Hi Brian, maybe it was my "tone" that trigger your response? shall I be friendlier in the new tone?
You stated : " Knowing Chinese isn't much help in learning to speak or read Japanese." That statement is not true and unfortunate. If I tell you that a person who is a master in Latin and this background does not help him/her learning English an faster that anybody else .... any truth in this statement? obviously, none. Latin is the backbone of the English language and, to an same extend, Chinese is the backbone of several east Asian languages, Japanese included but in an awkward way. As my ability to explain and to teach is my weakness, it would take forever to explain and make you understand. Why don't I leave you with a few facts for thoughts? (1) Japanese college entrance requirements included the master of 2,000 Chinese words. (2) Kyoto is the exact copy of Chiang An, streets by streets and city blocks by city blocks!
Regenmeneer, that's is exactly the point I try to convey that Dutch, English and (modern) German are in the same Germanic language group. You guys should be able to absorb each others language-wise much faster that of a Slavic based guy. Same rule applies here for myself: I would master Chinese, Korean and Japanese faster than , say, Brian! Assuming that Brian and I have the same intelligent, language skills and motivation. What to do with that capability is another matter!
Back to your very personal request, here is the website to explore:
www.destinajapan.us. Tell the lady that the first lesson to learn is anatomy101. BTW, has the smow melted yet? and when are you gonna ship the chagoi soon? MA Le
ps. cha is another Chinese word for "tea".