Author Archives: SarahKobayashi

As I look back over the past 12 lessons, I am amazed to see my progress. I am able to now recognize specific hiragana characters as I read. Each lesson I am able to memorize several more. After numerous practice … Continue reading →

Today we practiced reading my self-portrait. I am trying to only look at the Hiragan versus Romanji. It is good practice for me to challenge myself to do this. I feel like in some ways, I am being immersed in … Continue reading →

Today I had to practice speaking my story without looking at any Romanji I had written down & focusing only the Hiragana. Since I am familiar with my story, this helps me know the rhythm & recognition of the Hiragana … Continue reading →

My family consists of my husband, Mark, and 2 sons: Malachi & Moses. We love being together, going to the beach, surfing, eating, camping, watching movies, and exploring. We are preparing to move to Okinawa at the end of July. … Continue reading →

Today, I reviewed my entire 4 paragraph story by myself. I felt much better, like my speaking was flowing easier and not so choppy. We reviewed comprehension questions regarding my story and then proceeded onto learning 10 new verbs; past, … Continue reading →

Today Michiko & I practiced answering various questions. I am feeling more comfortable with understanding how to answer by including various particles and ending with です。We then reviewed my story in entirety several times. Michiko stated that I am sounding … Continue reading →

Today I was much more focused. I started the lesson writing a new story that Michiko will eventually translate into Japanese for me. Then we reviewed some of the basic questions, focusing on my intonation and length of each sound. … Continue reading →

I was born and raised half of my childhood years on the Big Island of Hawaii. I have always considered this place to be my home. Here I developed a love of island living; enjoying the outdoors, hiking, swimming, diving, … Continue reading →

Today was my 6th lesson in Japanese. It was a bit more difficult today. We reviewed the last paragraph of my first story and practiced the beginning of my second story in Japanese. We practiced answering various questions verbally and … Continue reading →

This past weekend we went camping with a bunch of friends at Kiholo on the Big Island. We had a lot of fun swimming, diving, fishing, & Stand-Up Paddle boarding. One morning, we caught something big and someone had to … Continue reading →