A thank you to Amy Chavez for her Dec. 1 column, "The best-ever tips on learning Japanese." I am pleased that Chavez knows how to write the truth with heart. Her article is the stake in the heart of those that whine about Japanese being difficult to learn.
I am a dyslexic, 59-year-old guy learning Japanese. The only way to learn it is through hard work — more so for me. It's about time someone stood up and told the truth about learning a foreign language; it's countless hours of study over and over.
I like how Chavez cuts to the chase with her no-nonsense, don't-blame-others attitude. For several months I have been doing exactly what Chavez wrote, and it works. Communication is a lifelong study; someday I will master it. Until then, people I talk with will keep scratching their heads.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.