This article is for those considering learning Japanese. We had the opportunity to interview one of our students, Mr. Andrew, who decided to restart his Japanese learning journey after 15 years. He chose TCJ because of its excellent reviews and highly rated lessons. He shared that one of the moments he truly realized his improvement was when watching the news in Japanese—recognizing that he could understand more and read with greater ease.

※In fact, he was interviewed in Japanese.

A: I’m Andrew, a 55-year-old Australian living in Hong Kong. I happily retired early two years ago. My wife is Japanese, and I lived in Japan for 14 years. I appreciate the opportunity to be here today.

The reason I want to learn Japanese is that we are planning to move to Japan in five years. I am thinking of taking lessons every weekday so that by the time the opportunity comes, I will be able to live normally and without inconvenience.

A: When I first came to Japan in 1999, I took a 90-minute group lesson every week. I used a textbook called Japanese for Busy People 1 and played flashcards to memorize hiragana and katakana. At first, we had 10 classmates in total, but after 3 months, it dropped down to 5 people. Seven months later, I was the only person remaining※ in the group.

※This column is translated into English, but he replied in Japanese, “最後は残1人(saigo wa  zan hitori) “

※He had just learned the word 残 (remain) and tried to utilize it by looking it up in the dictionary.

One year later, I started taking private lessons, which were one hour long, about three times a week at a cafe near Meguro Station. Five years later, I took my first JLPT test and passed level 3. Unfortunately, due to a busy work schedule, I didn’t have time to study Japanese for the next 15 years. However, I finally restarted my learning journey in March 2024, and now I’m able to take one-hour lessons every weekday. On top of that, I began using a kanji app in September.

A: Well, the first thing that came to mind when I decided to study Japanese again was to find a Japanese language school in Japan. Since I live in Hong Kong, where there is a lack of Japanese teachers, I started looking for a reliable school that offers online lessons from Japan. There were so many options. After reading reviews written by students, I found that TCJ seemed to be the right choice. Oh, wait a second… (looks something up on his smartphone) Definitely! I realized that TCJ is definitely a good school.

A: There are no difficulties or inconveniences with taking online lessons. Every afternoon on weekdays is dedicated to studying Japanese. After lunch, I always study some kanji and review the lesson from the day before. That’s my routine. The lesson system, where I take lessons at the same time every day, reminds me of actual school. My wife also studies with me from 1:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon in my study room. This regular, structured routine is essential for our daily life. But that doesn’t mean I feel the same way every day. There are days when I feel good, down, happy, excited, sick, and more. But I keep studying, no matter how I feel. It’s like having to go to school every day.

On days when I feel down or unmotivated, I try to remind myself that this is work. Not everyone wants to go to work every day, but everyone deals with it. To me, it’s just like that. It’s only a little harder. I won’t stop learning. I will keep doing my best.

A: Since I had a 15-year gap in learning, I started by reviewing at the N4 level. After finishing that textbook, I’ve now moved on to N3 level. I’ve realized that I can grasp more meanings and have a better understanding of how to speak. I can now read more kanji, and I’ve noticed that my pronunciation has gotten better, which motivates me to practice more. As for grammar, I would say I’m doing well. I can score 100 percent on most of the exercises in the textbook. However, when it comes to actual conversations, there are times when I can’t remember certain words, even though I understand the grammar. It doesn’t always go smoothly. A year ago, I could only understand about 50 percent when watching TV or the news, but now I can understand around 80 percent. I also have more opportunities to speak Japanese with my friends. Compared to 15 years ago, it’s much easier for me to make reservations or make purchases online.

Learning Japanese is fascinating, but it can be challenging. You start with vocabulary and grammar for conversations, but once you reach the point where you need to learn conjugation forms, that’s a different story. It’s very difficult. For me, learning Japanese is as challenging as solving a crossword puzzle.

A: When I go play golf, on a boat…? On an airplane…??

(The interviewer explains that “ところ” (tokoro) in the question refers to specific points or aspects, not physical places.)

Haha, that’s quite an interesting aspect! The word ところ (tokoro) in the question「面白いところ」 (omoshiroi tokoro) can have two different meanings. I initially thought you were referring to a “place” rather than an “aspect.” There are many words like this in Japanese. For example, もも (momo) can mean both “thigh” and “peach.” いる (iru) can mean 射る (to shoot), 要る (to need), or 居る (to exist). If you look them up online, you’ll find many more examples like these. It’s truly fascinating!

A: The most difficult part is that the Japanese used in daily life is completely different from what you learn in class. For example, in textbook Japanese, you would say 「行きますか？」(Ikimasu ka?, “Are you going?”) or「食べませんか？」(Tabemasen ka?, “Would you like to eat?”). However, in daily life, people often say 「行く？」(Iku?, “Going?”) or 「食べない？」(Tabenai?, “Wanna eat?”).

In Chinese, there are no conjugation forms or hiragana. Compared to Chinese, Japanese has many more conjugation forms. (He points at the conjugation forms chart.) There are 14 of them, including the Plain form, Te form, Passive form, and Causative form.

When I use the word いる (iru), which I mentioned earlier, my teacher often asks me, “Which iru are you talking about?” That is also quite challenging.

A: I don’t have a final goal. My aim is to gradually improve step by step. The highest level for me would be to dream in Japanese.

My short-term goal would be “to be able to understand the feelings or nuances behind each word.” My wife says that my Japanese sounds like that of a five-year-old. I think it’s because my sentences lack depth in meaning. For example, when I say, “It is hot today,” it just literally means that it’s hot. But when someone says, “This place is really hot. I don’t really mind walking here, but it might be too hot,” I can understand the general meaning, but sometimes I can’t grasp the nuances. When I don’t understand the feelings behind the words, I find it difficult.

A: Absolutely, I would! If someone asked me which Japanese language school is good for online lessons, I would recommend TCJ. Their response is quick and straightforward, and they offer amazing service with great flexibility.

Today, we shared the story of Mr. Andrew. We have many students who, like him, had a gap in their Japanese learning but successfully restarted their learning journey. If you gain more opportunities to use Japanese, I believe you will quickly regain your proficiency. Some of our students who had a break in their studies said, “I became more proactive than when I was learning before,” and “I’m glad I finally encouraged myself to start learning Japanese again.” Let’s take our time, not rush, and not give up, as we work to regain our Japanese skills at our own pace.