Learning Japanese

So since moving to Japan in 2022, it has been admittedly a difficult situation to learn the language here. I honestly have made excuses on WHY I couldn’t take the time to study, or would get distracted. But now that we are in our new town and have settled for a little over a year, it’s time that I buckle down and study.
I would say that I have a infant level of Japanese understanding, and slowly going into toddler. That may sound horrible but in all honesty if you’ve come from an English native country, then Japanese may be slightly difficult for you to comprehend.

I find myself understanding more everyday and things around me are slowly starting to make sense. I catch myself smiling occasionally when I overhear something funny or something I truly understand.
MOST of my life here so far has been blank spot conversations. Essentially where the majority of the conversation I have no idea what is being said. But now It’s a little more filled in and making things a lot clearer and slightly easier.

NOW for the goals. I’d ideally like to be at a elementary level of understanding by 2024 summer. BUT if that is not possible I’d just like to get as close to that as I can.
For now my routine is to study in the morning after I’ve gotten ready, then study at lunch and before bed. Nothing long or crazy just about 30 minutes of me hitting the ‘books’ to get the studying in.

As the saying goes “hindsight is 20-20” and I have to agree. I WISH I had disciplined myself to study more when we were waiting to move. I had a lot of opportunity that I just did not take. But we move forward.

My suggestion to you, is this; if you are even thinking about moving somewhere that does not speak your native language, start studying NOW. Study while its a thought, because if and once it becomes reality; then things will move faster then you can expect and the "down' time’ will not be so much.

So lets do this everyone!

In any case, hopefully one day i’ll be able to write these blogs in Japanese without or at least with MINIMAL Google Translate.

Until the next one.