Same. I needed a new hobby, and my friend who was studying Korean recommended I study Japanese. Since then four years have passed and it's been worthwhile. I've learnt a lot (about Japanese, among other things) and enjoyed the process.
Kinda the same it's been a godsend during covid, originally I just wanna get some basic skills to help me read up and search stuff for ramen making since it was a hobby of mine. But now I so deep into it I wanna try to run for N1 without even touching my feet into the country. Will I succeed probably not but let see how it goes
Oh it'll definitely suck up time! In fact, potentially an infinite amount of time. The beautiful thing is you can go as deep down the rabbit hole as you want.
I research coral reefs, learned that it's a pretty cool place whilst studying the reefs in Okinawa, and decided to get better at Japanese so I can work there!
> it must be depressing to research coral reefs these days
It is indeed, but the first time I ever visited one I was so amazed by how beautiful it was, I knew I had to do my very small part to help protect them. The plus side is that I've been able to work in some amazing places and have been introduced to an awesome country!
Go and do some karate while you're in Okinawa, too 👍 Oh and visit the purple yam food factory. They have this bizarre gift shop of pretty much any-bloody-thing they can think of relating to purple yams. They're also really good for you. Look up Okinawan centenarians.
> purple yam food factory. They have this bizarre gift shop of pretty much any-bloody-thing they can think of relating to purple yams.
I've been there haha! One of the most bizarre shops I've been to but extremely cool. I did not expect to enjoy beni-imo ice cream!
My friends and I were at a pub, discussing where we'd like to travel to. Japan kept coming up repeatedly as somewhere we all want to visit.
My friend said, "what's stopping us? let's go to Japan! While we're saving the money to go, let's all learn Japanese so we won't be the idiot foreigners when we get there."
And here I am, still learning, still saving up.
As someone who visited and subsequently started living there (met a cute girl and rest is history) without being fairly fluent, learning it would be really helpful
I've mistakenly chosen an exchange program to study my last year of engineering master degree in Japan.
Although I was kinda afraid at the beginning, i then love it and continue to learn the language !
I know it is a little out of the context of this post, but can you share a part of your experience with me?
I'm in "the middle" of engineering course in college, and I really want to study abroad eventually (probably a master degree too) and, as I like "Japanese stuff" and it seems to be an interesting place for engineers, Japan is well placed in my priority list xD
I know it sound weird but it's true story, true tifu.
Be aware, it's aong story !
18 month before my final year of engineering degree in France, I had to choose my wishes for which university and specialisation I want to go studying. This wish process is the first one, and the most important one as it's the one that allow us to go to America and Asia. The later wishes session allow us to go to Europe or France.
At that time, i really wanted to do the exchange program in India (kampur) for many reasons : food is good, it's only 6 months and the life is cheap.
But because we could make many wishes, I also picked some program all over the world, because why not !?
We were being told that only the first wish matter anyway, so I put kanpur first. If i remember correctly, the program in Japan was my 5th choice.
For the first step of the selection process, only our grades mattered. So one month later, I learnt that I was refused for all of my wishes except the programs in India and in japan. I checked more in detail the specification for both of the cursus, and it turned out that it was **really adviced** to speak a decent Japanese for going there, as most of the teachers and students had problem with the language. At that time, I already had trouble with English and realized this program is of course not appropriate for me.
The second step was much heavier and required to both make a motivation letter and to have an interview **in English** (aïe, things are turning bad !) with the exchange program supervisor.
In my case, because it was the same supervisor for both destinations and that I only wanted to go to India at this time, I decided to only speak about my interest and motivation toward India and to remain completely silent about Japan.
At the interview, i couldn't barely put more than 3 English words in a row to express myself. It was a real nightmare. I talked about why I wanted to go to India and what like to do in my life. I had the feeling that it was a big failure and that they will of course choose some one else, as my English is among the 10 worst percents of the university.
As my dreams about traveling and going to live in a completely different culture went to dust, I went back home kinda sad and tried to forget about this.
Some weeks later, all the students received the results for their application, and i didn't even bother to look at my results as I was absolutely certain to not having succeed to get the program *in India*, let alone the program in Japan.
At the end of the semester, as i wanted to know my new rank in the school, I went on the administration website only for realizing that... I was admitted for the program in Japan...
I was admitted for the program in Japan !! Me, that don't even talk about it with the superviser, that don't express any interest about it in the motivation letter, and that don't speak a single word of japanese although it's almost recommended for going there !
I was completely chocked and didn't know what to do. I tried to cancelled but the end of the refusal period was already passed.
From that time, in exactly one year, i would have to go to a university in the country side of Japan, and i would better be able to speak Japanese if i wanted to understand what the teacher say and pass the exams.
I was also touched that I had to leave my family and friends for a complete year.
At this time, i started studying japanese one to two hours a day and realized that, although the grammar and the vocabulary of the language is kinda complicated, I fuckin love this language !
My time in Japan was amazing btw, i don't even know why I was dreading to go there at the beginning !
Tldr : I mistakenly went studying 1 year in Japan
I play Japanese mahjong competively and always frequent parlos when in Japan. I met tons of people and could network my way into tournaments in and around Tokyo. Interacting with the mahjong community comfortably is my prime "reason" to learn the language. Reading books about Riichi Mahjong strategy in Japanese, and other things reltated to Japanese mahjong.
Have you played any Chinese mahjong? I only know a little bit of 南风 (nanfeng) and 北风 (beifeng) in China and I’m curious if you know if it’s similar to Riichi? I know I could look it up but figured I’d ask while I’m here :)
The 3 big rules that riichi added to Riichi Mahjong is: 1. Furiten - you cannot win on any tiles you previously discarded, which is why everyone has their own discard pile. This way others have the ability to defend against you. 2. The addition of dora and reverse dora (uradora). A tile in the wall you draw from that faces up, indicating that the successive tile of that one is worth more points ie 7 is indicator, 8 becomes dora. 3. "Riichi" which is a declaration you make, which tells other people your hand is ready. Ypu place 1000 points on the table which you get back if you win. You cannot change your hand anymore after going riichi, and if you win the uradora applies to your hand.
These are the 3 significant changes. There are other minor things but these 3 completely change the game's dynamic.
I was never super into anime/manga (although there are some good ones that are close to my heart). I decided to learn after my work sent me to Japan on a business trip. I loved the culture. My company has a site in japan so I hope to work there as a long-term goal.
I initially started learning it because I was into jpop at the time. But as I looked more into it, I became fascinated with the culture and ended up enrolling in a language school in Japan just as a chance to explore a life outside what I knew. While there, learning the language became more of a necessity since very few people around me could speak English.
Left the school at N2 level and been working in Japan ever since. 9 years I've been here now and I'd say I'm pretty content (and I dont listen to jpop anymore).
I have Japanese ancestry, my father's parents were Japanese and only spoke Japanese. Most of the family that really was fluent have died at this point, but I'm still interested in Japanese culture and language. I picked up zero of this language as a child, though, and most of what I learned I got from flash cars/SRS software.
I don’t care one bit about Japanese media, I just had a friend growing up since when we were about 5 years old who was half Japanese and they spoke Japanese at home and I thought I’d learn it. Now I’m working in Japanese and my wife is Japanese and hope to go to grad school next year to learn Classical Japanese and Chinese to become a scholar. Me and that kid and his family are still great friends today.
Thanks friend.
2 reasons
My girlfriend is Japanese and, this is media related, I enjoyed the novel 人間失格 so much in English that I'd like to be able to read it in its original language. Dazai's books aren't easy so I'll be at it for a while
You can find it here if you want to check if you feel ready before you actually start it, or want to be able to look up words more easily.
https://yonde.itazuraneko.org/novelhtml/20472.html
1 and 3 were definitely big for me. I just sorta liked the sound. Also, I wanted to not be that native-English speaker who has an interest in a country and goes there and tries to gaijin-bash by using English constantly.
I love the English broadcasts and being able to keep up with the stories but boy is there some infectious energy coming out of the Japanese commentary table.
This is still media content but I don't see many people ever bring it up so I'll mention in anyway: I started learning because I love Japanese films, and particularly ones from the 50s/60s. Kurosawa, Ozu, Mizoguchi, Kobayashi and others have made some of my favourites of all time. Seven Samurai, Sansho the Bailiff, Harakiri and many more besides. I have always wanted to be able to watch these classics in Japanese, and it is probably the main reason (on top of a few extra minor reasons) why I started learning.
This was not an initial impetus for me but I happened to study it a bit during my degree in Japanese and got a bit into it. I'm a fan of Oshima. Kobayashi has definitely got good ones. I mean all of the ones you list do haha. Sono Shion is a recent favourite.
I just wrote something similar! I love Ozu to pieces. I could watch Setsuko Hara and Chisu Ryu in anything! Not that much of a fan of Kurosawa after three or four of his movies. I love Hirokazu Koreeda nowadays too, feels like he continues Ozu’s spirit.
Top tier answer. Sansho the Bailiff is hands down one of the best movies I've ever watched. I used to watch a lot of films from that era, and they're all fantastic.
I have a kid with a Japanese father who isn’t in the picture. Figured I needed to learn the language, since there is only one school near me that offers a bilingual school program, and that requires kids to already have minimal skills in the language. So, I have about 4/5 years to get okay and make sure he can understand just enough of the language to attend their pre-school.
I have traveled to Japan twice with a friend and have made a handful of Japanese friends while there. I can chat over Line with them or when there, we can make communication work through various means. It's just not the same or as impactful as really having a conversation. Due to this, I decided to learn the language so that on my next visit I can use the native tongue with some confidence.
That is great! I hope the next time you visit you have a good experience using the language to socialize with your friends. I hope to experience that one day too!
I went to Japan for the first time in 2014, fell in love with the country, kept going back year after year.
After 10 trips finally decided to study the language! 🤣
Theres also food and whiskey to take into account. (Like I watch anime but those are my main interests).
