Why do Nihongo o benkyo shimasu (study Japanese)?

Posted on June 4, 2007 by Dione

I have been in Japan for almost 2 years now and I can tell you how difficult yet exciting my experiences the first few months were and how it is now.

In the beginning, I was so excited about touring and getting to know the country and the people. I toured the famous landmarks of Japan like Mt. Fuji, Tokyo Tower, Meiji Temple, RoppongiAn area of Tokyo very famous for its high concentration of nightlife and popularity among the foreign population. Hills, tried to find new gaijinJapanese word meaning "outsider" commonly used to describe foreigners. Considered somewhat impolite. friends and partied on weekends in Roppongi District and ShibuyaOne of Tokyo's 23 wards and a center of business, fashion, and nightlife.. It was worth all the effort and money visiting these places. The importance of learning their language was never my priority before because I didn’t care about what was going on, I was just focusing on having fun during my stay. Even if it took me some time explaining in sign language or broken English about directions and stuffs, I still found it fun to hang out in Japan. I ignored people who wanted to talk to me in Japanese and didn’t worry about what they said; it was nice to be ignorant though, because you don’t understand if they gossip about you.

Six months had passed and the excitement was slowly fading. My mood changed; I didn't want to party anymore. I realized that I was just wasting a lot of money buying drinks and getting wasted. I was throwing my life away, never caring about how much I could have improved myself. I started searching for real friends; but I could not relate to them since I couldn’t speak the language. Now I was interested in knowing more about their culture, but I had been too busy with nonsense stuff. Then I had a bad experience in the train station when I suddenly bumped an old lady because I was hurrying to go to work. She said something that sounded really insulting, but I didn’t understand because I didn’t know a single word except the famous vulgar line: “gaijin desu kedo nani ka! (I’m a gaijin, any problem? Or got problem with that? Or something’s wrong? Or need something?)”. Ha, ha, ha...the old woman became so angry that she stared at me like a hungry lion. Many people were watching but did not interfere, so I got on the train when it arrived. Obviously I said something bad, truly disrespectful to the oldies. Actually, I didn’t know how harsh those words were at that time because I learned it in Roppongi from some casual Japanese friends. I decided to start learning the language and promised not to do that again to an old woman or to anyone. I knew I had been rude…I was really sorry and my conscience bugged me (at least I admitted it though). There are so many gaijin who say things like that to defend themselves from stereotypes, but I don’t want to add to that number.

I enrolled myself in a Nihongo class and now pay 1,000 yen for 90 minutes lesson twice a week at city hall in Edogawaku. I bought some Nihongo books required by my senseiJapanese title used for teachers, doctors, lawyers and other high level professionals as well as those who have achieved mastery of a particular field. (teacher) and I didn’t worry about the expensive monthly fees of the Nihongo class. As long as I could learn the language and say something nice. There are cheaper Nihongo classes that offer tutors on weekends (200 yen per session) for 10 to 15 students in city hall but I preferred the 3-5 students per session because it works with my schedule and I think the sensei can spend more time answering each of my questions. Now I am on my 5th month of benkyo (studying). I learned how to write and read katakanaOne of the three types of characters used in written Japanese. Consists of 48 characters, each representing a syllable. Primarily used for the phonetic spelling of foreign words., hiraganaOne of the three types of characters used in written Japanese. It consists of 48 characters, each representing a syllable. and few kanjiThe most complex of the three types of characters used in written Japanese. Sometimes called "Chinese characters.", and I can speak more than basic Japanese. I will be taking the proficiency test this October and hoping to get level 4. I regret that day in the train and this is my way of saying sorry to that old woman wherever she is.

I think my life is better now that I can understand a bit Nihongo. I can recognize when a Japanese person is appreciative, angry, thankful, etc. And I love the feeling of saying something nice to them and when I go to the market or go sightseeing; it’s easier to ask for directions. I also learned to appreciate the importance of discipline in Japan because part of my benkyo is knowing more of their culture. By the way, I don’t usually hook up Japanese guys just to aid me in my benkyo- I wanna learn the language and be fluent with it in my hard earned way.