Review of Sashingo: Mastering Japanese Through Photography

“Sashingo: Learn Japanese With Photography” offers an intriguing concept that blends language learning with a dash of exploration, hinted at perfectly by its title. In this game, you find yourself wandering through a charmingly downsized version of Shibuya, Tokyo, armed with nothing more than a petite polaroid camera. While you roam freely, snapping photos of your surroundings, you’ll notice your camera highlighting individual objects and providing the Japanese words, complete with Hiragana or Katakana spelling. Though the game doesn’t impose specific targets, it gently nudges you to discover every word scattered across the map, allowing you to compile them into your personal photo album.

The open-ended design of Sashingo is, in my opinion, a refreshingly creative way to introduce basic Japanese vocabulary to players. For those seeking a bit more structure, the game offers a playful “exam” mode. Here, you’re challenged to locate specific objects after being shown their corresponding words, merging the adventures of exploration with practical language learning. It’s a clever combination that the game executes very well. Each word is pronounced clearly, and an extensive manual provides further phrases for more substantial practice in conversational Japanese, giving it a more hands-on feel compared to something like Duolingo. Although Duolingo is a solid educational resource, it often lacks the element of fun, which Sashingo gracefully compensates for. You have the liberty to learn at your own pace, selecting which words to focus on, making the whole process less of a chore and more of an engaging experience.

Personally, I’ve always had a fascination with Japan and have visited several times. Yet, the language barrier remains formidable. While I have dabbled in Duolingo and my partner has pursued formal courses, the real hurdle in language acquisition is the necessity for daily practice and verbal application. This is where real improvement lies. Sashingo, however, feels like an intermediary tool rather than a comprehensive language learning platform. Yes, it applies educational methods effectively to introduce Japanese vocabulary, yet it lacks the foundational elements and interactive usage necessary for holistic understanding. The manual does delve deeper into various contexts, but it heavily relies on reading and listening to voice clips, which may not have the lasting impact without reinforcement from gameplay.

I was pleasantly taken aback when my partner, who possesses a basic grasp of Japanese from her lessons, found joy sitting alongside me while I played. She recognized common objects like bottles and cars but also delighted in stumbling upon less frequently taught words like “construction site” or “garbage bin.” Here, Sashingo truly excels—as an engaging tool for vocabulary expansion and an enjoyable supplement to any language course. Despite this, the “game” aspect feels a bit underdeveloped. While you can use various filters unlocked through tests, the opportunities for expressing your photographic creativity feel limited. There’s no option for tilting the camera or taking selfies, which makes it lean more towards an educational utility rather than a photography game, which might be a drawback for enthusiasts like myself.

Overall, “Sashingo: Learn Japanese with Photography” serves as a delightful addition if you’re already learning Japanese. Its charming visuals and miniature Shibuya invite exploration and language discovery, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark as a standalone language learning solution or a photography game. Nevertheless, it’s a fun way to pick up a few Japanese phrases during your flight to Japan, ready to try them out once you land.