Also Japan.

A lot of people here chose Japan, and while I would like to branch out and choose somewhere else to go for 6 months, Japan has a special place in my heart. I have been studying the language for the last 4 or 5 years, and although I'm still far from fluent, I know how to get around and would like to continue working towards fluency. I also have been to Japan before and have technically lived there (I rented an apartment twice), so it's slightly familiar to me.

I tend to go for a minimalist's approach to packing also, so what I would bring with me would just be clothing, especially for the range of climates I would experience. I wouldn't want to stay in just one city either. I have been to Tokyo and Shimane already, and would like to move around and spend a bit of time in Hokkaido, Kyoto, and other places I haven't been to yet. So depending on what time of year and what area I'm in, I would need anything from rain boots to a heavy coat to shorts. Some areas can get very cold in the winter, while Tokyo remains pretty warm, and seems to rain pretty much all year round. Oh, and comfortable walking shoes.

In addition I would need to bring my computer obviously to use the internet and keep in touch with people back home, probably my Nintendo DS and PSP so I can play video games, and um. Money? That's pretty much it. Being away somewhere for so long, I think it would be frustrating to have over packed and have to keep track of all of your things. Any sort of necessities aside from my computer can be bought in the country anyway.

In this new culture, I like to try to throw away my own temporarily so that I can completely acclimate myself and experience it as less of an outsider. Even during the shorter periods of time I've been there, I know that I need nothing besides Japanese food (I have a harder time adjusting to the food coming back home than when I first land in Japan, in fact I'm more excited about food than anything else in Japan), I understand the transportation systems, and I have quite a few Japanese friends, some of whom don't even speak a word of English.

Also, I've heard many times that people think that most Japanese speak English. This is absolutely not the case. The English in Japan is taught very poorly and the students there, I guess, treat it like we do when studying Spanish in school is mandatory. It's not taken very seriously. Yes they know some. They know what plenty of words mean, but really don't understand a thing you say and cannot formulate a sentence that makes any sense to you. I'm not saying that fluent English speakers don't exist, they are just very hard to find. Learn Japanese, have a translator or guide with you, or be completely confused during your stay in Japan.