Expected differences

Japan is a country entirely different from The Netherlands, not only the culture, but also the population:
* Japan / Suita-shi, Osaka:
** population: 127,417,244 / 351,444
** area: 377,835 km² / 36.11 km²
** density: 337/km² / 9,744/km²
* The Netherlands / Groningen:
** population: 16,297,196 / 180,848
** area: 41,526 km² / 83.69 km²
** density: 393/km² / 2,272/km²

As you can see the amount of people per square kilometers is about the same in both countries. However, most people in Japan live in extremely high population density zones, because about 73% of the country is mountainious.
Compare for example the population density of my home city: 2,272/km² and the city where I‘m going to live: 9,744/km². So I’m expecting a lot of high buildings =].
As soon as I enter I will come in contact with an entirely different social environment. Not only the culture, language, food and the writing system is different, but also the transportation system, television programs, music, art, religions, etc. I think I‘m capable of adapting to this new environment in a reasonable timeframe, I don’t expect to suffer from a so called culture shock. But you never know.
In Japan the people seem to be very kind and are always glad to help foreigners. I don‘t think I’ll experience any difficulties to (for example) find the way, there are enough people around. Communication and reading signs however, will probably be more difficult. Virtually no Japanese people speak understandable English, for this reason I started learning some basic Japanese to understand simple conversations. I‘m trying to start with the ’level 2 Japanese‘ course at Osaka University, however I’m not sure if I know enough about the language to gain entrance to level 2 immediately.
The Dutch climate is a maritime climate, this means cools summers and mild winters. The temperature in Osaka is generally higher than in The Netherlands. Average winter temperatures are just above zero and the summers are hot and humid. Late June and early July is a rainy season. In late summer and early autumn typhoons often cause heavy rain. This is (probably) the period I’m entering Japan.

Another weird thing I’m probably going to encounter are earthquakes. Earthquakes occur very often in Japan, most of them are harmless. I never experienced an earthquake, so I think it will be a bit scary the first time.
The Japanese cuisine is also a major difference in comparison with my homecountry. When I think about Japanese food, I mainly think of rice and weird-looking seafood. It will probably take a few weeks to get used to the food, I hope I’ll like it. Luckily they also have McDonalds in Japan ;D.
Almost everything is different in Japan, but still I do not expect any problems to survive; the Japanese culture is known for its kindness. I’m trying to learn as much as possible about the culture to be prepared for unforeseen surprises.