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I have recently started college and I have always wanted to study abroad. Now the main candidates are Japan and China , since I really want to study in the east and learn me an eastern language.
I would be hoping for taking my masters degree in either of the two countries
However I am really struggling of deciding between the two. I would say that I am tilting more towards japan since I have always wanted to go there. My school have more contacts in china though and it will probably be easier to gain access to a university in china than in japan.
The reason why I am posting this so early is so I can get a headstart and make a decent attempt at trying to learn the language.
So if anyone have any good suggestions or information that would help me make the best decision, it would be most appreciated.
Cheers
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I am very biased cause I lived in China, but it was AWESOME. I wouldn't live in Beijing or Shanghai. Try Hangzhou. The West Lake is paradise and the Chinese are so welcoming to foreigners
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I think the consensus is that Mandarin is much more practical in today's world, although I would pick Japanese simply due to culture preference 
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China since it is cheaper to live there. Japan if you are into their culture.
Both languages, Chinese and Japanese, are important. I think it is easier to learn Chinese.
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T.O.P.
Hong Kong4685 Posts
Studying Chinese will be more useful if you plan to work in a business field that does trade with China. China is the next big thing and companies would prefer to hire candidates familiar with China and it's language.
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Don't just pick based on which language is more practical. If you don't love the country and its people, you won't learn the language and then its just a huge waste. Ignore my first post and go with the country you think you'd like the most
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They are entirely utterly and totally different countries. You should learn a bit more about the two nations and then make your decisions on your own.
Japanese is much easier as a language, but Chinese is more useful. The Chinese are also more accepting of foreigners than the Japanese, but Japan is better developed. Japan's economy is stagnating, while China's continues to grow at breakneck pace. Japan's political system is pretty democratic while China remains hard authoritarian. China is roughly 10 times the size of Japan, but much of it remains rural while Japan is one of the most urban nations on the planet.
Just a few examples... if there's certain aspects you're really concerned about just post more specific questions.
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Japan, its a much safer, cleaner country. People are usually super nice. A friend of mine went to china over the summer and he thought the people were all very rude. And he didn't like how everything bad in china is just pushed under a rug, they don't fix any problems. Also horrible pollution. The Chinese language also looks extremely difficult since they use only kanji characters in their writing. Im in my 3rd semester of Japanese and loving it.
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china, the #1 thriving economy in the world, its a pretty obvious decision money-wise
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Considering your interest in Eastern languages and the fact that you're on TL, have you looked into going to Korea for study abroad?
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Korea was the most fun week I ever had
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China is so dirty though. Keep in mind that there's a huge veil of smog that covers most of the large cities. If you want to live in an urban environment, I would suggest Japan. The summers are unbearably hot. As a Chinese person, I would highly recommend keeping away from China unless you have some specific reason to be there. It's a great place to vacation or start up a business, but it's definitely not the greatest place to live.
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why don't you spend some time in both countries first and then make your decision.
simply picking one for thousands of dollars of education without prior first-hand experience seems pretty risky to me
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It's a question of Sushi or Spring rolls !
I spent 6 month in Japan, and it was awesome. I love the food there and the people are very nice.
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
depends on what you plan on doing post-graduation.
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United States4053 Posts
On September 24 2010 13:45 LolnoobInsanity wrote:
China is so dirty though. Keep in mind that there's a huge veil of smog that covers most of the large cities. If you want to live in an urban environment, I would suggest Japan. The summers are unbearably hot. As a Chinese person, I would highly recommend keeping away from China unless you have some specific reason to be there. It's a great place to vacation or start up a business, but it's definitely not the greatest place to live.
It's getting better though. I saw many a clear day on my visit to Beijing this summer (I have photos from the top of the Beijing TV tower where you can see the horizon), although the weather was very hot like you said.
There's no shortage of air conditioning though.
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China's economy recently surpassed Japan and is increasing at a tremendous speed. They're thriving, and if things continue as they are, might even overtake the US as the world's strongest economy in the distant future. Japan's is decreasing and, unless they do something about their birthrate and low population, will basically be a giant retirement home.
China is more accepting of foreigners.
Japan's language is easier to learn from a difficulty standpoint.
Japan is a cleaner place to live (For now).
Japan still has one of the most unique and interesting cultures in the world.
China is much larger, thus, you will find more use for the language.
There's something to be said for the unique experience of living and studying in Japan. Their culture really is fascinating and it is a cleaner place to live than China in general (Though more expensive). But, if you have an eye towards what will be useful in the future and business or practical concerns, I would definitely recommend China. China's economy is absolutely booming, while Japan's is stagnating and they have such a low population and one of the lowest birthrates.
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United States22883 Posts
On September 24 2010 13:52 infinitestory wrote:Show nested quote +On September 24 2010 13:45 LolnoobInsanity wrote:
China is so dirty though. Keep in mind that there's a huge veil of smog that covers most of the large cities. If you want to live in an urban environment, I would suggest Japan. The summers are unbearably hot. As a Chinese person, I would highly recommend keeping away from China unless you have some specific reason to be there. It's a great place to vacation or start up a business, but it's definitely not the greatest place to live. It's getting better though. I saw many a clear day on my visit to Beijing this summer (I have photos from the top of the Beijing TV tower where you can see the horizon), although the weather was very hot like you said. There's no shortage of air conditioning though.
Plus Japan is ridiculously hot in the summers as well.
I know it's tough to do, but I think finding a way to visit or experience each country first is a really good idea. I know some Japanophiles who grew up worshiping it and then when they got there, found their impressions of the culture were completely wrong. I also know some people who like the grime and chaos of China's big cities.
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EPT
