Build a fun and effective immersion environment right where you are (without the hassle of moving to Japan, paying for expensive classes, or slogging through boring textbooks.)
You probably already know that "immersion" (being surrounded by the language all the time) is the best way to learn Japanese. But here’s what you might not know. You don’t need a plane ticket, new zip code, or classroom to immerse yourself in Nihongo.
With the right methods, materials, and attitude, you can reach a high level of fluency anywhere in the world. Master Japanese shows you how to create an immersion environment almost as good as being in Tokyo or Osaka, even if you’re stuck in Tampa or Oklahoma. The book empowers you to:
Learn where you want.
Learn when you want.
Learn how you want.
Meet Your Diving Instructor
Hi, I’m John Fotheringham, a linguist, teacher, the author of Master Japanese, and the creator of the Anywhere Immersion Method™ (A.I.M.).
Like most Japanese learners, I really struggled to learn the language through formal classes. But once I realized that I could learn faster and have more fun by creating my own immersion environment, my progress took off.
I now teach others how to learn through the same immersion-based approach, no matter where in the world you are.
I’ve been learning and teaching languages for over two decades, including studying Linguistics at Western Washington University, teaching adults in the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan, presenting at multinational companies, working as a translator and interpreter for the Japanese government, and now creating immersion books and courses.
I have dedicated my life to empowering language learners, making language acquisition more fun and effective, and helping others avoid some of the mistakes I made along the way.
You are NOT alone.
Most Japanese learners spend years “studying” the language but never reach fluency.
Here are the six most common causes. Any of these sound familiar?
The path to fluency isn’t necessarily complicated, but it DOES take consistent practice, day after day. You need to get crystal-clear clarity on your reason for learning Japanese, the “WHY” that keeps you going on the days where you feel bored or unmotivated.
To reach fluency, you need thousands of hours of "input" (listening and reading) and "output" (speaking and writing). That might sound impossible in your busy schedule, but there are many ways to squeeze in time each day through “habit stacking” and “hidden moments.”
Most people don’t practice speaking enough due to fear of making mistakes. They busy themselves instead with memorizing vocabulary, tapping away in language apps, or watching YouTube videos. These activities can help, but they won’t teach you to actually speak Japanese.
A lot of learners get stuck studying ABOUT the language rather than actually practicing IN the language itself. Many language apps and classes focus on indirect skills that don’t build fluency and won’t help you in actual human-to-human communication.
Fun gets done, so you need to select methods that YOU will enjoy. It’s natural for language learners to sometimes feel bored and not want to keep going. This is why it’s extra important to use materials that are fun to use and fit your unique interests and goals.
On the other hand, many language learners feel overwhelmed when considering all the materials they could use, and as a consequence, they never actually get started. Finding just a handful of tools you love to use, and sticking with those consistently, is the antidote. Less but better.
Building a personalized immersion environment right where you are!
If you can avoid the above mistakes and put in the required time and effort, you will reach fluency in Japanese.
The key to all of this is creating a fun, immersive environment right at home. It is this environment—and all the exposure and opportunities for practice it provides—that will actually get you to fluency.
Not textbooks.
Not classes.
Not teachers.
Not apps.
Nope, your environment holds the key. And you have more power today than anytime in human history to control and build your learning environment. By leveraging the power of modern technology and media, you can create an amazingly effective immersion environment wherever you are:
At home
At work
At the gym
In the car
On a walk
You used to have only two choices if you wanted to get fluent in Japanese:
Take expensive classes.
Move to Japan.
Today, anyone with an internet connection and a little creativity can learn the language anywhere in the world. While Japanese classes and living abroad can be great, they no longer have to be a barrier to entry for language learners.
Master Japanese shows you how to create what I call an “Anywhere Immersion” environment that brings Japan to you right where you are. Not only can you learn from the comfort of home, but this approach has many advantages over traditional classroom and textbook-based learning:
The Anywhere Immersion Method allows you to choose fun, engaging materials and activities that you love.
Language classes and textbooks are boring and expensive. Choose fun―and often free!―modern resources instead.
Anywhere Immersion allows you to learn anytime, anywhere. No need to move abroad or commute to a class.
Your custom immersion environment allows you to learn more quickly and leverage tiny “hidden moments” throughout the day.
Humans have acquired languages through immersion for hundreds of thousands of years. Our brains are hard-wired to learn this way.
Anywhere Immersion allows you to tailor the learning process to your unique interests, needs, and learning style.
What readers have said about Master Japanese
Retired Technical Writer
“Master Japanese is the most helpful book I’ve found in my 2+ year effort to learn Japanese. This is a very comprehensive book.
