“I don’t need to be able to read Kanji in Japan!” That was probably your statement when you first came here. You can of course ask any Japanese what that kanji means you are trying to read. Ask the friendly guy at the information desk, the young lady at the grocery shop or just people passing by. However, asking the same friendly guy at the information how to get home every day, you might soon feel an urgent desire to be able to decipher those ominous characters on the screen yourself.
If you happen to have dinner at an “Izakaya” without Japanese company, chances are you will be staring at the menu with big eyes while a neatly dressed waitress is making desperate efforts to explain the dishes to you. At this point, you will be eager to end your existence as an illiterate as soon as possible. From personal experience, I’d recommend you to take an effort in learning the Kanji; I wish I had. To be fair though, almost no one brings this special bonus along when coming here for the first time. The Japanese are good-natured people, who usually are prepared for confused “Gaijins” like us. Many restaurants even display plastic versions of their dishes at the entrance. That being said, it’s quite manageable to get a basic grasp of daily-used kanji even without studying for years with tiring books. Once you start learning Kanji, you’ll probably find yourself mesmerized by those beautiful Chinese characters pretty fast. The cream of the crop: you will finally be able to read the newest volume of your favorite manga!
http://www.japanese-school-asahi.com/
