The italki Language Challenge is back and better than ever! This isn’t just any challenge — it’s a smart, playful way to boost your fluency in just 45 days. You’ll improve faster with the perfect combo: real human tutors + smart AI tools from italki Plus. And if you land in the top 500, you’ll unlock exclusive physical rewards ❤️

This Tuesday, I went to Shinjuku with a senior from my part-time job, and it turned out to be a very memorable and enjoyable evening. We visited my favorite izakaya, a place I often recommend to others because of its cozy atmosphere and wide variety of food and drinks. I was especially happy because my senior kindly treated me to everything, which made the experience even more special and made me feel truly appreciated. We enjoyed many different kinds of alcohol and shared several dishes, taking our time to taste each one. The food was delicious, and the drinks matched the dishes perfectly, which made the whole evening feel relaxing and satisfying. Because it was a Tuesday night, the izakaya was not very crowded, so we were able to sit comfortably and talk without noise or pressure. The calm atmosphere allowed us to enjoy not only the food but also our conversation. Spending time in Shinjuku at night felt refreshing, as the area has a unique energy that is different from daytime. Walking through the streets after dinner, I felt grateful for the chance to connect with my senior outside of work. Overall, it was a wonderful night filled with kindness, good food, and pleasant moments. I would definitely like to visit that izakaya again and create more memories there in the future.

Could you check my text please? Is “Doing nothing” a modern sin? The last week I had a sick leave bacause of the flu I got. I had different symptoms, such as a sorethroat and nose congestion, I didn’t feel very weak though. But even though I had a legal reason not to work, I went on working from home. Surely not in a usual way, but in a more gentle mode. What I’m trying to say is I couldn’t just lie and do nothing. And I think there a few reasons why. Firstly, I have my own KPI at work, that I finally need to get. Doing nothing now means that later I’ll need to work much harder. The second reason is based on the fact that doing nothing is frowned upon in society and I felt uncomfortable doing nothing even having a sick leave. Surely if I had strong symptoms, such as high body tempreture or headache, I would easily justify my idleness. Or being in a different environment, such as in hospital, definitely wouldn’t give me that uncomfortable feeling. Of course, in the end it’s very personal thing and it’s determined by your character, but it’s hard to deny that there is a taboo of “Doing nothing” and people often feel guilty for unproductive downtime. Thank you!