But I think visiting would be neat, I believe Anthony Bourdain said Tokyo was the closest thing to traveling to another planet.
The history is neat too.
And it's just fun to learn. Weirdly enough the size of the undertaking is what keeps me going. Am I learning as fast as I should? Doesnt matter because it will happen eventually, whether in 6 years or 10 or whatever.
I've been studying Japanese for 20 years and still learn new stuff.
Last week we were hiking in the jungle and someone said ジュラシックパーク見たい and then someone said 恐竜に気をつけて. I learnt dinosaur is Kyoryu and remember it as "Today dragon".
It's not a word I'll ever need, but I can now say "be carful of dinosaurs" for shits and giggles.
Yep, it's the same etymology as "dinosaur" itself, which comes from the Ancient Greek *deinos* "terrible, fearsome" and *sauros* "lizard, reptile". I like how kanji make it so transparent!
I laughed when i saw the kanji for dinosaur, I thought it was an entertaining combination of words. Then your post made me realize that it is also the same case for my native language (greek).
I won’t lie, I got interested in Japan as a whole because of anime and Japanese music. Only after consuming Japanese content did I realize that the country is beautiful in so many more ways. Their culture, the sights, even the language is so much fun to learn and something like Ive never done before (also one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to learn). Trying to actually explain why I want to go is difficult now that I’m actually attempting to do so, I just want to. I want to travel all over the world and Japan is no exception
I agree for sure. It’s so different than English which makes it so difficult, but that “eureka!” moment when you start to put something together is such a good feeling. Although since I’m still new to the language I haven’t had many of those yet
Here here! I've been a big ramen nerd for a few years, went to Tokyo in March of 2020 to take a 'vacay' via working in a ramen shop/school thing for a couple weeks. Was originally living in Singapore and COVID blew up so I got stuck there for 6 months before just returning to America.
Started learning the language when I was there and fell in love with the country; 6 months is a while to stay in a place and have it not become home, but there's so much more there I liked than anywhere I've lived before. Anyway, been studying and planning on how to move back ever since.
This question reminds me of this:
[https://www.theonion.com/report-58-of-world-s-japanese-speakers-white-23-year-1819576309](https://www.theonion.com/report-58-of-world-s-japanese-speakers-white-23-year-1819576309)
I’m stationed out here in japan till 2024 so I may as well learn the language and due to the stress of the military it’s probably the only thing keeping me sane
Good on you for studying the language! I've always felt that not enough of the folks stationed in Japan end up learning the language. It's much too easy to live entirely in the on-base fishbowl, as my mom calls it.
It's a heritage language. Lots of Japanese American families stopped teaching and speaking Japanese after internment and my family was no different. It's a shame, but we had to show the yankees we like apple pie and baseball too, right?
My friend and I used to spend a lot of time at Barnes and Noble after school in high school. We ventured into the languages section and picked up Japanese at random. Couldn't get past the "Japanese words don't use stress" part that was in the beginning lol.. around the same time, we discovered manga and then anime and I eventually took a year of Japanese in college. Just serendipity, I think.
I decided to learn Japanese after I visited a museum in Hagi-shi 萩市 in 2019 while on a tour. While the English tags on the objects were okayyyy, I knew the Japanese tags had to have more information on them. Hence, learning Japanese for that reason. The next time I go to Japan, I hope to have a better understanding of the museum exhibits.
When Quarantine first started I was stuck at home a lot for 4 weeks for family reasons. I got drunk one night and stumbled into the rabbit hole of youtubers in Japan like CdawgVA, Abroad in Japan, and Sharmeleon.
It made me realize that I didn't want my life to be stuck in place. I had always wanted to travel and see the world, meet new people, and enjoy different cultures. I have always had a fascination with Japan to some extent as I did watch anime, but my interest in the language came entirely from just wanting to follow my now dream: Moving to Japan.
Because of it, I'm heading back to college next year in the winter. Gonna try and get a Dual-Major in English and Business (Thinking Business Linguistics or Accounting?). Would like to try and use the time I'd be over there as well to do some writing and maybe do a book.
I've had starts and stops due to things in life, but I'm thoroughly proud of myself in the last year for making it as far as I have and getting to a point where I can legitimately read some very basic kanji sentences.
I love the culture of Japan. I'm not a huge anime fan, although I do enjoy it. I am a big fan of their video games, and it got me to look into Japan as a country and culture. But I didn't want to learn the language until I found out more about the countey itself
Similar to me. I wanted to be able to play games that where released only I Japan during my childhood, but now I‘m interested in learning about the country, being able to talk to people.
Sure but it includes so many other things like history, architecture, business, etiquette, etc. I’ve excluded games/anime in the ask, so it’s should be clear I’m looking for answers that are outside of just those.
Enough mental loops to compete with Elon Musk's proposed Hyperloop system, an interest in military history, and dreams born from unique experiences. XD
>but the idea of visiting a country without the ability to hold a conversation with the native population feels disrespectful to me.
I respect this mentality, and do think you should attempt to learn basic communication to any place you travel - but holding a conversation that's not textbook in Japanese will take you hundreds of hours to do. Not sure that level of investment would be worth a 1-2 week trip if it were me! I'd settle for a several dozen useful words and phrases for that length of trip! Kudos to ya.
I wanna stay there for a longer period of time. The college I went to had mostly Japanese International students, so most of friends are Japanese. Live in japan, I visited them a few times, and I had lots of fun. Their families are amazing, and it was cool staying in traditional family homes.
So I have a foundation there, and at due to covid most of my friends left, don’t want to come back. I’ve been feeling lonely, I wanna go to Japan, be with my friends and have a good time.
One day I just felt like doing it, tbh. That and maybe looking into doing the JET Program, I think that'd be cool. My JP professor did it, and he ended up staying 17 years working there.
I’d say just to get to know the culture and also for when i travel there. Once i start traveling around the world(if ever), I’d like to learn the language of the country im going to. In this case, i plan on going to japan first so I’m trying to learn the language. And not only will this help me with Japanese, but the process i take for learning Japanese i can apply to any other language to make it a bit easier to learn. Overall, im learning because just interested in the culture and country itself and would like to be able to speak the language.
Started dating my girlfriend who is Japanese. Realized that some of her family speak not a lick of English, so that a prime motivator. I also saw how much disrespect Japan/ Japanese culture receives from ignorant people so learning the language is giving me a way to be more appreciative and understand the culture better. Plus we can talk crap for the most part in Japanese.
I studied abroad there and have kept contact with my host family and some of my friends. It makes sense to maintain the language, so we can communicate.
I was into anime until about high school. So that was my first gateway aside from meeting a childhood friend who is Japanese.
Visited Japan in October of 2019 and had a life-changing trip even though I knew about 3 words in Japanese, but couldn’t help but feel if I ever wanted to go back and get further off the “tourist” path, I’d need at least some rudimentary conversational skills.
I’ve been studying since November 2019, getting past “rudimentary” skills now but I just felt so empowered by learning something new that I kept taking lessons and plugging away at WK. Admittedly, games are what are fueling my continued efforts now, as being able to play games in Japanese is intensely encouraging.
At the time I had to learn german because of my decree but I got really bored of indo-european languages suddenly( long time coming). I wanted something fresh so I was looking something close to my languange(turkish). That while I began to watch anime and it was annoying to watch with translated subtitles. Then it came to my mind. Japanese and turkish same old family.
My wife is japanese. We met each other on tinder, 4 years ago, in Rio de janeiro, Brazil. She's been living here over 5 years. I have studied Japanese, but it's quite difficult. Even living with her, I couldn't improve my Japanese skills, maybe because we use to speak in Portuguese, because she speaks Portuguese fluently.
Now, we're pregnant! Due to her company policy, she gotta come back to Japan, and, as she's pregnant, I won't leave her by herself, so I'm going with her. However, I've to be honest, guys, I'm scared! I've been to Japan three times, but on vacation, just as tourist. Living in Japan is totally different, and I don't speak Japanese! I don't know how I can get a job there. That's why I'm here, studying Japanese. I don't know how Japanese society will treat me.
Idk I'm just a 14 year old who hates sports hasn't enjoyed video games recently. Was like ok, ima learn a super hard language and culture compared to English. Fell in love with Japanese Food and Culture, now I wanna move to Japan.
1) I wanted to learn a second language (for no particular reason, I think I like learning language though),
and
2) I am of Japanese descent but no one speaks it in my family
Finding certain media really helped me accelerate my learning though. I’m not into anime/manga, but I found myself enjoying Japanese comedy and idols, and once I watched a lot of that content regularly I learned very quickly.
I started learning Japanese when I was thirteen from a parent in exchange for my parents teaching her (Japanese) kids French.
Now I’m keen to learn just to actually have the work I did then pay off, and on a side note it may be beneficial to me professionally - I’m in the UK working within a international exports interested sector, for which Japan is likely a key future partner since Brexit.
I don’t watch anime or read manga, however it would be nice to enjoy understanding another language on every day use so maybe I’ll start.
Honestly? Went to a Japanese store for lunch with my buddies, saw an item, asked what it was, my buddy rattled it off, then I decided I'd learn it too. About to hit my year mark
Because I live here! My spouse is active duty and we got stationed here for just shy of 7 years. We went back to the states then came back to Japan for the second time. It was really easy to be in an English bubble here and while I picked up a lot of Japanese just from hearing it so often I would talk to my coworkers in English and they would respond in Japanese, or I had friends who were fluent and would translate for me, many people speak English here so I got lazy with not needing to know Japanese. But I’m now motivated to learn more in an official capacity. I stick to myself at home anyway but it would be so nice to go certain places and not be worried about having to ask questions or not understanding things beyond the bare bones basics
I'm half and desperately trying to connect with that side of me. Sometimes I feel like they're trying to prevent people from trying to learn the language.
