Why Japanese?

I was living in Shibuya, Tokyo at the age of 3. My go-to hangout location was Yoyogi Park, where I would spend my spring afternoons pushing twigs and pebbles down the holes of storm sewers. On weekends I would go to Tokyo Tower to try and catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji in the distance. If I was well-behaved, my parents would bring me to my favorite store: Snoopy Town. I loved it in Japan, though in hindsight I realize I was too young to fully appreciate the opportunity that had been presented to me.

I visited the country on multiple occasions during subsequent years. During these holidays I was able to visit Himeji Castle and the Itsukushima Shrine on the island of Miyajima. My interest in the language had also grown with my love for Japanese culture. I tried taking multiple Japanese classes during my secondary education, but I lacked the dedication required to learn a new language. 

Nowadays my interests in the culture are much more varied. I am a huge fan of Studio Ghibli and I find the poetic nature of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata's movies to be particularly inspiring. While I am not a huge fan of manga, I used to be obsessed with Gosho Aoyama's Meitantei Conan. I am not very familiar with Jpop, but Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Morning Musume are some of my favorite foreign acts. Kabuki dance dramas are also an interest of mine, and I will always remember the time I saw the first act of a Kabuki play at the Kabukiza Theater in Ginza, Tokyo.

Japanese culture in its many forms has permeated my life and provided me with the motivation to full-heartedly embrace the Japanese language. My aim is to understand more about Japanese society as my communication and comprehension skills develop. One day I hope to be able to enjoy the culture the way a native would.

I have been really interested by the content taught in our classes so far. Satō-Sensei is an excellent teacher who knows how to make her classes interactive and engaging for students of all backgrounds. Her emphasis on conversation and grammar in class has allowed me to gain a more thorough grasp of the lessons' content. Although the amount of homework can seem a bit overwhelming at times, I realize that I can only achieve a high level of proficiency in Japanese by practicing regularly outside of class. So far I have found Lesson 5 most challenging, but I believe that with perseverance I will be able to more fully understand when and how to use the particles で and へ. Additionally, I will try to regularly go over the vocabulary from past lessons as we cover the rest of the textbook.

Overall, I have been very satisfied with the classes so far. I am surprised by how much we are all able to say in Japanese! I can't wait to start incorporating kanji into my writing, but before I do I would like to perfect my ability to read and write hiragana and katakana. I also hope to learn more about Japanese customs and pop culture this semester. Thank you Satō-Sensei for transmitting your passion to your students and encouraging us to have a strong work ethic!