April is traditionally the time of new beginnings in Japan, at school and at work. Novelist Sae Shuichi, however, makes it a practice to embark on a new project every five years. At 55, for example, he took up kendo. And at 65, as detailed in his latest book, "65-sai Ojisan no Eikaiwa Benkyo ga Tanoshiku Naru Hon" (PHP L Shinsho), he resolved to master English well enough to use it on trips abroad and with foreign friends who come to Japan.

Like so many of us, Sae's past efforts at self-study tended to fizzle out after a few months, so this time he decided to take classes and bought 100 lessons at an eki-mae (train station-area) school where he could go whenever he had free time to attend classes with different teachers and students. Although somewhat embarrassed to be in classes mainly with young women, he found his brain coming to life after a month and overcame his nervousness about talking face-to-face with foreigners. For the first time, studying English had become fun, unlike his school days, which were filled with hours of rote memorization and studying for tests.

One day, some posters at school caught his eye. They were advertising short courses for studying English abroad, one of his childhood dreams. Deciding it was now or never, he picked a four-week summer course suited to his level that would be held at a Canadian college midway between Vancouver and the Canadian Rockies -- Okanagan University College in Kelowna. Although Sae left Narita for Canada with some trepidation, he seems to have thoroughly enjoyed his time at Okanagan and adjusted to speaking English all day just two weeks into the course, staying with a professor and his wife and enjoying the lovely scenery.