It has been quite some time since I've been interested in learning Japanese and Japanese culture. I've been a huge fan of Japanese fusion jazz bands such as T-Square since I was about 13 years old. I literally flew over to Japan solely for the purpose of buying band scores from music stores at Ochanomizu, Tokyo. Since then, I have been to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo and Otaru. I once got lost in Narita (not the airport, but the city), but that's a story for another time. As much as I enjoyed visiting Japan, I realized I haven't been experiencing the nation fully because I didn't speak the language. Communicating with people is the most important aspect of the whole cultural experience, right? Anyway, I am planning another trip to Tokyo this winter as I have a couple friends there who works for Rakuten. I am really looking forward to it as it will be even better than my last few visits since I am learning Japanese now.