Editor’s note: The following article consists of a selection of readers’ comments from a news and community website called teamliquid.com. In the comments section, readers discuss and debate whether to study in China or in Japan and what the pro’s and cons are of living in each country and studying their respective languages. 

Initiative Posts:

Fanharijo  Norway. September 24 2010 13:29.

I have recently started college and I have always wanted to study abroad. Now the main candidates are Japan and China , since I really want to study in the east and learn me an eastern language.

I would be hoping for taking my masters degree in either of the two countries

However I am really struggling of deciding between the two. I would say that I am tilting more towards japan since I have always wanted to go there. My school have more contacts in china though and it will probably be easier to gain access to a university in china than in japan.

The reason why I am posting this so early is so I can get a headstart and make a decent attempt at trying to learn the language.

So if anyone have any good suggestions or information that would help me make the best decision, it would be most appreciated.

Cheers

Replies:

 Beef Noodles   United States. September 24 2010 13:31.

I am very biased cause I lived in China, but it was AWESOME. I wouldn't live in Beijing or Shanghai. Try Hangzhou. The West Lake is paradise and the Chinese are so welcoming to foreigners

----------------------------------------------------------------

fOrQQ   Hong Kong. September 24 2010 13:32.

I think the consensus is that Mandarin is much more practical in today's world, although I would pick Japanese simply due to culture preference.

----------------------------------------------------------------

LunarDestiny   United States. September 24 2010 13:35.

China since it is cheaper to live there. Japan if you are into their culture.

Both languages, Chinese and Japanese, are important. I think it is easier to learn Chinese.

----------------------------------------------------------------

T.O.P.   Hong Kong. September 24 2010 13:35.

Studying Chinese will be more useful if you plan to work in a business field that does trade with China. China is the next big thing and companies would prefer to hire candidates familiar with China and it's language.

----------------------------------------------------------------

farseerdk   Canada. September 24 2010 13:38.

They are entirely utterly and totally different countries. You should learn a bit more about the two nations and then make your decisions on your own.

Japanese is much easier as a language, but Chinese is more useful. The Chinese are also more accepting of foreigners than the Japanese, but Japan is better developed. Japan's economy is stagnating, while China's continues to grow at breakneck pace. Japan's political system is pretty democratic while China remains hard authoritarian. China is roughly 10 times the size of Japan, but much of it remains rural while Japan is one of the most urban nations on the planet.

Just a few examples... if there's certain aspects you're really concerned about just post more specific questions.

----------------------------------------------------------------

OmgIRok   Taiwan. September 24 2010 13:44.

china, the #1 thriving economy in the world, its a pretty obvious decision money-wise.

----------------------------------------------------------------

LolnoobInsanity   United States. September 24 2010 13:45.

China is so dirty though. Keep in mind that there's a huge veil of smog that covers most of the large cities. If you want to live in an urban environment, I would suggest Japan. The summers are unbearably hot. As a Chinese person, I would highly recommend keeping away from China unless you have some specific reason to be there. It's a great place to vacation or start up a business, but it's definitely not the greatest place to live.

----------------------------------------------------------------

eaT_Mi_Lquid   Germany. September 24 2010 13:49.

It's a question of Sushi or Spring rolls !

I spent 6 month in Japan, and it was awesome. I love the food there and the people are very nice.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sindri   Australia. September 24 2010 13:57.

China's economy recently surpassed Japan and is increasing at a tremendous speed. They're thriving, and if things continue as they are, might even overtake the US as the world's strongest economy in the distant future. Japan's is decreasing and, unless they do something about their birthrate and low population, will basically be a giant retirement home.

China is more accepting of foreigners.

Japan's language is easier to learn from a difficulty standpoint.

Japan is a cleaner place to live (For now).

Japan still has one of the most unique and interesting cultures in the world.

China is much larger, thus, you will find more use for the language.

