It feels so nice to speak it too, because the sounds are so simple and easy to pronounce. And yet the sounds are beautiful in their simplicity– there are really no harsh sounds. And the writing system, although difficult to learn, is beautiful in its complexity! Japanese also has so many nice words and expressions that are just impossible to translate into English. One of my favorites is the word natsukashii. It describes a feeling of nostalgia about something, of missing something or just looking back on it with fond memories. For example, when you pull out a dusty old photo album and see pictures of a much younger you with people you haven’t seen in ages, in a (now) silly looking outfit you’d completely forgotten you had– that’s natsukashii. And now, since I’ve been back in the states for a couple months I can say that Japan is natsukashii to me. There is just no single word in English to express this concept!