What have I achieved since then? Why, I've only learned the language's katakana alphabet, that's all.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXYkD9naITx6NoEVnxaKpqw8SvXFJ5P1dWsBVUELPl1-flBRlCHJ4CNFsCJX62meeoqPU0sm4_bI7qOAjLyMBg8qXgLtldYu1T__NN-bS5mB0-XdT_ZhFhc4n67RyxoWV2a064g/s400/katakana1.gif)
Granted, some folks learn both of these alphabets--er, syllabaries--in week or less, but neither my brain nor my schedule would allow for that.
Anyway, as a result of my two-to-three-week dedication to enhancing my ability to communicate with the world (ha!), I can now speak, read and write (with proper stroke order!) all of the Japanese language's hiragana and katakana characters.
As for what's next: vocabulary and basic grammar, mostly by way of the first volume of Genki's An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese.
I'm also going to take a Twitter friend's advice and stick Post-It notes with words like "chair" and "lamp" and "vase" (in Japanese, of course) around our house in order to speed up my comprehension of such everyday terms.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvgxtegtI11gucKV1Yb9iKBiDMGaY6trhwkIwne7XYbdk7jx851u1ECuBr4jUDzy7mxV2cJ7AFInxR4BCQ-jGyGiW75bndQCbqdKw78G5-kajydb2vmyjnw3kE88ZyJiGlCQwyQA/s400/katakana2.gif)
Will any of this help me learn enough Japanese to at least fumble my way through games I've always wanted to play, like Tengai Makyou II: Manji Maru (PC Engine), Shin Onigashima (Famicom Disk System) and, er, Royal Stone (Game Gear)?
I have no idea, but I'll do my best to keep all of you in the loop either way.
See also: 'A long-overdue update RE: my quest to learn Japanese'