Hi John, thanks for your comments. Japanese is a lot like an onion — it reveals move layers the more time and effort you put it! To really master the written language takes a few years. Fortunately spoken Japanese is much less complex. From a design perspective, understanding the culture and language is essential. Many foreign designers in Japan find work helping global companies localize their products and branding. The best way for a design to fail (and this applies anywhere, not only in Japan) is to ignore the sensibilities and customs of local markets.