A long time ago, back in December, I took the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (Nihongo Nouryoku Shiken), level 2. The levels go from 4 at the bottom end up to the fiendishly difficult level 1 at the top. As I recall, you need level 2 to enroll in a Japanese university as a regular student, which gives a rough idea of the level of ability required. (In fact, I remember reading recently that they are moving towards some other exam for university entrance, but that doesn’t invalidate the comparison.)

I passed the exam. Obviously, I’m rather pleased about that! I now have another thing to put on my CV.

In fact, I don’t know that it will be of any immediate use to me. Here in Japan, it is probably immediately obvious to anyone I meet whether I can or cannot speak their language. Nevertheless, I feel that I have official recognition of my Japanese language ability, which is gratifying. And hey, it gives me yet another thing to boast about!