Asking Japanese Language Students about LIVING in JAPAN...6 Months Later

[@hangswithchristian]

🚨 I LOVE FEEDBACK AND IDEAS! 🚨 If you have any video ideas or feedback, l'd love to hear it in the comments below. I'm replying to everyone. Thanks again for the kind support legends! ❤🙋🏽‍♂

[@halogenic]

You should visit the Ninja Park near Negasaki

[@hangswithchristian]

@ oh true - thanks for the tip. Whats it called??

[@halogenic]

@@hangswithchristian Saga Ninja Village Hizenyumekaidou

[@hangswithchristian]

Oh just checked it out - looks so cool! I’ve added it to my list. Thanks so much for the share legend 🙋🏽‍♂️

[@snappycattimesten]

Bernardo and Zach are legends for being vulnerable about their unique challenges with moving to Japan. Everyone has improved their Japanese greatly - well done!

[@hangswithchristian]

Snappy - great to see you back legend! And thank you so much for pointing that out. I was thinking the same thing when interviewing them. Such honest dudes, it was great to hear it. I think people love to hear genuine stories on potential challenges so props to them for sharing hey. Appreciate the support legend 🙋🏽‍♂️🇯🇵

[@helenvictoria8880]

@@hangswithchristianthoroughly enjoyed this vid and seeing how much the students have improved. Bravo guys! ☺️

[@hangswithchristian]

Thanks legend! So glad to hear you enjoyed it Helen! Its just great seeing that they have all been enjoying Japan and immersing themselves in the culture.

[@bernoGarcia]

Brooo, what a professionally edited video. Love it !!! Thanks for the interview. See you in the 12 months living in Japan interview 😂

[@hangswithchristian]

Ahh thanks man - really appreciate the feedback! And YES haha 12 months later video will be interesting hey. I loved chatting with you all and hearing how life in general has been. Especially with your recent Sumo training experience was rad to hear haha

[@universe682]

I'm Japanese. As one person said,"Nomunication"is meaningful to improve Japanese skill and to connect to Japanese people deeply.

[@hangswithchristian]

Haha yeah I loved that word. It was my first time hearing it! It is true though, when people are drinking they feel more relaxed and open. Both Japanese and foreigners. So its helps practice of the language and interaction between strangers a fun learning experience! Yatai is my favourite place for this. What about you?

[@enidtrinidad8192]

I remember watching the original video! This was so good! Glad you were able to reconnect with the group again. They've definitely improved! Great video, Christian!

[@hangswithchristian]

Hey mate, great to hear from you again! Yeah it was awesome to see how they are all doing. They have all become good friends also which is great so I'm so glad they have been enjoying their time here which improving on their Japanese 🙋🏽‍♂️🇯🇵

[@Wild_Cat]

Awesome!

[@hangswithchristian]

Hey thanks so much legend - great to hear from you. Been a while! 🙋🏽‍♂️🇯🇵

[@emilydimmick7614]

It’s great to see how they are all going now with their study and living in Fukuoka! 😊

[@hangswithchristian]

Hey Em! Thanks so much for tuning in and I’m glad that you enjoyed it. It’s awesome to hear that they were all doing so well and taking on different parts of the culture like Bernardo who tried out Sumo the other day haha. It’s so cool to hear all the different varied journeys so far in Japan since arriving! Appreciate the support legend! 🙋🏽‍♂️🇯🇵

[@joshstinton]

Yo yo! Love the circle back on these folks! You are the best Fukuoka ambassador!!

[@hangswithchristian]

Hey big man! Thanks for tuning in right on the dot and in there for the first comment, love it legend 🙋🏽‍♂️ So good to catch up with them all again and hearing how their life has been going in Japan 🇯🇵 Visit Fukuoka should be my slogan - love this place 🙋🏽‍♂️

[@joshstinton]

@ it’s an honour and pleasure to follow and support my man! Yeah dude Fukuoka is more attractive with each upload you make! SO stoked you’re happy there man!!

[@hangswithchristian]

Man, once you come visit me, I’ll give you the sales pitch. Need a car though to really show it off haha but then again…you are Josh, so maybe lets go to the extreme and hire a boat, throw a bike on it and peddle to South Korea legend 🙆🏽‍♂️🤙🏽🤣 Get over here already!

