[Steve]

All of us at Nihongo-Pro are excited to introduce Hiroba.

Hiroba (written 広場 or ひろば in Japanese) means "gathering place," where friends meet up to chat, hang out, and have fun--or, as Japanese say, 交流 (kooryuu).

That’s what we want Hiroba to be: A place for fans of Japan to meet, share experiences traveling to Japan, living in Japan, learning Japanese, reading manga, watching anime, making origami cranes, or anything else that comes to mind about Japan.

If you haven't registered yet, register today and join the conversation!

Each of us has a unique connection to Japan. Mine started (long, long ago) in high school, when I spent a year as an AFS student in a small town in Nara prefecture. Fifteen years old, I was strangely tall by Japanese standards in those days, and my feet were so big they had to special-order shoes for my school uniform.

Riding my bicycle home from school the first day, I toppled over making a turn. I was beet red with embarrassment, but my ever-kind host brother turned it into a language-learning opportunity: He taught me 転んじゃった (koronjatta) ("fell over"), which was the only word I understood in his explanation to his parents later that night! It was a fun, event-filled year, and I am forever indebted to my host family.

Since that time, I have studied Japanese on and off for 30 years. The language is fascinating and beautiful, indirect but rigorously logical, maybe the most civilized language in the world. I admire that civility in Japanese culture and people, too. The importance of 思いやり(omoiyari) ("consideration for others") has made Japan one of the safest, most peaceful--I would say most civilized--societies in the world.

Yes, I do love Japan. If you do, too, please tell us on Hiroba! Or, if you have a question about the language, the country, or anything else Japanese, speak up.

If you want to find chat friends, Hiroba is a great place to set up chat sessions in our free 24/7 chat room.

A few tips when you post:

* If your post is a reply to an earlier post, click "Reply".
* If you want to start a new discussion, click "New Topic".
* If you need help reading a post in Japanese, click the "English" button for a rough translation.

Won’t you join us? As always, if you need help, please contact us.

[FRIEND]

たすけてくれてありがとう