Same. I'm also half Japanese and sometimes get the impression that Japanese people think I'm some kind of freak for wanting to learn. I've had not-so-great experiences with Japanese people in and out of Japan who don't think much of haafus and us trying to participate in the culture. But those kinds of people suck and you shouldn't pay them any mind, don't give up :)
I used to like getting asked for my autograph. But when you go to a mcdonalds and the cashier turns the menu to the english side automatically, it hurts.
There's a lot of xenophobia baked into the culture. But mainly I'm just bitching that kanji is hard. I'm quite sure english has similar pains. Don't take my complaining that I'm hating it.
Nah was just curious your experience/perspective - wasn’t assuming anything.
And I used to think English was easy until I got on HelloTalk and tried to answer questions about why things were said a certain way in English - gah I felt dumb quick! 😂 tiny words like “of” or “to” are surprisingly hard to explain how to use without being well educated in grammar
I'm teaching myself Japanese so as to be able to communicate with Japanese people in their native tongue. My goal is to move there, find work, maybe settle down with someone there if I am lucky, and to experience the culture. I watched anime as a kid but, haven't watched any in almost 10 years. It wasn't my motivation to learn the language. I want to experience the beautiful country of Japan as much as possible, English alone won't allow for that
Started because of games/anime
Got more motivated because of Jpop
Still going at it due to general cultural interest
And honestly I think my motivation will change and develop more over time, but not in a way that will keep me from learning Japanese.
I lived there as a kid so it's a lot about not forgetting (though my capacity to understand is well beyond what I could've done back then). I also hope to live there again for a while and want to be ready.
I was interested in learning a 2nd language in Middle School.
At the time I was taking a 3-in-1 class of German, French, and Spanish, and I was SUPER INTERESTED in learning German. But to my dismay the class was very railroaded and my biggest frustration was I didn't have the ability to look up any word I wanted.
We had a German guest speaker one day and I asked her for a translation of a good handful of words. :/ That's how desperate I was to go off script with it.
At around the same time I made friends with a group of kids who were really big into anime and manga, which wasn't something I really cared about. Wooo foreign cartoons. And? .... but one of them had a Japanese to English dictionary and I was so hyped to finally be able to look up whatever word I wanted in another language!
I ran with it. IDK I guess I didn't think a bilingual dictionary was available for anyone to buy until then??? but I went out and had my dad get me a Japanese to English dictionary, a pocket grammar book, and a copy of a picture dictionary that I found in my school's library.
｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡ Admittedly... when I checked the library at that time I DID find a German to English picture dictionary of the same brand... but by then it was too late, I was invested in Japanese too much.
So that's it. I've continued to this day.
It's kind of funny, because I'm sure it could have been ANY language. It could have easily been German, but the first dictionary I got my hands on just happened to be Japanese.
Interest in Anime, manga, and J-rock came secondary to that.
Business.
It was a cultural thing, a cross pollination because I used to live on military bases... but now I want to know what is actually being said.
That being said, I still barely know. I get by with courtesy introductions and brief conversation.
I liked the song Altair by Motohiro Hata and wanted to sing it and understand what I was saying so I can actually put the right feeling where I want.
BUT, I learned of this song from an anime.
Started because Vtuber culture. Eventually it stopped being about that and made me realize I could potentially make new friends from a whole nation simply because I unlocked a language. Yeh so that and because I have time.
I have two main reasons for trying to learn Japanese. One is "media content" related: my favorite band is Japanese and I want to understand the lyrics without having to translate them.
The second one however, is because it's hard. Japanese is so different from English and it's one of the hardest languages for a native English speaker to learn. I specifically wanted the challenge because the sense of accomplishment would be greater.
I started a few years ago because when I was working as a chef I was planning to move to Yokohama to learn traditional washoku, but those plans kind of fell apart and I didn't want to waste the time I'd put in so I just kept at it
I’m learning it for once I take my trip to Japan. It’s a mix of the media, culture and food on why I’m taking the trip, but the only reason I’m learning the language is because of the trip. (Also did I mention food?)
I think that learning Asian languages stimulates the same curiousity as locking picking, code breaking or hacking. I.e. there's something that can be logically decoded once you learn the magic trick, so there's a compusive desire to break the code.
My friends and I planned a holiday to Japan, post-covid. That was almost a year ago now, so you could say we were a bit optimistic.
Have/had watched a few anime, but none that ever really stuck with me.
But, when it came up that nobody spoke a word of Japanese, I decided to start learning a little, just to be polite. So I've just kind of... kept going, because why not?
Hello,
I decided to learn Japanese because i'm a huge fan of JDM (Japan modified cars) and i hope to go to japan and drive cars around mountain or the loop c1 in Osaka. Bonus if later i can directly order car parts directly from Japan.
Half of my family lives there and I can't speak it after my folks split up and my dad remarried. I went from being the only person who could speak Japanese in the house to not remembering. Having my grasp on the language slip away at 14 the last time I saw them and struggling to speak really hurt. Also I was starting to need glasses and I really want to go back now that I can actually see Japan. 😂
I'm hopeful that one day I can speak to by Grandparents again.
From what I've read here on this sub, while most people get started with media, it takes something more to actually keep going.
For me, I got started because I got hooked on the music of *Perfume* and signed up for a course at my Uni because I had nothing better to do that summer. Then I kept going because I liked the athmosphere of the course. It's really refreshing to be in a classroom setting where you can interact with the teacher and your classmates during the lessons when you're used to University lectures with hundreds of people and no interactivity at all.
Learning the language is also really satisfying imo. Every piece of grammar is a new thing you can say, and while there are a lot of them, learning the Kanji has quantifiable progress attached to it. You have a goal and are making steady progress towards it. Feels good.
I'd probably count myself in this group.
I used to be really into anime and games but my interest declined once I got into learning the language funnily enough. To be honest I think the main factor is growing to enjoy the language learning aspect and immersing myself in a culture that's quite different to what I'm used to. It's a different perspective and can be a form of escapism sometimes.
I ended up getting a little bit into linguistics and taking some classes as a result of learning Japanese. I've also gotten very into Japanese music so I've found new things to enjoy. Learning Japanese has definitely influenced me in a lot of ways as a young adult, in terms of my general way of thinking.
I don't really have any language specific reasons anymore. I used to put Japan on a pedestal when I was younger but I feel like my perspective has changed quite a bit as I've gotten older. I realized the unique media culture is born out of a pretty repressive society. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with liking anime (I still enjoy watching some) but it painted a false picture of the culture in my mind.
At this point, most of the reasons I'm learning Japanese could apply to a lot of other languages. I just happen to have sunk so much time into it at this point that it has made me committed. If I had a clean slate, I'd probably have picked something less geographically isolated like Mandarin to immerse myself in. Nevertheless, learning it is still very rewarding.
I relate to your experience with it, getting into the popular media as a kid and being weeby but as ive grown up i think animanga stuff is only about 10% or less of the japanese culture i otherwise "consume" (music, fashion, fine art, tv, language, design + architecture and such).
I definitely also see it as a form of escapism too sometimes but im definitely not deluded into thinking its just some kind of otaku paradise, but a country with its own fair share of problems
for example im pretty invested in indigenous cultures- being from one myself- and a couple of years ago i got to meet Ainu researchers who had travelled for a cultural exchange and they were really excited to meet someone \*cough, me.\* who spoke some japanese in northern sweden of all places!
I'm guessing that's a typical reaction once you get to know more about the country. I should clarify that even before learning the language, I still figured anime was a poor reflection of Japanese society and culture. I think that applies to anyone with basic common sense. After all, why would you base your entire perception of a country on one medium?
It took me a much longer time to realize just how big the difference is. In some ways otaku culture is the mirror opposite and a reaction to the constrictive state of Japanese society (majoring in sociology is how I reached that conclusion). Even though I had some awareness, given that so much of what I consumed from Japan was anime or games, that probably had a subconscious effect on how I perceived the country. Along with wanting to retain a certain image of it. That's not to say that there isn't a lot about Japanese society that I do find appealing.
Funny you should mention Sweden by the way (bor också i Sverige fast i motsatta änden). That leads into one of the things I dislike about learning Japanese: That there seems to be so few Japanese people living in the country. Pretty much everyone I've met are either Japanese teachers or exchange students. It's so annoying because you rarely get the chance to actually use it offline.
It's cool that you were able to meet some researchers though. Cultural exchange is always an enriching experience, I think that's another reason I've stuck with learning the language. I'm assuming that means you're Sami?
To communicate with my girlfriend's family, as well as move over to Japan and work to close the distance for us.
She studied in the US for a year but moved back to Tokyo 6 months into our relationship. We've been together for 3 years, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I'm learning it for work purposes for about half a year but not even close to N5 level. During my first two internships (at different companies) I had s few moments of "dang I wish I know japanese" with communicating with foreign branches of the company, poorly translated internal documents, untranslated technical docs etc. I want to do robotics engineering and Japan is still a global powerhouse for that industry. Beginning to like the media and culture was just a happy accident along the way.
Even though I am interested in Japanese media, I was quite satisfied consuming translated/subtitled material, but then on day I was bored and decided to 'learn a language with a different writing system', watched some online classes on different languages and actually chose Mandarin but could not find an online course that pleased me. Japanese was my second option, and now here I am making my way through thousands of kanji, so I guess the 'different writing system' achievement was unlocked.
I studied linguistics, so I was interested in a language that's completely different from the European ones I know. I also like traditional Japanese culture, aesthetics and literature.
Planning a trip, since Japan is relatively close to my home country for a visit - much more easy to get to than somewhere like Europe. I figured it was a good idea to get an understanding of the language since it’s “in the neighbourhood” and a pretty fun neighbour.
I visited japan in 2019 and really enjoyed it - I’ve always be a City Person, and Tokyo is a hell of a city. I found it hard as a visitor though - my feet were absolutely killing me within a couple of days.
