About Ashiba 足場

What Is Ashiba 足場 All About?

If you’ve ever asked yourself any of the questions below, you’re in the right place.

• “When will I be good enough at Japanese to start reading manga?”
• “How much effort would it take to learn Japanese well enough so I can understand anime?”
• “How can I find time to learn to read manga in Japanese when I’ve got a full-time job, a family, and other obligations?”
• “What is the minimum amount I need to know so I can begin reading manga in Japanese?”
• “Is it really possible to learn Japanese without an immersion environment or taking courses?”
• “Where should I begin if I want to read manga in Japanese?”

Why It’s Called Ashiba 足場

I created this website to help you navigate from where you are to reading manga as soon as possible. I know from 17 years of learning Japanese that just trying “to learn Japanese” when you have a specific goal in mind (i.e., reading manga) is a recipe for wasted time and effort.

My goal with Ashiba is to give you a foothold to get started and a scaffold to rapidly build your language skills so you can start reading manga in Japanese as soon as possible. That’s why this website is called “Ashiba 足場”, which means “scaffold” and “foothold” in Japanese:

1. 高い所で作業をするために、丸太・鋼管などで組み立てた仮設構造物。 (scaffold)
2. 足を踏みつける場所。 (foothold)

Whether you’re starting from zero or already on your way, scroll down to the roadmap to find what you need to make progress.

What to Expect from Ashiba 足場

Proven approaches, tools, and resources you can use to start reading manga in Japanese as quickly as possible.

I believe any curious and self-motivated person who wants to enjoy manga and anime in the original Japanese needs to do only three things to get started: (1) gain some fundamental knowledge of Japanese, (2) avoid certain pitfalls, and (3) foster a growth mindset around language learning.

How can you find the time to do this while attending school, working a full-time job, or raising a family? Instead of sifting through hundreds of Reddit posts, YouTube channels, and internet blogs, deciphering mountains of conflicting advice aimed at people who aren’t in your position (i.e., people with seemingly unlimited free time), and wasting time with tools and frameworks that won’t get you closer to your goals, subscribe to the Ashiba 足場 newsletter (it’s free).

About Ryotsu 両津

I started learning Japanese in 2007 while studying abroad, and although I didn’t know it at the time, this would start a lifelong language-learning journey.

During my time in Japan, I learned the fundamentals of the Japanese language (completing the equivalent of Genki II). But despite continued efforts to learn the language after returning home, it took me more than a decade to start reading manga in Japanese.

My journey had its starts and stops and highs and lows, but I now read manga in Japanese every day and enjoy listening to (and understanding) anime in its native Japanese.

My goal with Ashiba 足場 is to give you the tools, lessons, and advice I wish I had when I started learning Japanese, so you can avoid my mistakes and reach your goals without wasting your precious time and effort.