Learning Japanese - Polyglot Custom Journal

Journals - Custom Subliminals
#23

Day 5 - 10/10/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 - Lesson 4
    Repeated the lesson and I’m glad I did. Smooth and natural with quick effortless responses. Part way through the lesson I turned off the English translator in my mind, and just did my best to answer and think in the little Japanese I know.

One of my big goals is thinking in a second language, so let’s start now.

  • Speak dot Com Japanese

Did a unit today, not as much as I had been doing. Was great!

Notes

Today was a gym and work day, and there are many other plates in the air in my life also, so I’m proud of myself for showing up today.

I think an hour a day should be doable moving forward.

Feeling good, feeling good.

In 2 years, who knows, I might just be fluent.

Still haven’t gotten the custom yet, I’m pretty positive Polyglot will make a big difference.

1 Like
#24

Day 6 - 10/11/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 - Lesson 5

Felt great, easy, free flowing, only a couple of small mistakes.

  • Speak dot Com Japanese

Finished the first course. Solid introduction to casual, survival/conversational Japanese.

Notes

Having fun. My goal is to finish Speak’s Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2 course and review everything solidly in the next 5 days. Should be pretty easy. Might try and finish there “intermediate” course within another week or 2.

Duolingo is bottom priority right now, still, and it will remain that way. I genuinely feel like Duolingo is more useful after you’ve been speaking for a while. Elsewise it’s just rote memorization of stuff out of context.

Wani Kani will become second priority after I’m done with Speak. I already know Hiragana, same as the note above.

Speaking is top priority above all else.

Feeling pretty good about where I’ll land on 5-6 months.

1 Like
#25

Day 7 - 10/12/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 - Lesson 6

Lesson again, went great. A couple of very minor mistakes, but nothing that suggests I should repeat this lesson.

  • Speak Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2

Also great, bringing back even more vocab that I learned in school and helping it stick better. I’m pretty sure I’m going to push to finish all 4 levels of this course and review everything until I feel comfortable with all the concepts while I continue with Pimsleur.

  • WaniKani Level 1 Radical Reviews

I took a couple days off WaniKani, and today I learned that they lock progression behind reviews spaced 24 hours apart. This, though kinda annoying, is actually a great feature. It’s annoying because I like to cram, but I like it because it prevents me from cramming.

Did my radical reviews, now there is nothing to do for another 24 hours.

I’m really glad I found WaniKani. It has everything that I loved about Remembering the Kanji but with built in spaced repetition and it prevents you from over cramming and moving too fast.

  • Duolingo Not Done

Not bothering with it until after I’ve finished with Speak. Then I will settle into a rhythm with it.

Notes

Feeling really good about this. Already had some interesting manifestations related to this journey.

1 Like
#26

Day 8 - 10/13/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 - Lesson 7

Got a little restless during the lesson today, started hitting the boxing dummy, started making stupid mistakes. Going to repeat the lesson tonight as I go to bed. I don’t think I need another day with it, I just goofballed out and started making mistakes.

  • Speak Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2

Good lesson today, might do more later, otherwise pretty solid lesson on basic Japanese for public hot springs. Solid.

  • WaniKani Level 1 Radical Reviews + First 2 Kanji

Kanji for one and eight learned today. Reviewed the radicals. The more I use WaniKani, the more I love it. I love that it does all the heavy lifting for you. It takes all the work out of setting up your own SRS routine, and just allows you to hop on and do your lessons and reviews when then become available. The Mnemonics are funny–really damn strange actually. I like it, it’s a good system. Let’s see how it works out. My goal is to learn all their Kanji in a year, making me literate (if I have the vocab to match) in a year. It feels very possible for me.

Notes

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how utterly stupid the way languages are taught in the class room is.

Yes, I am more advanced than someone starting from scratch thanks to two years of formal instruction. However, it’s just shocking how useless classroom learning really is compared to the methods I’m using.

Keep in mind, I was an A+ student in Japanese, was taught by a native Japanese teacher who really cared about her students, and the classroom model still utterly failed me. I “should”–according to what I learned in school–be an upper intermediate Japanese learner right now.

Intellectually, yes I am upper intermediate. However, functionally not even close.

BUT!

I’m closing the gap fast.

What’s been happening recently, is all that crap I learned in the classroom is finally “coming to the surface” and becoming useful now that I’m using more grounded and organic language learning methods.

I think I’ll be pretty impressed by how far I get in a year. Functional fluency feels attainable within a year.

Functional meaning what?

Well fluency is something that’s rarely well defined.

But what fluency means to me, is getting to the level of a Japanese High School Graduate.

So that’s the goal post.

2 Likes
#27

Day 9 - 10/14/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 - Lesson 7

Did this lesson a second time today because I wasn’t satisfied with my performance yesterday.

