Here's an autumn update on my Basic Japanese Project (update vid at the end of the post). I started learning the Japanese twenty months ago in preparation for my first visit to Japan (last October). I had a great time there both exploring as a tourist in Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kyoto and Tokyo and attending the Polyglot Conference. Since then, I've continued with this … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month 19 update
July was a big month in my Japanese journey: I started speaking Japanese with a teacher. During the month I had with six one-to-one conversational sessions online. In this latest monthly update on my Project Japanese, I'll tell you all about that in the context of my wider efforts to learn the language (also as a vid at the bottom of this post). I started learning the … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month 18 update
It's time for my monthly update on my slow but steady "Learn Basic Japanense" project (with video at the bottom of this post). I began with the language a full eighteen months ago now. In the last eight months or so, my aim has been to set aside thirty minutes a day, five days a week for a focussed study slot. I tend to do this just after getting up but sometimes it's in the … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month 17 update
It's time for my monthly Japanese learning update (with vid at the bottom of this post). I started my "Learn Japanese" project at the beginning of 2019. Though I've previously learned a little Indonesian, this is my first serious attempt at an Asian language. I'm a firm believer in the power of habit in language learning and the core of my Japanese learning has been a … [Read more...]
Basque/Japanese diary: Week Two
I'm now two weeks into my summer “language sprint”. What's it all about? First, I’ve increased the work I’m aiming to do as part of my nine-month Basic Japanese Project. My weekly commitment is up from thirty minutes a day, seven days a week, to one hour a day, five days a week. Second, I'm aiming to clock an hour each day on my intermediate Basque. I started the … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month Four update
I'm now just over four months into my current language project: learning Japanese. Here's my April update. There's a video update at the bottom of the post, too. My target minimum focussed study time is half an hour of Japanese daily, seven days a week or, over nine months. A "full house" total of 30 mins x 30 April days would be fifteen hours. My actual total was … [Read more...]
Learning Japanese: Month Three update
I'm now just over three months into my new language project: learning basic Japanese in nine months. Here's an update of how it went in March (with the update vid down at the bottom). My target minimum focussed study time is half an hour a Japanese daily, seven days a week or, over nine months. The month in figures: my Japanese study log Thirty minutes a day for … [Read more...]
New Project: Learning Japanese
I’m starting a new language project. I’m learning Japanese. This post sets out how I’ve gone about two of the important first steps that you should be taking to set yourself up for success when you begin any new language. You need to work out your “why” and your ultimate destination. Then you need to plan the first concrete, initial short-to-medium term goals that … [Read more...]