Comments by "Gordon Graham" (@gordonbgraham) on "How to become fluent in Japanese? - Interview with Steve Kaufmann" video.

I've lived in Japan for 30 years. It honestly took me just about a month to be functional, but 10 years to become fluent and 15 years to become fully literate. There are no quick fixes to language acquisition. It takes hours and hours of diligent study and focused determination. Anyone who believes otherwise is in for disappointment.
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@meropale Yes, that’s true. Some people are more proficient at picking up a 2nd language just as some are more adept at learning a musical instrument. That said, I’ve yet to meet any foreigners in Japan who are fluent in less than 5 years. By fluent I mean having the ability to talk about more than just their interests or what they did last weekend, but the ability to adjust to the ebb and flow that characterize conversations as conversations tend to meander and switch gears. Also, the ability to catch subtlies such as irony. In terms of literacy, I can count on one hand the number of foreigners here who are literate including those who have lived here for 20 years or more. Achieving native literacy takes a Herculean effort and commitment.
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@Kamal_AL-Hinai It says "you're a fool...thank you for being in my life"
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@holliswilliams8426 exactly, perseverance and focus...
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