The past few weeks have been a social whirlwind and I’ve had an opportunity to try out all sorts of new and interesting activities .  I’ll make sure I do a proper set of updates, but this time I’d like to briefly tell you about an adventure into Thai cuisine.

As a bit of background, there is a regular “language lounge”, where we swap English and Japanese practice with learners from both languages, which is really good fun. I get to meet all sorts of awesome people and learn about Japanese language and culture from them. After one particular lounge a group of 6 of us decided to head off to grab some dinner, opting to try out a Thai restaurant in Tenjin.

All smiles 🙂

This was the first time I’ve tried Thai food while in Japan and I have to say, I found it more “authentic” than what you would normally get in London. Not sure why I think it is more authentic, apart from it not feeling particularly Western in its flavours and presentation. That aside, the food itself was really tasty! Lots of spice though, so those with a sensitive tongue will need to be extra careful.

I feel that this style of setting makes it really easy to communicate effectively with people. The casual atmosphere allows you to relax and banter back and forth, using a mix of both native and learnt languages. I really enjoy being able to try out new words, expressions and such without anyone to judge you on technical performance. In fact the only real judge is whether you are able to effectively get your ideas across to the people you are talking to (eventually).

I made a commitment to use my time in Japan as effectively as possible and I’m super happy I’ve managed to get into more of this style activity, in addition to the classroom education and personal study.