  • Speak Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2

Good lesson today.

  • WaniKani Level 1

Learned 15 more kanji today. Felt pretty good.

Notes

Just got the custom and ran my first loop today. The recon exists, but I’m still determined! I think after a cycle or so, I will settle into the groove of the new custom. will keep pushing ahead anyway!

2 Likes
#28

Day 9 - 10/15/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 - Lesson 8

Felt great. Back in the flow. Easy, flowing, natural. I did the flashcards for all 7 previous lessons prior to, today’s lesson. Flashcards, it’s something that I’m pretty wary of. I think that they might come in hand later. But for now I’m not relying on any of the gamification features that exist within the app for now, and I think I’m making the right decision by avoiding those things in favor of mastering the lessons through speaking and listening only.

  • Speak Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2

Good lesson today! I’ve slowed down a little bit on the course, and (though I’m still moving pretty fast) I’m not rushing to finish it as quick as possible. I signed up for another week free trial and intend to get a month’s subscription following that. That will give me plenty of time to finish the whole course, review and solidify everything, and form an honest and informed opinion about it.

  • WaniKani Level 1

Unlocked all Kanji and Radicals for this level, I think I learn the vocab next?

Notes

Found another resource called language reactor. I’m going to do some investigating into it. Sticking to the exact plan above until I’ve finished all the Speak content and reviewed it and gotten the max from the app.

Then I will start duolingo back up, and possibly start using Language Reactor or something similar.

I’m going to start introducing more listening into my life by watching Anime with Subtitles. Soon. I’m trying to build a good vocab base before I make this a normal part of my daily routine.

I have a strong feeling that once I’m done with Pimsleur level 5, much of my study will be kanji, reading, and watching a ton of anime and Japanese media, so I’m going to be on the lookout for the best language learning Netflix add on that I can get.

Just moving forward. All questions will be answered by learning more Japanese.

2 Likes
#29

Okay, I just started using. HOLY FREAKING BUCKETS BOYS! THIS ONE IS GOING TO BE A GAME CHANGER! HOLY COW! I’M GONNA BE USING THIS THING DAILY. I JUST LEARNED A COUPLE WORDS FROM WATCHING MY FAVORITE ANIME.

2 Likes
#30

This is gonna be a game changer. The more Japanese I learn, the more kanji, the more I can use language reactor and learn from my favorite anime.

Fluent in a year without killing myself.

Let’s go.

3 Likes
#31

That’s what I was talking about (not the app, the principle).
Happy for you.
And for me, since you’re delivering all the needed Ressources on a silver plate.

1 Like
#32

Such is my true goal. I think the modern language learning landscape is trash and full of grifters. I took two years of Japanese in college, and I’m already more advanced than I was when I got that final A+ 4 years ago.

#33

Day 10 - 10/16/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 - Lesson 9

Kinda rough today. Recon and lack of sleep. Glad I did it, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Will repeat lesson 9 tomorrow!

  • Speak Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2

Only did one lesson today. Just quick and effective.

  • WaniKani Level 1

Learned the first two vocab words.
Singing the praises of WaniKani again each level has:

  • Mnemonics
  • Built in SRS
  • Radical → Kanji
  • Reinforced by vocab readings

We will see where I’m at in a few months, but I really believe this is probably the best way for an adult English native to learn Kanji. I had great success with Remembering the Kanji a few years ago. This takes everything that worked about that, cuts out the busy work (crafting your own mnemonics and putting yourself on an organized study plan) and takes it a step further by cementing everything with vocab based on the Kanji each level.

The ONLY draw back that I see, is that it doesn’t allow you to work at your own pace–not so far as I can find. It keeps you locked on their progression system. So this one feature is annoying. However, I see the wisdom in it, because once you get past the first week of slowness, the pace really starts to ramp up, and you can move faster, by getting the quizzes correct and making less mistakes.

So though I’d still like to see the option for someone to work at their own pace, I actually feel like the system helps to “save you from yourself”.

Now that I’m at the end of the first week, the reviews are already getting bigger and bigger.

It’s just a great system.

From what I’ve been able to gather from reading their docs, full literacy (around high school or average Japanese person level) should be possible in a year.

Notes

Overall this was a slower day than normal. School just started, and I’ve been very busy. We just show up each and every day.

I have a pretty good feeling that after Pimsleur and Speak, my daily learning is going to be:

  • Language Reactor 50% or more
  • WaniKani 35%
  • Duolingo - The rest.
2 Likes
#34

Day 11 - 10/17/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 - Lesson 9

Easy and smooth. Went through all the flashcards and remembered again how much I hate flashcards and how useless I believe them to be. I don’t think I will waste any time with them again.

  • Speak Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2

Only did one lesson today. Just quick and effective. Went pretty well, started knitting even more vocab together, and even started understanding questions framed in grammatical ways that I’d never heard before. Very exciting!