[@joshstinton]

@ hahaha brother you get me!!! We’re making plans so will keep you posted … get those pedal legs ready!!

[@sassafrasdent4557]

Great catching up with these champions again!

[@hangswithchristian]

Yeah it’s always fun to see how they’re all getting on! Glad you enjoyed it buddy. How good is it that Bernardo tried Sumo? 🤣 🇯🇵

[@makaizaku]

So fun to see this. I wish everyone success and longevity in their journey.

[@hangswithchristian]

Yourself included mate! How did the job hunt go in the end? Have to catch up in Fukuoka again soon 👍🏽

[@makaizaku]

@@hangswithchristian Been all good. Work visa acquired 🙂

[@hangswithchristian]

Nice man! Congrats, thats gotta be a weight of your shoulders hey haha

[@makaizaku]

@hangswithchristian Certainly is. Now the real work begins. Glad things are going swimmingly on your end as well!

[@hangswithchristian]

Absolutely buddy I’m glad things are doing well over there and will have to catch up soon.

[@hotel3sixty64]

Missed your video dropping last week mate. Hope you had a nice break. It’s videos like this that are the reason you’re my favourite KZbinr from Japan. Great to see Matt again-he’s a class act and has a great personality, as do all the others. Keep up the amazing work, your content always brightens my day. Looking forward to what’s coming next, you're doing awesome!

[@hangswithchristian]

Mate - you always give the best feedback and kind words! Thank you so much buddy. It’s always good to hear when you are enjoying the videos and Im honoured to be someone’s favourite in Japan haha Yeah the whole crew here are doing so great. Its awesome to catch up with them and I thought it nice to document their progress for you guys and them! And nah, didn’t post last week unfortunately. Over the holiday period I’m moving to bi-weekly so I can spend some time with family coming into town - can’t wait hey. You have Xmas plans yourself bud?? Hope your doing well 🙋🏽‍♂️🇯🇵

[@eightbyeight]

It's pretty cool to see their own progress and I hope they keep improving more and more. Makes me inspired that I can improve since I just moved to Japan, but it has been difficult so far. I accept any challenge

[@hangswithchristian]

Ohh true! Congrats mate on the move. How’s everything going? The language study/school? Absolutely, the language is super hard. But my best advice I give to anyone is remembering everyone learns at a different pace and style. Don’t judge your progress potentially on the others in your class. Its a classic mistake! Just enjoy legend! Big change - that’s awesome!

[@eightbyeight]

@hangswithchristian I had a job, but then quickly realised that the job was so bad that I had to leave otherwise it would be bad for my health mentally. Now I'm looking into finding a new home somewhere that's good and I'm able to get a good job and practice japanese more and more. Rough start, but I believe I can make this work 💪

[@hangswithchristian]

Oh truely? Thats such a shame buddy, Im sorry to hear that. The work culture here doesn’t have the best reputation and is something that is broadly known that needs to be improved. Maybe this is just your stepping stone onto some bigger and better. You got this legend! If you are finding it challenging, or have questions, feel free to chat in the Discord. Everyone has been really kind to chat with there. Either-way, keep pushing and I’m sure the next steps will be even better 🤙🏽🇯🇵

[@Tommykee999]

the more i think about the idea of moving to a new country with a language and culture where I don't understand is really scary hahahaha. Bernardo's sumo story sounds epic, I've been to a few kickboxing gyms in Japan while on holiday but was too hesitant to interact with the more traditional martial arts over there like sumo or karate. Fun video as always Christian 🙂

[@hangswithchristian]

Nah its not scary at all! People are so helpful and kind here. Though I love that feeling on being uncomfortable in an environment! Oh how was the kickboxing gyms? Did you train here? Yeah, I’d also be hesitant to try sumo, I’d break in a second haha Appreciate the feedback legend 🙋🏽‍♂️🇯🇵

[@Tommykee999]

@hangswithchristian little bit of uncomfortablness never killed anyone hahaha Kickboxing gyms in Japan were really cool, interesting to see the japanese perspective on kickboxing. Didn't train that much while i was in Japan last 😅 Do recommend giving kickboxing a try tho very fun sport! 🙂

[@hangswithchristian]

Exactly dude! Yeah I’ve walked past many gym in Fukuoka. I gave in with two of my brothers being instructors in Mauy Thai - but only trained a little when I was younger. Not sure my knees could hold up these days. Be coming to the camera broken! Haha

[@Tommykee999]

@hangswithchristian ohhh both of your brothers being muay thai instructors is so cool, I've been doing muay thai for 2 years now. Hahaha yea does make your body feel like jelly sometimes

[@hangswithchristian]

Hell of a sport! Yeah both were which included all their mates. It’ll get you super fit…and sore haha you shins must be concrete by now!

