I picked Japan

When thinking about which different culture I'd visit for six months, the first one I thought of was Japan. I've been learning Japanese for a while and would like the opportunity to visit and experience the culture first hand. 

The language barrier- I'm still at the beginner's speaking level- as well as other cultural differences would make me want to bring lots of things that would remind me of home. I'd bring my computer full of my favorite movies and TV shows so that at the end of the day I could relax without having to translate anything. Obviously I would bring my Japanese/ English dictionary, and I would also get a phrase book to help acclimate me quicker. I would also be sure to have my Japanese teacher's e-mail address so I could ask her about cultural differences as I encountered them. 

I know that the food available in Japan is pretty different than in America, but there's no way to really guard against that. I'm not sure how much western food is available, but I do know that the Japanese diet has a lot more seafood than I'm used to. From what I've read, most of the American food they have their are different fast food branches and also American food tweaked to fit a Japanese palette. 

From what I have learned about Japanese culture already- such as the fact that people need to carry around their own toilet paper because public restrooms doesn't have any- I know there would still be plenty of differences that would catch me off guard and confuse me. One helpful aspect of Japanese culture though, is their general interest in American culture. Quite a few english words are even incorporated into the japanese language, and many Japanese know at least a little english.