Hello, my name is Tom, and I’m from a small(ish) town near Chicago.

Here’s a little info on why I want to learn Japanese. My long term goal is to be able to go to Japan with my sister and try local specialty foods from all around the country. Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. For the short term though, I just want to be able to watch Japanese films and anime without needing subtitles (or just talk to the people at my local Japanese market in Japanese). I figure it’s best to have a long term goal for inspiration and a short term goal just so I can have something that always seems within reach.

Now on about my progress so far…
I really don’t know how I stumbled upon TextFugu however I do know that this is a perfect match for the way I learn. Being someone with a past of ADHD (Better now though :D), I know learning something that doesn’t interest you can be a real pain. Although, when the topic is something I enjoy I can be one of the most proficient learners I know. TextFugu’s blend of Humor (gotta love it :P), Self-Motivation, and great insight on the subject helped me find a goal I wanted to strive for and has kept me (and will keep me in the future) motivated to keep on learning. I finished the first season in five days (learned Hiragana in 3) and I am very much looking forward to season two.

This is as much of an introduction as it is a thank you to Koichi and anyone else who helped create TextFugu! Thanks! I hope I can do it!

~Tom Jensen