<p>I've always loved Japan's culture but for international business China seems like the place to be. I'm sure I would love either place but I don't know what to do. I know I could do both but I doubt I could be fluent in both languages while still majoring in international business.</p>
<p>It seems like they could both be useful/helpful. Which food do you like better? That might help you decide ;)</p>
<p>Sounds like my dilemma. I picked Chinese, but honestly you really have to think about whether you want it for the right reasons. Chinese is really hard to learn and if your heart isn't in it you might regret it later.</p>
<p>choosing to go somewhere for usefulness is foolish imo. Go to Japan.</p>
<p>China IS DA PLACE 2 B, fo sho, homey dawg. olympix was held there, to ! its awesome and quite nice place</p>
<p>Chinese and Japanese are similiar languages and it's easier to learn one if you have knowledge of the other...</p>
<p>On the second thought, China is much cheaper to live in than Japan, and the Chinese universities are putting a lot of money into attracting international students.</p>
<p>^ True, Japan is a little on the expensive side</p>
<p>If I were you I would chose Japan because of the cities, culture, people, music and TECHNOLOGY</p>
<p>I've heard from people who have gone that Japan is the cleanest place on Earth </p>
<p>and that u can find the cooles things ever like Black Gum, Awesome technology, a nice club scene and incredibly odd things that are awesome (like the TV, the maid cafes, the random stores)</p>
<p>China still has holes in the floor for toilets in some spots. That alone would be enough to make me choose Japan.</p>
<p>Haiku, I've been to Japan and it's fairly clean, but definitely not the cleanest. If any country should get an award for cleanliness, it would be Singapore. You get a ticket from the police and you are humiliated on public TV if you are caught spitting out gum, anywhere but in a trash can.</p>
<p>By the way, I'm not even from Singapore, and I can tell you that. At least you know I'm not biased.</p>
<p>I like the food test idea. </p>
<p>In terms of cleanliness, I've travelled to Japan and lived in China - there is NO doubt that Japan is MUCH cleaner that China. Its not even close. That said, I do think there is more opportunity in China. Annualized 4th quarter GDP in Japan was -12%. Yikes.</p>
<p>^ I think Japan has some of the coolest things in the world, I would go only to see Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Business District.</p>
<p>Japan remains the second largest economy in the world, and the united states' number one trading partner!</p>
<p>日本へ行ったらいいだよ！</p>
<p>I would definately go to Japan again. I mean, I've been there several times already, but still, I would go again. China seems pretty cool, except that I don't really trust the products, sanitation, nor some of the people. I just feel that they're there to rip me off on products or something bad will happen.
Japan is expensive, but the people are pretty cool (unique?) and open. You just definately have to go to Japan in your lifetime (in my opinion)
I've never been to China YET, so I can't really say anything, just my stereotypical opinions, which are probably wrong btw, but varies from situation. So please don't bite my ear off! :D</p>
<p>Japaaaaaaaaaaaaan is where I studied abroad, and I had no opinion really about Japan before I went, but I ended up falling in love with it. It's definitely up to the individual on what they will like, and find rewarding. However, Japanese is really hard for Americans so prepare to suck and have terrible experiences with the language.</p>
<p>Maybe think about Hong Kong (technically China). You don't need to learn a language, as most courses at the main universities are taught in english and you can get around without any cantonese. You would definitely have the opportunity to take a language if you wanted to. It is also very clean and modern, plus relatively cheap (compared to the US and Japan, but more expensive than the Mainland).</p>
<p>^^Haha, I would say Chinese is SO MUCH more difficult than Japanese. Chinese has thousands of characters. And different tones. Whereas, Japanese actually has an alphabet.</p>
<p>Except to be literate in Japanese you need to know those Chinese characters too...</p>
<p>
No, China is the second largest economy in the world. It surpassed Japan quite a while ago.</p>
<p>
As has been said, think of the kana as something “extra” - not a substitute for kanji.</p>
<p>Anyways, if the TS hasn’t decided yet, you’re bound to enjoy Japan more. China is very insulated, so if you go there, it’ll be very difficult trying to “integrate” into society. Obviously Japan is very inwardly-focused as well, but it isn’t shut off from the rest of the world the way China is.</p>
<p>If you have thick skin and want a challenge, go for China. If you just want to enjoy yourself, go to Japan.</p>
<p>Really, it depends where in China and Japan you will go to. I’d assume you’d be in Tokyo or Kyoto in Japan, and maybe Shanghai or Beijing in China. All of these cities are pretty unique.</p>
<p>I’d say in either case be ready for a culture shock. Tokyo is probably the most rushed and crowded place I’ve ever been. I think if I were alone when I visited, I would have been terrified. I think I read something in one of the replies that China still has floor toilets-- Japan has them, as well. They’re probably just as common in Japan as they are in China, the only difference being the cleanliness.</p>
<p>As for a city like Beijing or Shanghai, you should probably be aware of just how different Chinese culture is from American (or any western) culture. In China, people often speak loudly, and simply in combination with the way that the Chinese language sounds, hearing them speak may seem a rude or offensive, but they really are very polite and well-meaning.</p>
<p>Like some have already mentioned, China would definitely be the more cost-efficient choice. Japan is ridiculously expensive.</p>
<p>As for learning the language, there is no question: Japanese is much easier to learn than Chinese. Modern Japan, at the minimum, requires katakana or hiragana (none of which are Chinese characters). Almost all of my friends can read, write, and speak using katakana and hiragana. Those who learn kanji, which is essentially the same as Chinese characters, have much more trouble. Let me put it this way-- I know people who have grown up in China, and are completely literate in Chinese, but will every so often, come upon a character that they haven’t yet learned. </p>
<p>Chinese, in general, is a more complex language. Not only are there are thousands upon thousands of characters, but there are two main branches of Chinese: Mandarin and Cantonese. Both are spoken in a completely different manner, and often, written differently (simplified or traditional). Under those two branches are countless dialects, varying in pronunciation depending on where you are located.</p>
<p>I think if you aren’t worried about the cost, choose Japan. Someone mentioned considering Hong Kong, which is a really good idea because there’s English all over the place there. If it’s possible, I’d say that Hong Kong would be the better option of the three.</p>
<p>I would hardly say that Chinese is ‘harder’ or ‘has more characters’, despite the popularity of the misconception. In regards to number of characters, it depends on the level of literacy and use. In basic conversation the number of characters used is higher in Chinese, yes, but when it comes to the academic aspects both are pretty equal. There are only a few thousand commonly used kanji which the average Japanese will use on a daily basis, but that’s really just the threadbare level of the common people, who know only a small percent of their own written language. Just as in English, in Japanese there is a severe gap in the language skills of a scholar of literature compared to an average guy on the streets. A common kanji dictionary usually lists contains around 15,000 characters, while a more scholarly text such as the 大漢和辞典 has around 50,000 kanji. During my graduate studies in Japan I met professors who had memorized even more than that. </p>
<p>The largest compilation of Chinese characters that I am aware of is 80,000, nearly all of which are present in the Japanese language, although mostly unknown to the fairly ignorant masses (to get through your daily life in Japan knowledge of every single traditional kanji and their predecessors isn’t needed, obviously). </p>
<p>As far as ‘difficulty’ of languages, that is too subjective for me to try and argue, as too many variables factor into the equation. Japanese is considered the second hardest language in the world by the British diplomats and embassy, if I remember correctly, with Chinese being ranked a fair bit below it. However, it’s all annecdotal really.
I am currently working towards my MA in Chinese literature, and I am having an easier time of it than when I was doing my graduate studies in Japanese literature, but I know others who have much more difficulty in Chinese.</p>