Learning Japanese and Playing Magic: My Prerelease Experience in Japan

I have been living in Japan for a while now. I go to Magic: The Gathering prerelease events for two main reasons. I want to get better at Japanese, and I want to play the game I enjoy.

I already have some experience with Japanese. I passed the JLPT N2, so daily life is not too hard. But reading Magic cards in Japanese is still difficult for me. There are many kanji on the cards, and some words are special to the game. Before each prerelease, I study the new cards in Japanese. I look up kanji I do not know and try to remember what the cards do.

I also set Magic Arena to Japanese. This helps me learn more words and get used to the language. Sometimes I lose more matches because I do not understand a card or I make a mistake. Still, I think it is worth it. Every game helps me learn something new.

Going to prerelease events in Japan is not always easy, but I enjoy it. The other players are friendly, and I feel happy when I understand a card or can talk about the game in Japanese. I am still learning, but each event gives me more practice and more fun. If you see someone checking a dictionary at a prerelease, that might be me, trying my best to learn and play.

Finding Other Magic Fans

Sometimes, it can be difficult to find someone who is just as interested in Magic and who you really "click" with after a prerelease. Even though there are many players at these events, making a real connection is not always easy, especially as a foreigner. I am still looking for good ways to meet people to play more Magic with outside of events.

If you are also a foreigner in Japan or have tried to find new friends to play Magic with, how do you do it? Do you have any tips or stories to share? I would love to hear how others find people to enjoy the game together.