Category Archives: language

If you are anything like me, arriving in Japan with no previous immersion language experience, you are probably thinking that Saga prefecture presents an ideal situation in which to learn Japanese (an expectation that your family and friends have probably also expressed, including their parting farewell, “you’ll be fluent in no time”). Well, shit happens! Getting a good grasp on Japanese no matter how smart you are is really hard; just hearing it constantly is not going to set up you up to be able to understand it, speak it or read it without lots of regular practice and study (I thought I’d start with the bad news). Continue reading →