Tower of Babbling: Japanese
Table of Contents
I’ve been learning languages for over 25 years. Twenty of those years have been with Japanese. Though my time absorbing the language hasn’t been continuous, I’ve reached a fairly high level of proficiency over the years – even translating and publishing my military game tech fiction (military sci-fi) novel into the language myself.
True, I’ve come a long way, but it’s taken years of conscious effort to do so. One of the things, that’s unique about my experience learning the language is that it covers the entire spectrum of language learning techniques and technology.
Being a Millennial, I grew up during the dawn of the commercial internet. I remember the days of hand-made flashcards and “pocket jishos” (in paper and digital form) – my best friend for quick word look ups.
From my early college class practice dialogues, to Anki and AI, I’ve approached learning Japanese from multiple angles. I won’t say I’ve done it all, but I’ve come damn near close, and because of that I feel highly qualified to share the information on this (what will become) book-length blog post about how to learn Japanese.
How to learn Japanese
Learning Japanese used to be a problem of access. When I started in 2004, getting my hands on authentic Japanese media outside of Japan was difficult and expensive.
Everything came through my college classes, which while helpful, did little to help me absorb the real Japanese I would need to eventually navigate life in Japan.
Now it’s the opposite problem.
There’s TOO MUCH information on how to learn Japanese.
Duolingo, YouTube, apps, games, music videos – are all a few taps and swipes away. While this might be helpful in theory, in practice it’s a nightmare.
By consuming bite-sized videos and exercises containing Japanese, you’re always skimming the surface, yet never diving deep enough to absorb it in a meaningful way. And trust me when I say, the only way to get to a level of Japanese high enough to do what you want in the language is to go DEEP. Today’s social media content learning won’t get you there.
Maybe that’s why you’re here.
You heard about a magical Black guy from Texas who learned Japanese to a near-native level and you want to know how you can do it too.
You came to the right place.
My goal with this book/course/thing is to provide suggested paths for you to improve your Japanese to your desired level in a manageable (realistic) timeframe.
There’s no gamification. No incentives or teachers. Just advice from someone who’s been where you are and truly wanted to understand enough Japanese use the language for practical means. If that’s you, you’ll find a lot of good advice here.
The world loves Japan – but they don’t understand why
Despite Japan’s shrinking population, Japanese culture remains one of the most visible and beloved on the planet. And it’s GROWING in popularity and recognition.
In the 70s and 80s it was Japanese cars (Toyota, Mitsubishi, Subaru etc.) and TVs (Sony etc.) The 1990s saw Japanese video games and anime exported around the world. The 2000s shared Japanese business and wellness practices (Okinawa diet anyone?). Then the 2010s gave us more Japanese cultural styles such as “ikigai”. And let’s not forget the ever popular ninja and samurai culture that has always been a representation of Japanese character and history.
Bottomline – the world loves Japan.
But unfortunately, few truly understand Japanese culture beyond what translations can offer. They miss the often rich cultural and linguistic nuance and subtlety (and often not-so-subtle additions) baked into the media. That’s something you can only get by understanding the Japanese language.
Now don’t get me wrong. You can absolutely enjoy Japanese things without speaking a word of the language. (I know many who do.) But I’d bet you’re one of those who wants to go beyond. A スーパーオタク (super geek) who (possibly) wants to get into the nitty gritty of Japanese Kanji, history, and media.
If you are, this blog-book will serve you well.
Levels of Japanese
With the above stated, there are levels to this game.
Because I’ve learned (the hard way) few people truly want to learn Japanese. This is especially true after they learn how hard it is beyond saying こんにちは! (hello) and おりがとう! (thanks).
I’m probably in the rare 1% of learners who have taken their Japanese to such extremes as to write a book in Japanese (but would you want to learn from anyone else?) Given that, I understand you might not want to go that hard.
Maybe you want enough to feel confident during a week-long visit to Tokyo. Or perhaps, you have a favorite anime or light novel you want to experience authentically?
The level of Japanese you’ll need (as well as how you approach acquiring the language) will differ depending on how you want to use it.
I obviously won’t address every possible pathway to Japanese proficiency here. But I’ll cover what I’ve seen to be the most common ones over the years.
Let’s break them down further.
Level 1 – Japan Travel and Business
COMMON GOAL: Speak and understand general Japanese
For this level the goal is to be able to understand general Japanese with the end goal of confidently navigating a short trip (1 week to a month) in Japan.
