Illie's study log

Japanese Language Study Logs (Public)
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Having reached level 30 and with some personal Japanese goals I’d like to attain in the near-ish future, I thought starting a study log would be a good way to keep me motivated.

My Japanese learning story

I became interested in learning Japanese as an undergraduate majoring in art history. As it happened, one of my textbooks touched upon the activities of a Japanese avant-garde group. I was fascinated and ended up doing my senior thesis on the subject. With this newfound interest in mind, my senior year I decided to take Japanese 101. My professors were wonderful and I fell in love with learning the language.

For a couple years after that, my Japanese studies fell by the wayside. When I started my master’s degree, doing research on the same group, I began studying Japanese in earnest again, but only self-study. I joined Wanikani in 2019 and when Covid hit I became very diligent about Wanikani.

I got my degree, subsequently completed another master’s program, and then I started working. During this time Japanese was something I touched on from time to time but never consistently worked on.

In 2022, I decided to take the JLPT N4, leading to a concentrated period of study. Unfortunately I failed by only a couple of points, notably due to a dismal listening score. This was obviously disappointing but I do think in some ways it motivated me to keep going and improve.

Three years ago, I started taking an in-person Japanese class once a week. While not very intensive, I definitely think these classes have kept my motivation up, and I do really enjoy them. This last year our professor really pushed us and I wasn’t sure if I would pass, but I did, so I am now technically at a B1 level, according to our school system.

I visited Japan for the first time in 2025. Being able to speak with Japanese people in (very broken) Japanese - like talking about novelists with fellow travelers, or telling the people at the Godzilla store how beautiful I thought their store was - or being able to order ramen from a small restaurant with a Japanese-only menu were some of the highlights of my trip. I would like to go back again sometime soon, and the thought of being able to communicate more fluidly is a huge motivating factor in my studies currently.

A more hypothetical motivating factor for my studies is my dream to one day be able to either pursue my research interests at the doctoral level (which would require research in the Japanese language) or work in some capacity with Japanese artists. I currently work in arts administration and would like to evolve in my career in the near future, but as of yet I don’t have any concrete plans. This being said, for these goals, I feel like N2-N1 Japanese is required, and I am simply not there yet in my studies.

Lately I’ve had in my mind the image of the character of 藤野 in the manga ルックバック, hunched over her desk for years and years, working and working at getting better at drawing. While I of course can’t say that I have the same level of dedication (I also have a full-time job and a commute :upside_down_face: ), this image of slow but steady progress makes sense to me and I tell myself that as long as I keep going, keep working, I’ll get better and maybe one day I will be able to have a solid grasp on the language.

Week of 10/08/2026:

Wanikani

  • Reached level 30. Halfway there! Don’t know if I’ll make it to level 60 but level 40-45 seems like a good goal at the moment.

Tobira

  • I’ve been on Chapters 4 and 5 for a long time. I tend to read the texts and the dialogues and study the vocabulary and grammar by adding the lists onto Renshuu and drilling them every day.

Shin Kanzen Master JLPT N3 - Reading

  • Bought this textbook secondhand to prepare for the JLPT but I find that, so far, it’s been very helpful for reading in general. I’ve done about 6 lessons.

Reading

  • Reading a bit every day. Currently (slowly) working through:
    • 四つ子ぐらし 1
    • よつばと! 15
    • 学年別ドラえもん
    • 生き物事件ファイル 小学4~6年 おはなし推理ドリル
  • Lots of kid-oriented stuff but I often find it challenging.

Listening

  • Podcasts every morning on my commute, still not a ton of active listening.
  • Loving まんぷくon Netflix, watching about one 15-minute episode a day. However I am watching with English subs.

Speaking

  • Booked my first iTalki lesson since last October. A bit nervous but I really want to get better at speaking, I feel like I have to just bite the bullet and do it.

Writing

  • I created an account on Nyan-8 where I’ve written about 10 entries in diary-style form. It’s challenging but I’ve been enjoying it so far and the community is very helpful. Now the question is how to retain/organize the feedback I’ve gotten…
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Welcome to the study log community. It is very hekpful and you get lots of good comments from others. Good luck with your learning.

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Thank you!! :blush:

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I used to post years ago on Lang-8 which was Nyan-8’s predecessor - it was a lot of fun! Welcome to the Study Log crew!

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@Lisaveeta thank you :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

Ok week 2!

