Moving?

I currently live in the UK. And next year there is a course running at a Japanese learning center in Tokyo that im am interested in attending. The course is 16 hours a week for half a year.

I currently speak very little Japanese and was wondering if this amount of time was adequate to get a firm grasp of the language, would I be quicker learning considering im living in Tokyo?

Also, as someone with very little expirience living on his own, or away from home, is Japan a dangerous or overwhelming place to live? Is there many english speakers in Japan?

I currently have the choice to do a 2 year course somewhere locally in a month, or go to Japan next April. So what advice can you people give me? Should i do this? Is it advisable?

I Would Think........

figuring out the cost of school and living expences would be the first thing to find out. Is the school going to provide a "good" place to live and meals? If you have to take care of that, it run into some big money and a lot of details worked out before school starts. Do you know for sure the school is a good one, we hear stories about rip off outfits sometimes.You would probably want a round trip ticket with an open ended return part so if things don't work out, you have a way home. Spending time with Japanese people when you're not in school will be a big help. In the bigger cities, many signs are in English and you might have better luck finding people who can speak a little English to help you. Just a few things to think about till someone with more info helps you.

Frank

Only 16 hours a week? That's a pretty loose schedule... You make no mention of living arrangements. What kind of accomodations will be afforded you for the duration of your stay? I assume you will either be living "on-campus" (most likely sharing a room) or perhaps staying with one or more host families during your tenure? If it's the latter, I wouldn't suggest worrying about your language ability too much because after you arrive and get settled in you'll have plenty of opportunities to pick up the language (assuming you make the effort).

Provide us with more details and maybe we can give you more specific advice re: your situation. Crime is not an issue, don't worry-you should be fine by all accounts. And like Frank said, you should have little to no difficulty whatsoever adjusting to Tokyo even if your Japanese is only marginal at best due to the heavy saturation of foreigners/proficient English-speaking Japanese. Sounds like a wonderful opportunity really. If it turns out to be legit then my advice would be to go for it. Keep us updated.