There's something to be said for the unique experience of living and studying in Japan. Their culture really is fascinating and it is a cleaner place to live than China in general (Though more expensive). But, if you have an eye towards what will be useful in the future and business or practical concerns, I would definitely recommend China. China's economy is absolutely booming, while Japan's is stagnating and they have such a low population and one of the lowest birthrates.

----------------------------------------------------------------

 shawster   Canada. September 24 2010 13:59.

im chinese, been in china and japan a fair amount live in canada. stayed in china 5~ years

depends really where you're going i guess, rural or urban? i went to tokyo and osaka and it was really nice. never been to beijing or shanghai that much though.

i think japanese culture is a bit more western then chinese, and the quality of life is slightly higher in japan.

however i'd be biased since i think japanese food is the best in the entire fucking world.

i don't think too much of my chinese heritage that much to be completely honest, i feel more like a canadian and don't worship chinese culture. but that's just me, take it whichever way you want to

----------------------------------------------------------------

Tomken   Norway. September 24 2010 14:16.

Go for Japan!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------

PeT[uK]   United States. September 24 2010 14:17.

Um... do not go to China, I have alot of friends that came from China a couple of years ago and they have nothing but bad things to say about China, Iv'e even heard some things about harvesting organs and stuff lol. But Japan, is awesome, i went there one summer and I had the time of my life, not everything is expensive, if you avoid buying superfluous stuff in the main cities, (kinda like how it is in the US) you will be fine. It's all about where you buy stuff

----------------------------------------------------------------

bubblegumbo   Taiwan. September 24 2010 14:20.

Japan has a higher quality of living than China. Personally I would pick Japan and Korea in that order because I know how polluted and noisy Chinese cities are, which I really hate. Not to mention some of the despicable business practices in their food industry in recent years.

Also don't expect to have good internet in China unless you are living in a major city/university dorm, whereas in Japan and Korea have excellent high speed internet as a standard.

----------------------------------------------------------------

 fearus   China. September 24 2010 14:34.

Go with Japan, it is a much easier transition for Westerners. You wouldn't even have Facebook or Youtube over at China. 

It is a higher cost of living and Japanese would not be anywhere as useful and practical as Chinese would, but it beats it on every other level.

Plus you could just take a short holidays to see during your breaks, Chinese cities like Shanghai and Tapei are very easily accessible from Japan.

----------------------------------------------------------------

NovemberZerg   United States. September 24 2010 14:37. Posts 58

in my opinion going to china will be better off in the long end because china is thriving and will be rapidly as japan growth is steady even though they have 2nd best economy, but im sure the people will be nicer then to there own people because your "white". + its cheaper to live there. even tho japan is cleaner and nicer place to live in.

----------------------------------------------------------------

KsBerzerk   Japan. September 24 2010 14:45.

It honestly depends on what your focus is, because are you planning on doing a career in something involving china or japan? You have to look at their life style and what type of life you'd like to live. If you work in a Japanese company your salary would be pretty low and probably would have to rely on bonuses. Life there is interesting though, I'd say more of a focus on prestige imo. China, while running from a communist government socially, has a growing capitalist economy, thus you can maybe take a shot there or with a company having strong business relationships there.

If it's for fun man I'd pick Japan.. but that's cuz im Japanese so I'm biased haha... -__-

----------------------------------------------------------------

haduken   Australia. September 24 2010 15:11.

I find it strange that no one actually address the question of Education.

If OP is going to study his master in a foreign country then it goes without saying that a lot of money will be put into this. I don't see a reason to pay for a master just to learn a language and culture, there are cheaper and more efficient ways.

I would say that in terms of graduate schools and general academic qualities. Japan > China in pretty much all areas except for the price.

The only real benefit that I can see from studying in China is getting acquainted with people in the business.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Half   United States. September 24 2010 15:23.

China. Definitely. I'd pick japan for a vacation over China, but if your looking to stay there for some time, I'd go to China. The people there are much more open to foreigners, and I think you'll enjoy it more on the long run.

Academically, I'd say going to China will also be more useful for you. While a japanese university might look better on paper, practically, an familiarity with Chinese language and culture would benefit you far more in the job market.

