Despite years of mandatory English education in Japanese schools, English proficiency is very low in Japan.

The exact reasons for this are hard to pinpoint, but I think a lot of it can be blamed on the lack of opportunity most Japanese people have to interact with native and non-native English speakers. I also think that much of the poor English proficiency here can be attributed to the lack of phonetic sounds in the Japanese language itself. Many Japanese people have a very hard time producing and hearing a lot of the sounds that are required by the English language.

For someone like me, who is trying to raise near native-level English speaking children, the quality of English education here and the general lack of opportunity to use English anywhere outside of our house creates a lot of stress for me. One of the main ways I counteract this stress and teach my children English is through daily walks.