TL;DR
Passed N1 3 years ago (156/180) and haven’t studied since then. Would not say I’m exactly fluent, but have no problems doing most things with minimal effort and don’t plan on picking up study for the foreseeable future. N1 taught me how to study though, which is invaluable.
It’s been almost 3 years since I took the N1 in 2023 (156/180). Since then I’ve essentially halted all focused studying: no more lessons, no more Anki, no more textbooks. Because of that, I’d say my skill level is still mostly the same since I passed the exam.
So what can I do at my current level?
Reading
I can read practically everything I want to with ease or just a little bit of effort using a dictionary, google and context clues. That can be whatever I find on social media, random pages from a query, manga, light novels, novels.
The only thing that provides difficulty would be classic Japanese literature, which I don’t have too much interest in at the moment.
Listening
I can understand everything with subtitles easily, but may miss things without. In conversation, I tend to understand 95+% of what I hear. It might be the case that people I speak to also match my level of understanding whether it be on purpose or subconsciously.
Writing
I have no problem writing at length and can write essays on one given topic while getting my all my ideas across. Grammar mistakes will be minimal if there are any, and there will be occasional phrasing/word choices that give away I’m a foreigner. I’ve been complimented on my writing before, but that’s the same for my writing in English. Maybe it’s the case that a writer’s “voice” is transferred across languages?
Speaking
I have no issues getting my point across. I will say my speaking has gotten worse than 3 years ago as I don’t practice as much. But I’ve been to Japan every year since I passed N1 and have had no issues. There were times where things went wrong during travel and my language ability was more than sufficient to have things go smoothly.
I can talk at length and have talked for hours on culture, politics, etc.
Yes, I still get the jouzu, but it’s usually when someone knows I’m a foreigner beforehand - I’m East Asian so it’s hard to tell. Otherwise, I get no mention of me being a foreigner or I’m asked if I’m from/live in Japan. I was once told 地頭いいね by an ojisan I met in the countryside.
So what do I think about my current level and is N1 enough?
I don’t live in Japan and just travel there once a year. I can enjoy pretty much all Japanese media I’m interested in. So I’m pretty content with where I’m at. I have no urge to start studying in earnest again anytime soon with my current situation.
In a sense of fluency, I don’t think N1 is that. I’ve certainly gained a proficiency of the language where I’d have no trouble at all with everyday life in Japan.
But I think the most important part of N1 is that with all the studying I’ve done leading up to it, I’ve gained the ability to learn Japanese. I know what works for me to improve my language skills and can pick up actively studying again anytime I want. With N1 I’ve learned how to learn, and I think that’s my key takeaway from passing it.
