Review of Sashingo: Mastering Japanese Through Photography

Sashingo: Learn Japanese With Photography delivers exactly what its name suggests. This engaging game drops you into a scaled-down version of Shibuya, Tokyo, armed only with a charming little Polaroid camera. As you wander through the vibrant streets, taking photos of objects around you, the camera hones in on a single item in your frame. It then reveals the Japanese word for it, along with its Hiragana or Katakana characters. While the game doesn’t impose strict objectives, it nudges you to uncover all the words scattered across the map, collecting these snapshots into your own personal album.

I have to say, the game’s open-ended nature offers a delightful and inventive way to pick up basic Japanese vocabulary. If you’re eager to challenge yourself, there’s a mini-exam option. The game flashes a word at you, and your task is to locate and photograph that specific object. It’s quite a clever blend of exploration and language learning. With its clear pronunciation and a comprehensive guide to practical phrases, Sashingo excels as an educational tool. To me, it’s more immersive than Duolingo. While Duolingo stands out as a solid learning platform, it doesn’t have the same level of fun. Sashingo, on the other hand, makes the learning process much more engaging and user-friendly. It removes the pressure of being graded, giving you the flexibility to choose and focus on the vocabulary you’re interested in expanding.

My own fascination with Japan, having traveled there multiple times, struggled to translate into language proficiency. Even my attempts with Duolingo and my partner’s formal Japanese courses proved challenging, as language learning hinges on consistent practice and real-world use. Here lies the crux of Sashingo’s dilemma; despite utilizing effective educational methods, it doesn’t quite hit the mark as an entry point for mastering Japanese. While it introduces useful words, it falls short in offering interactive scenarios that mirror natural language usage. The manual expands on these contexts but boils down to reading and listening to voice clips, which doesn’t reinforce the learning within the game’s mechanics.

Interestingly, my partner enjoyed watching me play and joined in the learning journey. Thanks to her beginner’s knowledge from previous courses, she easily recognized words for everyday items like bottles and bicycles. Yet, she also picked up terms her classes never covered, like ‘construction site’ or ‘cardboard box.’ This is where Sashingo really shines—serving as an enjoyable supplement to broaden your vocabulary, especially for someone like her. However, from a gaming perspective, it leaves something to be desired. While you can experiment with various filters, accessible after acing a test, the game doesn’t offer much room for expressing one’s photographic flair. Even with excellent zoom and focus features, the absence of camera tilt or selfie options makes it feel more like a learning tool than a photography game, which might be a letdown for photography enthusiasts like myself.

If you’re already on a path to learning Japanese, Sashingo: Learn Japanese with Photography can serve as a charming sidekick. Its adorable art style and miniature Shibuya are delightful to explore, helping you pick up a myriad of Japanese words. However, it falls a little short as a standalone language learning tool, and as a photography game, it doesn’t quite deliver the full package. Yet, if you’re on a flight to Japan, this could be a fun and useful way to pick up some phrases before you land.