Don’t let the “Level 1” designation fool you. In a cruel twist of fate, the most common Japanese that travelers encounter when traveling is often the most difficult to understand. This is 尊敬語 (sonkeigo) or extremely polite language meant to elevate the status of the recipient.
As a foreigner in Japan, you’ll hear it spoken to you in Family Mart, at train stations, and restaurants. You’ll read it on the flight over and your taxi driver will likely use it to talk to you when driving you around. It was honestly one of the most frustrating parts of taking my Japanese out of the classroom and into the real world.
Fortunately, you don’t need to know how to use this level of language (it’s typically only reserved for Japanese customer service roles), but you do need to understand it to travel Japan with ease.
That’s why in this level, you’ll focus on learning to communicate basic needs and wants to make your stay in Japan much more enjoyable.
I lump business Japanese into this first level too.
Having worked in Japan with other Japanese cops, I can say most business Japanese tends to use a small number of phrases and questions on repeat. Once you learn them (and when and how to use them) you really don’t need to take your proficiency any further (unless you want to of course).
Level 2 – Japanese Mediaphile (Anime, Video Games, Light Novels etc.)
COMMON GOAL: Understand and appreciate Japanese media
When I speak Japanese to native speakers, most inevitably ask the same question in some form: how or why do you speak so much Japanese?
Their assumption is I watched a lot of anime, which in my case is incorrect.
While anime tends to be a common gateway to deeper Japanese proficiency, for me it never stuck. I’ve seen a handful of series over the years, but never really got into it (even after years of living in Japan with easier access than most).
Same goes with video games. I’ve played a lot in English, but very few in Japanese. That’s just me.
Maybe you’re the exact opposite. Your primary motivation for learning the language is to be able to get the true meaning behind the anime, manga, etc. that you love.
This level will help you do that.
I’ll also teach you simple techniques for avoiding the “foreigner’s trap.” Have you ever heard someone who’s “fluent” in a language but sounds like nothing close to a native speaker? The words are correct, but their delivery is stilted and unnatural.
This is the trap many Westerners who learn Japanese fall into. I’ve found it’s most prevalent among those who consume a lot of Japanese media and think they’re more fluent than they actually are.
I’ll show you how to avoid this to speak like something closer to an accented second language speaker who native Japanese speakers can more easily understand.
Level 3 – Japanese Literacy
COMMON GOAL: Be able to fully express yourself in Japanese in multiple contexts
This is the highest level.
For you fluency isn’t enough. You want to explore the Japanese language or even live and work in Japan someday.
As someone a long way down this path, I can tell you the journey is LONG and difficult, but oh so worth it. The feeling of publishing my first book in Japanese or having a 12-year-old Japanese student I hosted say “thank you for the conversation” when I encouraged her before entering middle school, are priceless memories. All thanks to high proficiency in all areas of Japanese (speaking, writing, reading, and listening).
What sets this level far apart from the others is the ability to produce the language in an organic manner. In levels 1 and 2 you can get by just understanding and repeating set phrases well. Here (if done right) you’ll approach native speaker levels of production ability. Able to produce the language in spoken and written form on command.
To get there will take regular dedication and conscious effort over a significant period of time. But it can be done!
I’ll show you how.
How this book works
I’ve attempted to create courses and write books about how to learn Japanese before and failed every time. Why?
Because as I mentioned in the beginning, the problem for most Japanese learners isn’t lack of learning materials. That’s the mistake I made before. I was adding another learning resource to an already endless pile of (in many cases) far superior ones.
Question: Why would you buy my course when you could watch a Japanese YouTube channel run by a native speaker or another foreigner living in Japan?
Answer: you wouldn’t.
That’s why with this book I’m doing something different. I’m focusing on providing a high fidelity roadmap to Japanese proficiency one day at a time.
Each day, I’ll post recommended activities for each level of Japanese learner. If you’ve ever visited the main CrossFit workout page, you’ll recognize the format.
Just like that workout program (which I highly recommend by the way) you’ll get daily suggestions for activities to improve your Japanese. The difficult will scale depending on your desired level.
This program follows a 5 days on 2 days off* a week cadence. I’ve found this to be a comfortable pace for my personal learning and think it will work for you too.
(*”Off” in this case is more like active rest. You’ll still get contact with Japanese, but it’ll be less study-focused.)
Also, unlike previous resources I’ve made, I won’t blast you with all the “how to learn Japanese” best practices in the beginning. Instead, I’ll introduce tools and techniques as needed so as not to overwhelm you.
The goal here is to keep your studies focused on what are (in my experience) the best tools for getting the Japanese into your head. Based on my recommendations, you’re free to explore wherever your interest in the language takes you.
