I have worked in international relations for many years and have interacted with a wide variety of foreigners. Their common language was English. They were interested in Japanese culture, from daily life to politics and history. They asked me anything they had questions about. From answering them, before I knew it I became known as “J-CUL ojisan”.

They were also interested in Japanese language and tried to learn it. However, many said, “Japanese is too difficult,” and they soon gave up. It is true that the structure and vocabulary of Japanese are quite different from those of English and other foreign languages. However, Japanese people learn English from the opposite direction. By that logic, English is the most difficult language in the world for the Japanese.

No matter how difficult a language may be, every child in that country can speak it fluently by the age of four or five. I believe that language can be mastered by anyone, regardless of individual ability. The fact is a problem with the current learning method. My research on improving Japanese language learning methods began with this situation.

Lesson Experience by the Author