Japanese Before Moving to Japan

Direct answer

If you have 90 days before moving to Japan, aim for arrival readiness, not fluency.

You want to handle the first month of real life:

• greetings
• addresses
• train stations
• convenience stores
• housing questions
• appointments
• phone numbers
• polite requests
• apology and repair phrases
• reading basic signs and forms

Use the 90-Day Arrival Method:

1. Learn kana and survival pronunciation.
2. Build daily-life scripts.
3. Practise listening to short real situations.
4. Say useful phrases aloud.
5. Rehearse your first week in Japan.

The goal is not:

"I will be fluent before I move."

The goal is:

"I can enter a shop, ask for help, understand basic replies, and recover when I get lost."

That is a much better 90-day target.

What 90 days can and cannot do

Ninety days can change your arrival experience.

It can make you less helpless.

It can help you read kana.

It can give you polite phrases.

It can prepare you for repeated daily scenes.

It probably will not make you professionally fluent.

The official JLPT level summary says the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test has five levels from N5 to N1, with N5 the easiest and N1 the hardest. It says N4 and N5 measure understanding of basic Japanese mainly learned in class, while N3 bridges basic classroom Japanese and broader everyday Japanese.

That is useful context.

But the JLPT is mainly reading, listening, and language knowledge.

Your first month in Japan also needs speaking, repair, courage, and routines.

So do not ask:

"Can I pass a test in 90 days?"

Ask:

"Can I solve the first problems I will actually have?"

Days 1-30: Build the base

Your first month should be boring in the best way.

Learn the writing and sound system well enough to stop panicking.

Week 1: Hiragana, katakana, and sound

Learn:

• hiragana
• katakana
• long vowels
• small tsu
• basic pitch awareness
• polite sentence endings

Do not skip katakana.

Katakana appears everywhere:

• menus
• apartment notices
• product labels
• station signs
• loanwords

Useful words:

Week 2: Polite survival phrases

Start with polite phrases.

They are safer for strangers.

Learn:

These phrases are not glamorous.

They are useful every day.

Week 3: Your identity script

You need a simple self-introduction.

Example:

はじめまして。アレックスです。アメリカから来ました。日本語を勉強しています。よろしくお願いします。

Meaning:

Nice to meet you. I am Alex. I came from America. I am studying Japanese. Nice to meet you / thank you in advance.

Change it for your country, job, school, or reason for moving.

Say it every day until it is easy.

Week 4: Numbers, dates, addresses, and money

Your life will need numbers fast.

Practise:

• phone numbers
• apartment room numbers
• dates
• time
• prices
• train platforms
• postal codes

Do not only recognize numbers.

Say them aloud.

Days 61-90: Rehearse arrival

The final month should feel like rehearsal.

Do not collect endless new grammar.

Practise the scenes you will use first.

Week 9: First day in Japan

Rehearse:

• airport
• train or taxi
• hotel or apartment check-in
• buying food
• asking for directions
• reading signs

Say the lines out loud.

Do not only read them.

Week 10: First week at home

Rehearse:

• trash rules
• supermarket
• delivery
• phone plan
• bank or city office vocabulary
• introducing yourself to a neighbor

Use simple Japanese.

Example:

すみません、これはどこに出しますか。

Meaning:

Excuse me, where do I put this out?

Week 11: First problem

Prepare for things going wrong.

Your first real problem may be small:

• lost key
• late train
• wrong address
• payment issue
• package delivery
• broken appliance

Practise one script:

すみません、問題があります。

日本語がまだ上手ではありません。

ゆっくりお願いします。

これを確認したいです。

Week 12: Personal routine

Build a routine for after arrival.

Choose:

• one daily listening source
• one phrase notebook
• one speaking habit
• one weekly review
• one local situation to practise

Your Japanese will grow faster after you arrive if you already have a routine.

How to use JLPT without overusing it

JLPT goals can help.

They give structure.

They give vocabulary and grammar targets.

But do not confuse a JLPT level with full moving readiness.

The official JLPT page says linguistic competence is expressed through reading and listening activities, while language knowledge such as vocabulary and grammar is also required.

It does not test your ability to ask your landlord for help.

Use JLPT N5 or N4 materials for structure.

Use life-in-Japan materials for survival.

Use speaking practice for output.

For city office, banking, visa, insurance, and rental procedures, check official local sources before you act.

Where FunFluen fits

FunFluen adds the plus-practice step: replay a useful phrase, hide the text, recall it aloud, and vary it for your own arrival situation.

Use FunFluen speaking practice for the phrases you actually need to say.

Example:

ゆっくりお願いします。

Variation:

すみません、ゆっくりお願いします。

Personal use:

すみません、日本語がまだ上手ではありません。ゆっくりお願いします。

This is practical speaking practice.

It is not a full relocation checklist.

It is the mouth part of the plan.

The 90-day weekly map

Keep the plan practical.

The question is not:

"Did I finish a textbook?"

The question is:

"Can I handle one more real-life scene than last week?"

Bottom line

Before moving to Japan, do not chase abstract fluency.

Prepare for arrival.

Use the 90-Day Arrival Method:

kana, polite scripts, life scenes, repair phrases, and spoken rehearsal.

That is the Japanese that meets you at the airport, station, apartment, and first convenience store.