[steven]

I got an ALT job in Japan and found myself in a surprising situation of really enjoying it and am given a lot of freedom in my teaching. I think I've read from "the book" only about a hand full of times. I'm in charge of most of the classes I do, so I don't feel at all like a tape machine.

I had a friend though who came here looking for teaching experience and ended up being a "human tape recorder" as it's called.

It's a craps shoot. It depends on where you go a lot of the time. If you want to go and really enjoy your time in Japan, I suggest seriously learning Japanese... that is huge. The more Japanese you know, the more respect you will get and the less bullshit you will have to put up with-- and rightfully so. I think it would be a mistake to come without a lot of knowledge about the language. I can't imagine how helpless I'd feel in that situation.

MMM said "The job is what you make of it" and that is 100% accurate. The more effort you put in, the more your coworkers will respect and trust you. The more Japanese you know the more you can express (in a polite and careful way) that you might want to do things differently, which can ultimately lead to a better situation (but if not done carefully can sometimes backfire).