But there is a big difference between living here and taking a holiday here.
Visiting the registration office, taking out social security, opening a bank account or even signing a mobile phone contract became a struggle. And all because I don't understand the language. Or rather, the Japanese characters.
That's why I decided to take the Japanese course at the university. Before that, I could never have imagined that I would ever learn Japanese, because I used to be not good with languages and I also had to learn a new font.
But never say never. So, I took on this challenge for myself, to make things easier for myself in everyday life and to understand my fellow students better or to understand something.
The Japanese course started quite well, we learned everyday words and phrases. We also learned many forms of politeness. Because it's different when you talk to friends or teachers or people that are higher up. This is very important in the Japanese language. Many endings or words change. You must be careful even with the words "yes" and "no". As it is often impolite. For example, an example in Japanese is:
In Japanese:
A: It's not raining, is it?
B: Yes, that's right. It's not raining.
In German or English you would use the word "No".
A: It's not raining, is it?
B: No, it's not raining.
The word "no" in Japanese is "iie", but this word is often avoided because it is considered impolite in many situations. Except in a specific circumstance. It is often veiled in order not to appear rude. For this reason, it is difficult not to put your foot in your mouth.
Without this language course, which also teaches you a lot about the culture, I adapted much more quickly to the new situation.