I have been consistently self-studying Japanese for a year-plus, using mainly books and flashcards, and immersion. In previous years I would cram Pimsleur prior to traveling, only to find that I lost 90% of what I learned after each trip to Japan.
As of this year, I finally feel confident in reading Hiragana and Katakana. I can also understand a fair amount of spoken Japanese. However, my biggest struggle lies in confidently speaking, beyond using basic “survival phrases” whenever visiting Japan.
Context helps greatly with listening, but there can be a certain mental roadblock in speaking confidently and that’s what I’m working on overcoming. I’m moving to Tokyo next year and know that I have to level up my speaking confidence, but I have severely limited time for classes or one on one coaching.
After several months of receiving Chika Sensei’s valuable email content, I decided to take the plunge. I knew that anyone who packed so much educational value into their free email content must would offer even more with their paid courses.
A bit over a month in, I am finding my voice! Chika Sensei provides encouraging yet honest feedback that I can put to use. While I don’t always have the time to practice as long as I would like to, the structure of her coursework ensures I can quickly catch up and feel motivated to continue. I find myself naturally “talking back” when I listen to the Japanese audio now, and am more confident that even if I don’t get a word or two right the first time, it’s the trying that counts. My pronunciation and intonation has already improved, as well as my speed. This will bolster my success in navigating daily life in Japan and for that boost, I can not be more grateful. Looking forward to continuing my learning journey!