[@kristianpithie9953]

Awesome work students and Christian! Great to see the update/challenges/tips and improvements. What a journey! Now that you have left school how are you implementing and learning Japanese into your everyday life?

[@hangswithchristian]

Hey Kristian! Thanks so much for watching - glad you enjoyed seeing their update on school and life. They all have nothing but positivity for their move here which is great to hear! Great question also - so I’ve been a bit loose on the self study at home with books (because thats just not for me) but I need to build in the routine. But mainly through daily interactions. I’m always out and about chatting with random people everywhere I go wandering around. I can mostly hold up a light convo or at least get my point across. I’ve definitely improved but mostly in confidence speaking! Are you studying yourself?

[@kristianpithie9953]

@@hangswithchristian definitely in the early stages of study. Visited Fukuoka in January so time to come back…hopefully for longer 😊

[@hangswithchristian]

Thats awesome - hope by the time of your next trip, you’ll be able to start conversing comfortably! And hopefully for an extended period of time buddy 🤞🏽

[@fuzzy_mothplays7743]

We are actually visiting Japan in January to decide if we want to live there. I already work for a Japanese company so securing a Visa won't be an issue. The thing we would really like to know is how difficult is it to communicate with medical professionals knowing none of the language or some of the language since medical terms aren't something you see or hear every day.

[@hangswithchristian]

That’s awesome mate. It sounds like you’ve got the hardest part of getting a Visa secured! I hope your visit proves encouraging for you to move here and give it a go. I actually just had my first doctors appointment the other day and I found it really interesting though he was Japanese but I had my wife there to support me with translation so I completely understand your question. But not to worry if you just google online there are plenty of sites that can help you find an English speaking doctor. In major cities like Tokyo, you’ll find plenty of support but if you’re going to be based in the countrysides then that might prove more difficult. Though you can always use translation apps like Microsoft translate and I think you can get by just fine. I rarely use the doctors but maybe it’s something I can look into for a future video to share that information. Do you think that would be helpful?

[@G00DBL00MZ]

Awesome video! Great idea to revisit these legends. This video is super helpful. My biggest concern is finding a pet friendly apartment before arriving, and also as a foreigner.

[@hangswithchristian]

Thanks so much buddy - loved that you enjoyed it! Ahh yeah, apart from securing a Visa, finding a pet friendly apartment or just an apartment in general can be really challenging as a foreigner. Are you looking at coming here as a language student or on a work Visa?

[@G00DBL00MZ]

@ I’m super interested in coming as a language student. Fukuoka is my top location. I’ve had this goal for a while but I’m seeing that pets are a challenge. I can keep saving money but it’s still a lot to weigh out with a small dog. No worries, I’m patiently waiting for it all to come together. Your videos help so much!

[@hangswithchristian]

Yeah with correct planning, anything is possible. What I would do is find a school that will take some or all of that burden in finding a pet friendly place out of your hands. I would simply email a bunch of school asking questions that are important to you and add that one in. When I was searching for my school, I emailed about 10 schools with the same list of questions and pick the one that was best suited to me in the end 👍🏽

[@racecardriver69]

thank you bro i can tell im bout to watch maaad videos of yours

[@racecardriver69]

new sub cheers from Lake Superior o7

[@hangswithchristian]

haha appreciate the sub and watch buddy! Did you enjoy it? Ps, are you really from a place called Lake Superior...that is such a legendary name for a lake 🤣

[@jejudo3000]

Nothing beats Japanese hospitality!

[@hangswithchristian]

Its so good right! I always hear such great stories from people. Appreciate you coming back mate, always good to hear from you 🙋🏽‍♂️🇯🇵

[@MrPlow720]

Man its liberating to see people in their 30's chasing this dream.

[@hangswithchristian]

Never too old or young to chase your dreams legend. Age really is just a number!

