i was thinking
what chance does a person that can't speak japanese, have in japan?
i mean, they wouldnt be able to find work?
they wouldn't be able to find a girlfriend/get married? (to someone that is asian i guess?)

what do you guys think would happen if you went from america or where ever you live and happened to end up in japan, what would you do? what job? how would u live your life?

and if someones very experienced with japan share your knowledge ^_^

i was born raised there and a native so for the rest of i say learn the basics but for work its not easy unless u can speak at a decent level and have some sort of degree.
Usually japanese companies except people with less experience thus they became part of the company and in the years get promoted. Japanese girls arnt as easy as u think just cause people watch all those tv shows haha there only good when u get them but if ur white u have better chance then an asian haha japanese girls always amused by the white and even black guys.

from what i hear, u need to be fluent in japanese before u can get a decent job..

You can survive in most developed countries with almost no knowledge of the local language, as long as you are well qualified and speak English.

There is usually a large ex-pat community in major cities (I know people who used to belong to the ex-pat community in Tokyo - notably my grandparents, who know no Japanese). Additionally many companies now operate in English (for example the originally German firm which my dad works for), this is due to the large number of different nationalities involved in multinational companies.

It would be perfectly possible to get by, however learning the language as fast as possible should be a priority (though I know people who have got by in Germany for years with almost no practical knowledge of the language). Being in the country and practically immersed in the language helps you to learn much faster.

On the whole I'd say that as long as the person was sufficiently qualified and motivated they should have no trouble surviving.

hhm i wanted to be a guitarist that plays in clubs and live by myself in a small room woooo~,that is the life

lets not be soo much of a japanophile.

but you only qualify for a visa if you can speak japanese....

...that is, in our country though, I do not know about the others.....

hahah if you gain friends you'll be able to speak daily anyways. speaking locally also

you can survive without knowing the language, but I doubt it would be very enjoyable. It's pretty frustrating not being able to understand anyone or being able to articulate your thoughts.

I think you should be able to b/c ppl come to the states all the time and dont learn english, they know only really basic stuff , so if another country is stingy it wouldnt be fair (''/)

You can always become an english teacher, but I'd think eventually youd pick up the language right?

Anything is possible, you know. I bet there are Americans living in America who don't know their English well.

im sorry jay, your 14 so your opinion on a stupid question isn't really valid, seeing as i've never met a mature 14 year old on the net.

for example, how can you get a job and live in japan just by knowing how to nod your head etc? you are the stupid one, moderator or not. and your avatar is disgusting.

and on a further note, im australian, not american, i was just using that so people could relate ^_^

If I couldn't speak Japanese and living in Japan, I probably walk around with a translator til I learn the language fluently XD

My teacher taught English in Poland, and while he wished he attempted to learned Polish, everyone loved practicing their English when speaking with him, so he never fully got his chance to become immersed, he just knew enough Polish to get around, which wasn't that much. I don't know how it is in Japan. I would hate not being able to understand those around me, but I know a lot of Dominican friends that have parents that can't speak English, so it's not impossible.

living here in japan is hard if you cant speak the language well..its better if you can speak well and read at least kana...but kanji is also everywhere here so its best to be a native of japanese to live here in japan

furigana is helpful for foreigners who cant read kanji, unless ur willing to learn i guess its hard to live in any foreign country.