Learning the language

well.... i picked up the language once i was already in Japan rather fast mainly because i immediately join a Japanese class once i arrived, everything/everybody around me was in Japanese/talking in Japanese - i got so freaked out for not understanding anything/anybody and i was so handicapped and couldn't do the simplest task like going to the post office without assistance..   

But if you are moving to bigger cities i.e. osaka, kyoto, nagoya, tokyo and will be surrounded by international groups then it won't be that bad.. i have friends (university students) in Kyoto who went through their whole student life (doing their PhD, living in Japan for 3years) with only arigatou/sumimasen.. hehehehehe

Many Japanese people in the bigger cities are quite fluent in English and eager to make friends with foreigners..

if you are coming as a U student, then join the language class, and if you are not, then head over to the international center in the city hall and register for free classes - good way to meet people..

cheers