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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
64216
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.
