might be relocating to Japan wif family mid 2007 for 3-5 yrs..........
i dunno wanna learn written Jap yet though.......
i have a few frenz who learnt jap from basic to advanced class for many years. but now, still unable to speak fluently and cannot understand jap drama bcos he didn't use it at all.
Ya a colleague of mine also has the same issue. He's now preparing for JLPT3 but once he went Sentosa, saw some Japanese tourists and can't understand a single word they were saying... :cry:
Best is go Japan. Once there, you will have no choice but to speak the language.
Hah Major Tom, relocating to Japan? Which part? Need anything just give me a PM. Did some stuff over there and can share whatever I know with you.
As for language, good to go for some classes to pick up the basics like but end of the day, you got to be there to really pick it up to be able to speak fluently.
The thing is Japanese language has it's own slang and also dialects. Example people in Osaka and Kagoshima speak differently from those in Tokyo. And even in Tokyo people who live in certain districts speak differently. Its like our Singlish. Hence what you learn in school is the proper Japanese, what is spoken is quite different.
Hope it helps.