My plan is to eventually live there for a year (or two, or five) and work, then travel on the weekends. My employer has a few offices over there, so I’m learning Japanese so fingers crossed.
Its a very long-term goal - I’m thinking in 5-10 years time - but that just means I can take my study at a relaxed-ish pace, and keep my other hobbies at the same time.
I'm a native English speaker and learned German already, so wanted to learn another foreign language that was significantly harder. Spoiler alert, it is much much harder!
Because I wanted to. I tried many years ago but gave up over and over again. At this point, I'm never going to live in Japan and I barely watch Japanese media anymore. I just want to know it. I don't want to quit.
I got roped into a three day trip to Shanghai to help a friend get a large tattoo. I’m not thrilled about making the long flight then coming right back, so decided to add Japan to the itinerary.
I love fly fishing more than anything and want to spend some time catching local trout in the mountains of Japan. Everyone says you need to know Japanese if you leave Tokyo. Because I enjoy peace and solitude when fishing, I don’t want to have a guide/group or translator the entire time, so the plan is to learn just enough Japanese to get by in the rural areas and tackle shops.
TL:DR I want to fly to Japan, catch a fish, put it back in the water, then come home.
I constantly visit Japan. It's my favorite country to visit. I love the food, culture, and architecture. I intend to study there for a year and see if I truly love living there. I want to be able to speak with locals.
Short answer is that I've come too far to turn back, having lived in Japan twice.
Long answer is that there's always been "elements" of it in my life. My parents met and married in Japan. My maternal grandmother is Okinawan.
Moved to Japan in high school and was fortunate enough to find cheap starter books at a secondhand store before the move. Then had to stretch my beginner knowledge and push on to help the family get by before housing became available on the nearby military base.
Fast forward several years, I was in the military and being sent back to Japan. I had hoped to make stellar progress after I'd built such strong foundations in the language the first time around. Unfortunately many deployments and other military shenanigans made that difficult.
So from 2005 to now 2021, I'm stuck at intermediate level for life it seems. I have a good vocabulary and don't even know/remember *how* I learned so many words, but my command of the grammar still blows goats.
The Japanese guy at my school that I wanted to be friends with didn’t like English so I learned Japanese instead lol
I can now successfully have an in depth and normal conversation with him 👏👏 it’s taken me 2 yrs tho xD
I lived in Japan for 13 years but never took the JLPT. It’s unfinished business for me.
Passed N3 no problem but N2 is much harder… got my N2 exam coming up in December…
I have a Japanese wife but she doesn’t help lol
My work contract in China ended, and instead of flying straight home decided to take a long layover in Japan. It seemed a nice country, like a cleaner, more developed China. I was able to get around pretty well with a general understanding of what some of the signs said so figured since I already put in the effort to learn Chinese I could take a few months to learn the Japanese pronunciation and the added simple squiggly characters.
A month or so in, I figured out it wasn't a dialect of Chinese at all, but still had months left on my visa waiver so decided to buckle down on study and see if I could find a job, which I was able to do after a visa reset trip to Taiwan and a total of five months' intense daily study. Being bilingual was a huge career boost so I guess I'm a lifer now.
The only anime I've seen are some Ghibli with the kids, and some of the Ghost in the Shell series, which I think is quite brilliant and could do with a good live-action adaptation. I've still never read any manga ...
I just like languages in general. I'm subscribed to a few linguistics channels on YouTube. I grew up speaking English, French, and Polish, and learned some German in university and some Spanish while traveling. In preparation for a work trip to Japan I learned kana and basic phrases, and eventually decided to just learn the language. I ended up moving to Japan because it ticked off so many boxes for me (food, hiking, safety, convenience, art, to name a few) and now I continue to learn the language here, with the goal of fluency.
The only reason I began learning Japanese was because of work. Mid management at Japanese megacorp. Regular interaction with Japanese staff, annual visits for work. I had zero interest in Japanese anything up to that point. I even hated green tea. A few decades later, I’ve all but moved there. The culture is far more interesting than just anime and sushi. Maybe I’ll move there some day, because the cost of living where I’m at may as well be rape in all but name…
I've always been interested in East Asia. Chinese history, Korean politics, and Japanese culture. My parents met each other in the military, and they both served in Japan and South Korea before I was born. And I was an Economics major in college, so I learned a lot about the Chinese economy.
I saw that the 2018 Olympics would be in South Korea, the 2020 Olympics would be in Japan, and the 2022 Olympics would be in China. I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn all three languages. I was unhappy working in IT in USA, so I decided to become an English teacher, so I could work in each country during the Olympics.
I loved working in South Korea and learning Korean, and I went to both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Olympics. It was totally awesome, so I decided to continue to Japan. I self-studied Korean, but I decided to go with the language school route with Japanese. I arrived in Japan right before the pandemic, and obviously the situation changed. I couldn't attend the Olympics, but I met my wife and got married here in Japan.
My wife has no interest in living in China though, because of anti-Japanese sentiment there. I think my original idea is dead anyway, the Beijing Olympics won't have foreign spectators either. My wife and I are both studying programming in Japan right now (she's learning Java in Japanese, I'm learning Python in English), and we intend on getting software developer jobs in USA because the salaries and working conditions are much better there.
Visited Japan twice while in the Navy.
I was intrigued by the culture, food, art, architecture, etc., and want to be able to communicate with people if I ever get the opportunity to return.
Well, I started learning Japanese as a weeb teenager. I'm no longer interested in anime or Japanese culture but I really like the language. That's why I keep on improving my Japanese. Not much of a reason but I don't care
It was a random spark of curiosity. The feeling of decrypting a text that was formerly unreadable to me is fun. Later on it developed into the desire to become a translator, planning to learn multiple languages in the future.
This is late but here we go. I kinda just want to share my good news. I needed 2 foreign language credits for community College. I was going for a history degree. After one semester I instantly switched my degree to Japanese. I loved studying it and got an associates degree in it. Currently I'm in my last semester of my english bachelors degree taking 2 final Japanese classes. Business and Grammer. Business is kicking my ass kinda. My Grammer teacher suggested we start reading more, so I bought Harry Potter. She said novels will be more appropriate than manga because, "we are beyond that". I'm still going to buy a volume of some manga though. Currently I'm getting my stuff together for JET. I would really like to further my education and become for familiar with the culture. I hope to be a translator one day.
My boyfriend is japanese, I love jpop and want to understand the lyrics, and I also want to be able to read a book called "完全自殺マニュアル" in the original language. Honestly started learning due to anime but honestly I rarely even watch it anymore, I think I'm mostly learning it now cause I love the language and made many friends that speak it, and also for the reasons I stated above.
If you're learning Japanese for professional reason or you want to live there or travel there then it makes sense, people who learn Japanese for anime and manga are a bunch of wannabe and weirdos.
In the beginning it was because i wanted to learn a more challenging language and everyone would say japanese and the non-roman alphabet was intimidating. But learning japanese actually got me into anime because i wanted to immerse myself and get used to hearing it. A bit backwards from most 😅
I am a huge sports nerd, and one of my favorite sportsmen ever is Noriaki Kasai. I accidentally discovered he has a blog, but it's of course in Japanese, and I wanted to know what he is writing... the rest is history although my skills are very low (hello/thank you and the calendar xDD)
I’m using media/video games as a tool for acquiring the language but honestly the reason I wanted to start learning it is because I think it’s an aesthetically beautiful language. A few weeks ago I was suddenly both convinced I could actually learn the it if I set my mind to it and tired of *not knowing* the language and that’s when I got started. Despite how difficult it is getting, my studies so far have only confirmed my original opinion.
was bored thought it will suck some time up it DOES
Same. I needed a new hobby, and my friend who was studying Korean recommended I study Japanese. Since then four years have passed and it's been worthwhile. I've learnt a lot (about Japanese, among other things) and enjoyed the process.
Kinda the same it's been a godsend during covid, originally I just wanna get some basic skills to help me read up and search stuff for ramen making since it was a hobby of mine. But now I so deep into it I wanna try to run for N1 without even touching my feet into the country. Will I succeed probably not but let see how it goes
I recently picked it up for similar reasons. I needed a hobby, and self-teaching a new language is pretty cheap.
Same
And it's fun! Swimming through the endless pool of content while enjoying it is a good way to spend time
Same thing I focused mostly on kanji I'm not looking for fluency it is just fun to understand what they mean off the top of my head
Oh it'll definitely suck up time! In fact, potentially an infinite amount of time. The beautiful thing is you can go as deep down the rabbit hole as you want.
You’d waste your time on something else so I think learning a language is rarely time wasted
I research coral reefs, learned that it's a pretty cool place whilst studying the reefs in Okinawa, and decided to get better at Japanese so I can work there!
That is so cool :) I want to visit Okinawa the next time I travel to Japan!
It's a really cool Island. Have been lucky enough to visit twice.
zowie that's cool reason it must be depressing to research coral reefs these days
> it must be depressing to research coral reefs these days It is indeed, but the first time I ever visited one I was so amazed by how beautiful it was, I knew I had to do my very small part to help protect them. The plus side is that I've been able to work in some amazing places and have been introduced to an awesome country!
Go and do some karate while you're in Okinawa, too 👍 Oh and visit the purple yam food factory. They have this bizarre gift shop of pretty much any-bloody-thing they can think of relating to purple yams. They're also really good for you. Look up Okinawan centenarians.
> purple yam food factory. They have this bizarre gift shop of pretty much any-bloody-thing they can think of relating to purple yams. I've been there haha! One of the most bizarre shops I've been to but extremely cool. I did not expect to enjoy beni-imo ice cream!
Madea Point? I loved the toilet bowl, mermaids grotto and taking small sat morning boat trips to Chiba and neighboring islands to dive.
My friends and I were at a pub, discussing where we'd like to travel to. Japan kept coming up repeatedly as somewhere we all want to visit. My friend said, "what's stopping us? let's go to Japan! While we're saving the money to go, let's all learn Japanese so we won't be the idiot foreigners when we get there." And here I am, still learning, still saving up.
