2024/05/27:
TL:DR: getting back to so sense of normality, still working on all skills instead of focusing just on one. I have a new found love of kanji and still hate vocab learning through textbooks 
just taking it a day at a time.
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So I feel like I’m starting to get back into the swing of things though it is still early days. I haven’t been reading at work since I’ve been on half days with little to no breaks but this week is back to normal full time (even though the half days left me exhausted or jittery).
I’ve managed to do a bit of reading or some of Shin Kanzen Master N4 books (completed the Kanji one and now continuing with the vocabulary one) every day. I do think that Natively Lv 18 is the sweet spot for me learning through reading at the moment. Currently working through the “Let’s read Japanese” series and although book 4 shows as Lv13?, it’s probably around Lv16 /Lv 17. I can read most of it with one 1-2 look ups max per page (usually the same words that’s been used in that story or another in the same set).
The stories can be weird even when they aren’t folk lore ones and they have been changed to suit the level they are supposed to be but they do follow the original mostly, even if it’s easier language. I’m not hating them but they’re not exactly gripping either. I’m working through them for translation practice and to see how much I can understand naturally and through context before having to look stuff up. They have been short enough that even though they aren’t that great, it’s not been a mega chore to read them.
I’m half way almost, through this book then I’ve one more book after this with higher level stories in it before I’ll be looking to see what my next steps will be. I’m also considering doing the N3 Shin Kanzen Master kanji book since I seem to have a new found interest in kanji stroke order, correct writing and recognition though I’m not enjoying the vocabulary book from the same set (N4 level). I just seem to abhor learning vocab through trying to memorise them instead of naturally through reading.
I’m still doing my weekly language exchanges, those haven’t ever stopped, and I’m still doing my weekly conversations with my tutor though I’ve been struggling with what to talk about (nothing new there). She did recommend 2 books recently, one her father is reading and one she is reading so bought those thinking I could try reading and talking about that but I’m still not quite sure where to start with it.
I need more listening practice too so re-started listening to また、同じ夢を見ていた。I actually found there was a lot more in the first chapter that I understood this time even though not much has changed since I last tried to reading and listening to it.
For speaking outside of my language exchanges and tutor lessons, I have continued doing Paul Noble’s course - Next steps in Japanese. I’ve done this because it is helping me to string sentences together and also, somehow, it is helping me to break down longer sentences too. I kind of want another course after this but I don’t think I’ll find one that works the same way as this isn’t your usual wrote memorisation method. He gets you to build sentences from individuals words and smaller blocks that you have already learned then asks you to translate from English. After a short pause, you hear a native Japanese speaker repeat it in Japanese. I haven’t come across another course like it. It’s also similar to what one of my Japanese language exchange friends does to help me with Japanese and that method seems to be helping me to work things out.
For the moment, I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing and see how things go, just taking it a day at a time and then once I’m back in a decent space, I’ll look at a more structured routine again if need be.
