It's kind of fun to go to a festival again.

Anyone who has lived in a foreign country knows what a big stretch it is.

The language is different, cultural values are different and one must learn a new way of life.

But the best discoveries in life are the ones found outside of your current comfort zone

like moving to a new country or learning a new language.

Nothing is quite as challenging or rewarding as learning a new language.

What did you get there, Ruth?

I got some eggplant... Oh!

And some peppers. Nice.

Oh my goodness! Look at the size of that kakigori (shaved ice). Eat it? Can I eat it?

Yeah! Oh my.

[Life in Japan Theme Song]

So I'm attempting lasagna out of eggplant.

Eggplant lasagna!

So I'm roasting the eggplant with a little bit of olive oil and salt, and then we're going to pretend that they're noodles.

What is going on here?

Is it poison? You're a cupbearer?

Checking to see if it's poisonous or not?

Here.

OK, look.

Oh my goodness! Are you the queen?

And a doggy! Wha? You're the queen doggy?

And the doggy gets to go under here, and the servant lives underneath.

Oh! That's where you live, huh?

And you're the cupbearer.

Momma chan getting ready to go.

Poofy hair.

Poof! Poof!

And your hair went "poof!"

Is that Joey's? Yea.

Good kick! Wow.

I love how kids pick up new skills so easily.

They're always ready to try something new.

As I grow older, I want to stay a kid at heart and be willing to try new things too.

That's where adventure lies!

Oh, there it is! It's out of the oven!

It looks delicious!

I want salad! What's the verdict here?

It was good, huh? Yes.

Yes? That's good. Daddy wants to try some.

Did you like it Becca?

I got my salad, and Ruth's eggplant lasagna is so good!

It's success, right?

Salad! And you got your salad!

So I added a new app to the repertoire of things I'm using to learn Japanese.

Recently Rosetta Stone reached out to us and asked us to try their app,

And asked if we would consider promoting it here on Life in Japan,

When I looked into Rosetta Stone, I was really impressed with what they have.

And it's exactly what you need in order to learn new languages. Check this out.

Look at all these languages you can learn, they got Spanish, English, French, Italian, German,

Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English from England,

Of course what I'm interested in: Japanese.

They also have Portuguese of Brazil which is nice because my girls want to learn that.

Once you decide on one, you can choose a plan to get going or you can jump right into learning.

And they have some great stuff like Language Basics, Greetings and all kinds of different topics of which you can go in depth.

They have a number of core lessons you can do — let me show you one of them.

Konnichiwa (hello) Konnichiwa (hello)

One thing I'm really liking about this app which I think is very unique

Is that not only will it say it for you, but then you need to speak it into the app

And it will correct — it will grade your pronunciation and help you pronounce it better.

Which, with apps, is a very rare thing I've found. I really like that aspect of this.

Tamago, tamago, tamago.

Now when you get this, you have to choose the picture of the one that's correct.

Ringo, ringo Ringo

Oh yea. Not only does the lady have her coffee, I also have my coffee. It's a good way to study.

And the girls have had a big project today.

Right here is Anna's bed, right here is my bed, right here is Joshua's bed, and right there is Sarah's bed.

Oh! I'm Sarah!

Over here is where the desk is.

And this is where we put our randoseru (Japanese backpack).

And Joshua wanted a little spot, so his spot is down there. Oh Joshua, you have spot down there, huh?

Yea, should I show you my things? For your little toys?

No, his money, this stuff Nice.

The pictures that I drew of him today.

Good, that's cool Dude!

And his money. Awesome! Is this your new bed then, Joshua?

You're going to sleep on the — on that?!

Yea, we have like thousands of waters. Oh my goodness! That's where all my waters went, huh?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7... Sarah said there's 11.

10 11

Ha! Eleven! Oh my goodness!

Look at this. Oh, I see it.

Hey Daddy, look what we got from the futon.

A huge box! This is my dream come true!

A huge box — that's your dream come true, huh?

Two people can fit in this. Oh I bet!

Sarah come find us!

Oh wow! That is actually a really big box.

Two people can fit in this one. Three people!

Good morning girls of my heart.

Good morning!

You're practicing some math, Sarah? Very good.

Ah, it looks like Anna's envisioning playing some Mario.

Hey, I saw you dancing in your festival at school At the Tanabata.

That was pretty cool. And what was on your outfit?

Umm... What was on the yukata?

Were they bugs?

Yea! Tell her what it was!

Bugs! Doesn't that make you feel... They were dead!

They were dead!

It wasn't real ones. Oh, ok, good then.

The advantages of learning another language are huge.

Because you get to interact with a completely different culture,

You get to make new friends,

And you get a new perspective on life.

And for me, one of the best things about learning another language, is gaining a bigger perspective.

It is awesome. And it's really rewarding when you're able to communicate in another language.

It's a great feeling.

So Mama chan, what do ya got here?

I got a new toy.

It's a Mommy type of toy.

Ruth inspires me — she's continually trying new things, and I love it!

In Japanese only?

Oh no! English?

English and Japanese.

You rock. They rock.

You're the proud owner of a cardboard box!

This box — this is heavy!

Goodness, look! Get inspired!

Get inspired to spiral!

I had a Cuisineart when we first got married, but it was too heavy to bring to Japan.

Plus the voltage here is different.

But now... I have another one! Yeah!

No one deserves it more, in my opinion.

You're biased.

Storage container.

That is a beast. That is a beast — look out!

What are you drawing Joshua? A "people" — I already did it.

That's really good, Dude. Good job.

Sarah's drawing over here too. Sumikogurashi.

Sumikogurashi?

What will be the first thing you will make with this?

I will probably grind oats and rice to make flour.

Sounds really good. Wow, what's this?!

Yeah, they must go right here.

This is for like cutting the spirals.

Oh oh oh my! Oh she's happy with her purchase.

That's good. When Momma's happy, everybody's happy.

You know we're not just here to observe things in Japan,

We're here to be a part of the culture, a part of what's going on.

We need Japanese in order to do that, and we love learning it even though it's a big challenge.

What's happening there dude?

Are we going to play on the big TV?

Whoa — is it all done? Yeah.

Whoa, let me see!

This is Sumikogurashi.

And then this is a unicorn that got paint on her.

Oh, cool!

I love it Sarah!

It's great!

If you are also trying to learn another language, that is a really noble thing to be doing that will broaden your perspective.

I want to encourage you to click the link in the description, it will take you to Rosetta Stone

For $200 you get lifetime access to their language learning classes.

Lifetime access! That's an incredible deal!

We pay three times as much just for one month of Ruth's language school.

So go click on that link, check it out. I know it will help you in your language learning.

Well thanks for watching, liking and subscribing

That's right, if you've been watching and haven't subscribed yet, please do!

And until next time, we'll see you on Life in Japan. Bye bye.