If I go to Japan for Foreign Exchange Student. How will they treat me? -

I am wanting to be a foreign exchange student to Japan in my junior year of highschool. I am a male. My mom thinks that they will make a do lots of chores and work and stuff. She said that the Japanese culture is very strict to boys. How will everyone treat me if I am there for a year? Also, would I be able to understand the language after living there for a few months? I plan on getting a tutor.

They will treat you very, very well. They will love the opportunity to speak English with you. Just remember to respect their culture and customs, and do as they do. For example, you MUST take off your shoes and line them up before entering the house. Also, you will likely be sleeping on a futon bed, which they put out for you at night. In the morning you should roll it up yourself, so that it is out of the way during the day. When you take bath, shower and clean yourself outside the tub, then enjoy the hot water of the tub itself. Ensure that no soap will go into the bathwater. Japanese is a very difficult language to master. In a couple of months you will be able to have enough comprehension to buy some things, or a simple conversation. Don t worry, though, many Japanese have a good grasp of English.

It will be fun..

They will always see you as a gaijin , but their treatment may vary from different people. Some will most likely be excited and ask a lot of question from where you came from and etc... some might not like you because you re a gaijin, and some might not care.And some might welcome you with open arms.. I suppose the longer you stay, the whole treating you as an outsider might wear off, but you will always be a gaijin though. The most important thing is that you know their language. The language barrier always causes problems. But going there would be a great experience for you, and the longer you stay, you will definetly learn and know the language =] And before I forget. DO Chores! Help out! Geez, don t be a free loader. And show respect! They will like you and respect you more. And yes, students do clean their own schools, just like most of the east and southeast asian countries. You sweep the floor, wash the board, take out the trash and etc. The western and asian culture are very very different. With that said, you MUST learn their culture and customs while you are staying there.

Language: starting from scratch, you d be doing well to understand more than the basic s after just a few months - even with a tutor. After a year though, if you study hard, there s no reason you wouldn t be able to get by in most day to day situations. New languages come slowly - even when immersed in it. Treatment: The culture isn t especially strict, but there s a lot more expected of you than you might be used to. Kids clean their own schools, for example. You re expected to take part in activities above and beyond what you *have* to do. There s a very strong culture of team work and responsibility running through every aspect of Japanese life which sometimes conflicts with Westerners who are used to the culture of the individual. If you re there for a year, after the first few weeks and the novelty of having a foreigner around wears off, you ll just be treated like everyone else. You will always be quot;the foreign exchange studentquot; but you ll be expected to muck in like everyone else when it comes to school life. If you can, you should do it - it s an experience which could change your life!

Ok. has your mom been to Japan??? How does she know Japan is strict??? I am Japanese and I graduated from High school without studies and am enjoying College life. Probably you will standout, cuz you look different. but they will never discriminate you so don worry. They will be willing to interact with someone from different country, cuz its rare experiecnce. my recommendation is just practice Japanese untill you go and you must know how to act like Japanese.(some behavior might be rude.)

Wow!! That s GREAT!! How can i be one of this Foreign Exchange Student if im from malaysia?? I d really longing for this opportunity..

Ok first--yeah you should b/c it s a great learning experience( Lame to tell you I know) and where you re staying has alot to do with it too...now the work thing I can t really tell you--I assume they d make you do chores like their own kids have to. And they also don t have like actually toilets in the country--icky I know. And the water isn t the best. But the one thing I can tell you is that trust me after being their for like only one month you will understand the language b/c your surrounded by it. I went to a french province for a week on a school trip and I learned more french in that one week than I did in 3 years of the class. You should diffidently go to Japan if you have the chance!

they ll kill you

no no,they are very nice and pleasant people! they will probably expect you to do a little bit of chores,but that really depends on the family.

depends on how u do stuff and it also depends on how the person acts or where u go.