My interest in Japan arose from three points: Japanese culture, Japanese politics, and the Japanese language. As a child I understood the significance of Japanese culture, as a teenager I began to understand the importance of the Japanese state, and during college, I started studying the Japanese language as part of my linguistics degree. In attempt to understand these subjects as well as myself more, I decided to study abroad in Japan.

Growing up in America, I was surrounded by localized Japanese media. Some of my earliest memories include trading Yu-Gi-Oh! cards on the school bus and watching Pokémon in my friend’s bedroom. As a child, it is impossible to understand what it means for culture to be imported across the Pacific Ocean, but as I grew older this fact fascinated me. The United States of America exports far more culture than it imports, so why do most of my fondest childhood memories involve media imported from this singular archipelago?

As I aged and became more aware of the world, my interest in Japan’s culture was coupled with an interest of Japanese politics. By many metrics Japan is one of the most stable democracies, safest countries, healthiest populations, and closest American allies. In the study of history and philosophy, understanding what allows nations to become prosperous and what causes them to collapse in tyranny is indispensable. I want to understand how Japan arrived at this state following the end of World War II and what enables Japan to maintain this stability today.

As noble as I may believe comprehending the causes and effects of these global forces to be, the heart of my study abroad is introspective. Understanding why Japanese culture has such a potent international appeal is shadowed by the warm nostalgia I feel when I recall sharing anime with my friends for the first time in middle school. Analyzing the good and bad of Japan’s domestic policies is meaningless against the fragile feeling of being an individual in a post-nuclear world with a new land war in Europe and rising partisanship in my home country.

When I boarded that plane at O’Hare, I shed a tear at a single thought: in a year’s time I would be returning to Illinois having loved people in a language that I couldn’t then speak. Though the analysis of culture and politics is something I believe is direly important, it is the aspiration to learn the Japanese language which I find to be the most human component of my endeavor. It is easy to experience culture and read history, but it is very difficult to develop a new skill and create intimate friendships. I do not know how proficient my Japanese will be upon my return to the States, but that will not be the measure of my success. I will know I have succeeded in understanding this language when I am able to reflect on the laughs, secrets, and memories shared with my friends for whom I crossed that boundary which is far greater than the Pacific.

Since arrival, I have been working single-mindedly at strengthening my grasp of Japanese grammar and vocabulary. From learning kanji in class to participating in club activities around campus, I have found many opportunities to advance this goal. I try my best to speak the language every day.

At school, I have become active in the Konan University board game circle and I helped the cooking club with an activity designed to help children learn English. Additionally, now that I am capable of holding casual conversation and reading simple texts, I have found many interesting strategies for studying kanji and vocabulary on my own such as memorizing yojijukugo and reading bite sized texts on the subway.

The most inspirational activity and strategy, however, has been mustering up the courage to meet strangers. Over winter break I traveled across Hokkaido. One night at an izakaya in Kushiro I met a group of three journalists covering local politics. We talked about culture, food, relationships, politics, and philosophy all in Japanese. One particularly kind gentleman took me to see the cranes the following morning.

That night it became clear to me that I had learned enough Japanese to begin accomplishing my goal of forming bonds across cultural, national, and linguistic boundaries. Though now I stumble through conversations about topics as simple as food, knowing that I can brush my fingertips across the ceiling of a conversation about topics as rich as classical literature inspires me and pushes me to study this language and culture even more thoroughly.

My Japanese languages have carried on steadily. I am learning and picking up on new grammar, vocabulary, and kanji every day. I find that ideas and opinions I’m able to understand in conversations with my friends and in my personal readings have gotten far more complicated and accordingly, I am able to engage with the world on a much more profound level than when I first arrived in Japan. Then, I was constrained to conversations about food, friends, and pleasantries. “What are you studying?” and “Why did you come to Japan?” have given way to “Who did you vote for in the most recent election?” and “What sorts of English literature do you enjoy?” In terms of reading, I began this semester finally jumping into Akutagawa’s short stories, but though I could read them, I found them a touch too difficult to engage with them regularly. I moved to children’s books, but the level of the material left me bored and I often disconnected from them as well. Lately, I’ve been reading manga with mature themes. Characters discussing things like art, love, and death keep me involved intellectually, but the format of manga makes the material easy enough to understand that I can stay in the material consistently. It’s been very rewarding, and it has made me even more excited to advance my studies.
My Japanese studies classes continue to answer my many questions about the nation. In my Economics class I’ve learned a lot about the late 20th century history that I was interested in learning about from the start. I’ve also developed a more holistic understanding of Japan’s various public systems and successful private markets. In my Anthropology class, I’ve had the opportunity to conduct my own independent research. I am studying the Imperial origins of the Japanese flag as a national symbol and in doing so I’ve conducted interviews with various bureaucrats. These experiences have really stretched my language capabilities and challenged me to apply everything I’ve learned in a pragmatic direction.
At Konan I have joined two new clubs this semester. Firstly, I’ve been interacting with the board game club. Its very easy to study Japanese in this sort of space: listening to instructions and making casual conversation while having fun. One of my goals when coming to Japan was to play my favorite board game, Root, in Japanese. A friend I made in the club is introducing me to her friends over Golden Week so that we can play! I also joined the Taiko Club. I practice three hours a night every Tuesday and Thursday. It is rather challenging, but I’ve been having a lot of fun learning!
As of late, I’ve found myself in a pattern of low moods, so my day-to-day life has in many ways been shaped by activities that make me feel better. Kobe’s beautiful environments are a great help. I often sit on the beach and read or go hiking in the mountains. To think a little bit outside of myself, I will take day trips on weekends to museums, temples, and shrines. Though these habits come from a sad place, it delights me that I’ve returned to my best hobbies: reading and writing. I write about poem a day, and consuming as much written content as I have has really helped me with my Japanese study.
One of my main goals in coming to Japan was to determine if teaching English here would be a career I would enjoy. My opportunities in the language exchange center and at the foreign student event for the Kid’s Festival have confirmed for me that this is something I am eager to pursue for work. I absolutely love working with people and helping them explore language is an utter delight. I often find myself helping my friends practice English and coaching them in targeted ways. When I do this, it further helps me reflect on my learning and practice. After I graduate, I intend to return to Japan to teach. My goal now is to keep nurturing my Japanese friendships, so that even after I return to America I can practice in conversation.