Week of 19/08/2026:

Wanikani

  • Was doing a consistent 15 items a day for a good part of August but I started slowing down a bit because I’m a bit nervous about creating an enormous review pile. So far I’ve managed to keep up with the pace but I’ve been down the 400+ reviews a day path before and I don’t want to do that again. I try to keep apprentice items around 80 and never more than 100.

Tobira

  • Took notes on all the grammar points for Chapter 4 and started reading the texts for chapter 5. Took a look at the grammar points and I’m familiar with a few of them which is always a good feeling. I’d like to finish up chapter 5 this weekend and add the chapter 6 vocab + grammar lists to Renshuu to start reviewing next week.

Shin Kanzen Master JLPT N3 - Reading

  • My goal right now is trying to do 2 pages a night.
  • This is my first Shin Kanzen Master book and I find myself enjoying it, which I didn’t expect! I think I am enjoying it because it so far has addressed some of the major issues I have had when reading. For instance, what is happening to who/who is doing what in the sentence when the passive, causative passive, giving/receiving verbs. It’s nice to have some structured lessons around how to read better in Japanese.

Reading

  • Finished 生き物事件ファイル 小学4~6年 おはなし推理ドリル this week, a children’s workbook. It took me forever to get through, I bought it in December of last year. So I’m happy to have finally finished it and I enjoyed it! But definitely took a lot more effort than I would have originally thought.
  • Finished よつばと! 15. Debated going to the bookstore to get the 16h one this past weekend, but I also don’t want this series that I have loved so much to be over so I’m going to wait for now, but I do plan on buying it down the road.
  • Reading a few pages a night of 四つ子ぐらし 1, I’m about 3/4 done now. As with the previous children’s novel I read, I find that it has gotten so much easier towards the end of the novel, now that I’m accustomed to the vocabulary and the writing style of the author.
  • Started a manga that I found at Bookoff, とりの、いそじさん, about a mangaka and her pet cockatiel. It’s a bit more difficult than よつばと but it’s not so challenging that I am frustrated. Enjoying it so far, very cute.

Listening

  • Still watching まんぷく every morning. At first I was like, 151 episodes, who would watch all of that? And now I’m on episode 43 or something and I feel like 151 episodes is not enough. I really like it because the Japanese is very clear and even someone at my level can follow along pretty easily.
  • Lots of my usual podcasts, I tried out Yuyu for the first time today as a challenge and enjoyed it, even though it’s definitely beyond my level. But something to aim for.

Speaking

  • Just finished up my second iTalki lesson of the past two weeks. Definitely good practice that I think I have to keep up, even if I am always nervous beforehand. A bit curious about trying other teachers. The one I’ve been seeing will be on vacation the next week or so, so I’m thinking about trying a lesson with someone else during that time.

Writing

  • Haven’t written any thing on Nyan-8 this week. The entries do take me a significant amount of time and effort (at least like 30-45 minutes). I should try to write at least one entry a week, I think.

This week I signed up for my Japanese B2 class, which, if all goes according to plan, will start in late September.

I’ve been using the secondhand shopping app Vinted to browse used Japanese manga/video games/textbooks and in my feed this week Shin Kanzen Master N3 - Grammar popped up for ten euros and, seeing as I’ve been enjoying the reading one, I snapped and immediately bought it. I know I don’t need another textbook but, as I don’t feel very confident when it comes to grammar, I was like well, why not. So once I get it I will see how/if I can incorporate it into my current Tobira/Shin Kanzen Reading study situation.

Still kind of waffling on signing up for the N3. I think the idea of taking a test makes me nervous and I tell myself I’m not suited for test taking (flashbacks to standardized testing of high school days). Also the last time I took it I did fail N4. So needless to say not feeling super confident, but I do think passing N3 would be a huge encouragement for me and guide me towards eventually taking the N2. I still have a few days to think about it as registration begins in September.

It was around this time last year that I was preparing for my first trip to Japan, which I took by myself in September 2025. I’ve been looking at my photos and feeling very nostalgic! And dreaming about returning again. And speaking better Japanese when I do!

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Week of 24/08/2026

Wanikani

  • Leveled up to Hell this week! I’m happy with my progress and not feeling burnt out, I do no more than 15 lessons a day and I hover around 100-130 reviews a day. I think Wanikani is a really important resource for my vocabulary learning as well.

Tobira

  • Just finished up chapter 5 today (and not a week ago like I had wanted to). I would love to get through one chapter a week but I don’t know how realistic that is. I added all of the Chapter 6 material to Renshuu to review.