John provides learners with helpful strategies to approach the learning process, which can be overwhelming unless you can figure out how to make sustainable progress.”
Sales Associate
"I now work in the sales department of a Japanese company. The only reason why I got the job was because they were very impressed by my Japanese level for someone who recently started learning the language.
It’s all thanks to your book Master Japanese. Thank you for your great work and kindness."
Translator
"Master Japanese is packed with tips, concrete steps, advice, suggestions, links, and other resources that, if you actually follow and use them, will make your Japanese learning not only much more effective and efficient, but also actually FUN and enjoyable.
I LOVE Master Japanese and I love John’s work."
A how-to manual for independent language learners
Master Japanese is NOT a textbook.
Nor is it a guided language course.
Textbooks and courses have their place (and I've created some myself!), but the purpose of Master Japanese is to act as a navigation system for independent learners.
The book will show you:
How to learn Japanese through "Anywhere Immersion."
What methods and resources to use to increase fun and efficiency.
What common mistakes and pitfalls to avoid so you don't waste time.
Here's a sneak peek of Master Japanese
You'll learn how to get the most out of the book, get answers to common learner questions, shift your mindset for success, and define your WHY for learning Japanese.
You’ll get a roadmap to Japanese fluency and learn the phases that lie ahead (and how to get through the traps!) as you improve the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Now that you know the roadmap, you’ll create an ideal learning schedule for yourself, learn proven strategies to keep yourself on track, and learn the right way to measure your progress.
You’ll learn how to win the inner battle of learning a language by changing how you think. You’ll also get proven strategies to face your fears, keep your motivation high, and develop diamond-tough discipline.
Learning how to learn is life’s most important skill. You’ll accelerate your progress by learning how to create an immersion environment of fun activities at home, plus proven methods for developing skill and improving memory.
You’ll select your “weapons,” the tools and resources that are right for YOU to learn the way you like. I’ll give you my top recommendations for dictionaries, podcasts, music, TV shows, movies, video games, comics, books, and much more.
The Master Japanese Digital Bundle includes the book in 2 formats:
The beautiful PDF version of Master Japanese works on all devices and operating systems and can be opened with any PDF reader.
The EPUB version of Master Japanese can be viewed in all versions of iBooks (iOS & macOS) and many other eBook readers.
These print-ready PDF worksheets and cheat sheets act as quick, easy reference for key information covered in the book, and make it easy to create your personalized goals, systems, strategies, and schedule.
Unlock essential patterns with Tim Ferriss’ famous 12 sentences. Think of it as the “80-20 Rule” applied to grammar.
Create a personalized self-introduction in Japanese to build confidence, easily meet new people, and help put native speakers at ease.
Learning these high-frequency words will empower you to understand over 70% of the Japanese you will see and hear day to day!
This kana cheat sheet includes all the sounds of Japanese in one handy resource, including hiragana, katakana, and roumaji.
A complete list of all the characters in Remembering the Simplified Hanzi, including frame numbers and keywords.
A complete list of all kanji included in James Heisig's classic Remembering the Kanji, including kanji, keywords, and frame numbers.
Quickly check how to conjugate common verbs and adjectives, including verbs tenses, commands, passive constructions, and more.
Learn which pronouns to use (and which can be offensive), plus how to indicate location, direction, type, manner, and more.
Japanese expresses formality, respect, and humility using a complex system called "keigo." Use this cheat sheet to be respectful and avoid offense.
Japanese has tons of “sound symbolic words” (words that imitate sounds). Use this cheat sheet to master the essentials.
Create specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound goals and then translate them into effective daily systems.
Get ideas about how to integrate Anywhere Immersion activities into your life and then create your own personalized study plan.
Get inspired and avoid the most common mistakes with interviews with Japanese experts, linguists, polyglots, teachers, and authors.
Founder, Fluent in 3 Months
Author, Remembering the Hanzi
Author, Making Sense of Japanese
Founder, All Japanese All the Time
Founder, Fluent Every Year
Founder, Omniglot.com
Founder, LingQ
UCSD Language Production Lab
You can choose to read Master Japanese on any device using the beautiful PDF or in iBooks or the Kindle app using the EPUB version.
3 bonus books to help you master Japanese, learn hiragana and katakana, and conquer kanji.
12 print-ready PDF worksheets and cheat sheets to help you apply what you’re learning and optimize your language learning time.
Get inspired and avoid the most common mistakes with interviews with Japanese experts, linguists, polyglots, teachers, and authors.