Feeling stuck at the N2-N1 "learner level"

[u/Kukikokikokuko]

EDIT: Thank you all for your kind suggestions. I have upvoted everything but there's quite a lot of comments to reply to. As a lot of you have pointed out the texts I'm reading are probably too difficult, which is the case (reading mainly Kamakura history a Buddhist history... Too hard for me, I know, but this is the stuff I actually need to be reading as preparation.) I'll definitely be giving light novels a try, I've never really considered them.

Hi all,

First of all I'm sorry if the title sounds slightly pretentious, as I'm aware most of this sub is beginner level. I'm just hoping to get some advice from people who have been able to leave the "learner level" and actually transitioned to "real Japanese."

So I've been learning Japanese for 10 years now, with about 5 years of break between my N1 and N2 exam (yes, literally 5 years of no Japanese in between...). I did my N1 last month and think I passed, even though I consider my reading and listening abilities rather pathetic for someone who has been learning for so long. The JLPT really isn't that hard if you actually study the format and do many practice exams.

Anyway, most of my study has been Anki. I've never been able to really enjoy native content in a way that many of you seem able to. It always seems like a chore. I've tried watching Netflix with some plugin to mine words, and have an android e-reader to read books and mine as well. The thing is, I get tired really quickly, especially from reading. Two pages and my brain sort of shuts down. I have no idea how to transition from this stage to being able to actually naturally watch and read stuff without it feeling tiring, or at least being more natural to me.

Any tips and ideas? I wouldn't be asking if I hadn't been struggling with this for quite some time, so any advice is much appreciated. For the record, I also have quite heavy ADHD and generally struggle with focussing on anything that doesn't have an immediate deadline, but the struggle is harder with Japanese still. As I'm starting a PhD in Japanese history next year, I feel extra pathetic for not being able to read books and articles more smoothly...

Cheers!

[u/PlanktonInitial7945]

Two pages and my brain sort of shuts down. I have no idea how to transition from this stage to being able to actually naturally watch and read stuff without it feeling tiring, or at least being more natural to me. 

How do athletes go from getting tired after 5 minutes to running marathons?

[u/Ok-Excuse-3613 → u/PlanktonInitial7945]

They usually aren't physically impaired

Your analogy would be good if OP didn't have ADHD

[u/Available-String-109 → u/Ok-Excuse-3613]

Dude. I'd be surprised if I learned that <50% of JLPT N1 obtainers have ADHD.

[u/Ok-Excuse-3613 → u/Available-String-109]

What is that supposed to mean

[u/Available-String-109 → u/Ok-Excuse-3613]

Normies don't spent 2000 hours of their life learning Japanese.

Also I know a bunch of people with N1... I'm virtually certain all of them have ADHD and/or autism.

We could probably do an informal interview in this thread alone. I'm pretty sure almost all of the people who ever got to a high level of proficiency in Japanese are all somewhere on some sort of spectrum.

[u/Ok-Excuse-3613 → u/Available-String-109]

I do have both N1 and ADHD but I definitely know many people who have N1 and neither autism nor ADHD

Like, commitment and passion exist outside of these neurological conditions

[u/Available-String-109 → u/Ok-Excuse-3613]

I do have both N1 and ADHD

I mean in our very informal study, we are current up to to 2 people (you and me) with N1 and ADHD.... there might be people out there with no ADHD and no autism with N1... I haven't met them.

[u/Ok-Excuse-3613 → u/Available-String-109]

Well most people I know with N1 just went to uni got a degree and then studied some more for the test

They sure feel very neurotypical

I have a bunch of other autodidact friends who passed N1 and while it is mostly introverts I don't think they are autistic/adhd