Japan’s contribution to science and culture and its role in modern world history likely needs no introduction. A knowledge of Japanese is not only valuable practically, it is an exciting intellectual challenge and opportunity for intellectual growth. Learning Japanese will introduce a person to the basics of Chinese characters, and will thus open the door to the study of other Asian languages. For learners familiar with foreign languages like Spanish and French etc., Japanese is highly recommended as a first non-European foreign language, as its grammar provides such a stark and interesting contrast, yet with surprising similarities.