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Location, location, location
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leosmith



Joined: 25 May 2007
Posts: 54
PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 6:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm wanting a good immersion experience. It would be nice when I'm hearing background noise, people talking, etc, that it mostly be in "standard" Japanese.
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Zzonkmiles



Joined: 05 Apr 2003
Posts: 309
PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
If standard Japanese is important to you, then don't go to Kansai. This means no Osaka, Kobe, or Kyoto. Fair enough. Lots of people here seem to take offense to those who advise him not to go to Osaka, but I don't know why. Osaka, like any other city, is not for everyone. I lived there for four years and generally had a good time. But did I have a good time because I was in Osaka or did I have a good time because I was simply in a city that met my needs? I don't know. But Osaka is not necessarily the holy grail of Japan for all people.

For standard Japanese, I'd consider Kanto. Why not try Shizuoka? It has about 500,000 people and is quite beautiful. Lots of nature, not too many other foreigners there, and close to the beaches. Because it's not completely inaka (the sticks), there are a few established and reputable English schools there.
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SeasonedVet



Joined: 28 Aug 2006
Posts: 236
Location: Japan
PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 1:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Zzonkmiles wrote
Quote:
Lots of people here seem to take offense to those who advise him not to go to Osaka, but I don't know why.


Quote:
But Osaka is not necessarily the holy grail of Japan for all people
.
oh, I hope not. Japan is much larger than Osaka.

So I understand that the OP wants immersion and that he/she prefers the standard.

Quote:
For standard Japanese, I'd consider Kanto


My question was and still is do those who live in areas other than Kanto learn or speak Japanese any worse than Osaka?
Do those who live in Osaka or Kagoshima have a more difficult time learning the standard than in Kanto?
Sorrry OP don't mean to hijack this thread but this is an interesting topic that has emerged, maybe it should be given another thread so you can get the other questions you want answered directly (even though I think this is a part of one of your questions)
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Zzonkmiles



Joined: 05 Apr 2003
Posts: 309
PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 10:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well, when I was learning Japanese in Osaka, I'd talk with my Japanese friends and would try to use some of the words I learned. When I'd use a standard Japanese word, they'd tell me nobody used that word so much because "in Osaka we say XXXXX." Getting that extra bit of cultural knowledge was fine, but I can see how some people would rather not deal with this. Other times I'd learn standard Japanese words only to hear people exclusively use the Osaka-dialect word in public (especially in restaurants) and struggle to understand. I can see how some people would rather not deal with this. For me personally, learning Osaka-dialect may be good to help you fit in with the locals and may sound more casual, but I'd place standard Japanese ahead of it simply because it's understood everywhere. I can't use words like "maido" (hello) and "mamachari" (granny-style bicycle) in Tokyo, and you won't find Osaka-dialect anywhere on the JLPT.
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easyasabc



Joined: 13 Jul 2003
Posts: 179
Location: Japan
PostPosted: Thu Aug 16, 2007 12:30 pm    Post subject: Re: Location, location, location Reply with quote
leosmith wrote:
So my question is, do you know of a location that fits my needs and has regular job openings?

A number of small-ish cities in Yamaguchi-ken would fill those pre-requisites. In particular some of the ones on the coast would be good for cycling. I have lived and/or worked in Yamaguchi-shi, Tokuyama, Hikari, Hofu, Iwakuni and others in that prefecture (Hiroshima too) and could give you plenty of information if you want it. Jobs in those places don't come up often but they do exist.

Good luck - and ride safely. I've been hit by a car whilst cycling in Japan too. Sad
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