Hi KM,

I really do appreciate the comment, and of course constructive criticism is always welcome, especially when it's respectful. While, I do think that my post was accurate, you have raised some very good issues that I would like to properly address here.

Regarding the time it takes to reach fluency, keep in mind that this really is a difficult word to gauge. For instance, I have known lots of people who have mastered the jōyō kanji in less than two years. However, the complexities of Japanese - particularly at the business level - require a much more lengthy term of study.

For example, my good friend here in Tokyo has studied for 5 years at Ritsumeikan University, has passed JLPT Level 1, and presently works for a Japanese marketing company. However, his Japanese is still nowhere near the level required to operate at a level of complete fluency, and he continued to struggle in the day-to-day work environment.

On the other hand, I do agree with you that Japanese is just a regular language, and its difficulty is greatly exaggerated and mystified to an unnecessary extent. While I do not consider myself to be fluent, I am entirely self-taught, and reached a respectable level of proficiency in only a few years.

So yes - I think that we are both correct to a certain extent, and again, I thank you for the lengthy comment. And of course, I really do applaud your efforts to study Japanese as it is a tremendously beautiful language that is certainly worth the time and energy to learn.

With warm regards,

Matt 'Big in Japan' Firestone