Shin Kanzen Master JLPT N3 - Reading

  • Didn’t progress at all this week…

Reading

  • I finally finished 四つ子ぐらし 1. I enjoyed it but according to Natively I’ve been reading it since 16 June so over two months, I was ready to move on. As always I feel like with each book my reading level increases a lot, this book is no different.
  • Looking forward to starting something new, not sure yet what, would like to try something light and perhaps more aimed at adults to see how I do.
  • A little bit left to read in とりの、いそじさん. Have been trying to read it on the metro into work but this is a difficult environment to focus in.

Listening

  • Still watching まんぷく!
  • And podcasts most days (Nihongo con teppei, Akaneteki, Bite Size Japanese…)

Speaking

  • Doing one lesson a week, I have another one tomorrow evening, with a different tutor, so we’ll see how it goes.

Writing

  • Wrote one short Nyan-8 entry.

Overall my motivation for studying Japanese is still going strong.

This week I met a Japanese artist that was part of a group of artists I studied, I’ve known his studio manager for some time and we’ve become acquaintances, but I’ve never had the chance to meet the artist himself. He’s very elderly now and spends about half the year in Japan. So, I spoke a tiny bit of Japanese, saying “お邪魔します” when I entered his studio and explaining in simple Japanese that I had studied his work as a grad student. He was so courteous and kind and it made my week. But I also felt happy that I have come far enough to be able to express myself, even if I have a far way to go I feel I’ve made so much progress even since just the beginning of the year. I’ve had this mega burst of Japanese-learning energy and I hope it doesn’t go away.

I thought this study log might be a good place to share Japanese-language things I enjoy. This week I remembered this music video by Cuushe which I love so much.

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Wow! Not heard of this before, the animation is really interesting - I love the style and the effects they use, especially later on when it gets more dream-like. Real impressive with how much effort they must have put into this!

Thanks for sharing!

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I’m happy you liked it! I love how strangely soft the shapes appear, and I find really moving the way she shades certain things, like the shadows on the back of the legs.

I don’t know much about the artist but I found her website, looks like she’s even directed a film in 2024: portfolio kunoyoko - P r o f i l e

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Doing my check-in a bit earlier this week as I’ll be out of town this weekend.

Week of 31/08/2026

I signed up for JLPT N3 :grimacing: (I feel like I can’t say I officially signed up because “signing up” on the website here means, rather, that I’ve started the process of signing up. I still need to pay the fee and send in a paper dossier before I am officially signed up for the JLPT. I suppose it’s like this everywhere?)

I feel stressed because I am aiming for something that is admittedly a bit out of reach. I really need to study grammar and vocab. And on top of that, I will have to also prepare for the exam itself, which is probably the part I will have to force myself to do.

I also had my copy of Shin Kanzen Master N3 Grammar arrive this week so I was happy to receive that. Adding it into my routine. I think I’ll prioritize completing Shinkanzen N3 over completing Tobira, which I will continue using in parallel but not as my main textbook for grammar study.

Wanikani

  • Pretty proud of my progress in August. The question is will I be able to keep it up.
  • Learning a ton of useful vocabularly lately (or at least, vocabulary I seem to see all the time)

Textbooks

  • Renshuu review of Tobira chapter 6 material. Need to read through the chapter texts and grammar points.
  • A couple pages of Shin Kanzen Master JLPT N3 - Reading.
  • Started reading in earnest Shin Kanzen Master JLPT N3 - Grammar.

Reading

  • Started a new book this week, 奇譚ルーム. It’s silly (stuffed animal avatars and murder in virtual reality lol) but so far it’s been appropriate for my level and I thought it might be a fun, spooky read. I’m also enjoying reading a book without furigana! Good to see my Wanikani-trained kanji recall is working.
  • Every week I follow @Zakarius ’ Ranpo discussions in the Read Every Day challenge and silently fume with envy. I also discovered the “bungakushoujo reads the classics” thread on the Natively Forum and have added a bunch of Shusaku Endo to my Natively wishlist (as I read my stuffed animal murder book :upside_down_face:)

Listening

  • About halfway through まんぷく now
  • Lots of podcasts (and enjoying them for the most part!).
  • I’m also feeling very motivated for listening because now I need to practice for the JLPT. I saw that Renshuu has an archive of listening practice for the JLPT N3 so I started listening to them.
  • If anyone has other good resources for preparing the listening section of the JLPT N3, I’d be very interested!

