The more people you interact with the more perspectives you get to see
and you'll get a lot more exposure to different ways of speaking.
You're here, you're graduating soon and you had a good experience. - Yeah definitely I can recommend...
Hey guys and girls on Ask Japanese it's me Cathy Cat. This time we're gonna go to
a language school here in Tokyo Japan and ask the Students here what the
hardest things are about living in Japan and studying Japanese here in
Japan. Let's go and find out. Don't forget hit the subscribe button for more on this topic
and let's go and ask the student that are actually studying here right now what the biggest
tips they have for us are for me and you. Let's go.
As far as learning goes, get ready to make lots of mistakes, reevaluate your goals
not to give up on them but... you will learn new things that help make your goal
more reachable. As far as moving to a different country, coming here to Japan
the biggst challenge I had was ... I didn't know anybody in Japan.
And finding... a lot of places require you to have an emergency contact that can speak Japanese
that can be very difficult. The more people you can interact with the more perspectives you get to see
and you'll get a lot more exposure to different ways of speaking.
It's better to learn a new language at the
actual place where the language is mostly spoken. I've learned a lot
then... the teachers don't speak any English whatsoever. It was forced like...
Japanese Japanese Japanese... You try to ask the question that you want to figure out.
Where you get confused it's like "Sensei wakarimasen!"
They try to repeat themselves and try to clarify the best
way possible and that I really appreciated and... it's
a lot but I like it a lot. It's a good challenge. - For me the first month was like a
interesting knowing that I was gonna be here long time so I'd have to look at a place long term...
stuff like that. Looking for utilities. Various options like that. Internet.
There's like finding out transportation and the best way to get there...
Kind of just exploring the general area to get to know where everything is.
Pretty much that's why I spend the first months doing this, exploring around the area
getting used to living in Japan. - I had asked help to find
an accomodation for where I was gonna be living. Currently right now I live in a sharehouse
It's been nice. The first I got here was very overwhelming
Lag of sleep you know
Can't focus and then trying to find a hotel, staying here for one night and then trying to find the....
headquarters and where the sharehouse was located. It was kind of hard trying to find everything with suitcases
in hand. It was nuts. The first month was overwhelming but
soon got used to it and it became more like... It's not routine
I made it more like a routine now, I got to know my neighbourhood and stuff so it was fun.
Cause I wanted to study here long term so I was gonna get a student visa and go through
the entire process with immigration and stuff. I was trying to figure out if it was better to
a company to go use it to go thought the process with
or just to go straight by myself thought the school or whatever, I was watching some Youtube videos
and I saw internationally Me and they had a video with "Take me To Japan and Sayaka"
and there is was like "Oh I gotta check this site out" I sent an enquiry mail
about it asking do I wanna go through a company or not
the first thing on that site... she was so accommodating so helpful...
she's definitely really trying to help me get to Japan.
I had a lot of other schools planned and I asked Sayaka about it
I asked her if she had any recommendations that fit the criteria I was looking for
it's more of a laid-back where you still learn how to speak, write, learn some kanji on the way
I said ok I check it out. I looked at the website. Everything looked great. I was like I try then
She went above an beyond my expectations in helping me get to Japan.
I couldn't have done this without Sayaka. I am not gonna lie. She and I have been messaging
since I applied, Her and I would be messaging like how she was with Matt
she's been helping me, giving me proper information with the requirements and made sure I get everything
I need. Also information about the residency as well. Since I am only here 3 months I
do the temporary visa which is going for 3 months exactly so I was
very fortunate to have advantage of that. After that it was just all the process of
making sure I did my insurance, getting my insurance, getting accommodations done
making sure I save enough money for my rent and survival you know all that fun stuff
And I am not gonna lie, I kind of wish I could have done a part time job but since I am only here temporary
it's not possible.
Knowing Hiragana and Katakana would be great, you don't have to. In the first two weeks it was just like
uuuuhm what is happening???
Everything is in Japanese and you're like "i am lost aaah" - Thank god
I studied beforehand and learned before on my own. But there was one girl on my class
who was like "I have no idea what's happening"
A bit of pre-prep before coming is advisable? - Yes that would be nice. At least
hiragana and katakana which is the basic of the basic but stuff you're
insurance and for the house, moving out... - yes
At the beginning I did 3 months of staying in a...
shared house... organized by the school but I found out that it was
quite expensive so it was a little bit more research on my own
moving out and going to the city hall. That was a tough one.
