What should i do to prepare to study in japan? -

im going to japan for a semester of high school (in 16 months) what should i do to make a smooth transition? what should i do to prepare and how can i be ready? what should i do?

I think you have enough time to learn Japanese so don t loose more time. -Learn about the culture, their manners so you wont get very shocked when you come. -Try to get maps and info from the city you are going to live. -If you are too tall or you need special size of shoes or clothes try to get them in home because here sizes are small. -Go to the doctor and dentist before coming. -Bring a little bag with medicines in case you get sick (for example a common cold, the medicine doses are different and you have to translate the labels). -Bring your portable computer from home, don t buy one here unless you want a headache. -Bring tons of little souvenirs or gifts (you will need them). -Just in case ... learn to ride a bike. -Be careful with money... you will spend a lot of it here. Read the links down there and enjoy

OMG, I had a foreign Exchange student from Japan that came here and couldn t cut it after only 2 weeks. You are in culture shock. There is no way to get over culture shock, other than to live it. Here s the thing though. You need to learn to speak and write in Japanese. Also, there are different dialects and pronounciations of words, just like there is in the US.