parents sending me away

I'm American college student and out of no where my parents tell to choose a country to study in. I'm guessing because of the way America is headed. But i was wondering if japan is good place to live and study in. i already checked out India England and Germany. money is not a issue i just want some feedback on the country and its education system. my grades are above average 5 in my class with SAT score of 1527 no writing part i learn very quick so the language barrier wont be a problem.

thank you

Now to begin I want to say I'm not trying to steer you away from learning another language, but I do want to make sure you know the difference between studying information in your own language and studying another language let alone studying information in another language.

Despite the efficiency of your learning process (aka "learning quickly/slowly"), it is going to take time. It's not easy, I'm only saying this because you kinda made it sound like "Bah! I've learned loads of stuff already a language can't be THAT hard can it?" (or atleast that's how I interpreted it) when you said "I can learn quickly language barrier isn't a problem".

A good idea is to start looking at the culture before you start to learn the language to find a good source of motivation so you don't burn out. A good start would be to read news on Japan (in English for now...) or Germany if it suits you for there.

Moving along, Japan's education is very good. However on that same line it's also very studious... which is kinda a given. Although, Japanese colleges tend to be better experiences for Japanese as they aren't spending time cramming for the entrance exam any more... It's said by many sources that Japanese do much more social interaction in college than in High School, but I could certainly be wrong. I haven't gone to college yet in America so IDK what to compare it to (probably better to listen to other people on this one xD).

The overall Japanese lifestyle is awesome (in my humble opinion). One thing to work on may be being more humble if you want to go there and practice being more of a part of a group rather than being an individual as that's their big thing. Overall the crime rate is low so life is going to be pretty peaceful. If you can get over vending machines having EVERYTHING (including used womens' underwear) and remembering to bow it should be nice.

Of course I'm being very very very simplistic, but that's a rough description.

Japanese is rated as the hardest language for Americans to learn. Don't think it is so easy.

It usually takes an absolute minimum of 2 years dedicated fulltime study to reach a point where you can read a newspaper in Japanese, and many people take longer than that.

As above, Japanese is considered the most difficult language for English speakers (not just Americans) to learn. You are being more than a little over-optimistic if you think that the "language barrier won't be a problem"- believe me, it will be.

If money is not an issue, why not take a short trip to Japan to see if it is a place you'd like to study in?

The above two posters say that Japanese is considered "the hardest" language to learn for Americans. While yes it is hard, but any language is hard. However, treating it like it is easy is also a good way to go about it. That's how I started and I'm nearing the intermediate level of learning the language only after a little more than a year.

So keep the idea that "this is easy" in your head, but keep in mind as well that overall it will take a lot of work. If you don't put in the work it will show and you won't learn as fast or not at all. However, there comes times where you need to take a break as well.

The Japanese language (excluding kanji) is what I consider the most easy to understand language I know of. It's very direct and once you get used to using context it's quite literally almost like putting together a puzzle of words to form a sentence. What I like most is that it's very very consistent with grammar. There are ONLY 2 irregular verbs in the entire language (or is there a 3rd one... either way it can be counted on one hand) and they are very irregular. All other verbs are consistently within a systematic pattern based upon their grouping. No more lists of 50+ irregular verbs in Spanish or French (and worse I'd assume if I learned English as a second language).

The pronunciation is even easier! Provided you practice with the intent of sounding as close as possible to a native speaker. There are literally only 46 REAL distinct sound you need to make (the rest being slight variations... even if you count them it's still multiple times lesser than the number of sounds in the english language).

Now to address the topic of Kanji. Kanji is a challenge, let's not mistake that. However, I believe the best way to learn it is through just using it. Write a journal in Japanese or (try to ) read some Japanese daily. Write the kanji thousands of times, do whatever you must to get it to stick and it will expand your understanding of Japanese exponentially. If you ask me, the biggest motivation of Kanji is being able to say "Hey, I can read that!" to your American friends who're like "WTF!?!!?!?!?!!!... THAT (’¹) means bird?".

The Japanese as well are a very kind people and almost literally become teachers in their kindness, every Japanese person I've met has been willing to aid me in my studies. Although I can't always talk to ALL of them on skype, they're a really good resource.

So to sum this up, what I wanted to convey here is, yes language learning is hard. Japanese may be "considered" the hardest. However, in truth the "hard" part is the kanji and the rest just kinda is like once you figure out what particle (you'll learn what a particle is later) goes where and throw in some vocab and you're set to go!

So please, with all due respect to the above posters, DO NOT FALL INTO THE STEREOTYPICAL "JAPANESE IS TOO HARD" TRAP! It's not that hard! I'd go even further to say it's difficulty is overrated...

I said it was considered the hardest language to learn for English speakers, not Americans...

People who study these things have said that it takes an average of three times as long to reach a similar level of fluency in Japanese (including the written language) as it does for a European language like Spanish or Italian.

This exactly corresponds with my own experience- I majored in Spanish at university, with minors in French and Japanese. It took me much, much (i.e. years) longer to reach any kind of level of fluency in both spoken and written Japanese than it did in Spanish or French, and I am also a quick study, especially with languages- I won the senior Spanish prize in my final year.

