I haven't been in Japan since '93. I thought "iku" was the verb "to go." "Densha wa doko desuka?" was the first Japanese phrase I learned. A very important phrase to know. "Yokosuka o ikutai." was the second. (I lived in Yokosuka)
Actually got to practice a little bit of my Japanese languange skills a few weeks ago, when two reps from one of our machine manufacturers were in our plant to oversee the start-up of a new press. Was suprised at how much I remembered and even more suprised at how much I had forgotten. The basics were still there but I know I sounded like a three year old with a speach impediment. We all had several good laughs at some interesting mangleling. The best one (I thought) was mixing up the words for husband and prisoner. They are way too similar for it to be a coincidence.