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Wow, that sucks. I really don't know what else to say.
ANYWAYS:
- So moving to Japan as an adult. Greatest country on earth right there.
- Choosing parts with the goal of building a PC
-Canama
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Good for you! Step one: start training now to have a VERY good sense of direction--it is rediculously easy to get lost. *Remembers being 10 or 11 and lost in the streets of Roppongi with my parents at 1 in the morning.*
Step two: if you're looking for computer stuff, you may want to take a look around Akihabra--the only place I've seen more computer parts was in Seoul, South Korea. Your keyboards are going to have to be American, though, and likely some other things as well, so it's somewhat of a matter of preference. Definitely worth a visit, though, even if you don't end up buying a lot.
Step three: learn Hiragana. Katakana is somewhat important, and
maybe a little Kanji depending on how far out you plan on going, but Hiragana is the basis for everything else. The best way to learn is to make up "picture phrases" for each character--for instance, I learned "ma" (ま) as "Grand
ma, kneeling, arms outstretched for a hug, wearing a floppy hat", and I learned "i" (い) as "a pair of
eels". If you want, I could go through a whole list of what I can still remember of that, but a PM would probably be best for that.
Once you have Hiragana, Katakana should be more of a priority than Kanji, as most Kanji on signs nowadays will have small hiragana above them for easier translation. Katakana, on the other hand, is used for a lot of "loan words" and the like.
You'll also want to buy train and bus
cards rather than buying individual tickets; you'll save a substantial amount of money that way, not to mention saving time at train stations.
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I should note that the trip already happened, and I'm back in the States. I will be going again for two weeks starting next Sunday, though.
Actually went to Akihabara, found the whole place pretty meh. There were some computer stores that were neat (I would be ALL OVER one of them if I lived there), but I don't want to be carting a bunch of delicate and expensive stuff across the Pacific. I did pick up a really sweet USB Super Famicom gamepad really cheap, and now that I'm back home I've tried it out and found that it works like a dream. Other than that... not a fan of Akihabara. Mostly three-story-tall borderline-pornographic anime posters and dark, smoke-filled arcades. Not really into either. (I will see if I can't pick up a PlayStation USB gamepad when I'm back, though, and maybe try out some Metal Gear Solid. This is assuming we go to Akihabara on the next trip, I don't have an itinerary since of course no one bothers to tell
me anything.)
As for hiragana and katakana, I already know those. I would say that I can read 150-200 kanji, and write a little less than that. Katakana were my best friends, really. Even though I can read hiragana, I didn't always know the meaning of words. Katakana? 99% of that stuff is just English. I can understand that.
And I did in fact do the card thing. Still in possession of my SUICA card, my host family refused to take it even though there were about 2,000 yen left. If we spend enough time in the Tokyo area over the next couple weeks I'll blow it on C.C. Lemon from vending machines or something. (GOD DANG do I love C.C. Lemon)
-Canama
