you know, the language, the building blocks... argh. Nothing to do but work at it I guess.

Law isn't helping either. Probably won't get to do languages next semester either...

That's one of the bad things about uni, I guess. Never enough time to study what you really want because there are a bunch of assignments to do. Language is one of those things that takes a while though, and you can be feeling really confident about your improvement and all it takes is someone who has been studying longer than you to speak, or a Japanese person to say something you don't understand, and all the confidence is gone.

 

[Deeku]

Yeah, though I might need additional resources (not sure yet). Which level are you going for?

Not sure, I don't even know what my current level is to be honest. I've discovered that most of my "understanding" of japanese is based on instinct, so if you get me to properly translate something, there's a good chance I'll make a few technical mistakes with grammar. It's actually kinda frustrating lol. My vocab is also probably limited since I only read/watch stuff I'm interested in.

Getting that book will probably help though. We used Nakama 2 for Intermediate I & II classes at uni and it was meh. I was looking at a list of expected grammar knowledge for JLPT the other day and it seems Nakama 2 really only covered N4 and maybe 1/3 of N3. But at the same time, I know most of N3 grammar from self learning and bits and pieces of N2:/

Realistically though, I would probably go for N3 after some study/revision so I won't fail miserably lol.

It's just so frustrating because I excel at most other stuff (well, maybe excel is putting it strongly) since I already know, you know, the language, the building blocks... argh. Nothing to do but work at it I guess.

Law isn't helping either. Probably won't get to do languages next semester either...

Don't give up man! Also don't blame me for convincing you to take japanese LOL

 

[Jintor]

Realistically I just want to get to that level where you start being able to actually read things and then just... go from there.

 

[shanshan310]

Realistically I just want to get to that level where you start being able to actually read things and then just... go from there.

Once you feel you've got basic grammar down pat, try reading some manga you like - make sure it has furigana. It really helped me pick up more kanji, and at the same time I felt like I was doing something worthwhile. Kinokuniya sells Japanese books, right? Might be able to pick up something from there.

 

[Deeku]

Once you feel you've got basic grammar down pat, try reading some manga you like - make sure it has furigana. It really helped me pick up more kanji, and at the same time I felt like I was doing something worthwhile. Kinokuniya sells Japanese books, right? Might be able to pick up something from there.

Yeah, that's what I've been doing. But instead of manga, I'm reading/translating jpop lyrics, and reading various japanese blogs. Sadly, a lot of this doesn't help with understanding more serious things like news articles on the economy

Shan, do you fully understand Japanese news on tv?

 

[midonnay]

Realistically I just want to get to that level where you start being able to actually read things and then just... go from there.

you don't need to study in uni to do that

most important is to get your pronunciation right, along with a solid base of your scripts (hiragana/katakana) and basic grammar.

that way, it won't be too big of a deal if you don't have classes next semester.

just spend your time then slowly doing things you can hone by yourself (listening practice and building vocabulary etc)

 

[shanshan310]

Yeah, that's what I've been doing. But instead of manga, I'm reading/translating jpop lyrics, and reading various japanese blogs. Sadly, a lot of this doesn't help with understanding more serious things like news articles on the economy

Shan, do you fully understand Japanese news on tv?

Nope. *ashamed* There's just so many technical words I don't understand. I'm trying though. The subtitles Japanese news has tends to help. I remember my old Japanese teacher saying she only understands about 40 - 60% of English News though, and she's lived here for at least a decade. As long as you can get the gist I don't see a problem (though sometimes I struggle with that too).

Reading Reuters.jp is pretty good for learning new words/ kanji, if you want to read more serious articles.

 

[Deeku]

Nope. *ashamed* There's just so many technical words I don't understand. I'm trying though. The subtitles Japanese news has tends to help. I remember my old Japanese teacher saying she only understands about 40 - 60% of English News though, and she's lived here for at least a decade. As long as you can get the gist I don't see a problem (though sometimes I struggle with that too).

Reading Reuters.jp is pretty good for learning new words/ kanji, if you want to read more serious articles.

Heh, I don't feel as dumb now But yeah, all those technical words...I agree the subtitles do help a lot. I understand all the weather though!

