Welcome Fellow Manga Enthusiasts!
Do you dream of understanding anime and manga in the original Japanese? If so, look no further.
I created this website to help you navigate from where you are to reading manga as soon as possible. I know from 17 years of learning Japanese that just trying “to learn Japanese” when you have a specific goal in mind (i.e., reading manga) is a recipe for wasted time, wasted effort, and frustration. I’ve learned these lessons the hard way so you can avoid my mistakes and streamline your learning by focusing on what actually matters when it comes to reading manga.
My goal with this website is to give you a foothold to get started and a scaffold to rapidly build your language skills so you can start reading manga in Japanese as soon as possible. That’s why this website is called “Ashiba 足場”, which means “scaffold” and “foothold” in Japanese:
あしば | 足場
- 高い所で作業をするために、丸太・鋼管などで組み立てた仮設構造物。(scaffold)
- 足を踏みつける場所。(foothold)
Scroll below to find what you need to get started, whether you are a complete beginner or already well-versed in Japanese.
Get the Roadmap
If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.
Yogi Berra
Not sure you are ready to commit to learning Japanese? Learn what you’ll need, where to start, and how long it will take.
Starting from zero? Get the resources you need to begin, guidance on what to learn, and get started!
Already on your way? Round out your foundation to make sure you have the minimum amount of knowledge necessary to get started reading manga.