refresh my Japanese

Am too busy with getting my own business started and the job I have now to think about Japan. Sure that it is going to happen one day, Japan and I have something special. Will be in that country every now and then in my life, that’s for sure.

This is not going very well, in fact, I did nothing up to now. As the idea to go to Japan is becoming more and more concrete, I really need to start up this one. I just need to be able again to have good conversations with people, not only small talk.
I am looking for a Japanese language package for my computer, just don’t know where I can find that. Now I can’t even read the Japanese online newspapers.

Studied the language at university, worked for a japanese company (not in Japan) many years, been there as a student and as a business woman. As English became the corporate language, my life fully concentrated on family affairs and to be honest I somehow got fed up with the Japanese bosses, I lost my ability to speak and read Japanese fluently. Now I am at a crossroad, in many ways, and I want to find the special bond I had with Japan, its culture and its people. So I want to go back, on a pelgrimage, if I may call it like that. But before that, I need to revitalize my Japanese: reading newspapers, listening to radio thru internet, study kanji daily..

I’ve been trying to remember how to write all the kana. I can read them all pretty well, but that is starting to get fuzzy too, so it’s time to crack down and work on it. I’ve been writing them on the chalk-boards at work occasionally, and I’m decent with the first dozen or so. Man, that sucks. I used to have them all down solid.

I used to really enjoy learning Japanese. I’m not really sure why I stopped, I guess it was several things. I’m going to try and complete the Pimsleur Japanese language CDs I have. Maybe that will be a good way to get back into it.