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Japanese lessons

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

One of my coworkers came up with an excellent suggestion on Friday. I'm going to look into taking some intensive Japanese classes starting after my job ends next week. If I'm going to be running a business in this country I'd damn well learn some proficiency. At present I'm able to talk about simple subjects with Mari's family, but that's as much a testament to their patience than it is my skill ("My wife tells me I've got the worst pronounciation of any foreigner living in this country").

A fine idea! Now I just have to find someone. My colleague suggests that there are courses available that allow for twenty hours a week, four hours a day. I've contacted two schools, including one that I've previous attended in the twice-a-week evening classes. A friend suggested that I closely evaluate the objectives of such "intensive courses" because they might have a focus different from mine. I can certainly see how signing up for the wrong class under a 20-hour-a-week structure could be frustrating and wasteful. Especially if it runs for three months!

But it's become a complicated search. It turns out that a number of the schools have closed recently because foreigners are leaving Japan in droves due to the downturn in the financial industry. It seems like everything's contracting at once.