Technically, most programs don't require it. But if you did know some, it definitely wouldn't hurt. Since I know kanji like the back of my hand and my sister explained to me that hiragana and katakana are fairly easy to learn once you grasp it, I think I can deal by communicating through writing.
If you live in an urban area like Tokyo or Osaka, the need for Japanese is far less than if you live in the countryside. A big plus is if you're an English major because they target those students since they assume they have a good grasp of English.
Pay varies, but if you're worried about safety or problems, it's probably easiest to go with JET, the official program with the Japanese government. The pay isn't as good as private programs, but things go smoothly like work visas and stuff.
If you do go, tell me! Maybe we can end up in the same city or near each other! It's really easy to travel within Japan, so we could see each other!
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If you live in an urban area like Tokyo or Osaka, the need for Japanese is far less than if you live in the countryside. A big plus is if you're an English major because they target those students since they assume they have a good grasp of English.
Pay varies, but if you're worried about safety or problems, it's probably easiest to go with JET, the official program with the Japanese government. The pay isn't as good as private programs, but things go smoothly like work visas and stuff.
If you do go, tell me! Maybe we can end up in the same city or near each other! It's really easy to travel within Japan, so we could see each other!