With that, enough introduction, here’s Day 1.
DAY 1 – Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 – Lesson 1 (ALL LEVELS)
Estimated time: 30 mins
Get your ears tuned to the language with this trusted resource. Yeah I know, it’s $150. But it beats any app or YouTube video out there. Why?
Because it’s all audio. This will force you to concentrate on the language (as you will have to do in real time if you hope to ever communicate successfully in Japanese).
There’s no cute characters or music to distract from your #1 goal — understanding and speaking Japanese.
It’s no bullshit, straight to the point and VERY effective. If you commit.
To get the most out of it be sure to follow the instructions to (LISTEN AND REPEAT) as much as possible.
TIPS
Don’t worry about saying things wrong (you’ll do that a lot). Don’t focus on understanding every word as it’s spoken (you won’t).
Your single task is to repeat what you hear as closely as possible. Don’t overthink it! Just do it!
With that, you’ve finished your first Japanese lesson. Congratulations!
Optional – Tell someone for accountability
Tell someone that you’re learning Japanese. Make it someone close like your partner, spouse, or good friend.
You want this person to occasionally check in on you with your progress. They’ll make sure you do slack off in your studies. If they’re a real one, they might even join in!
DAY 2 – Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 – Lesson 1 (REPEAT) (ALL LEVELS)
Yes this is the same activity from yesterday.
Why am I already repeating a step on Day 2?
Because when learning Japanese, repetition is your friend.
Think about it like this. When learning a language as a child, your brain is soft (literally) like a sponge. It easily absorbs new words, structures, and patterns.
Over time, that plasticity becomes less and it firms up, making it harder for new information to take root. In fact, your dominant language rejects the new one!
Bottomline is one pass with a piece of audio isn’t enough. Doing it multiple times makes it easier for you to engage with the language actively, instead of just sitting back and listening.
I know consuming the same piece of media these days is becoming uncommon. There’s so much new stuff out there to try (so why bother with the same thing a second time?)
Train yourself early (now!) in learning Japanese to listen to audio multiple times and you’ll be able to understand it much faster.
DAY 3 – Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 – Lesson 2 (ALL LEVELS)
Now it’s time to go to lesson 2 of Pimsleur.
Another reason I like Pimsleur is reviews are organically designed into each lesson. This is a small yet critical feature.
As you progress in Japanese, learning to balance review with the new is an important skill to cultivate. Without regular review, you’ll never internalize the language to be able to use it freely outside of educational tools. (You don’t want that)
Don’t worry about this for now.
Just focus on the new material in this lesson, listening and repeating as prompted.
Optional – Begin keeping a language journal
One of the hard parts about learning Japanese is focusing more on what you don’t know, rather than what you do know.
Understanding the language seems like such a big challenge (and it is!) so it’s easy to feel crushed by all the times you feel like an idiot not understanding simple words or phrases for the 10th or 20th time.
This is where keeping a language journal can help.
It can serve as a reminder of all the effort you’ve put into your studies and that you CAN do this.
How should you keep your journal? Anyway you want.
I’ve seen everything from elaborate colorful language journals that resemble grade school notebooks, to plain lists of activities. I post my Japanese notes here on my website (read a sample here). There’s no right way to do it.
The goal is to create a place where you record your language progress for review and motivation.
Consider adopting the practice today.
DAY 4 – ACTIVE Rest Day
This is your first active rest day. Let me explain my thinking with these.
To move from someone who wants to learn Japanese to someone who is studying or learning the language you need to have daily contact with it.
I’ve met many over the years who want to learn, but can’t keep a streak on Duolingo for longer than a week. They’ll never get to usable Japanese that way.
Maybe that was you. But now your here and climbing the Tower of Babbling, so you’ll finally make real progress.
The goal on these days is to maintain contact, but with a lighter touch. Less studying, more enjoyment of the language.
I’ll suggest activities, based on the learning level you’re following, but as usual you’re free to do what you want. You can even move ahead in the program if you want. But I encourage you to take regular breaks, especially if you are aiming for level 3.
Burnout is real. Just like a physical workout plan, go too hard, too fast – you risk injury. You need to take time away for your body to get used to the increased stress. It’s the same principle here.
Level 1 – Search “Japanese for traveling”
Watch this video. Then fall down the YouTube Japanese learning rabbit hole by searching “travel Japanese”. Be sure to repeat all phrases!
Level 2 – Learn Japanese from anime or read your first manga/light novel
(Anime) Watch this video. (And sub to his channel)
Then watch your favorite anime (subs or dubs ok on Rest days).
