Partly my age: I began learning Japanese when I was twenty-six, and I am now sixty-five. Language acquisition does get more difficult as we age. But probably mo

Partly my age: I began learning Japanese when I was twenty-six, and I am now sixty-five. Language acquisition does get more difficult as we age. But probably more important is that, when I started studying Japanese, I was in a sweet spot of motivation, time, and background. I had just moved to Japan and was working in Tokyo, first as an English editor and later as an English teacher. I knew no Japanese at first, and daily life was challenging; I was also very curious about the country and culture I had immersed myself in. Every bit of the language I acquired was useful and interesting, and that motivated me to continue studying hard. I also had no family obligations then, so I had plenty of time to study. Plus I had majored in linguistics in college and had studied other languages previously, so I knew from experience what study methods would work for me. I now have plenty of time to study another language if I wanted to, and I will have even more time after I retire next year. I should also be more knowledgeable and aware of my language-learning process than I was forty years ago. But I no longer have the practical motivation or the powers of concentration needed to spend three or four hours a day studying a language.