 

[GraveHorizon]

I felt like Ronald McDonald after taking a look at the OP. Pretty sure I'll never be able to understand superior Japanese, since I don't have the drive to suffer through all the learning. Guess I'll be sticking with subtitles on my anime like a normal baka-gaijin.

 

[HisshouBuraiKen]

I think the best kanji-learning site that no one knows about is Kanji Damage.

http://kanjidamage.com/introduction

The guy basically does what I did and made up mnemonics for all the "non-radical radicals" and groups them accordingly, like how the roof-one-center part of &#26908; &#20537; &#21091; &#39443; &#38522; all have "ken" as their onyomi, he calls that part a "strong" radical for "ken". It's kind of hard to explain but it probably works similar to heisig from what I've heard. Check out the page on ken up there for an example: http://kanjidamage.com/kanji/415-risk

It's not comprehensive because he hasn't done pages for the more useless jouyou kanji but it's a solid database and some of his stuff's actually pretty funny and easy to remember: http://kanjidamage.com/kanji/1171-payback

I think you guys'll get a kick out of it, and it can only help with those of you starting out with kanji.

 

[shanshan310]

I felt like Ronald McDonald after taking a look at the OP. Pretty sure I'll never be able to understand superior Japanese, since I don't have the drive to suffer through all the learning. Guess I'll be sticking with subtitles on my anime like a normal baka-gaijin.

haha, why Ronald McDonald?
Also the OP is full of intimidating kanji stuff, don't worry about that.

I think the best kanji-learning site that no one knows about is Kanji Damage.

http://kanjidamage.com/introduction

The guy basically does what I did and made up mnemonics for all the "non-radical radicals" and groups them accordingly, like how the roof-one-center part of &#26908; &#20537; &#21091; &#39443; &#38522; all have "ken" as their onyomi, he calls that part a "strong" radical for "ken". It's kind of hard to explain but it probably works similar to heisig from what I've heard. Check out the page on ken up there for an example: http://kanjidamage.com/kanji/415-risk

It's not comprehensive because he hasn't done pages for the more useless jouyou kanji but it's a solid database and some of his stuff's actually pretty funny and easy to remember: http://kanjidamage.com/kanji/1171-payback

I think you guys'll get a kick out of it, and it can only help with those of you starting out with kanji.

oooh what an amazing site!

 

[Count Dookkake]

It's now clear that I am teacher's pet.

Been a long time.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Nope. *ashamed* There's just so many technical words I don't understand. I'm trying though. The subtitles Japanese news has tends to help. I remember my old Japanese teacher saying she only understands about 40 - 60% of English News though, and she's lived here for at least a decade. As long as you can get the gist I don't see a problem (though sometimes I struggle with that too).

Reading Reuters.jp is pretty good for learning new words/ kanji, if you want to read more serious articles.

If you want to remedy that, I'd suggest getting a Japanese newspaper subscription.

Spend a year reading it on a daily basis and you won't have any trouble with technical terms.

 

[Nephix]

So, GAF, I'm going to Japan in October to study japanese at a language school for up to two years, but I can't for the life of me decide which city/school to study in/at.
I've basically narrowed my choices down to either Tokyo or Osaka but now I'm stuck, and the application deadline is approaching.

The main problem with making a choice is that; 1. I've never been to Japan before and 2. Finding information about the pros and cons of those two places is pretty damn difficult.

All I know ( have heard ) is that if I study in Osaka, I'll be near Nara and Kyoto etc, the people are more open and outgoing, rent is somewhat cheaper, it's easier to find a part-time job and the city itself is not as crowded as Tokyo, which is to be expected. On the other hand, I've heard that Osaka is kind of dirty compared to Tokyo and that it lacks the hustle and bustle of a metropolis such as Tokyo.

Tokyo on the other hand has got everything one would expect from a huge city but it's incredibly crowded, people are busy and not as outgoing as in Osaka. I don't care much about crowds though, rather the opposite.

tl;dr I'd say that I don't care all that much whether people are going to approach me on the street or not but I would probably enjoy being able to see at least a speck of nature. So, on the one hand, I'd like being close to Kyoto and Nara to at least do some sightseeing, but on the other hand there's lots and lots of places I want to visit/see in Tokyo. Also, I really like skyscrapers and modern architecture, which it seems like Tokyo has in bundles. And of course, video games and such, obviously.

