Moving to Japan in what like a Decade?
 

(This was a huge messy wall of text before)

1. I'm still literally about a decade (well 8 years about) from being able to get a visa in Japan (Mostly the 4 year degree bit.) I suppose this is unanswerable to a certain extent, but do you think Japan is really gonna be remotely the same in 8 years?

(2). Before we go all oh wow you must be some motivation-less kid with no life that wants to go to Japan (You guys might not do this, but it's happened to be so many times before I have to prepare), I'm just the kind of person that's really pessimistic about something until it actually happens, and then I usually just have oodles of (something) with it.

3. Is 8 years of like seriously studying Japanese (like I hit the books(internet) in a near literal manner everyday) outside of Japan (I'm in the States) going to be able to get me "fluent"? I guess that it might, but I'm Mr.Worry, and always hearing about how people just learned so much more in Japan than they ever did outside of it is a bit...deterring.

Gah, it's still a wall of text...

Oh here's another vague question.

4. How does sarcasm work in Japanese? Is it really weird and obscure, or is it like over-the-top in your face like it usually is in English?

(See look, the worry bit, I'm worried that I'm going to be looked down upon for coming off as a worthless social life less nerd who sits in his room posting long rambling posts on his computer, and it goes on and on and on)

If nothing else, this'll be a semi-decent grammar lesson :/

1. No.

3. 8 years of organized study should be plenty. I went to Japan after 4, and felt somewhat comfortable, but felt more comfortable after living there for a few months.

4. Is it over the top and in your face in English? Japanese humor and American humor and British humor are all very different.

You are not a lifeless nerd in my opinion. But I will say that Japan is not a thing or a point or a book or an equation. It is a living, breathing, moving, changing, slippery fish. You can spend all the time you want building a net to catch it, but by the time you are done, it has already figured out a way to escape it.

Beautifully said. That goes for many things in life.

Ask yourself first why you want to go to Japan.

I agree, nice use of metaphors.

I suppose one of the biggest reasons I want to move to Japan is really just because it's different, obviously it's still same sort of on the inside, but no matter how much "Western-izy" change we impart upon Japan it's still going to be mind numbingly different. Maybe "interesting" is the word you would use, and that's definitely true, but I think it's interesting because it's so different.

8 years is definatly enough I've been studying japanese for 6 years!! and i can somewhat hold a conversation and somewhat make a point but it's still changes but be open minded to changes though :)