[@DVDfeverGames]

Another great video, and just looking at the car park at the start. Is that 700 yen for the whole period during that time? In Manchester, they'd charge at least double! Although I've not played card games or modern board games, I've seen them used at retro gaming events and they've always looked like something cool to get to know about. My question would be: How far from central Tokyo can I get a decent place at no more than UKP 200-250K, ideally no further than 30 mins by train?

[@hangswithchristian]

Umm so usually the carpark run hourly, or 12 or 24 hour period past a certain time at night. But generally in the center of the city like that one might be for 12 hours I’d say. Not too expensive parking here because there is no free parking anywhere. It’s paid everywhere you go even down by the beach which can be annoying sometimes. Yeah I’d never done board games before, but its just a good way to socialise in a different format. Alot of laughs! Hmm, depending on what you are looking for bud. But easily researchable. My favourite site is athome.co.jp and translate the page to English, and search by map!

[@DVDfeverGames]

@@hangswithchristian Ta muchly for all the info, and for the parking, that's a pain that there's no free parking options anywhere. That said, apart from a shopping centre like the Trafford Centre, it's there's mostly paid-for parking everywhere else I go, apart from a handful of streets, plus places I probably shouldn't park which aren't against the law to do so, but I know I can get away with it 😁

[@hangswithchristian]

Yeah, it’s such a shame. You have to pay for parking everywhere but I guess that is kind of similar to Australia now also. It just seems to be everywhere here even in residential streets that are within 30 minutes to the city. Often you’ll see car parks in residential areas that are paid. So like you said, I’m sure you can hustle a couple of free spots some places 😉

[@Marsofearthh]

飲みCATION! hahahah. I stand by this one. I was SO lonely in Tokyo until 2 months in when I mustered up the courage and walked into the closest izakaya I could find, downed 2 tequila shots, and started talking to the Bartender. It is now my favourite place to go, and my Japanese has improved immensely! Now a question for you Christian: how has your Japanese improved? ((Ps. there's a thing when people are trying to lose weight called a NSV - Non scale Victory- and it means ways you can gauge your progress that doesnt necessarily mean the number on the scale (think a pair of pants fitting better, or being able to do x activity without being winded), so when I ask about your language learning, im looking for an answer in the linguistic form of a NSV! I like to think about my progress in terms of NSV's when im not actively in structured courses for the language (: )))

[@hangswithchristian]

haha it's so true right! Liquid courage always gets the job done. I swear, the more I would drink, the better my Japanese got. I believe alot of it is a confident game right? Confidence not only to speak it, but also to learn it in a way. I learn and retain more when I'm learning while a couple bevvies are in my system haha And that's a good question - tricky! Honestly I don't really put the pressure on myself by monitoring my Japanese as improving as such. I do notice myself sitting back and listening alot. I always struggled with listening and breaking up the structure in real time. I've found that my everyday interactions like ordering, talking to people out has got alot more confident and that in turn and given space in my mind to absorb more Japanese because I don't need to think to much about everyday Japanese anymore. If that makes sense haha. How do you scale yours now?

[@dees3179]

Mars of earth, you are so right. That is an excellent way to describe it. I wasted years trying to learn German at school and really got nowhere, but 25 years later I have learned so much more by not learning in a classroom and just playing for two years. Measuring progress was always did I get a good mark on homework. (No). Now it is can I understand a basic comic, KZbin video on a subject I know something about already , chat to a colleague if they are patient , read a book of suitable level. ….(yes). 🥳🥳🥳🥳 Hooray for me. Am I perfect. No. Does it matter, no. Am I improving every week…yes! At school they were so obsessed with perfection I never understood a single thing and never learned anything. We just laboured endlessly over grammar, or they would mime half of their explanation. It was one of those educational fashions for only teaching in the target language. As I don’t know the grammar in my own language either, and I’m also autistic, mimes and grammar are not a good fit . It was like some kind of farce purposely designed for me to fail. Did I mention….dyslexia? They would also mark any spelling mistakes as completely wrong. I can’t regularly spell properly in English either. So the chances of a good grade in a new language are minimal. That’s not quite the same as not knowing the words though, is it? Sorry, rant mode off. Class room education and traditional performance measures are not always helpful and can be actively counterproductive. You definitely are on to something with thinking about non scale victories.

