Sashingo: Learn Japanese With Photography is exactly what it sounds like. Imagine strolling through a miniaturized version of Shibuya, Tokyo, with nothing but a Polaroid camera in hand. You’re given all the freedom in the world to explore, but your sole companion is that trusty camera. As you snap photos, it zeroes in on a single object and then presents you with the corresponding Japanese words and their Hiragana/Katakana characters. There’s no scoreboard keeping track; instead, you’re encouraged to discover and document all the words scattered across the map, creating a photo album as you go.
The game’s free-form design cleverly merges education with play, making learning Japanese words and phrases a vibrant experience. Players can even opt for a little exam, where the game challenges you to locate specific objects. It’s an entertaining blend of exploration and language learning. Sashingo excels in this teaching method, speaking words clearly for you and providing an exhaustive manual with practical phrases to sharpen your Japanese basics. Compared to other platforms like Duolingo, it’s a more engaging way to learn. While Duolingo is effective, fun isn’t its hallmark. In contrast, Sashingo offers a stress-free learning environment, giving you the reins to choose the vocabulary you want to expand without pressure.
I’ve always been enchanted by Japan, having visited multiple times, yet the language barrier persists. Despite dabbling in Duolingo and my partner’s numerous Japanese courses, the challenge remains consistent practice and real-life usage. Daily interaction in a language is crucial for improvement. Sashingo straddles the fence; it’s not an ideal starting point for newcomers. Although it uses educational methods to introduce Japanese terms appropriately, it lacks the fundamental interactive elements crucial for understanding the language’s usage. The manual delves into these nuances a bit more, with readings and voice clips demonstrating phrases. However, without gameplay reinforcement, retaining what you’ve learned can be tricky.
I was pleasantly surprised, though, when my partner enjoyed spectating my gameplay, eager to learn alongside me. With her basic grasp of Japanese from her courses, she easily identified familiar items like bottles and bicycles, but relished discovering new terms like “construction site” and “cardboard box.” Here, Sashingo shines as a supplemental vocabulary tool and an enjoyable avenue for practice. While the gaming aspect could use some polish and the filters add a fun touch—earned by acing tests—there’s limited room to inject your photographic flair. Although zoom and focus are impressive, the lack of a tilt feature or selfie mode makes it feel more educational than a photography game, which might not satisfy photography enthusiasts like myself.
As a supplementary aid, Sashingo: Learn Japanese With Photography could be quite valuable for those already on the journey of learning Japanese. Its charming art style and mini Shibuya setting create a delightful space to discover and memorize tons of Japanese words. However, it doesn’t quite suffice as a standalone learning platform or photography game. Yet, if you’re Japan-bound, it’s an enjoyable way to pick up a few practical phrases for your trip.
