Once upon a time, there was a Russian girl who lived in the Russian Far East and, even though Japan was just a short flight away, felt like it was a universe apart... That girl heard of samurais, geishas, sushi, and sumo fighters. She watched Japanese mangas, took a class in Japanese history in college, and once even briefly worked for a Japanese telecom company. But she never thought of even trying to learn Japanese. It seemed like an impossible feat, with its elaborate kan