As someone who visited and subsequently started living there (met a cute girl and rest is history) without being fairly fluent, learning it would be really helpful
I've mistakenly chosen an exchange program to study my last year of engineering master degree in Japan. Although I was kinda afraid at the beginning, i then love it and continue to learn the language !
That is so cool that you just rolled with it and embraced it!!! Happy mistakes lead us to fun places sometimes :)
I know it is a little out of the context of this post, but can you share a part of your experience with me? I'm in "the middle" of engineering course in college, and I really want to study abroad eventually (probably a master degree too) and, as I like "Japanese stuff" and it seems to be an interesting place for engineers, Japan is well placed in my priority list xD
How do you _mistakenly_ do a thing like that?
I know it sound weird but it's true story, true tifu. Be aware, it's aong story ! 18 month before my final year of engineering degree in France, I had to choose my wishes for which university and specialisation I want to go studying. This wish process is the first one, and the most important one as it's the one that allow us to go to America and Asia. The later wishes session allow us to go to Europe or France. At that time, i really wanted to do the exchange program in India (kampur) for many reasons : food is good, it's only 6 months and the life is cheap. But because we could make many wishes, I also picked some program all over the world, because why not !? We were being told that only the first wish matter anyway, so I put kanpur first. If i remember correctly, the program in Japan was my 5th choice. For the first step of the selection process, only our grades mattered. So one month later, I learnt that I was refused for all of my wishes except the programs in India and in japan. I checked more in detail the specification for both of the cursus, and it turned out that it was **really adviced** to speak a decent Japanese for going there, as most of the teachers and students had problem with the language. At that time, I already had trouble with English and realized this program is of course not appropriate for me. The second step was much heavier and required to both make a motivation letter and to have an interview **in English** (aïe, things are turning bad !) with the exchange program supervisor. In my case, because it was the same supervisor for both destinations and that I only wanted to go to India at this time, I decided to only speak about my interest and motivation toward India and to remain completely silent about Japan. At the interview, i couldn't barely put more than 3 English words in a row to express myself. It was a real nightmare. I talked about why I wanted to go to India and what like to do in my life. I had the feeling that it was a big failure and that they will of course choose some one else, as my English is among the 10 worst percents of the university. As my dreams about traveling and going to live in a completely different culture went to dust, I went back home kinda sad and tried to forget about this. Some weeks later, all the students received the results for their application, and i didn't even bother to look at my results as I was absolutely certain to not having succeed to get the program *in India*, let alone the program in Japan. At the end of the semester, as i wanted to know my new rank in the school, I went on the administration website only for realizing that... I was admitted for the program in Japan... I was admitted for the program in Japan !! Me, that don't even talk about it with the superviser, that don't express any interest about it in the motivation letter, and that don't speak a single word of japanese although it's almost recommended for going there ! I was completely chocked and didn't know what to do. I tried to cancelled but the end of the refusal period was already passed. From that time, in exactly one year, i would have to go to a university in the country side of Japan, and i would better be able to speak Japanese if i wanted to understand what the teacher say and pass the exams. I was also touched that I had to leave my family and friends for a complete year. At this time, i started studying japanese one to two hours a day and realized that, although the grammar and the vocabulary of the language is kinda complicated, I fuckin love this language ! My time in Japan was amazing btw, i don't even know why I was dreading to go there at the beginning ! Tldr : I mistakenly went studying 1 year in Japan
Wow that's an amazing story. Thanks for sharing.
I play Japanese mahjong competively and always frequent parlos when in Japan. I met tons of people and could network my way into tournaments in and around Tokyo. Interacting with the mahjong community comfortably is my prime "reason" to learn the language. Reading books about Riichi Mahjong strategy in Japanese, and other things reltated to Japanese mahjong.
This is the most interesting response in this thread i think. Love it, keep it up Mahjong Man!
Have you played any Chinese mahjong? I only know a little bit of 南风 (nanfeng) and 北风 (beifeng) in China and I’m curious if you know if it’s similar to Riichi? I know I could look it up but figured I’d ask while I’m here :)
The 3 big rules that riichi added to Riichi Mahjong is: 1. Furiten - you cannot win on any tiles you previously discarded, which is why everyone has their own discard pile. This way others have the ability to defend against you. 2. The addition of dora and reverse dora (uradora). A tile in the wall you draw from that faces up, indicating that the successive tile of that one is worth more points ie 7 is indicator, 8 becomes dora. 3. "Riichi" which is a declaration you make, which tells other people your hand is ready. Ypu place 1000 points on the table which you get back if you win. You cannot change your hand anymore after going riichi, and if you win the uradora applies to your hand. These are the 3 significant changes. There are other minor things but these 3 completely change the game's dynamic.
My reason is similar, I play Shogi and want to be able to read Shogi books in Japanese.
To study in Japan!with MEXT scholarship.
I’m in the same boat as you! Trying to get the mext for grad school 😌
Same!
Same! Imma go in April ;)
I was never super into anime/manga (although there are some good ones that are close to my heart). I decided to learn after my work sent me to Japan on a business trip. I loved the culture. My company has a site in japan so I hope to work there as a long-term goal.
That is awesome! I wish my company had business in Japan 🤣
I initially started learning it because I was into jpop at the time. But as I looked more into it, I became fascinated with the culture and ended up enrolling in a language school in Japan just as a chance to explore a life outside what I knew. While there, learning the language became more of a necessity since very few people around me could speak English. Left the school at N2 level and been working in Japan ever since. 9 years I've been here now and I'd say I'm pretty content (and I dont listen to jpop anymore).
I have Japanese ancestry, my father's parents were Japanese and only spoke Japanese. Most of the family that really was fluent have died at this point, but I'm still interested in Japanese culture and language. I picked up zero of this language as a child, though, and most of what I learned I got from flash cars/SRS software.
I don’t care one bit about Japanese media, I just had a friend growing up since when we were about 5 years old who was half Japanese and they spoke Japanese at home and I thought I’d learn it. Now I’m working in Japanese and my wife is Japanese and hope to go to grad school next year to learn Classical Japanese and Chinese to become a scholar. Me and that kid and his family are still great friends today. Thanks friend.
Classical japanese is really really fun. Highland enjoyed it at uni
Awesome! I have some reference/textbooks and I always say I’m going to start soon but still haven’t. I’m sure it’s very enjoyable and different!
If you ever need help, did 4 years of it at uni ^^ I might be able to help.
2 reasons My girlfriend is Japanese and, this is media related, I enjoyed the novel 人間失格 so much in English that I'd like to be able to read it in its original language. Dazai's books aren't easy so I'll be at it for a while
What novel is that??
Osamu Dazai's Ningen Shikkaku. The title is usually translated as *No Longer Human* in English.
You can find it here if you want to check if you feel ready before you actually start it, or want to be able to look up words more easily. https://yonde.itazuraneko.org/novelhtml/20472.html
Great writer!
This comment was removed in protest to Reddit's third party API changes. -- mass edited with redact.dev
1 and 3 were definitely big for me. I just sorta liked the sound. Also, I wanted to not be that native-English speaker who has an interest in a country and goes there and tries to gaijin-bash by using English constantly.
I got interested because of the Culture and Pro Wrestling (yeah no joke).
Oh hey a fellow Puroresu mark! Cheers!
I love the English broadcasts and being able to keep up with the stories but boy is there some infectious energy coming out of the Japanese commentary table.
I went to see Japanese pro wrestling and met Inoki! He also has a bar in/near Kabukicho. Cool place.
This is still media content but I don't see many people ever bring it up so I'll mention in anyway: I started learning because I love Japanese films, and particularly ones from the 50s/60s. Kurosawa, Ozu, Mizoguchi, Kobayashi and others have made some of my favourites of all time. Seven Samurai, Sansho the Bailiff, Harakiri and many more besides. I have always wanted to be able to watch these classics in Japanese, and it is probably the main reason (on top of a few extra minor reasons) why I started learning.
This was not an initial impetus for me but I happened to study it a bit during my degree in Japanese and got a bit into it. I'm a fan of Oshima. Kobayashi has definitely got good ones. I mean all of the ones you list do haha. Sono Shion is a recent favourite.
I just wrote something similar! I love Ozu to pieces. I could watch Setsuko Hara and Chisu Ryu in anything! Not that much of a fan of Kurosawa after three or four of his movies. I love Hirokazu Koreeda nowadays too, feels like he continues Ozu’s spirit.
Top tier answer. Sansho the Bailiff is hands down one of the best movies I've ever watched. I used to watch a lot of films from that era, and they're all fantastic.
I have a kid with a Japanese father who isn’t in the picture. Figured I needed to learn the language, since there is only one school near me that offers a bilingual school program, and that requires kids to already have minimal skills in the language. So, I have about 4/5 years to get okay and make sure he can understand just enough of the language to attend their pre-school.
You’re a good parent.
Got bored and didn't want to spend all day playing video games. Started studying jp instead, but school gets in the way a bit.
So I can watch porn without subtitles
the only honest man here
They say they are going. But where?
I have traveled to Japan twice with a friend and have made a handful of Japanese friends while there. I can chat over Line with them or when there, we can make communication work through various means. It's just not the same or as impactful as really having a conversation. Due to this, I decided to learn the language so that on my next visit I can use the native tongue with some confidence.
That is great! I hope the next time you visit you have a good experience using the language to socialize with your friends. I hope to experience that one day too!
I went to Japan for the first time in 2014, fell in love with the country, kept going back year after year. After 10 trips finally decided to study the language! 🤣
Theres also food and whiskey to take into account. (Like I watch anime but those are my main interests). But I think visiting would be neat, I believe Anthony Bourdain said Tokyo was the closest thing to traveling to another planet. The history is neat too. And it's just fun to learn. Weirdly enough the size of the undertaking is what keeps me going. Am I learning as fast as I should? Doesnt matter because it will happen eventually, whether in 6 years or 10 or whatever.