Regardless of the relative difficulty of the languages, anyone who currently speaks little or no Japanese but thinks that there will be no problem with the language barrier when they arrive in Japan in the not too distant future to study at university has a few surprises coming their way.

for some people japanese is even ridiculously easy. i know an american guy in my school whose strongest point is kanji. he doesnt do that well in vocabulary but 90% is the lowest he has got in kanji tests. still, i'd say japanese is hard for english speakers. but imo part of the reason is that english speakers dont have a routine for learning a language. most english speakers can speak only english, mamybe studied some french but cant really speak it. they are just not used to foreign languages. for me, learning japanese is ridiculously easy (when it comes to grammar and pronounciation) because i've studied 4 different languages and i can always find similarities between them and japanese. if you have something you can compare to, it shouldnt be too hard to learn how to speak. learning kanji wont be easy though. but it doesnt take intelligence, just good memory and patience. as someone said in this thread, just repeat, repeat and repeat and you will remember it.

are you sure you want to study in japanese? there are some english universities too, mainly around/in Tokyo. if your grades are good (i have no idea if your SAT score is good, im not from an english speaking country and we dont have SAT) getting in shouldnt be a problem.

The problem with Japanese, for those of us that use the Latin alphabet, is that we can't read anything at all at first.
On the other hand it is relatively easy for an English speaker to understand very basic signs in French, Italian etc. and vice-versa. and even to pick up words in a newspaper..

My roomate is Japanese, never learned French, BUT he understand basic French words on TV and movies subtitles, or even when pronounced on TV.

BACK to the OP.
Much as I like Japan..Germany would be an easier place to study. German itself is not super easy but many Germans speak English and French fluently.
I worked in Germany for 2 years + and could never use my high-school German because, as soon as I opened my mouth, they would ask French? English? and rattle on fluently in either language.. I had the same problem in Milan, Venice and Florence...when I tried to use my basic Italian.

England looks like it would the easiest place but it is not. ..English takes a while to get used to it, for an American, especially if the other person comes straight from Yorkshire, Scotland, Newcastle etc.

I'm sorry if you misinterpreted what i said about the language barrier. i know it will take time to learn and i expect that, i meant that I'm good at picking things up especially languages ( i can speak fluent German and can hold a conversation in french and it took me about a year and half to learn both). what i wanted to know was more about their education, cause i heard it's tough compared to most countries ( which is what i want as well as my parents).

thank you

I suppose a japanese experience, worth studying the burden language for anybody in this world, not to mention the continous puzzling language exercise will keep you in beta, never in an alpha state of mind. For short, ground zero will always start above zero so, you'll get a well tamed, educated brains - almost - at no cost. Pleasant atmosphere and kind people worth more than you'd get at a first glance. I have no doubts you'll get a good education out there, plus a valuable experience. If money isn't an issue, I'd try getting an answer from Mr. Jobs - I don't think he will have time or, wish to answer such private question but, it worth trying - why in this world would anybody need travel that far, to get an excellent education? Hardworking and determination would get best results, no wasted time with schedules or parties, just work like nuts. If documents make you and/or your parents happy, in your spare time, you could get the Yale or the MIT as an option. For tourists, any other option may be good enough. For tourists in this very life I was meant to say.

It took me a year of university study to be able to hold my own in an all-Spanish language situation, and read a newspaper. Japanese is a whole different story, especially reading and writing.

The 2,000+ kanji you would need to be able to read and write most of in order to function in a course taught in Japan at university level do not come quickly to anyone, and being able to read that number of kanji is an entrance requirement for foreigners for most universities here, so not something you can pick up as you go along.

You would need to spend quite some time in Japanese language classes first before you could start ordinary courses. Otherwise there is a small number of universities with classes taught wholly or partly in English- Temple, Sophia or ICU for example.

As for whether university study here is rigorous, no, not at all. Japan is famous for how much its high school students have to study and how little its university students have to study. Once they have passed the huge obstacle of the university entrance exam, most basically cruise from there since they are more or less guaranteed to graduate.

Perhaps Japan is not what you are looking for- Germany sounds like it could be a good option for you.

I personally think the education system in japan is a joke. It emphasizes too much on cramming info rather than the expression of your own thoughts. As a result, the Japanese are lacking in creativity, but they do excel on taking in a previous idea/product and improving it 10 fold.

In general, the Japanese are not creative thinkers but rather technical, studious workers. If this is the type of education you strive for, come study.

I would go to Sweden or the Netherlands if i had the chance.

@Mic
Well frankly after seeing most comments,I will also say Germany seems most suitable for you.In Japan it's always going to tough to cope up with language and many other things.England is nice place too since language isn't going a barrier for you at all,the education is definitely good there from what I have heard.
If you are really interested in Japan and have enough money,why not scrutinize the place first and make a decision for yourself,since the reality can be much different than what you could possibly know of.

Mic,

You did not state how long,, and you are a college student? Your international exchange advisor is better prepared to advise based on your major/career path.

Come to Japan!
How about Kyoto? It must be a good experience if you want experience different things.

Or you can go the easy route:
Study at a University in Japan that teaches in English:

Temple University Japan
International Christian University
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Hey, it's no skin off my teeth, but a score of 1527 on the SATs is not possible.

All SAT scores end in zero.

I suppose you meant to type "1520," right?

A score that high is very impressive, it puts you in the top 1% of all SAT test takers. Congratulations. You must be very proud. Good luck in the future.