I have been living in Japan for over 18 years. When I first came to Japan, I didn’t have a computer, and email was not so popular. I used to exchange letters with my family and friends. Now, of course, the world is different. We have social media and platforms like Skype. It is much easier to stay in touch (stay in touch = maintain contact) with family and friends.

I speak to my family in the UK every week, and my friends in other countries a few times a month. It seems like the world is a smaller place now.

A year or so ago, I found all the letters from my family and friends from 18 years ago. I had kept them in a box. I enjoyed re-reading them. They brought back memories. My friends and family wanted to hear about life in Japan. They didn’t have the Internet in their houses at the time, so they didn’t have much information about Japan. I wanted to hear news about my hometown and my friends’ lives. Now, I just have to look on Facebook to find out about my friends’ lives. And of course, there is a lot of information about Japan on the Internet now.

When I go back to the UK to visit friends and family, or when friends come to visit me, it is nice to see people, but it is different from before. Now, I can see everyone’s face on my computer screen every week or every month, so when I see them in person, it is not as special as it used to be.

When I first came to Japan, I was often lonely. I missed my family and friends. I was always excited to receive letters from them. Now, I don’t feel so lonely anymore. I just go on Facebook or Skype, and my family and friends are there.

How do you keep in touch with your friends and family?

Heather @ I Talk You Talk Press

I think reading is very important when learning a foreign language. I learnt Japanese by using textbooks and CDs, watching TV, and by talking to my friends. I also read. I read everything I could –  newspapers, magazines, manga, pamphlets, advertisements, books…

Of course, I didn’t understand everything. But I continued to read and read. After a few months, I noticed a change. I could understand more and more. When I read, I didn’t use a dictionary. If I didn’t understand a kanji character, I just guessed the meaning, and continued reading. Sometimes I understood most of the text. At other times, I understood nothing.

I still read in Japanese. Now, I like to read novels. I mentioned this before on this blog. One of my favourite writers is Matsumoto Seicho. He wrote detective stories and mysteries. I read them at night, before I go to bed. Sometimes, they are so exciting, that I can’t sleep! I want to read more!

Now I am reading 「時間の習俗 」(Jikan no Shuzoku). A detective is trying to solve a murder. The murder suspect has an alibi, but the detective is not giving up. I wonder if the suspect is the murderer?

This is the book.

And this is Matsumoto Seicho.

I want to read all of his books. Of course, reading them will help me to maintain my Japanese skills, but it will also be fun!

Do you read in a foreign language? What kind of books do you like?

Heather@I Talk You Talk Press