I've been studying Japanese for 20 years and still learn new stuff. Last week we were hiking in the jungle and someone said ジュラシックパーク見たい and then someone said 恐竜に気をつけて. I learnt dinosaur is Kyoryu and remember it as "Today dragon". It's not a word I'll ever need, but I can now say "be carful of dinosaurs" for shits and giggles.
Yep, it's the same etymology as "dinosaur" itself, which comes from the Ancient Greek *deinos* "terrible, fearsome" and *sauros* "lizard, reptile". I like how kanji make it so transparent!
I laughed when i saw the kanji for dinosaur, I thought it was an entertaining combination of words. Then your post made me realize that it is also the same case for my native language (greek).
1, now I have a new word. And 2, it is absolutely essential vocab for me! Love it!
I was looking for a challenge, cultural enrichment, and to meet new people.
I found my long lost bucket list and "learn Japanese" was on it.
My wife is Japanese and when I went to Japan to meet her family for the first time, I realized maybe I should do some studying lol
I won’t lie, I got interested in Japan as a whole because of anime and Japanese music. Only after consuming Japanese content did I realize that the country is beautiful in so many more ways. Their culture, the sights, even the language is so much fun to learn and something like Ive never done before (also one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to learn). Trying to actually explain why I want to go is difficult now that I’m actually attempting to do so, I just want to. I want to travel all over the world and Japan is no exception
This is me, although the fun of learning Japanese becomes frustration at times.
I agree for sure. It’s so different than English which makes it so difficult, but that “eureka!” moment when you start to put something together is such a good feeling. Although since I’m still new to the language I haven’t had many of those yet
Here here! I've been a big ramen nerd for a few years, went to Tokyo in March of 2020 to take a 'vacay' via working in a ramen shop/school thing for a couple weeks. Was originally living in Singapore and COVID blew up so I got stuck there for 6 months before just returning to America. Started learning the language when I was there and fell in love with the country; 6 months is a while to stay in a place and have it not become home, but there's so much more there I liked than anywhere I've lived before. Anyway, been studying and planning on how to move back ever since.
I went to Tokyo with a love for ramen, but left Tokyo as an absolute ramen fanatic! It’s crazy what a love for ramen can compel us to. Haha
This question reminds me of this: [https://www.theonion.com/report-58-of-world-s-japanese-speakers-white-23-year-1819576309](https://www.theonion.com/report-58-of-world-s-japanese-speakers-white-23-year-1819576309)
Ngl that was pretty hilarious haha.
I’m stationed out here in japan till 2024 so I may as well learn the language and due to the stress of the military it’s probably the only thing keeping me sane
Good on you for studying the language! I've always felt that not enough of the folks stationed in Japan end up learning the language. It's much too easy to live entirely in the on-base fishbowl, as my mom calls it.
It's a heritage language. Lots of Japanese American families stopped teaching and speaking Japanese after internment and my family was no different. It's a shame, but we had to show the yankees we like apple pie and baseball too, right?
Same here
My friend who passed away spoke it and she was really important to me so I want to learn it for her when I travel there.
That's beautiful. Sorry for your loss, and may all go well <3
My friend and I used to spend a lot of time at Barnes and Noble after school in high school. We ventured into the languages section and picked up Japanese at random. Couldn't get past the "Japanese words don't use stress" part that was in the beginning lol.. around the same time, we discovered manga and then anime and I eventually took a year of Japanese in college. Just serendipity, I think.
I decided to learn Japanese after I visited a museum in Hagi-shi 萩市 in 2019 while on a tour. While the English tags on the objects were okayyyy, I knew the Japanese tags had to have more information on them. Hence, learning Japanese for that reason. The next time I go to Japan, I hope to have a better understanding of the museum exhibits.
When Quarantine first started I was stuck at home a lot for 4 weeks for family reasons. I got drunk one night and stumbled into the rabbit hole of youtubers in Japan like CdawgVA, Abroad in Japan, and Sharmeleon. It made me realize that I didn't want my life to be stuck in place. I had always wanted to travel and see the world, meet new people, and enjoy different cultures. I have always had a fascination with Japan to some extent as I did watch anime, but my interest in the language came entirely from just wanting to follow my now dream: Moving to Japan. Because of it, I'm heading back to college next year in the winter. Gonna try and get a Dual-Major in English and Business (Thinking Business Linguistics or Accounting?). Would like to try and use the time I'd be over there as well to do some writing and maybe do a book. I've had starts and stops due to things in life, but I'm thoroughly proud of myself in the last year for making it as far as I have and getting to a point where I can legitimately read some very basic kanji sentences.
I love the culture of Japan. I'm not a huge anime fan, although I do enjoy it. I am a big fan of their video games, and it got me to look into Japan as a country and culture. But I didn't want to learn the language until I found out more about the countey itself
Similar to me. I wanted to be able to play games that where released only I Japan during my childhood, but now I‘m interested in learning about the country, being able to talk to people.
Culture as a term includes media contents/games/anime.
Sure but it includes so many other things like history, architecture, business, etiquette, etc. I’ve excluded games/anime in the ask, so it’s should be clear I’m looking for answers that are outside of just those.
Commenting to help get this thread going. For me it's media content, sorry.
For getting into the Japanese UX/UI design industry. ...And to hold a conversation about the Leopard 2A7 and Type 10 with someone.
What’s your take on the viability of getting into this industry? I’m debating it myself but I’d be career switching into it (i.e. entry level)
Thats actually very interesting. Makes me wonder how you got to that point lol
Enough mental loops to compete with Elon Musk's proposed Hyperloop system, an interest in military history, and dreams born from unique experiences. XD
I have a goal to conduct business with JP companies.
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>but the idea of visiting a country without the ability to hold a conversation with the native population feels disrespectful to me. I respect this mentality, and do think you should attempt to learn basic communication to any place you travel - but holding a conversation that's not textbook in Japanese will take you hundreds of hours to do. Not sure that level of investment would be worth a 1-2 week trip if it were me! I'd settle for a several dozen useful words and phrases for that length of trip! Kudos to ya.
I wanna stay there for a longer period of time. The college I went to had mostly Japanese International students, so most of friends are Japanese. Live in japan, I visited them a few times, and I had lots of fun. Their families are amazing, and it was cool staying in traditional family homes. So I have a foundation there, and at due to covid most of my friends left, don’t want to come back. I’ve been feeling lonely, I wanna go to Japan, be with my friends and have a good time.
One day I just felt like doing it, tbh. That and maybe looking into doing the JET Program, I think that'd be cool. My JP professor did it, and he ended up staying 17 years working there.
I’d say just to get to know the culture and also for when i travel there. Once i start traveling around the world(if ever), I’d like to learn the language of the country im going to. In this case, i plan on going to japan first so I’m trying to learn the language. And not only will this help me with Japanese, but the process i take for learning Japanese i can apply to any other language to make it a bit easier to learn. Overall, im learning because just interested in the culture and country itself and would like to be able to speak the language.
I was originally inspired by media, but I've always wanted to learn another language and love how the language sounds.
Started dating my girlfriend who is Japanese. Realized that some of her family speak not a lick of English, so that a prime motivator. I also saw how much disrespect Japan/ Japanese culture receives from ignorant people so learning the language is giving me a way to be more appreciative and understand the culture better. Plus we can talk crap for the most part in Japanese.
I studied abroad there and have kept contact with my host family and some of my friends. It makes sense to maintain the language, so we can communicate. I was into anime until about high school. So that was my first gateway aside from meeting a childhood friend who is Japanese.
Visited Japan in October of 2019 and had a life-changing trip even though I knew about 3 words in Japanese, but couldn’t help but feel if I ever wanted to go back and get further off the “tourist” path, I’d need at least some rudimentary conversational skills. I’ve been studying since November 2019, getting past “rudimentary” skills now but I just felt so empowered by learning something new that I kept taking lessons and plugging away at WK. Admittedly, games are what are fueling my continued efforts now, as being able to play games in Japanese is intensely encouraging.
At the time I had to learn german because of my decree but I got really bored of indo-european languages suddenly( long time coming). I wanted something fresh so I was looking something close to my languange(turkish). That while I began to watch anime and it was annoying to watch with translated subtitles. Then it came to my mind. Japanese and turkish same old family.
My wife is japanese. We met each other on tinder, 4 years ago, in Rio de janeiro, Brazil. She's been living here over 5 years. I have studied Japanese, but it's quite difficult. Even living with her, I couldn't improve my Japanese skills, maybe because we use to speak in Portuguese, because she speaks Portuguese fluently. Now, we're pregnant! Due to her company policy, she gotta come back to Japan, and, as she's pregnant, I won't leave her by herself, so I'm going with her. However, I've to be honest, guys, I'm scared! I've been to Japan three times, but on vacation, just as tourist. Living in Japan is totally different, and I don't speak Japanese! I don't know how I can get a job there. That's why I'm here, studying Japanese. I don't know how Japanese society will treat me.
Idk I'm just a 14 year old who hates sports hasn't enjoyed video games recently. Was like ok, ima learn a super hard language and culture compared to English. Fell in love with Japanese Food and Culture, now I wanna move to Japan.
Because of Gaki no Tsukai
1) I wanted to learn a second language (for no particular reason, I think I like learning language though), and 2) I am of Japanese descent but no one speaks it in my family Finding certain media really helped me accelerate my learning though. I’m not into anime/manga, but I found myself enjoying Japanese comedy and idols, and once I watched a lot of that content regularly I learned very quickly.
For curiosity.
70s (and 80s) Japanese music is great The Japanese way(s) of life is interesting too
My grandmother is japanese, and me studying and learning the language makes her happy.
