I’m already studying textbooks (about 5 to 7 hrs a week), and attending japanese classes once a week.
I’m also doing immersion during my free time – primarily anime and J-doramas. The only english show I’m watching now is The Last of Us. When I feel like watching some other english show or movie, I feel guilty and I start thinking the time is better spent immersing in japanese media instead. Did anyone else go through this?
I haven’t switched completely to japanese podcasts because I still listen to english comedy podcasts for entertainment. Also, I don’t want to concentrate too hard on a japanese podcast when I’m driving.
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I struggled with this for a bit with games. Often when I start a game I’m tempted to play in Japanese to take the time to use for learning, but it often stops being fun as I’m spending more time looking up words than playing.
Learning and fun time don’t have to coexist. They can but they don’t have to. Guilt, boredom and frustration can be killers to learning. So, always feel free to enjoy your own native material.
A little more than a year ago I stopped using English subtitles for Japanese content, I started to use Japanese dubs when available for TV shows, and I started to only play games in Japanese too.
At first it was disturbing not being able to understand 100%, but after some time I got used to it. I also noticed that the information I’ll retain is mostly the same between Japanese and languages I’m native/fluent with.
But I don’t get frustrated if some TV shows only exist in English and still watch them. I decided to merge entertainments and studies because doing both wouldn’t have been possible as I work full time.
Feeling guilty doesn’t help anything, if you force yourself and make ENTERTAINMENT a chore you’re putting yourself on the fast track to burnout.
Nope. Sometimes I need to turn my brain off and that’s ok. Burnout is bad.
I guess I just study Japanese 2 hours/day, after that it’s ENG.
The only English I use is with people around me and Reddit, otherwise I use my time for Japanese media. Don’t feel obligated to only use Japanese media though. Enjoy what you’d like to; just make sure you are getting proper hours in with Japanese too ofc
I mix it up. It’s be too isolating not to do Eng stuff with my family. Also, I tend to prefer watching things in whatever language is native with a few exceptions. As long as you immerse a little every day that’s what counts.
No. Japanese only content doesn’t even come close to the depth and breadth of what is available in English. I love Japanese, but my sensibilities and the things I’m drawn to are typically more western oriented so I just can’t be satisfied by subsisting on Japanese content alone. I feel like I’ve achieved high proficiency in the language despite never having gone through an ‘immersion’ period. I still watch and listen to a lot of Japanese content, but there’s just so much English language stuff which I enjoy and wouldn’t give up purely for the sake of such a nebulous notion that is immersion.
I haven’t cut out English content but it’s been significantly reduced. If I can have it in Japanese, I will please. I have a slightly more manic approach. If immersing in Japanese means I’m enjoying it by myself so be it. I started this journey alone. Nobody else.