If reading is your goal, watch this video to start reading your very first manga or light novel! (The resources he recommends are great too.)
Level 3 – Intro to Dogen
Dogen is a YouTuber who’s learned Japanese to an insanely high level. He’s someone I look up to for inspiration with the language.
He covers some advanced topics (don’t worry about this for now). Just focus on the different styles of Japanese he uses in the video.
DAY 5 – Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 – Lesson 2 (REPEAT) (ALL LEVELS)
It’s back to business with a repeat of Pimsleur lesson 2.
Turn it on during your commute or go for a walk to get it done.
DAY 6 – Japanese Challenge (Week 1)
“The right level of discomfort brings growth.”
This is a lesson I’ve learned (and experienced) repeatedly throughout my life. It applies to any area where there is a skill you want to improve. Japanese is no exception.
Finding that right level of discomfort isn’t easy. Make yourself too uncomfortable, you’ll quit. But if it’s not hard enough, you don’t grow and waste your time.
Most of us tend to go too easy on ourselves. We underplay what we know for fear of looking or sounding stupid. I used to do this in many areas of my life and it lead to tortoise-like growth every time.
Why mention this?
Because to reach your goal with Japanese, it’s not enough to amass vocabulary, pass tests, or listen to audio lessons on loop.
You need to field test it in the dynamic environment of the real world.
There’s no volume control, no seek to rewind or skip ahead, no pause button. Just your ears, mouth, and whatever you got in your head at the time.
Now I’m very familiar with how hard this can be.
You don’t want to look like an idiot, shame you ancestors, or offend anyone with your low, stuttering Japanese. But the one way to ensure you never achieve the ability you want with Japanese is by not speaking or listening to real native speaker media.
You don’t want that. I don’t want that for you.
This is a long-winded introduction to the Tower of Babbling Japanese Weekly Challenges.
My goal with these is simple: to shake up your routine and get you out of your comfort zone with your Japanese. It’s time to get off the practice field and jump into a real match.
I’ll design one for each level every week.
Be sure to document your performance after you try it. This will make it easier to set a benchmark for improvement later on.
Level 1 – Speak Japanese to Someone You Know
Talk to someone in Japanese, like – today!? Yes.
It doesn’t matter if they know Japanese or not. Just tell them you’ve been learning Japanese for a week (because you have been) and say what you know.
At this point, you’ll at least know how to introduce yourself. That’s a great place to start!
If you have access to a native Japanese speaker don’t be afraid to practice with them. I promise they likely won’t correct you if you completely fail (you’ve only been learning for a week). And if you say it right, you’ll get that immediate positive feedback from a native speaker. This is a HUGE confidence boost at this point.
Level 2 – Do Level 1 + Watch anime (no subs/dubs) or Read manga/light novel aloud to someone
Now we’re getting to the fun stuff.
At this level you’ll complete the challenge from Level 1 and watch anime with pure Japanese or read aloud to someone. I’ll explain both in more detail.
WATCH PURE ANIME
If your goal is to be able to watch anime authentically (and understand/appreciate the story) you have to actually DO IT. That’s why you should pick an episode that you’ve never seen before for this challenge.
I know this can be anxiety provoking for a true anime fan.
The thought of missing critical story moments in your favorite show can induce puddles of pit sweat. But you need the practice with material you’re unfamiliar with to force your brain to think in Japanese.
Pick an episode, watch it all the way through and if you must know what happened, go back and hit the subs or dubs. But first watch should be Japanese only.
READING
Most of the time reading tends to be a solitary activity. We usually do it in the confines of our minds, which is fine for enjoyment, but can be terrible for learning a language.
Why?
Because it’s possible to never speak it. This is how many learners who spend years studying and grinding to pass the JLPT N1 (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) end up not able to speak Japanese well at all. They spent so much time in the books, that they hardly practiced the skill of speaking.
I don’t want that to happen to you.
That’s why here, you’ll take the manga or light novel you read yesterday and read it to someone. Got no one to read to?
Take your phone, lean it against something and record yourself reading. Then listen and watch it back.
The goal is to introduce the light stress of performance into your routine. As embarrassing and fear-inducing as it might be now, this is where you make the most gains. You’ll also have a record to look back on in the future to say “Damn look how much better I am now!”
Level 3 – Do Level 1 + Level 2 (OPTIONAL) + Listen to a random Japanese podcast
For the highest level, you should do the level one challenge.