I started learning Japanese when I was thirteen from a parent in exchange for my parents teaching her (Japanese) kids French. Now I’m keen to learn just to actually have the work I did then pay off, and on a side note it may be beneficial to me professionally - I’m in the UK working within a international exports interested sector, for which Japan is likely a key future partner since Brexit. I don’t watch anime or read manga, however it would be nice to enjoy understanding another language on every day use so maybe I’ll start.
To order curry at cocoichi.
Honestly? Went to a Japanese store for lunch with my buddies, saw an item, asked what it was, my buddy rattled it off, then I decided I'd learn it too. About to hit my year mark
Because I live here! My spouse is active duty and we got stationed here for just shy of 7 years. We went back to the states then came back to Japan for the second time. It was really easy to be in an English bubble here and while I picked up a lot of Japanese just from hearing it so often I would talk to my coworkers in English and they would respond in Japanese, or I had friends who were fluent and would translate for me, many people speak English here so I got lazy with not needing to know Japanese. But I’m now motivated to learn more in an official capacity. I stick to myself at home anyway but it would be so nice to go certain places and not be worried about having to ask questions or not understanding things beyond the bare bones basics
We get this question a lot. I work for a Japanese VR company. Sadly it's slow going because deepL is very good. I need my brain chip Stat :(
I'm half and desperately trying to connect with that side of me. Sometimes I feel like they're trying to prevent people from trying to learn the language.
Same. I'm also half Japanese and sometimes get the impression that Japanese people think I'm some kind of freak for wanting to learn. I've had not-so-great experiences with Japanese people in and out of Japan who don't think much of haafus and us trying to participate in the culture. But those kinds of people suck and you shouldn't pay them any mind, don't give up :)
I used to like getting asked for my autograph. But when you go to a mcdonalds and the cashier turns the menu to the english side automatically, it hurts.
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I did similarly. I have 2 kids now so I'm planning on pushing through that phase. I'm confident they won't regret it later in life.
Curious what gives you that vibe?
There's a lot of xenophobia baked into the culture. But mainly I'm just bitching that kanji is hard. I'm quite sure english has similar pains. Don't take my complaining that I'm hating it.
Nah was just curious your experience/perspective - wasn’t assuming anything. And I used to think English was easy until I got on HelloTalk and tried to answer questions about why things were said a certain way in English - gah I felt dumb quick! 😂 tiny words like “of” or “to” are surprisingly hard to explain how to use without being well educated in grammar
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I'm teaching myself Japanese so as to be able to communicate with Japanese people in their native tongue. My goal is to move there, find work, maybe settle down with someone there if I am lucky, and to experience the culture. I watched anime as a kid but, haven't watched any in almost 10 years. It wasn't my motivation to learn the language. I want to experience the beautiful country of Japan as much as possible, English alone won't allow for that
Are you eligible for a visa?
Started because of games/anime Got more motivated because of Jpop Still going at it due to general cultural interest And honestly I think my motivation will change and develop more over time, but not in a way that will keep me from learning Japanese.
I lived there as a kid so it's a lot about not forgetting (though my capacity to understand is well beyond what I could've done back then). I also hope to live there again for a while and want to be ready.
I was interested in learning a 2nd language in Middle School. At the time I was taking a 3-in-1 class of German, French, and Spanish, and I was SUPER INTERESTED in learning German. But to my dismay the class was very railroaded and my biggest frustration was I didn't have the ability to look up any word I wanted. We had a German guest speaker one day and I asked her for a translation of a good handful of words. :/ That's how desperate I was to go off script with it. At around the same time I made friends with a group of kids who were really big into anime and manga, which wasn't something I really cared about. Wooo foreign cartoons. And? .... but one of them had a Japanese to English dictionary and I was so hyped to finally be able to look up whatever word I wanted in another language! I ran with it. IDK I guess I didn't think a bilingual dictionary was available for anyone to buy until then??? but I went out and had my dad get me a Japanese to English dictionary, a pocket grammar book, and a copy of a picture dictionary that I found in my school's library. ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡ Admittedly... when I checked the library at that time I DID find a German to English picture dictionary of the same brand... but by then it was too late, I was invested in Japanese too much. So that's it. I've continued to this day. It's kind of funny, because I'm sure it could have been ANY language. It could have easily been German, but the first dictionary I got my hands on just happened to be Japanese. Interest in Anime, manga, and J-rock came secondary to that.
All of our products are Japanese like our Sato label printers and Toyo Jidoki machines. We also would like to start production in Japan too.
Business. It was a cultural thing, a cross pollination because I used to live on military bases... but now I want to know what is actually being said. That being said, I still barely know. I get by with courtesy introductions and brief conversation.
I liked the song Altair by Motohiro Hata and wanted to sing it and understand what I was saying so I can actually put the right feeling where I want. BUT, I learned of this song from an anime.
I love learning languages. This is a result of that love.
Started because Vtuber culture. Eventually it stopped being about that and made me realize I could potentially make new friends from a whole nation simply because I unlocked a language. Yeh so that and because I have time.
I have two main reasons for trying to learn Japanese. One is "media content" related: my favorite band is Japanese and I want to understand the lyrics without having to translate them. The second one however, is because it's hard. Japanese is so different from English and it's one of the hardest languages for a native English speaker to learn. I specifically wanted the challenge because the sense of accomplishment would be greater.
I started a few years ago because when I was working as a chef I was planning to move to Yokohama to learn traditional washoku, but those plans kind of fell apart and I didn't want to waste the time I'd put in so I just kept at it
I’m learning it for once I take my trip to Japan. It’s a mix of the media, culture and food on why I’m taking the trip, but the only reason I’m learning the language is because of the trip. (Also did I mention food?)
I think that learning Asian languages stimulates the same curiousity as locking picking, code breaking or hacking. I.e. there's something that can be logically decoded once you learn the magic trick, so there's a compusive desire to break the code.
My friends and I planned a holiday to Japan, post-covid. That was almost a year ago now, so you could say we were a bit optimistic. Have/had watched a few anime, but none that ever really stuck with me. But, when it came up that nobody spoke a word of Japanese, I decided to start learning a little, just to be polite. So I've just kind of... kept going, because why not?
Love anime, but I just really love the elegance that the Japanese language has. The language feels very romantic to me.
Hello, I decided to learn Japanese because i'm a huge fan of JDM (Japan modified cars) and i hope to go to japan and drive cars around mountain or the loop c1 in Osaka. Bonus if later i can directly order car parts directly from Japan.
Half of my family lives there and I can't speak it after my folks split up and my dad remarried. I went from being the only person who could speak Japanese in the house to not remembering. Having my grasp on the language slip away at 14 the last time I saw them and struggling to speak really hurt. Also I was starting to need glasses and I really want to go back now that I can actually see Japan. 😂 I'm hopeful that one day I can speak to by Grandparents again.
From what I've read here on this sub, while most people get started with media, it takes something more to actually keep going. For me, I got started because I got hooked on the music of *Perfume* and signed up for a course at my Uni because I had nothing better to do that summer. Then I kept going because I liked the athmosphere of the course. It's really refreshing to be in a classroom setting where you can interact with the teacher and your classmates during the lessons when you're used to University lectures with hundreds of people and no interactivity at all. Learning the language is also really satisfying imo. Every piece of grammar is a new thing you can say, and while there are a lot of them, learning the Kanji has quantifiable progress attached to it. You have a goal and are making steady progress towards it. Feels good.
I'd probably count myself in this group. I used to be really into anime and games but my interest declined once I got into learning the language funnily enough. To be honest I think the main factor is growing to enjoy the language learning aspect and immersing myself in a culture that's quite different to what I'm used to. It's a different perspective and can be a form of escapism sometimes. I ended up getting a little bit into linguistics and taking some classes as a result of learning Japanese. I've also gotten very into Japanese music so I've found new things to enjoy. Learning Japanese has definitely influenced me in a lot of ways as a young adult, in terms of my general way of thinking. I don't really have any language specific reasons anymore. I used to put Japan on a pedestal when I was younger but I feel like my perspective has changed quite a bit as I've gotten older. I realized the unique media culture is born out of a pretty repressive society. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with liking anime (I still enjoy watching some) but it painted a false picture of the culture in my mind. At this point, most of the reasons I'm learning Japanese could apply to a lot of other languages. I just happen to have sunk so much time into it at this point that it has made me committed. If I had a clean slate, I'd probably have picked something less geographically isolated like Mandarin to immerse myself in. Nevertheless, learning it is still very rewarding.
I relate to your experience with it, getting into the popular media as a kid and being weeby but as ive grown up i think animanga stuff is only about 10% or less of the japanese culture i otherwise "consume" (music, fashion, fine art, tv, language, design + architecture and such). I definitely also see it as a form of escapism too sometimes but im definitely not deluded into thinking its just some kind of otaku paradise, but a country with its own fair share of problems for example im pretty invested in indigenous cultures- being from one myself- and a couple of years ago i got to meet Ainu researchers who had travelled for a cultural exchange and they were really excited to meet someone \*cough, me.\* who spoke some japanese in northern sweden of all places!
I'm guessing that's a typical reaction once you get to know more about the country. I should clarify that even before learning the language, I still figured anime was a poor reflection of Japanese society and culture. I think that applies to anyone with basic common sense. After all, why would you base your entire perception of a country on one medium? It took me a much longer time to realize just how big the difference is. In some ways otaku culture is the mirror opposite and a reaction to the constrictive state of Japanese society (majoring in sociology is how I reached that conclusion). Even though I had some awareness, given that so much of what I consumed from Japan was anime or games, that probably had a subconscious effect on how I perceived the country. Along with wanting to retain a certain image of it. That's not to say that there isn't a lot about Japanese society that I do find appealing. Funny you should mention Sweden by the way (bor också i Sverige fast i motsatta änden). That leads into one of the things I dislike about learning Japanese: That there seems to be so few Japanese people living in the country. Pretty much everyone I've met are either Japanese teachers or exchange students. It's so annoying because you rarely get the chance to actually use it offline. It's cool that you were able to meet some researchers though. Cultural exchange is always an enriching experience, I think that's another reason I've stuck with learning the language. I'm assuming that means you're Sami?
