Welcome to the Free! Japanese Lessons

If you are interested in learning spoken Japanese then this is may be the blog for you. This will have to be an ongoing project because I run a "one-man show" in Japan that keeps me working 24/7. It may take some time to get a number of lessons developed. It isn't like a website where I can put up two or three pages. That would make people run away screaming I think. Have patience and hang in there. I'll do my best to make it fun (I have some experience with this).

What I would like to do is provide you with a basic understanding of the Japanese language. It is not meant to replace formal study at an institute of higher learning. Not everything can be covered, but I will do my best to provide language tips that will help you develop your Japanese language skills.

I will not be teaching reading or writing; it will be mainly "conversational" in nature; something that you can use right away in certain situations. I may put up the odd japanese character that could be of benefit to you should you make a trip to Japan.

Of course in order to truly become fluent in any foreign language it is always desirable, if at all possible, to immerse oneself in the language and culture (like what I did - threw away a life in biotechnology for a brave new world). Coming to Japan will do wonders for your language ability if you ever have the chance. I understand that this is not feasible for most people, so I will strive to do my best to provide you with current lessons and examples for study. When I find the time I will work on these lessons and then post them here.

So bookmark my Japanese Lessons Blogroom and pop in from time to time to see if a new lesson is available. Since I have this also set up for RSS readers, if you added it to your news feeds or your my.whatever.com page whenever I post a new one, you should see it pop up there. Give it a try!

As in any "classroom setting" the most productive is the interactive type. If I'm just typing away here like a boring lecturer drones on, I don't think I'll be doing it for long. What I am looking for is a two-way discussion. Or better yet, a 20-way discussion with all of you working with each other to discuss what is going on, to share ideas, help each other out.

As an aside, I sell used kimono if anybody wants to buy one. I have about 100 of them in my home at this current time. Some are 100 years old. Some have stains from tea that got spilled on them 70 years ago when the woman was serving a meal to a special guest. Things that make them really interesting. Prices are very cheap and there is a huge variety. If you are interested, let me know. (Oh, by the way, most of the "Japanese kimono" you see on E-bay are not Japanese. They are chinese silk dresses. That really burns me up). Just let me know.

That's all for now. I'm looking forward to meeting with you and hope the following will expand. Let's make this Japanese Blogroom a class worth attending, shall we? De wa, mata.

- Sensei

Next Lesson: Lesson One: Pronunciation in Japanese Maybe you h...