Are you new to teaching English or working in Japan? Do you sometimes feel totally lost? Well, as for me, I've been there and I know what it feels like.

There is an abundance of tips and advice out there and the first place to start is with your peers. Try to get the fix on where the local English Teachers meet in your area. Probably in one of local 'Gaijin Bars' or what have you. Try the town's International Center if you have one. All in all, start networking. You'll soon meet a lot of people. Japan can be a kind of fascinating yet creepy place in your first few months and as the culture shock may settle in, it eventually fades away and you can see Japan in a different light.

There will be more detailed information coming. I'm always so busy so in case there is something you need feel free to contact us about anything; the textbooks, or anything ESL and "Japanese" in general.

 

Do you find learning Japanese difficult? Well, you are definitely not alone. (over 2 million learners and still counting...)

Here is one of those articles that just after reading will hopefully make you feel a little better. It shows a few historical items about the language. On a personal note, I think you'll know how I felt my first two years learning this very difficult, highly quizzical, yet utterly intriguing language.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

War of the words

Should -- or could -- English ever be Japan's official second language?

 

"The Japanese take pride in the difficulty of their language. Even today, when Japanese-speaking foreigners are commonplace, the view persists that real Japanese can only be spoken by real Japanese..."

"The ideas of this people," wrote Lafcadio Hearn in 1904 -- before he married a samurai's daughter and took Japanese citizenship -- "are not our ideas; their sentiments are not our sentiments; their ethical life represents for us regions of thought and emotion yet unexplored, or perhaps long forgotten..."

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