  • WaniKani Level 1

More review today. Looks like there are 30+ vocab words that I will learn this level before I advance to level 2. I’m still really loving it. Given that my time line is a year, the pace still feels very manageable and I’ve been able to get it all done in just a couple minuets a day. Soon enough, I’ll start encountering these Kanji often through using Language Reactor and they will become self-reinforcing, in the same way that after learning how to read English as a kid, it just became an automatic and self-reinforcing thing.

I learn new English words all the time, but the reading of the language is automatic and I’m able to figure out a lot of words just based on my knowledge of etymology. I imagine that by learning kanji, I’ll gain the same super power of being able to figure words out by understanding the kanji and radicals.

Notes

This is where the real test of my methods begins. School just started again, so now I’m:

  • Working out 3 days a week
  • Full time student
  • Working full time
  • Maintaining relationships
  • Learning Japanese
  • Dealing with life stuff.

This is the real test of, what I believe is becoming, a highly efficient and effective way to learn a second language with a very full life.

The fact that my life is full and busy, actually increasing the importance of immersion. The faster I become literate and semi fluent (able to learn Japanese IN Japanese), the faster I can move over to more schedule and life friendly language learning–like reading and watching Anime.

I don’t know yet, but I think I’ll be surprised by where my skills are at in the next 5-6 months, even with this 1-2 hour per day commitment.

In terms of Japanese study today, I interleaved it with my programming homework. I think this is going to be a good strategy on my homework days. It gives me something to look forward too on my breaks, keeps the mind active, and studies have shown that interleaving is an effective strategy for learning.

So Japanese helps me learn programming and vice versa.

3 Likes
#35

Just found hayailearn.com in my reels.
Looks interesting. Might wanna check it it out how it compares to your tools.

#36

That’s how I found language reactor, actually. Language reactor is pretty damn similar, but it’s free!

#37

Day 12 - 10/18/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese

Skipped. Just forgot to do the lesson between homework and gym.

  • Speak Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2

One quick lesson today. There is no doubt that I will finish the whole course before the end of my month subscription. I’m going to put my foot on the gas a little bit with this, so I can finish all the courses and then spend a week (hopefully more) simply reviewing and using the app features to practice what I’ve learned and to really test out the “Free Talk” feature. Then I can give my full review.

  • WaniKani Level 1

More review and more vocab unlocked. I was a bit disengaged today. I decided to knock out the kanji while listening to my stack. Not a good idea. Frankly, I always do best when I keep listening separated from any important activities.

Notes

A much slower day than what’s come before, but it was also 10 hours of programming homework and a gym session. Endurance.

Looking into switching my schedule up to make time to do certain things every day.

1 Like
#38

Day 13 - 10/19/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 Lesson 10

Was a bit off. Going to repeat it again tomorrow!

  • Speak Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2

Once again, just one short lesson today. Was a great lesson and I’m naturally and intuitively understanding a lot of the vocab in the AI conversations better and better.

  • WaniKani Level 1

Just review today. I did unlock some more words, but I’m going to save that for tomorrow. It’s too late at night, and I want to give them some TLC and focus tomorrow.

Notes

Feeling amazing. I spent a little time today thinking ahead for how I’m going to fit Japanese into my schedule moving forward with how busy I am. I think a solid hour a day is manageable. With most of that time spent on Speak and Pimsleur, and the rest on Kanji.

Crazy! Tomorrow marks 2 weeks already!

1 Like
#39

Day 14 - 10/20/2025

Completed

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 Lesson 10

Easy, flowing, great.

  • Speak Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2

Good short lesson. Some useful phrases.

  • WaniKani Level 1

Vocab, review, and more kanji, I’m at level 2 now, it seems. Which is kinda confusing because I haven’t learned all the vocab for level 1, but I’m just gonna trust the system and do my lessons everyday like I’ve been doing. I’m sure there is a method to the madness.

Notes

Feeling good.

2 Likes
#40

Day 14 - 10/21/2025

  • Pimsleur Japanese Level 1 Lesson 11

A little tough. Stumbled more than I would have liked. Gonna do it again tomorrow.

  • Speak Beginner Survival Japanese Part 2

Good short lesson. Stumbled a little more than usual right now, I think there’s a pattern here.

  • WaniKani Level 1

50 reviews and 15 new characters. Nice.

Notes

Did my Japanese work right after the gym, and I noticed it. I was still breathing a little heavy when I started Pimsleur. So, I think that I’m going to avoid doing Japanese RIGHT after the gym from now on. It’s not a big deal, but there’s just better points in the day to do Japanese work.

1 Like
#41

Try doing Pimsleur in the morning so that if it’s tough, you can do it again in the evening

1 Like