knowing japanese essential?

I was wondering if know the whole japanese language was a must know thing for living in japan. i know that japan has english teaching schools and i know that english is spoken sometimes in japan but is it crucial to know the language. thanks in advance

As of now, Japanese knowledge is not a requirement for living in Japan, although the government is considering to add language knowledge to the list of requirements for getting certain visa types.

There are lots of expats who survive in Japan without learning the language. But you are likely to run into many inconvenient situations and cause inconvenience to the Japanese people around you by not learning the language.

If you speak several languages and have traveled to other countries, with a minimum knowledge of their language, it is relatively easy to talk to someone who barely speak your language, but know other languages, as you both are used to a guessing game that includes using basic words in a couple of languages. However 2 monolingual people speaking different languages have a big problem. In any country one must be able to know several hundreds basic words and quite a few basic sentences in the native language otherwise it is just too hard to survive. And of course being able to read basic Japanese is crucial too. I studied in Finland for a whole summer and later worked in Germany for more than 2 years and, in both places, both at work and outside, I communicated in English and French (none are my mother tongue)but this was an unusual situation.

so should i self teach or should i go to a school to learn it

I recommend taking a class to learn it if you are really serious about it. It is difficult to study speech when studying by yourself, and classes have the benefit of a definite structure. A self-study may cause you to learn "what you want" and not necessarily "what you need".

Maakasu
do you have another post on this site? this is confusing as many questions asked are simliar. If you are the same Maasaku how about one post only?

I have lived in Japan for 6 months, and get by quite well on the basics. I taught myself with a book and by listening to the Japanese speak. However, I do not plan to stay here long. If you are planning to be here for a long time, I recommend learning the language as much as possible. It would make your life easier!