When your English isn’t improving, it’s easy to blame yourself: “I just don’t have the willpower,” or “I’m not good at languages.” But if you’re studying English in Japan, take a look at your surroundings before you jump to that conclusion. There’s an invisible kind of friction all around you that quietly keeps English at a distance.
Do nothing, and you’re surrounded by Japanese
Living in Japan, you don’t have to go looking for Japanese. It comes to you. TV, online news, conversations at work and with friends: almost all of it is in Japanese. And when you look something up, if you search in Japanese out of habit, of course all you get back is Japanese.
Your phone is no different. Watch one Japanese video on YouTube, and your recommendations quickly fill up with more of them. If you want English, you have to go out of your way to find it.
“Unlimited listening” — except English costs extra
Take Audible. Even if you pay for the monthly unlimited plan, many English audiobooks aren’t included. If there’s a title you want, you have to buy it separately, on top of your subscription.
You can listen to Japanese books one after another at no extra cost, but the moment you pick an English one, you’re paying more. No wonder people end up reaching for Japanese titles.
English books: hard to find, and expensive
Bookstores aren’t much better. The English section is often just a small shelf in the back, and outside the big stores, many don’t carry English books at all.
They cost more, too. A thin paperback can be priced the same as a new Japanese book, or even higher. Just getting your hands on one English book takes extra time and money.
Small hassles become an “invisible tax”
Each of these is only a small hassle or expense. But when this invisible tax adds up day after day, even touching English starts to feel like a chore.
Most of us aren’t great at sticking with things that feel like a chore. If you can’t keep up your English, it may not be your personality. The barrier to reaching English might simply be too high.
So if you didn’t get much English in this week, there’s no need to beat yourself up. It’s not about your talent or your character. You’re just living somewhere with a high “entry fee” for English.
Don’t rely on willpower — change your environment
The real first step is noticing this friction. From there, try to weaken the pull of Japanese, little by little. Here are a few ideas:
- Switch your phone to English. A screen you check dozens of times a day becomes free English practice.
- Search in English. Search in English, and you’ll get English results. Start with the everyday things you look up.
- Don’t insist on paper books. English e-books on Kindle are often cheaper than imported paperbacks, and you can start reading right away.
- Use the library. Some public libraries in Japan carry English graded readers for extensive reading.
- Listen for free. With English podcasts and YouTube channels, you can hear English every day without spending a yen.
You don’t have to change everything at once. Even if it’s just one corner of your room or your phone, create one place where English shows up without any effort.
Whether you learn English isn’t decided by ability alone. It also depends on the environment you build for yourself.
Essays, audio and drawings about building a life you can keep up with. Written in Tokyo.