Any suggestions that would lead me towards making a decision would be highly appreciated.

Also, if anyone's interested, the schools I've looked at are: Arc Academy in Osaka and Yoshida Institute in Tokyo.

 

[Fugu]

I don't have much expert insight on this, but I can tell you that based on my experience that Osaka is pretty damn crowded. I've lived in Toronto all of my life and Osaka is worlds larger than that.

 

[Raide]

For all round awesome, hit up Tokyo. During your extended stay, you can always visit Osaka. If you have no issues with crowds, Tokyo is your best option. Just take your time to select the right area to live in, since traveling in and around Tokyo can be fairly time consuming plus the fact you want to keep your rent cheaper will factor into this choice.

Depending on your Japanese ability when you get to Japan, Tokyo is pretty English friendly. Stations have plenty of English around, which makes traveling less stressful during your first few weeks of adjustment.

There are no major downsides to Tokyo. My only advice would be to calculate carefully how much you need and don't go too crazy spending cash and going out. It can quickly escalate if you head out there unrestrained.

 

[Arctic Feather]

No matter which you choose, travelling between Osaka and Tokyo is pretty easy. You can get the Shinkansen (which is quick but kind of expensive), or go for the cheap night bus option.

I've lived in Osaka and I really liked it there, it's very much a city and as you said it's very easy to travel around the Kansai area such as Kyoto, Nara, Kobe etc.

I'd probably go with Osaka, but then I'm biased

 

[Nephix]

No matter which you choose, travelling between Osaka and Tokyo is pretty easy. You can get the Shinkansen (which is quick but kind of expensive), or go for the cheap night bus option.

I've lived in Osaka and I really liked it there, it's very much a city and as you said it's very easy to travel around the Kansai area such as Kyoto, Nara, Kobe etc.

I'd probably go with Osaka, but then I'm biased

Good point about the shinkansen; I guess that's one way to branch out from Tokyo when the need arises.
Also, since you actually lived there, I'd like to know if you ever found it to be any kind of disadvantage to learn the dialect?

For all round awesome, hit up Tokyo. During your extended stay, you can always visit Osaka. If you have no issues with crowds, Tokyo is your best option. Just take your time to select the right area to live in, since traveling in and around Tokyo can be fairly time consuming plus the fact you want to keep your rent cheaper will factor into this choice.

Depending on your Japanese ability when you get to Japan, Tokyo is pretty English friendly. Stations have plenty of English around, which makes traveling less stressful during your first few weeks of adjustment.

There are no major downsides to Tokyo. My only advice would be to calculate carefully how much you need and don't go too crazy spending cash and going out. It can quickly escalate if you head out there unrestrained.

I'll most likely have the opportunity to live near a station and within walking/bicycle distance to the school, so getting around probably won't be that much of a problem ( I hope ).
That Tokyo is more English friendly than, for example, Osaka is also something that would tip the scales in Tokyo's favour; though I'll have finished RTK by then and have studied basic grammar, as well as hiragana and katakana, so I do have at least some basic knowledge of the language.

Spending money is probably my biggest worry, but I'll be setting up a weekly/daily budget, just to keep an eye on it.


I've also found myself glancing at schools in Fukuoka and Kyoto as well, but I'm thinking that Tokyo would be the best starting point; so taking one year in Tokyo and another in Kyoto, Fukuoka or Osaka might not be such a bad idea.

 

[shanshan310]

Good point about the shinkansen; I guess that's one way to branch out from Tokyo when the need arises.
Also, since you actually lived there, I'd like to know if you ever found it to be any kind of disadvantage to learn the dialect?



I'll most likely have the opportunity to live near a station and within walking/bicycle distance to the school, so getting around probably won't be that much of a problem ( I hope ).
That Tokyo is more English friendly than, for example, Osaka is also something that would tip the scales in Tokyo's favour; though I'll have finished RTK by then and have studied basic grammar, as well as hiragana and katakana, so I do have at least some basic knowledge of the language.

Conversely, after about a month of living in Tokyo I got kinda fed up with everything being in English. A lot of people respond in English even when you speak Japanese, and I felt like it was hindering my immersion. But, its always a cool place to live. So much to do. A year there and then maybe somewhere smaller might be nice.