Mantas Jakelaitis is an East-Asian Studies graduate from Vytautas Magnus University, with a focus on Japan, its culture and history.

Currently employed in a Japanese company and having studied the Japanese language for over a decade, Mantas is excited to share insights on how to learn this complex language effectively.

In the podcast, Mantas also talked about his experience of living and working in Japan via the JET (The Japan Exchange and Teaching) program. Together, we have touched upon the Japanese perspective regarding foreigners and addressed the myth that 'Japan is an extremely expensive country.'

If you want to connect with Mantas, you can do so via Messenger: https://www.facebook.com/mjakelaitis

Timeline:

00:00 - Intro

01:39 - How I met Mantas

03:10 - Japanese & Korean

05:11 - Japanese & Chinese

07:05 - Japanese written system

12:00 - What is fluency?

14:53 - Confucianism and its effects on the Japanese language

19:26 - Having the verb at the end (Chinese & Japanese)

23:23 - Working as a translator

25:59 - Japanese as a puzzle

28:32 - The JET (The Japan Exchange and Teaching) program

32:40 - Life in Hachijō-jima

36:07 - Japan's geography and climate

41:53 - Fitting in and integrating in Japan

51:04 - Japan: reality vs imagination

55:50 - Mantas' advice for Japanese language learners

1:04:05 - Learning Japanese at university vs living in Japan

1:10:36 - Learning with podcasts

1:14:04 - Plug-ins for Google Chrome

1:17:16 - Subtitles or no subtitles?

1:18:32 - Japanese work ethics and hierarchy

1:25:16 - Cost of living in Japan (post-covid inflation)

1:35:20 - Mantas' plans for the future

If you have enjoyed our conversation, be sure to leave a comment, like and subscribe. Doing so will support the channel and keep the project running.

Want to get in touch? Contact me via a letter or my socials: https://linktr.ee/pauliusjuodis