[@Marsofearthh]

@dees3179 you know what's crazy? I LOVE a class setting. I have 3 degrees in the sciences. BUT for some strange little reason when it comes to language, my mind thrives in organic settings, and actually retains and progresses, where in school (I've tried twice now, once in Kosaka~ Akita inaka school, and once in Shinjuku ~ ISI) I just get so burnt out. Leave me to my own devices to text book study and it's very similar. A lot of breaks, a lack of retention... But as soon as I'm out and about, all I have to do is use a word once or twice and it's stuck forever. I wonder if there are studies on this. Excelling in class setting for x subject, but excelling in a more natural setting for U subject and vice versa. I would love to read that journal if it exists! Aha. Good luck on your learning journey! Glad to hear there's more life longer's here! ♥️ This community is great.

[@Marsofearthh]

@dees3179 you know what's crazy? I LOVE a class setting. I have 3 degrees in the sciences. BUT for some strange little reason when it comes to language, my mind thrives in organic settings, and actually retains and progresses, where in school (I've tried twice now, once in Kosaka~ Akita inaka school, and once in Shinjuku ~ ISI) I just get so burnt out. Leave me to my own devices to text book study and it's very similar. A lot of breaks, a lack of retention... But as soon as I'm out and about, all I have to do is use a word once or twice and it's stuck forever. I wonder if there are studies on this. Excelling in class setting for x subject, but excelling in a more natural setting for U subject and vice versa. I would love to read that journal if it exists! Aha. Good luck on your learning journey! Glad to hear there's more life longer's here! ♥️ This community is great.

[@ashtopham3130]

I’d love to know more about what level they were when they started compared to where they are now. For example what level could one expect to get to after 6months.

[@hangswithchristian]

Hey mate! Thanks for tuning in and good question I should have clarified. Everyone except for Matt (the guy who just graduated) was a beginner, and at max, self study at home. They are all currently in the process of taking their first JLPT N5 exam this week actually. Really depends on the school though and what they focus on. Their school really focuses on speaking first rather than strongly on Reading and writing. Other school strongly focus on writing and reading for the purpose of passing higher level on the JLPT test. Though, the problem is, they don’t get alot of speaking practice. Hope that helps! Are you looking to studying Japanese yourself?

[@ashtopham3130]

@@hangswithchristian thats great thanks! I have been studying for about 9 months with a few online tutors I have several lessons a week. I'm in Australia but I stay in Japan a few months out of the year. I'm actually here now and going to attend a few lessons in person while I am here. I was looking at one of the schools that do live online learning x 5 days a week for 1.5hrs a day. I feel like I can't self study I just get too distracted so locking in a tutor really helps me actually do the work haha. I am a bit concerned though that perhaps the schools focus too much on the polite language. Also I find the genki book to be a bit not relevant with what it teaches in regards to my life haha.

[@hangswithchristian]

Oh wow - sounds like you are way ahead of the beginner route anyway. Yeah the polite language is generally the focus in classes. They won’t tend to dive into casual lingo. Pretty much all my casual language has been learnt outside of class. I’d say if you want something more specific to your needs than your current private tutor route is the right choice. And then trying to immerse yourself in the language when you are in Japan with attending meetups and conversation clubs would help! They love finding someone to practice English with so I’m sure you could find a language partner pretty easy 🙋🏽‍♂️

[@downundervlogs]

Can you tell us how much it would cost to come to the Genkijacks Language school fees in AUD

[@hangswithchristian]

Umm prices have risen since my course I did but generally a 12 month course is around $10,000 mark I’d say. Some schools vary but that tend to be around that amount in Fukuoka. Other cities like Tokyo will be more. If you check school’s websites, they all show the prices which is great to compare 👍🏽

[@downundervlogs]

@@hangswithchristian Thanks for the info. I am currently signed up to Duo lingo Japanese language for 12 months as a starting point. I've learnt so much , I commit at least 2 hours everyday so far for the past 3 weeks. I will check out the website. Thanks again

[@hangswithchristian]

Thats so good - well done! If you haven’t yet also, try to learn the Hiragana and Katakana via the Kana app. Really great! They have one for kanji later also

[@downundervlogs]

@hangswithchristian this app has all 3 hirigana,katakana and kanji. So much too learn. Practising every day

[@hangswithchristian]

Keep practicing! I also like looking up online practice katakana tests. You’ll be so surprised how many you will be able to make out if you can read the characters. It’s really fun!