I’ll leave you to decide if you’re interested in doing level 2. You might not care about anime or light novels. But if you’re on the road to Japanese literacy any contact with the language is good. So…. you SHOULD do it if you have time.
Your real challenge is to listen to a random Japanese podcast.
Never looked one up before? They’re not hard to find. Here’s how to search one up.
Pull up an English to Japanese translator and enter a topic your interested in. Get the translation, then search for “topic + podcast“. Both must be in Japanese or you’ll get English results.
Pick the first show that comes up and listen. (You can also listen to a YouTube video as well. But no cheating and looking at the screen!)
You won’t understand anything. That’s fine. What you’re doing is getting your brain used to hearing real Japanese spoken at regular speed.
By the way, avoid apps and services that play Japanese at slow speed. This is an ok confidence boost in the beginning, but it’s just that. Real people talk at normal speed not at .5x. Plus you’re doing added damage training your brain to hear slow speech, only to overwhelm it when you crank the dial back up to normal or fast. Avoid this trap and only listen to regular speed speech!
Keith
For this challenge, it’s important your input is audio only.
Why?
Because with video you can distract yourself with all the shiny things and people on display. In short – it pulls your attention from the language.
When it’s audio only, there’s nowhere for you brain to hide. It has to pay attention to the language – nothing else.
I won’t lie, this stage of learning Japanese or any language can be frustrating and boring. It feels like you’re burning precious minutes listening to something you can’t understand at all. I’ve been there with multiple languages.
But don’t be discouraged.
Most of the work here is happening on an unconscious level. Every time you listen, your brain downloads more of the subtle patterns, intonations, and rhythms of the language. (This is what it’s evolved to do insanely well. You learned English, so you can learn any other language.)
While you can’t understand the words, you can probably pick up on emotional inflections, small utterances, and overall vibe of the speech. You’ll build words and sentences on top of that foundation later on.
This is another reason why I recommend podcasts at this point over the news or audiobooks. Those two audio-only media forms tend to have more monotone speech. (News especially in Japanese is often presented with as little emotion as possible). So skip it for now.
Pick a podcast where regular people talk, listen, and enjoy another .0005% download of the Japanese language into your mind.
(If you’re in Japan, flip the radio to a Japanese radio station and take listen. That works for this challenge too.)
頑張って!
DAY 7 – ACTIVE Rest Day
Whew, how was yesterday?
Did you complete the challenge? If you even tried one of them you deserve kudos. It’s not easy to publicly use a language you’ve only been learning for week. But now you’ve done it.
Today is a rest day.
Since YouTube is a source of virtually infinite information I won’t always recommend specific videos. Everyone’s internet viewing preferences differ and whatever your taste there’s something out there that works best for you.
But I will offer search suggestions as we move along. Because hey, if YouTube ever goes away I still want this resource to be valuable for you.
So we’ll pick up where we left off from the last rest day. Don’t forget to get away from your desk or regular place of study and move your body! Drink water! Regular exercise and activity make it easier for your brain to store Japanese (and it just feels good.)
Finally, don’t forget this entire curriculum is just my recommendations. You can and should do things that keep you motivated for learning Japanese even if I don’t mention them.
If that’s listening to Jpop music, singing karaoke, or taking online lessons – DO IT!
You’ll speed up your progress rapidly if you’re doing things you enjoy. I plan to cover how to get the most out of activities like the ones mentioned above in the future, but the most important thing is to have fun with the language. (Especially true on rest days)
Enjoy your break.
Level 1 – Search “Japanese for traveling” watch videos
Level 2 – Learn Japanese from anime or continue reading first manga/light novel (same one)
Level 3 – Watch one of Dogen’s videos (where he speaks Japanese)
Your goal isn’t to understand whatever topic he’s talking about. It’s to listen carefully to how he speaks. And also to get motivated by a foreigner who in the distant past began where you were.
How to support this book
One of the reasons I decided to post this book for free is I have no desire to actively manage an email list or do any type of influencer-guru type ninjutsu.
I’ve spent the last few years doing that and realized how much I don’t like taking time to do it.
That’s why this book will be strictly donation based as it comes together. I have no idea how long any of the levels will be at this time. But it will be long enough to realistically allow someone with zero Japanese ability to reach a reasonable level of proficiency in the language, should they actually make the effort to complete the program.
If you decide to support and donate (thanks by the way) I will hold onto your email, to let you know about anything Japanese-related projects that might interest you in the future (I also write books and occasionally translate them in Japanese). But there won’t be any annoying newsletter business or anything like that.
Still want to support?
Here’s the button.
