Greetings, welcome to Jref, krs1 (Chris)!
It's very fine indeed to have you here with us, hope you'll post a fair bit and get to know us all well. I'm just a new member too, but the welcome here has been fantastic, and i've already met some fantastic folk who share a deep love of Japan and many of its aspects.
I must say, too, that i've never come across a site with so much helpful, friendly and swift language advice (at even the less-than-beginner- level!) so don't hesitate to post your questions here, and i'm sure you've come to the right place on that front
Also, remeber, this is your personal thread, so feel free to tell us as much (or as little!) as you wish about yourself. The more the merrier in a sense, because it gives other folk a chance to get to know you more and become acqauinted with you, even understand what you're looking to get out of Jref, and thus possibly help you more.
A couple of questions come to mind for me, if you don't mind:
How long did you stay in Japan, and where did you visit?
What made you love the country so (not a trick question in any sense - I loved Japan so much I ended up staying six!) ?
cheers, see you around soon!
mos
ps I went to university in Leeds - love Yorkshire