Hello from a newly diagnosed 30 year old (female) with an interest in Harry Potter (amongst other things)

Welcome! I’m also new, also female, but in my 40s :）

What sort of video games are you into? And how are you finding Japanese learning? I’m also learning Japanese, reason being I’m half Japanese but raised in the west and was not taught it growing up D: So I have been teaching myself over the years. 

I would love to go to the Snow Festival in Sapporo, it’s on my list! I try to go to Japan about once a year, as finances allow. I’ll be going this winter with my husband, mainly to see some family and sort some things out for my dad. Looking forward to it! We’ll be mainly in Kanagawa prefecture (Yokohama, etc). 

What is Hyper Japan like in London? We live in the North so have never been sadly.

Thank you!

My all-time favourites are Skyrim and Stardew Valley, so really a mix of very open-world fantasy RPGs that aren't too difficult and cosy farming simulations that I can just pick up and put down. What about you?

Japanese is hard!!! I've been learning on and off for a while but have a consistent tutor now (who lives in Japan) every week. We're working our way through Genki 1 and I'm hoping to pass the N5 exam in December. How are you finding it? Do you have people to speak it with as practice?

It lined up with my 30th birthday and I could not pass it up! I'd love to go once a year, there is just so much to explore. I've only been Tokyo (Asakusa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku) and Sapporo so far but have so many places I want to visit. Do you have a favourite areas in Kanagawa?

It was really good when I went! It really kick-started my interest. They had bands, talks, stalls and food. I haven't been since visiting Japan so would be interested to see how it holds up. 

I love TES and Stardew Valley as well :) Right now I’m going through some burnout so finding just playing Animal Crossing and the new Mario Bros game really good for just either chilling out or as you said, pick up and put down. I mainly play on Switch these days but I used to play a lot of PC games. Still have a gaming PC but haven’t been into anything on there lately. I have always loved Minecraft as well, really soothing. 

Haha yeah Japanese is hard ^^ That’s awesome you have a tutor. I have quite bad social anxiety and find situations like that extremely taxing but I wish I could have one, that would really help keep the learning going. I have taken an online uni course which covered GENKI 1 (that auto capitalised it for some reason lol), and I’d like to take another online course. I find studying and staying focused so hard as I suspect I have AuDHD but haven’t had an assessment (and likely won’t, again, due to high social anxiety). Courses help keep me on track with learning but I do find the small breakout groups difficult. Did you find your tutor on italki? As for someone to speak with, my husband is also learning Japanese (he’s actually better than I am, /shame…). And pretty much everything I watch is in Japanese (with subs) which I use for practice as well. It’s amazing how much can be absorbed like that. 

I really love Odawara for some reason, the coast is really beautiful and the castle gardens are really lovely as well. Although there were snow monkeys in a large enclosure at the castle and they all looked really depressed, I’m a huge animal lover so I hate seeing things like that. Apparently there is a wild snow monkey park near Nagano I believe where they are living their best onsen life, I’d live to visit there one day ^^

Do you like any Japanese music?

I love TES and Stardew Valley as well :) Right now I’m going through some burnout so finding just playing Animal Crossing and the new Mario Bros game really good for just either chilling out or as you said, pick up and put down. I mainly play on Switch these days but I used to play a lot of PC games. Still have a gaming PC but haven’t been into anything on there lately. I have always loved Minecraft as well, really soothing. 

Haha yeah Japanese is hard ^^ That’s awesome you have a tutor. I have quite bad social anxiety and find situations like that extremely taxing but I wish I could have one, that would really help keep the learning going. I have taken an online uni course which covered GENKI 1 (that auto capitalised it for some reason lol), and I’d like to take another online course. I find studying and staying focused so hard as I suspect I have AuDHD but haven’t had an assessment (and likely won’t, again, due to high social anxiety). Courses help keep me on track with learning but I do find the small breakout groups difficult. Did you find your tutor on italki? As for someone to speak with, my husband is also learning Japanese (he’s actually better than I am, /shame…). And pretty much everything I watch is in Japanese (with subs) which I use for practice as well. It’s amazing how much can be absorbed like that. 

I really love Odawara for some reason, the coast is really beautiful and the castle gardens are really lovely as well. Although there were snow monkeys in a large enclosure at the castle and they all looked really depressed, I’m a huge animal lover so I hate seeing things like that. Apparently there is a wild snow monkey park near Nagano I believe where they are living their best onsen life, I’d live to visit there one day ^^

Do you like any Japanese music?

I think you will like Frieren

I'm glad that group settings are ok for you but sorry to hear about your GP. I have tried meditation but it is really hard to stay focused. At the moment I'm trying to practice using a bell timer, it goes off at the start and end but also periodically signals during the exercise to remind me to focus back in. I also have RSD which can make arguments or disagreements very difficult. 

I'll definitely check those out - always looking for new cool Japanese music! The first live show sounds exciting!

My latest watch was Kaiju-8 which I really enjoyed. Frieren is actually on my watch list so maybe that will be my next pick 

My husband’s tutor is on italki, it’s great isn’t it? I do alright-ish in group settings thankfully, so while 1-on1 tutoring wouldn’t work for me, at least I can still manage with a course. I did actually see a GP about social anxiety, she put me on meds which didn’t agree with me and unfortunately didn’t help either. I have also attempted a year long meditation course, I say attempted because focusing was a challenge…that one was for ND people. Something I have learned of fairly recently is Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, which is very common for people with ADHD to experience. Not sure if that’s something that affects you or not, it doesn’t affect everyone with ADHD but it is common.

I listen to lots of different Japanese bands, there are so many I’m not sure where to start xD Well for more mainstream King GNU and Official Hige Dandism, Lamp is great study music/chillout music (it’s like low key jazzy/city pop if you are not familiar with them), and I’m going to be seeing Kikuo perform when he comes to the UK early next year (a vocaloid producer, lyrics are pretty dark but the music is so upbeat xD ). That will be the first live show I’ve been to in like 25 years or something :0

What anime are you enjoying? For me I’m on a break until new seasons of Frieren and Natsume Yuujinchou come out. 

Yes, I love a good chill game for when everything else is a bit too much. I've struggled to get into more intense games this past year and have tended more toward relaxed/cosy games. Started Fields of Mistra a couple of days ago and have been really enjoying it. I switch between the PC, Xbox and Switch depending on the game. 

I completely understand how social anxiety could making learning through meeting others quite difficult. I met mine on italki and she has been great. I have a temporary tutor who doesn't speak much English while my main is on maternity leave but it's going ok! Is there a route you could go down for Social Anxiety diagnosis/support which may provide you with the support you need later on to pursue other things that require more intense human interaction? I have inattentive ADHD (to be diagnosed but meet all the criteria) and can find it difficult to focus at times. Having a timer where I have mini-chunks of time to focus (e.g. 5/10 mins) really helps. 

Odawara looks lovely! Yes, I've heard of the wild snow monkey park - it's definitely a must see on my list!

I do! I like Charisma.com, lots of anime songs, and a bunch of others who have, now that I'm trying to remember them, vacated my brain. Do you have any favourites?