Review of “Sashingo: Learn Japanese Through Photography”

Sashingo: Learn Japanese With Photography is a game that does exactly what its name suggests—and it’s a neat concept. Picture this: you find yourself wandering a miniaturized version of Shibuya, Tokyo, armed only with a little polaroid camera. You’re free to roam around, snapping pictures as you go. But here’s the catch: when you take a photo, the game zeroes in on one object and provides you with the Japanese word for it, along with its Hiragana/Katakana characters. There’s no rigid structure holding you back, just a gentle nudge to uncover all the words scattered through the map and add them to your photo album.

In my opinion, Sashingo’s freewheeling approach is a breath of fresh air when it comes to language learning. At your own pace, you can embark on a little quest where the game shows you a word, and you venture off to find the corresponding object. It’s a clever way to blend exploration with picking up a new language, and it succeeds pretty well in this educational endeavor. The game provides clear pronunciation guides for each word you encounter and includes a comprehensive manual filled with useful phrases to boost your basic Japanese communication skills. Honestly, it feels far more engaging than traditional tools like Duolingo; while Duolingo serves its educational purpose, it’s not what I’d call entertaining. Sashingo, on the other hand, makes learning feel less like a test and more like your own customizable adventure in vocabulary building.

Now, I’ve always had a soft spot for Japan, having traveled there several times. But let’s be real, the language barrier is formidable. I even dabbled with Duolingo, while my partner dove deep into formal courses. However, mastering a language boils down to daily practice and actually using it in conversation. That’s where Sashingo hits a bit of a roadblock—it doesn’t quite serve as the ideal jumping-off point for beginners. Sure, it lays down educational foundations, but it misses some fundamental elements, like interactive dialogue that would demonstrate how Japanese is truly spoken. The manual touches on these nuances, offering written and audio examples, but it lacks reinforcement through gameplay, which is a shame.

Despite this, my partner found it enjoyable to watch me play and to chip in on some of the vocabulary. With her elementary understanding of Japanese, she recognized common objects and also picked up intriguing words she’d never encountered in class, like “construction site” and “cardboard box.” Sashingo excels in this regard, acting as an excellent supplement to existing language studies and offering an entertaining way to build up a vocab list. However, if you’re in it for the “game” part, you might find it a bit thin. While you can fiddle with various filters after acing a quiz, the game doesn’t allow much room to showcase your unique photographic flair. A good zoom function is there, but you can’t tilt or take selfies, which feels limiting if photography is your main interest.

All in all, Sashingo: Learn Japanese With Photography might be an excellent addition to your Japanese-learning toolkit. Its charming art style and pint-sized Shibuya are delightful terrains for learning new words, yet it falls slightly short as a comprehensive language program and as a photography-intensive game. Nevertheless, it’s a captivating way to acquaint yourself with some handy phrases for your next trip to Japan, making the airplane ride there an educational adventure in itself.