Moving to Japan, how should I prepare? What do you wish you had known/done before the big move?

For all those living in Japan now, and have been there for a while, if you knew what it was like to live in Japan before you actually moved, how would you prepare? What would you do? What would you do differently?

If you need more information from me, please ask.

Thank you for all the advice.

I don’t think there is really anything you need to do to prepare for living in Japan. Before I came, I took some basic Japanese courses, but when I arrived I found I couldn’t understand anyone besides Japanese teachers. I don’t particularly regret not studying more before I came here though.

After living here nearly ten years now, I wish I was more fluent in Japanese (I can have conversations, but don’t speak well). Perhaps either going to intensive Japanese school or working for a company where I had to speak Japanese would have helped in that regard. But if I made different choices, they wouldn’t have necessarily been better, just different.