But hey you're here, you're graduating soon and you had a good experience. - Yes definitely I can recommend
everybody to come here, try studying it as much as you can. It's an
It's a beautiful language and Japan is great.
Ok so you said you researched a lot of schools and everything...
what was like your final step of coming here. - I found this great page "Take me
to Japan" I researched a lot and there is a ton out there but then you get
to a point to.. Japanese websites and you're like...
I don't know what's happening. - I can't read thiiis - Yes and I tried to
do a bit of Google translate. I don't know why Japanese websites have a
they upload pictures with text on them, You cannot even google translate that. At the end
"Take me to Japan" was so organized, they give you questions
you have to answer it and and then they say "This course might be for you"
and then I just picked the one I like the most. The emails were so quick
and so convenient so I was like...
I don't even have to look anymore because I feel so comfortable how this is working out.
You have somebody to talk to, who is talking in the language you understand.
Which was really important for me, I wanted somebody to understand what's happening.
That I have the safety of somebody who can actually tell me
in the language I understand what's going on. - What's the common questions you asked her
what did she help you with? - The common questions for the classes wa...
What do you want it for. They had business level classes, beginners
classes and obviously you start at beginner but then it goes like to...
what kind of thing do you want to do afterwards? Do you want to use...
it for university do you want to use it for getting a job and then
they have these short appearing classes. Do you want to be in a bigger group
do you want to be in a smaller group? Also really difficult
difficult ... the teacher is like... be more specific.
Towards what you need. In a smaller group. If it's like a big group
we're like 25 people in the class so obviously
you don't get as much practice or individual
practice that you need. But I like it it's nice. Finally get to the point
where the people who don't really want to learn Japanese are not in your class
anymore. - Oh so they are like in different levels. So you've been shifting
levels during these 6 months. - I went from beginning class to level 2 and I
at beginner one you have the big test for these tests
which is reading listening speaking and
that was really difficult. Especially listening I didn't expect that.
Because when we were practicing 2 times 3 times repeating it you write the
question and then the answer and then they check if it was correct or not and they give you feedback
but it never really said that in the big listening it's only gonna be once. - ooooh
So when you did not understand something.... - But you passed!!
Yes I passed! - Make friends, Make social
circles. I know quite a lot feel very uncomfortable going out being the first one
to make friends. Japanese people are even more shy than you might be.
So on that note, doing the first step on approaching THEM would
get you so much further. If you have problems making friends, making
even in your current country where you are look if there is a Japanese society
look if there is some kind of Japanese chess or
something where you can meet people who share your passion and
then you can engage with them in that language. So one example
what I did when I was studying in the UK I launched an inofficial
Japanese culture society at my university and there weren't enough
official paperworks to launch a society. What I did instead is I
contacted the Japanese students that we had at my university, I contacted the students
that were interested in Learning Japanese or that could speak the language
at least a little bit and I invited them round in my garden and we had a big
easter picknick. What I wanted to share is the differences of our cultures
So what I did is, me and another girl we.,...
started collecting chocolate easter eggs and we told everyone to wait and we hid them
in the garden and we showed them "this is like easter for kids" when you find easter eggs
we all spoke Japanese though this and it made us better friends, It made
us all speak the language and in the end I am here now speaking the language to you guys
so ... work on making social circles, be consistent at
try to work through the struggles. This is one of the tips I can give you guys to
start learning Japanese now no matter where you are in the world right now. Find those
people. Link up with them. And speak it and have fun. Good luck
with your studies. - So hello Sayaka. I understand you
run a webpage? - Take me to Japan is a website where I give
free personalized advice to people all over the world and help them
apply to the language school that suits them best. There is schools all across
Japan. This was just one example in Tokyo....
there are schools in the countryside, In the city. Whatever suits you best I help
choose. - You can cater to my needs if I say I wanna go to the countryside?
Yes there are schools like that. - Ok It's free and it connects people. I wish
wish I had had you there when I was looking for language schools. I gave up
in the end. I was looking for language schools, I saw such a list, gave up and never went to language school.
So... if you really wanna come and study here, go to a language school, sayaka will help
you so we put the link down below in case you are curious wanna find out. Message Sayaka.
Maybe not 100 emails but... she'll still... - Oh Ok 100 is fine!!!
Keep messaging her. Yeah I catch you sooon for another video!