Back to learning Japanese

Let’s start with some background story for more context.

Although I lived in Japan for 15 years I gave only little effort to learn Japanese properly.

Does it mean I couldn’t talk with locals, no. But my level was very rudimentary and I only learned through encounters and TV programs. Which, don’t get me wrong, that’s a good thing but, it lacks structure and it’s in fact very casual.

When I left Japan I promise myself that if I were to come back - which I planned to do now - I will have to commit to get a proper level. To be able to pass the JLPT N2, talk with anybody about various topics, use proper level of politeness, and be part of business discussions.

That’s why since last year in September, but more intensively this year from February, I decided to heavily study Japanese.

I took the JLPT N4 test last year in December to evaluate my level and to experience the condition of the test. Because even if mock tests at home are good to practice, being in an unfamiliar room with others around and a couple of people looking at you can yield completely different results.

Anyway, all of this to say that I failed. Not by much but still. And that’s why I changed my study plan in February. Not only using spaced repetition flashcards but also immersion though videos and manga.

Spending 2 to 4 hours daily on my study, I could feel the progress. Too slow for my liking but vocabulary and some grammar was getting in for sure.

It’s around June that I decided to move back to Japan under a student visa. Joining a language school and making sure I would get a proper level of Japanese before going back to a full time job. Which will definitely help for job hunting and open more opportunities.

When checking with some people about my plan and current level, it seemed I would need at the minimum 1 year in school to get close to an N2 level, 2 years to make sure I reach it and even go beyond. While I don’t mind spending a year, two might be too long for me. So I decided to speed up my current learning even more. The main thing missing in my current study was output. I spent most of my time with different input with no output whatsoever. I tried to find Japanese people around where I live, a French countryside, and even if I managed to find a couple of Japanese people, things got a bit awkward real quick when I tried to approach them and trying to speak Japanese with them.

The other option was online, so I looked for Japanese teachers in France but I’m sorry to say this, that wasn’t really good, at least not based on what I was looking for. And when it was good enough, it was too expensive.

Luckily for me, one of my acquaintance in Japan has a Japanese teaching business online, with available schedules fitting my time zone. Plus, with the current exchange rate from EUR to JPY, the cost was, and still is, fitting in my budget perfectly.

With now more support to continue my journey I also set a goal to pass the JLPT N3 test in December. So I extended my learning plan to a minimum of 4 hours a day, with days up to 6 hours, if and only if my brain is not too tired.

I cannot deny I am privileged enough to be able to spend that much time everyday on my study, but that’s also a sacrifice of not doing anything else. The idea is obviously to invest for a better, or should I better say more fitting, future.

And while I’m still waiting for my paper for the visa, I should join a Japanese school early next year. Which I feel a bit nervous about, but I’ll be able to be in Japan and be way more confortable speaking Japanese.