I lived in Japan for 16 years and learned the two syllabaries Katakana and Hiragana. The Kanji look difficult and complicated but you can manage daily life in Japan if you can read about 50 of them. The Kana for entrance, exit for example qare easy. There are many books available for learning the kana. Learn how to write your name first the the prepositions after that. You can remember more and more that way. Hope this helps John

I didn't think I would be able to memorize the writing systems either, but I made flash cards of the hiragana and it only took about a week to perfect them. I'm learning a few (maybe 10) kanji a day and it is completely manageable. I wouldn't worry about learning the writing systems if you really want to learn, but it does take commitment and time!

Allow me to disagree with Johnz. Hiragana and Katakana, are quite easy to learn once you get used to them, since they are basically a phonetic writing system. So do not worry about them, practice will lead you to perfection! About Kanji, yes, you might be able to survive in Japan by knowing 50 of them. (Please bear in mind that the so-to-say basic kanji, those learnt in elementary school are about 1100). I believe that without learning kanji properly, it is a lot more difficult to understand japanese language and culture properly. And, be it one day or 16 years, you would be living there as a gaijin. Let me romantically say that kanji are like the body for the soul. By learning them, you will learn the little nuances of the language, which is probably the most fascinating part of learning it. In a few words: if you REALLY want to master Japanese, you need to learn Kanji. There are many systems for learning them, you just need to find or make one that fits best for yourself. Good luck! If you need help, just message me.

If you don't want to learn hiragana or kanji, then learn French!