It seems silly to write something in your native language on a language learning website, doesn't it? The idea is you can read this even if you don't know enough Japanese to read a post written in it. I'll try writing this in Japanese later to practise.

The point is, I've been watching some videos by Cure Dolly, specifically her Japanese From Scratch playlist on youtube. These videos have allowed me to see both the trees and the forest. I had learned Japanese from textbooks, teachers, reading books and the like. There were things I "knew" without really understanding them. And there were many things I didn't even know that I didn't know. I really do recommend, even if you are not a complete beginner, starting from the beginning. There is a recurring train analogy that, at first, seems pointless, but everything clicks into place shortly. Her voice could also be a bit grating, but the subtitles are excellent, so watching on mute is a possibility.

Unfortunately, the creator passed some number of years ago. Her logical approach to Japanese has opened my mind to how the language actually works. It really is a (nearly) completely logically consistent language, more elegant than I had even realised. I feel that I've truly levelled up as a result. Thank you, Cure Dolly. Rest in peace.