Re-learning the basics

When I was in Japan, I came to a realization. It was something that I always believed to be the case, but couldn't prove until now. You never know how much of a language you really know until you have to use it all of the time.

Turns out I know more Japanese than I thought I did, but not nearly as much as I'd like. So, I made a decision to actively pursue knowledge of the Japanese language. This involves some spending, and hopefully will yield not only further mastery in the language, but maybe some Japanese friends, too.

The first step I have taken to reach this lofty goal was the purchase of a few new items to add to my repertoire of Japanese learning material. First, a book called Genki I. Apparently, it is one of the very best Japanese language learning books available. It teaches hiragana, katakana, and the first 145 kanji. I know hiragana and katakana, but I don't know the kanji so well. Plus, I hear it's never bad to go over the basics again. Second: a first grade kanji chart poster. How awesome is that? It is a fairly large poster showing the first 80 kanji Japanese children learn.

I would like to imagine that in only one-year's time, I will know vastly more Japanese than I do now. I guess we will just have to wait and see. I'm sure you'll hear about it here.