This image goes viral every year or so with some comments about how "wacky" or "crazy" Japanese is. It's a funny sentence, for sure, but there's nothing bizarre here.

First let's just check out what's going on, and how the five sentences work: As you can see from the right image, I could almost create some of the ambiguity in English. Not exactly, but we are dealing with different languages.

Can we do similar things in English though? Oh, yes, of course. For instance "I saw the man with binoculars on the table"

Do you like learning about the Japanese writing system? Wow, me too! If you are looking to unpack the crazy history behind it, there are two key authors you should know: 今野真二（こんのしんじ）and 笹原宏之（ささはらひろゆき）.

Here's a brief introduction to their books: First, Konno. 正書法のない日本語, or "Japanese Without Writing Rules" was the first of either of their books I read, and is a fascinating intro into the complexities of written Japanese history. Want to annoy your teacher by writing however you want? This book is your citation.