Speak Japanese Time
June 18th, 2007 by quaisiIf you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
I’m getting stick from Reiko for living in Japan for 3 years and still not being able to fully understand Japanese. According to her, I should be able to fully understand Japanese TV programs and read Japanese newspapers.
So we try to have Speak-in-Japanese-Times. These used to last about 10 minutes before we forgot we’re supposed to be speaking in Japanese or it gets too hard.
Recently we’re trying it for real. With a 1 yen penalty (Ooh!) for each time I speak English, I’m up to 13 yen (7.5 pence) after my first day.
There are times when I have to speak English. When I’m in a shop with a pushy saleswoman, I can mumble, “I’dratherpokemyeyesoutwitharustyspoonthanbuythat”, and then scarper out of there.
Speaking in Japanese is hard although I enjoy it a lot. We have a number of international marriage couple friends and most of them have lived in Japan longer than I have and speak just as good or worse Japanese as I do. With the cushion of a loving native to help you out in times of difficulty, it’s hard to find the impetus to try for yourself.
But like the mother bird who pushes her young out of the nest in an attempt to make them fly, there comes a time when it’s necessary to take the plunge. And I’m not falling.
Posted in Japan, Life in Japan, Marriage |
June 19th, 2007 at 10:25 am
Did you manage to find a Japanese language class? I don’t really believe you when you say that you don’t speak any Japanese. How did you manage teaching all those children? I do believe you only speak a little Japanese, enough to read a menu or a train map. I don’t really speak any either, and it is really hard to learn. That’s the part that people don’t understand. Japanese is so difficult. Keep at it Simon, your brain will pick up more than you think. I’ve got to start classes soon too.
June 20th, 2007 at 5:32 am
Keep up the work. Japanese is hard. I also find it difficult to keep up my lessons.
June 20th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Hello, I just came across your blog by chance and am loving it. I can’t even begin to imagine what learning Japanese could be like - I’m having enough trouble with German!
June 22nd, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Bravo to you for making such an effort to further your proficiency in Japanese! The idea of simply learning the language, without any other influence, can be very tough. However, you are truly lucky in that, in your case, learning this language may even more strengthen family bonds!
How wonderful.
(P.S. Perhaps as a way of practicing, you could add words in your blogs from time to time that you find interesting or tough to learn?)
June 25th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Best of luck with your Japanese improving. It’s a good idea to fine you when you speak English; well done to your wife! Hehe.
September 4th, 2007 at 12:21 am
Hello.
Now you know Japanese language is so different from English and it’s pretty much tough for the Westerners to learn it.
Probably you also imagine how difficult it is for us Japanese to learn English.
Reading Japanese papers is not something you can make within three years. Yes, you could read easy parts but you wouldn’t understand likes of articles about politics, which even many Japanese adults don’t understand.