By early afternoon I was walking under the turning foliage of Rikugien, one of my favorite gardens, where I paused by a wooden sign at the edge of a stream.
But with this magic at our fingertips, is the study of foreign languages now pointless?
In fact, foreign languages are more rewarding than ever, in part because technology has made them easier than ever to learn.
Growing up in rural Western Massachusetts, foreign languages were inseparable from the wonder I associated with globes and maps, and with the graceful airliners I dreamed of someday flying to distant places.
The language I really fell for, though, is Japanese, which I first studied during a summer homestay in Kanazawa.
Persons:
—
Organizations:
Airport, Boeing, Haneda
Locations:
Tokyo, Western Massachusetts, Belgian, Kanazawa