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How did we get here?

This time I'd like to tell you a little about the background of why I decided to open this account. It's a bit of a long story, but please read to the end.


Back in 2016


Since I'm always talking about phrases all the time, today I would like to go back to 2016 and talk about something a little more interesting. (I hope you find it interesting at least).

Back then, I was a university student working as a Japanese assistant. It was my role to help international students coming to Japan for the first time get a smooth start in life in Japan. It was also my daily routine to teach them things like where the classrooms were, how to prepare for classes, and how to use the library. That's not all. How to shop at the supermarket, how to take the train. Teaching these things was still one of the most important things I do.

My university was in a large metropolitan but surrounded by residential areas. As you could imagine, the clubs and entertainment districts were more than ten miles away.
It is not hard to imagine how difficult it would be to start living alone in such a place, away from your family. (I lived in rural California. And it was a hard life. No sushi. No trains! lol)

Of course, they didn't come to Japan with no Japanese language skills; They passed N2 and N3. But I wondered why. When I go to the supermarket or train station with them, I couldn't help feeling awkward. They have something to ask people in their minds, but they can't tell them in Japanese. But since I am used to such situations, I could understand what they wanted to ask. Why is it so difficult when the grammar and vocabulary are correct? It made me think a lot at the time.

In the midst of all this, I had the opportunity to be buddies with an exchange student from the U.S. His name was Keith, and without exception, he encountered the above situation. One day, he told me that he had not studied the Japanese language used by Japanese people. When I asked him to elaborate, he said, "It is difficult for me to understand the phrases that Japanese people use casually.

That's when I had an epiphany. What is written in the textbook is not everything. What's important is what's written in it, but that doesn't mean you can understand everything. That was the day I decided to bring this practical phrase to everyone studying Japanese.

This is why I'm sincerely offering Japanese to everyone with this in mind. I look forward to your continued support!

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