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Old 05-23-2007, 09:51 AM   #5
Peter Goldsbury
 
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Dojo: Hiroshima Kokusai Dojo
Location: Hiroshima, Japan
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Re: Do I need Japanese to practice in Japan?

Quote:
Ricky Wood wrote: View Post
The Japanese are pretty tolerant of gaijin's. Learn the basic's of being polite and you'll be fine. You will probably never "fit in," so enjoy your gaijiness.
I disagree. Gaijin-ness is too fragile a concept to substitute for real language ability, especially if you intend to stay here for a long time.

So I would counsel you to learn as much Japanese as you can.

Of course, if you plan to stay here for a couple of years and then move on, well, in that case there is not much point in learning Japanese. In any case, in two years you will not get very far, especially with the written language.

Best wishes,

P A Goldsbury
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