Hi, Rachael with two a's! At first, I thought it was going to be a kind of ad for learning English. My face melted in relief when I got to the parts where you were ranting.

I feel you’re onto something. I may be wrong or misinterpreted your words, and I sincerely apologize in advance if I have. In Japan, English is not a language. It’s not even a skill. It’s a commodity. Not as hot as a Louis Vuitton accessory but an exchange good nonetheless. It’s also like a boy scout badge. Learn a few knots and get around a small forest with a paper map -- not an app -- and you get a badge! Woohoo! Well, English is a bit like that here. Study the discipline -- notice I didn’t call it a language -- for 12 to 15 years or more, then forget how to reply to "How are you?" without stuttering and sweating or coughing out a boring "I’m fine. And you?" (pronounced like; Eye-moo-far-een-Ann-Jew?) Japan is not a developed country. It is often a backward developing one. And its unchanging attitude towards the commodity called Eengooreeshoo contines to have a short shelf life for my fellow Japanese comrades. Thanks for your engaging article! Looking forward to reading your other ones :D