Learning Japanese is like playing chess blindfolded, that’s why I love it

Ever wondered why Japanese feels so hard for Western language speakers, and why English feels just as tricky for Japanese speakers? After 30 years of studying Japanese (and speaking five Western languages), I can tell you: learning those other languages was a walk in the park compared to Japanese. This one is a whole different mountain.

Western languages thrive on rules. Learn them, apply them, and you’re good. Japanese? It’s a language of context and nuance, where meaning shifts depending on who you’re talking to, what the situation is, and even what’s left unsaid. It’s less like following a map and more like feeling your way through a forest at night without a torch.

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