Japan still has one of the most unique and interesting cultures in the world.

:<. diaf. Eh, I think after a few years of living there it just becomes a novelty. Thing I like about China is that there isn't anything resembling a homogenized culture. Often, people in China will describe people by the provinces they come from because each is associated with distinctive cultures and personality traits.

I don't honestly think the jobs can compete with Norwegian wages and job security. If I were to use my language skills and connections, it would probably be as a foreign consultant or something (I have to admit I am pretty green on this part)

A lot of companies who manufacture overseas will often send mid-level employees with language and culture skills on frequent business trips to cities like HongKong and Shanghai. That being said, this is coming from an American perspective, I'm not sure how common that situation is in Norway.

----------------------------------------------------------------

DannyJ   United States. September 24 2010 15:31.

I've been to both ( i lived in japan for about a month) and i liked them both.

If i were you I'd go to China simply because i think at this point in history it would be a very interesting place to be. Its growing and changing so much. I also found china to be more "friendly" and approachable. Not that Japanese people arent nice or helpful or anything, quite the opposite, but they are more reserved towards foreigners and definitely have their own unique culture that i think most westerners would find...odd.

I'd also think learning the language and ways of a blooming super power in the world would be helpful educationally.

----------------------------------------------------------------

xbankx   September 24 2010 15:35.

For vacation probably Japan, for future business/job prospect 100% China. Japan has a unique culture I love animes and stuff but if I want a language that will help me land a job its definitly Chinese. Think about it you can also use mandarin in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

----------------------------------------------------------------

 Railxp   Hong Kong. September 24 2010 16:09.

you didn't specify how long you will be studying abroad, so I will assume it is one year, since that is what most college programs are like.

Things to consider:

Cost - likely china cheaper than japan. Food/board/tuition.

Program Education - As an undergrad, I doubt one program will be THAT much different than another. I wouldn't be able to say without further research, but at first glance, I'm not weighing this very heavily because its only a year.

Language Program - Possibly you also want to learn the language good. Going to a place where you end up hanging out with all the english speakers will do you no good. Check to make sure your language program has some hardcore immersion stuff.

Language Usefulness - If you dont know where you want to be in the future, Chinese would be more useful for business/traveling (since china is so much bigger than japan). That said, anime/games are in japanese, and japanese media more developed than chinese media. So it boils down to what you want to do with your language.

Culture Shock - Either way, if you've never been to either country, there will be things that you like and things that you dont like. Some people can tolerate dirty, some people cant. Some people tolerate racism better than others. Either way, I wouldn't base my decision on this unless i knew for sure I dont like x habits and y cuisine. If you dont know ahead of time, you wont be able to plan for this and you will get to find out when you get there .

Starcraft - I would hesitate to guess that there will be more chance to run into chinese sc2 players than japanese. Why? Well the PS3 and Wii are home products of japan, and japan in general is richer, so I think there are more console gamers than PC gamers. If you intend to pursue a starcraft hobby and to use it to connect with other people, maybe you have better chance of it in china.

Nobody can make your decision for you, but these are some areas that I would consider.

----------------------------------------------------------------

ParasitJonte   Sweden. September 24 2010 17:55.

Japan is a free society. China is not.

For me personally, I would have problems living in China. But Chinese will be much more useful than japanese.

The problem with Japan is that their economy is not doing good and their population is shrinking and getting older. If you're interested in technology however I still think Japan would be the most interesting country. They have a lot of top notch research and very successfull companies.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Mawi   Sweden. September 24 2010 18:42.

China is awesome there are lots of markets where you can buy expensive stuffs for cheap price the quality is good aswell. A friend of mine went there he bought lots of gucchi prada, armani and nice watches, cell phones and when he came back he sold them for good price to his friends( he made huge profits. My friend bought an Iphone 4 for my over there and the quality is the same but way more cheaper. People are way too kind there aswell and its beautiful. If i would study there i would make sure to make some money when coming back.

Read more here.

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: china and japan study in China or in Japan