BBC website offers a touch of Japanese

I recently surfed into an unexpected but interesting and very useful Japanese learning resource on the BBC website called A Touch of Japanese. Don’t expect a zillion pages of learning material, but the few pages and examples (with audio) there are very useful for a basic Japanese lesson that can be completed in one sitting. Of course I was beaming from ear to ear because I understood the dozen or so Japanese words and phrases on the site which is mainly focused on introductions, useful phrases, good manners and facts about Japan.

Look! a Japanese couple!

There is a great interactive Japanese challenge on the site that puts you in the shoes of a traveler to Japan and asks you to imagine you arrive at the airport, equipped with a print-out of your Internet booking for your stay at a ryokan and have to use a few few Japanese phrases to interact with people as you try to find your way to the inn.

A Touch of Japanese – A beginners’ guide to the language