I also don't understand this. If you know the numbers 1-10, why can you not recite them in the real world? It's simple recitation.
Perhaps OP didn't know the suffixes necessary for counting different types of objects, or didn't know when to use which of the different Japanese counting systems. But if so, none of that is clear from what was written.
Perhaps the toxic crowd with pitchforks was made up of people who couldn't understand your points, leading up to a controversial conclusion that they disagreed with.
It should be more than that. There needs to be a connection between each word and the actual abstract concept they represent. Otherwise we're memorizing the act of counting itself without actually knowing the numbers.
> the suffixes necessary for counting different types of objects
I thought it might be that too but OP specifically said counting from 1 to 10 so it's just the numbers. Ichi, ni, san, yon, go, roku, nana, hachi, kyuu, juu. I just don't know how it's possible to finish duolingo's japanese course without being able to say those words. It's not like the course is easy.
I mean there's some complexity and inconsistency. Words seem to randomly use different pronunciations of the kanji like 17 which is juushichi instead of juunana. Makes no sense to me but I simply got used to it quickly after hearing it enough. Days of the month were the hardest numbers for me because of all the inconsistencies. The general pattern is simple enough: number + "nichi" (日) but unfortunately a third of the numbers are special cases which must be memorized. I hate memorizing special cases. None of this applies to counting from 1 to 10 though...
For one thing it's possible you've only seen lessons in which you're choosing the right answer from a list. If all you can do is that, you almost certainly won't recall them all without that assistance.
Perhaps OP didn't know the suffixes necessary for counting different types of objects, or didn't know when to use which of the different Japanese counting systems. But if so, none of that is clear from what was written.
Perhaps the toxic crowd with pitchforks was made up of people who couldn't understand your points, leading up to a controversial conclusion that they disagreed with.