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Re:Can Japan reboot its startup culture? by sliverstorm on Wednesday August 21, 2013 @11:42PM (#6255009)
Eh? I found the language barrier to be about as low as can be expected for a place where English is not the mother tongue.

You should certainly learn Japanese if you want to live there, but you'd still be way better off than rural Russia.

Re:Can Japan reboot its startup culture? by ics on Wednesday August 21, 2013 @11:57PM (#6255061)
Well if you want to compare rural Japan to rural Russia...

I see hudibras is getting downvoted but it probably is fair to say that to native English speakers new to the country, people may expect more than they get from ESLs in Japan. I have some pet theories as to why but I don't think it would contribute all that much to the discussion. Unless you're coming to Japan to be a corporate translator (may all the gods have mercy on your soul) it really shouldn't be an issue as long as you're willing to learn a little Japanese along the way.