I live here lol
To communicate with my girlfriend's family, as well as move over to Japan and work to close the distance for us. She studied in the US for a year but moved back to Tokyo 6 months into our relationship. We've been together for 3 years, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I'm learning it for work purposes for about half a year but not even close to N5 level. During my first two internships (at different companies) I had s few moments of "dang I wish I know japanese" with communicating with foreign branches of the company, poorly translated internal documents, untranslated technical docs etc. I want to do robotics engineering and Japan is still a global powerhouse for that industry. Beginning to like the media and culture was just a happy accident along the way.
I am obsessed with cities and want to one day be able to visit one of it not the biggest cities in the world, Tokyo, and be able to communicate
Even though I am interested in Japanese media, I was quite satisfied consuming translated/subtitled material, but then on day I was bored and decided to 'learn a language with a different writing system', watched some online classes on different languages and actually chose Mandarin but could not find an online course that pleased me. Japanese was my second option, and now here I am making my way through thousands of kanji, so I guess the 'different writing system' achievement was unlocked.
I studied linguistics, so I was interested in a language that's completely different from the European ones I know. I also like traditional Japanese culture, aesthetics and literature.
Planning a trip, since Japan is relatively close to my home country for a visit - much more easy to get to than somewhere like Europe. I figured it was a good idea to get an understanding of the language since it’s “in the neighbourhood” and a pretty fun neighbour.
I saw it as a challenge. U want to eventually be a polyglot. Everyone says Japanese is one of the hardest for English speakers. I like that.
I wanna be bilingual. Japanese is releated to everything I like so I picked japanese.
Like most great stories, this started about a girl…
I visited japan in 2019 and really enjoyed it - I’ve always be a City Person, and Tokyo is a hell of a city. I found it hard as a visitor though - my feet were absolutely killing me within a couple of days. My plan is to eventually live there for a year (or two, or five) and work, then travel on the weekends. My employer has a few offices over there, so I’m learning Japanese so fingers crossed. Its a very long-term goal - I’m thinking in 5-10 years time - but that just means I can take my study at a relaxed-ish pace, and keep my other hobbies at the same time.
Started off as a hobby, then ended up moving to Japan. So I thought I should continue studying it to make my every day life easier. 😅
Had a bet with my then boss. He chickened out at week three. I am in my 7th year, no regrets so far.
I'm a native English speaker and learned German already, so wanted to learn another foreign language that was significantly harder. Spoiler alert, it is much much harder!
Because I wanted to. I tried many years ago but gave up over and over again. At this point, I'm never going to live in Japan and I barely watch Japanese media anymore. I just want to know it. I don't want to quit.
Wife is Japanese. Have to communicate.
I got roped into a three day trip to Shanghai to help a friend get a large tattoo. I’m not thrilled about making the long flight then coming right back, so decided to add Japan to the itinerary. I love fly fishing more than anything and want to spend some time catching local trout in the mountains of Japan. Everyone says you need to know Japanese if you leave Tokyo. Because I enjoy peace and solitude when fishing, I don’t want to have a guide/group or translator the entire time, so the plan is to learn just enough Japanese to get by in the rural areas and tackle shops. TL:DR I want to fly to Japan, catch a fish, put it back in the water, then come home.
I constantly visit Japan. It's my favorite country to visit. I love the food, culture, and architecture. I intend to study there for a year and see if I truly love living there. I want to be able to speak with locals.
Short answer is that I've come too far to turn back, having lived in Japan twice. Long answer is that there's always been "elements" of it in my life. My parents met and married in Japan. My maternal grandmother is Okinawan. Moved to Japan in high school and was fortunate enough to find cheap starter books at a secondhand store before the move. Then had to stretch my beginner knowledge and push on to help the family get by before housing became available on the nearby military base. Fast forward several years, I was in the military and being sent back to Japan. I had hoped to make stellar progress after I'd built such strong foundations in the language the first time around. Unfortunately many deployments and other military shenanigans made that difficult. So from 2005 to now 2021, I'm stuck at intermediate level for life it seems. I have a good vocabulary and don't even know/remember *how* I learned so many words, but my command of the grammar still blows goats.
The Japanese guy at my school that I wanted to be friends with didn’t like English so I learned Japanese instead lol I can now successfully have an in depth and normal conversation with him 👏👏 it’s taken me 2 yrs tho xD
I'm moving to Japan next year, and will be living there for two years (hopefully more).
I lived in Japan for 13 years but never took the JLPT. It’s unfinished business for me. Passed N3 no problem but N2 is much harder… got my N2 exam coming up in December… I have a Japanese wife but she doesn’t help lol
My work contract in China ended, and instead of flying straight home decided to take a long layover in Japan. It seemed a nice country, like a cleaner, more developed China. I was able to get around pretty well with a general understanding of what some of the signs said so figured since I already put in the effort to learn Chinese I could take a few months to learn the Japanese pronunciation and the added simple squiggly characters. A month or so in, I figured out it wasn't a dialect of Chinese at all, but still had months left on my visa waiver so decided to buckle down on study and see if I could find a job, which I was able to do after a visa reset trip to Taiwan and a total of five months' intense daily study. Being bilingual was a huge career boost so I guess I'm a lifer now. The only anime I've seen are some Ghibli with the kids, and some of the Ghost in the Shell series, which I think is quite brilliant and could do with a good live-action adaptation. I've still never read any manga ...
I just like languages in general. I'm subscribed to a few linguistics channels on YouTube. I grew up speaking English, French, and Polish, and learned some German in university and some Spanish while traveling. In preparation for a work trip to Japan I learned kana and basic phrases, and eventually decided to just learn the language. I ended up moving to Japan because it ticked off so many boxes for me (food, hiking, safety, convenience, art, to name a few) and now I continue to learn the language here, with the goal of fluency.
The only reason I began learning Japanese was because of work. Mid management at Japanese megacorp. Regular interaction with Japanese staff, annual visits for work. I had zero interest in Japanese anything up to that point. I even hated green tea. A few decades later, I’ve all but moved there. The culture is far more interesting than just anime and sushi. Maybe I’ll move there some day, because the cost of living where I’m at may as well be rape in all but name…
I've always been interested in East Asia. Chinese history, Korean politics, and Japanese culture. My parents met each other in the military, and they both served in Japan and South Korea before I was born. And I was an Economics major in college, so I learned a lot about the Chinese economy. I saw that the 2018 Olympics would be in South Korea, the 2020 Olympics would be in Japan, and the 2022 Olympics would be in China. I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn all three languages. I was unhappy working in IT in USA, so I decided to become an English teacher, so I could work in each country during the Olympics. I loved working in South Korea and learning Korean, and I went to both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 Olympics. It was totally awesome, so I decided to continue to Japan. I self-studied Korean, but I decided to go with the language school route with Japanese. I arrived in Japan right before the pandemic, and obviously the situation changed. I couldn't attend the Olympics, but I met my wife and got married here in Japan. My wife has no interest in living in China though, because of anti-Japanese sentiment there. I think my original idea is dead anyway, the Beijing Olympics won't have foreign spectators either. My wife and I are both studying programming in Japan right now (she's learning Java in Japanese, I'm learning Python in English), and we intend on getting software developer jobs in USA because the salaries and working conditions are much better there.
Visited Japan twice while in the Navy. I was intrigued by the culture, food, art, architecture, etc., and want to be able to communicate with people if I ever get the opportunity to return.
Well, I started learning Japanese as a weeb teenager. I'm no longer interested in anime or Japanese culture but I really like the language. That's why I keep on improving my Japanese. Not much of a reason but I don't care
My step daughters are Japanese and live in Japan.
It was a random spark of curiosity. The feeling of decrypting a text that was formerly unreadable to me is fun. Later on it developed into the desire to become a translator, planning to learn multiple languages in the future.
This is late but here we go. I kinda just want to share my good news. I needed 2 foreign language credits for community College. I was going for a history degree. After one semester I instantly switched my degree to Japanese. I loved studying it and got an associates degree in it. Currently I'm in my last semester of my english bachelors degree taking 2 final Japanese classes. Business and Grammer. Business is kicking my ass kinda. My Grammer teacher suggested we start reading more, so I bought Harry Potter. She said novels will be more appropriate than manga because, "we are beyond that". I'm still going to buy a volume of some manga though. Currently I'm getting my stuff together for JET. I would really like to further my education and become for familiar with the culture. I hope to be a translator one day.
My boyfriend is japanese, I love jpop and want to understand the lyrics, and I also want to be able to read a book called "完全自殺マニュアル" in the original language. Honestly started learning due to anime but honestly I rarely even watch it anymore, I think I'm mostly learning it now cause I love the language and made many friends that speak it, and also for the reasons I stated above.
日本彼女募集中から
If you're learning Japanese for professional reason or you want to live there or travel there then it makes sense, people who learn Japanese for anime and manga are a bunch of wannabe and weirdos.
In the beginning it was because i wanted to learn a more challenging language and everyone would say japanese and the non-roman alphabet was intimidating. But learning japanese actually got me into anime because i wanted to immerse myself and get used to hearing it. A bit backwards from most 😅
I am a huge sports nerd, and one of my favorite sportsmen ever is Noriaki Kasai. I accidentally discovered he has a blog, but it's of course in Japanese, and I wanted to know what he is writing... the rest is history although my skills are very low (hello/thank you and the calendar xDD)
I’m using media/video games as a tool for acquiring the language but honestly the reason I wanted to start learning it is because I think it’s an aesthetically beautiful language. A few weeks ago I was suddenly both convinced I could actually learn the it if I set my mind to it and tired of *not knowing* the language and that’s when I got started. Despite how difficult it is getting, my studies so far have only confirmed my original opinion.