This is great to read, thanks for sharing. I will also go to Japan in May and I am studying the language as well – for the same reasons. I have a couple of years of studying Chinese, so I'm happy to know a few kanji characters at least. I'm not studying via a school though, but via online courses and apps. Do you have any tips on that? I am using Memrise, Kanatown, and a few others. Would be great to hear your thoughts on it!