When my comp was new, some years ago, I had no problem writing in Japanese if I wanted, and I probably did, once. I was using Anthy. Now, it doesn't work any more. Anthy is installed, re-installed, but there's nothing on the bar, on top, and there's no way to write in Japanese. I'd ask that in the Ubuntu forum, but my only experience of answers from Linux forums was that if there's something I can't do on Linux, it's because I'm dumb, so I'd rather leave those genius superior beings in peace. Any idea what could bring Anthy back to life or any other suggestion to write in Japanese on my comp?
Never used Anthy, but I do write in Japanese on Linux. Have you tried a different IME? I'm currently using Mozc with ibus on Debian, and although it can become a memory hog, it seems to work well.
Thanks again. This is a problem that I had for years, and when it appeared I tried quite a few things, like re-installing IBUS and Anthy, trying alternatives, etc. I installed Mozc, it didn't do anything. Then on gnome-control-center, I turned off IBUS, removed all languages except French (with the idea of giving Mozc a clean slate), and just in case, tried to turn back on IBUS and Japanese. And voilà, it worked. I even could install a phonetic Russian keyboard on top。 いいねええ! Как хорошо! So, thanks a lot for the suggestion, that unlocked an old problem!