Speaking

  • Did an iTalki lesson on Monday with a new tutor. I liked her, but I think I prefer the other tutor I see because she types a lot during our conversation. Whenever I tell her I’m not understanding, she will type out the sentence or the word. After the lesson I tend to write down all the sentences and new vocabulary and make notes from them. I’m not opposed to seeing the new tutor - and I think it’s probably good to speak with different people for conversation practice - but I think I will definitely continue with the one I was seeing before.
  • Also, I have this issue of nodding as the Japanese speaker goes off speaking about something but I’ve actually totally lost the thread. But seeing as I have made it seem like I understand, I become too embarrassed to say anything and we just move on. How do I remediate this!

また来週 :slightly_smiling_face:

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Sorry :sweat_smile:
Speaking of Ranpo though, there’s a new Ranpo book club set up on Natively focusing on going through his novel " 孤島の鬼" - you can find it here.

I think we’ll be starting this coming Monday. Not just in Japanese either, it’s open for all language translations of the work, it’s an open informal club too so you can take it at any pace. You’re more than welcome to join us!

Best of luck!

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Welcome to the study log crew! :blush:

Don’t underestimate the power of slow but steady progress! I’ve had a full-time job and commute during the majority of the time I’ve spent learning too, but doing a bit everyday really compounds over time! You just have to think in years versus months. You got this! :flexed_biceps:

That’s wonderful. I’m sure as you keep going you’ll get to meet more artists and make some cool connections and have more great experiences like this!

Thanks for checking out my reading log! Everyone will be reading 遠藤周作 if I have my way. :laughing: I also have a study log over here on wk that I update occasionally with random curiosities and my study experiences.

Look forward to your updates!

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Thank you for letting me know! I got the book on my lunch break today and I will be joining :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

& thank you :blush:

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Ah thank you for your kind reply and all your encouraging words!

I really have loved reading your Natively study log, so I will definitely follow along here on the Wanikani forums as well :slightly_smiling_face:

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Week of 07/09/2025

Saw Akira at the cinema today. Not the first time I’ve seen it but the first time on the big screen. Very much appreciated the movie.

Wanikani

  • Working slowly through level 31. Taking a bit longer this level because I went out of town for 3 days last weekend so I had less time for reviews. I’m not upset about it because I have been struggling with getting through all the vocabulary every time I level up so this allowed me to catch up a bit.

Textbooks

  • Finished reading through chapter 6 of Tobira on my way back home on the train last week. Added the chapter 7 material to Renshuu for review. Struggling a bit to keep up with these reviews which are piling up as I have gone through the last couple of chapters quicker. Haven’t started reading through the content of chapter 7.

  • Got to the end of Part 1 of Shin Kanzen Master N3 - Reading, the “skills development section”, which I found very useful for reading Japanese in general: going over things like figuring out who and what are being discussed (I can have a hard time identifying what is actually going on when the passive or causative passive form is used), identifying demonstrative terms and what they are referring to, understanding the mood of the author… The next section goes over the different kinds of text one can come across in the JLPT (e-mails, memos, letters…).

  • Working through the grammar points presented in Shin Kanzen Master N3 - Grammar. The first mini-test I did terribly, missing like 60-70% of the questions. The questions often ask you to identify somewhat slight changes in the grammar usage: having to decide between とおり or どおり; 間 or 間に, etc. It’s good practice but rough! I did better on the second mini-test, I think because I simply took more time to deepen my understanding on the grammar points, doing a bit of research on my own, watching Youtube videos.

  • I also don’t know if it’s really a good idea to add in another study element but seeing as people seem to really appreciate Bunpro for grammar study/JLPT prep I went ahead and started with a month subscription and am going through the Shin Kanzen N3 grammar points. I’ll see how it goes.

Reading

  • About 50 pages into 奇譚ルーム and enjoying it. Some challenging passages for me but I’m able to read through it relatively smoothly.
  • Since I’ve started reading in Japanese in earnest since about April of this year, I usually read one manga volume and one longer text (that’s not manga) in parallel. Right now I’m not reading any manga, I’d like to maybe start 東京BABYLON soon-ish.

Listening

  • まんぷく! As usual.
  • Podcasts every day.

Speaking

  • One 30-minute iTalki lesson. Kinda struggled through this one. For instance at one point I wanted to say, “Because French is a difficult language, my Korean friend recorded our class lectures on her phone to listen to them afterwards” but I stopped and started like four times to try and figure out which part of the sentence went where and kind of gave up in the end. Speaking is so hard! This is not to say I’m discouraged, just more like, lucid of how much work I have to put in.

Writing

  • Wrote one short (10-ish sentences) entry on Nyan-8.

This week’s Japanese-language content is something I loved when I first started listening to Japanese-language music as a teenager, I think this song is still beautiful :