For most of my life, I have had an appreciation for the language and culture of Japan. I listened to a lot of Japanese music and even spent years learning the language. If you must know: I only know the basics.
I wanted to share in this blog where it all came from and show my appreciation for a country I have always respected in my life! It's Cherry Blossom (Sakura) season in Japan right now and I felt this was an appropriate time to make this blog. A few months ago, when I started this blog, I knew this was a story I wanted to talk about! I wanted to share how I started in the Japanese language, why I love it so much, and what made me want to learn a language I won't probably use most of my life (But you never know, that could change)!
As a kid, you don't even realize there are multiple different languages in the world other than your own! I just thought everyone knew English first and then acquired the other languages along the way... But then I was introduced to the video game, Kingdom Hearts. For anyone who loves Final Fantasy and Disney- this is the game for you! Honestly, playing now years later... I realized that the writing in the game is not that great. It's actually really cheesy. But the thing that makes those games, even to this day, is Hikaru Utada. From the moment I heard them in the games as a kid, I knew I loved them. I loved their music but didn't know, as a kid, how to find them. Luckily for me, my brother was a big fan too (We're both super fans today)!
If anyone truly knows me, they know how big of a fan I am of singer Hikaru Utada. I could not make a blog about the Japanese language without mentioning them! I'm pretty sure my Japanese friends really get annoyed with how much I talk about them. Throughout my years of learning Japanese, I had to say something about Utada, at least once! Utada made me realize that every country and culture is different from my own. English isn't the first language to everyone, only to some. I also feel inspired when listening to their music. As a writer, I love their lyric writings. There was something deep and meaningful to even the silliest of songs they would write! In some ways, Utada inspired me to become a writer. It has been over twenty years and I still listen to Utada on repeat. My partner can get exhausted with how many times I listen to them! If you must know: I listen to Utada at least once a day. If I don't listen, I'm at least humming a song in my head by them. I say them because Hikaru Utada came out as Non-Binary last year. That's the kind of person they are. They always went against the social norm because happiness and love are more important. Utada has taught me through the years, it is okay to be you.
I could talk about Utada for days but we'll move on! There was another thing that made me love and appreciate Japanese culture and language. Like many of us, I fell in love with an anime show called, Case Closed (in America) aka Detective Conan (in Japan). I have always been a big mystery fan, especially murder mysteries! Growing up, I would watch the kid show Scooby-Doo and then I discovered Detective Conan. A murder mystery show about a famous detective, who is only seventeen wants to be the real-life Sherlock Holmes. One day, he stumbled upon a scene he shouldn't have and is given an untested poison that turns him into a seven-year-old boy! It is a show I hold near and dear to my heart. But it is a show that definitely needs to end... It has gone on way too long and it is not that interesting! If you've seen one season, you've seen them all. There is only so much growth you can do. Since 1996, the series has 53 seasons and 24 movies! And after all that, the detective is still seven years old! As much as I love the idea and the show, it is time to end.
When I got to high school, the school offered Japanese as one of the languages I could take. I took it. I felt I grew up with Utada and Detective Conan, so it was only natural to learn about the language I grew up with. I had an amazing three years with an amazing Sensei (Teacher). Bernau taught me so much and was so kind, caring. But when I was in high school, I didn't have an appreciation for school, as I do today. I loved the language but didn't have time for it. I loved the writings of hiragana, katakana, and kanji. I even loved learning the folklores of Japan. As a writer, it is fun to hear different stories and perspectives from different parts of the world. I believe stories are what connects us as human beings. You can share experiences from stories you hear and tell. Bernau Sensei would tell us a folklore tale of Tanabata, a sad love story. Which, I'll be sharing in just a moment!
I loved the class but again, never respected or had time for it when I was in high school. But I had the chance to relearn the language and I took it in college! Last year (2021) I spent a year with a great Sensei! Stephenson Sensei is someone I highly look up to. She taught me so much in such a short time. Every day, I was nervous in class but loved being there. Thanks to her and of course listening to Utada every day, I was inspired to write my own stories in Japanese. I even made a Japanese film, that you can watch on my YouTube channel. I found a love and respect for the culture I never had, thanks to Stephenson Sensei. I wrote a little poem and song as well since being in her class. Japanese is a lot of work and I'll admit, I have been on a break from learning the language again. I think I have too much respect for the language that when I start to notice my frustrations when I can't make up a sentence in Japanese, it's time to quit... For now... Before Stephenson Sensei, I hated writing in kanji but she explained it in a way that made me love to write in kanji all the time!
In her class, I learned more in-depth about the Tanabata folklore story I told about at the beginning of this blog. Tanabata was the first folklore I learned about in Japanese class. It is a sad love story about a God who had a beautiful young daughter that came of age. He finds her a mate and the two are inseparable from one another. Furious that the two won't leave each other's side, he decides to separate them galaxies apart. His daughter is devastated by this and cries every day. The God can't take it anymore and decides to build a bridge for them to meet only once a year. As you can tell, I love this story. Japan celebrates this story every July 7th when Tanabata is celebrated! On this day, citizens write their wishes on a little piece of paper and put them on the wishing tree. It is a beautiful story that I hope to write and maybe animate one day! I think stories like that have inspired the writer I am today. It has given me ideas to write folklores and stories like that of my own.
Writing this blog made me realize how much Japan has been a part of my life and I continue to grow with knowledge and a better appreciation for the country because of it. I think that Stephenson Sensei said it beautifully in class one day, "You learn other languages to appreciate your own". I still think of her saying that and she's right. I think it's important to learn a different language, even if it's basics, so you can learn about a different part of the world you may have never known about. It gives you a better understanding that we are just a little part of a big world.
I do hope to visit Japan one day. I do hope to write a folklore tale. And I especially hope to write and animate a story in honor of Tanabata. I will be posting the three Japanese stories I have written, on here, later this month. You can check out my Japanese film, 影の男「The Shadow Man」(Make sure to click the 'CC' button for English subtitles!), here!
Thank you
ありがとう ございます!
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