Why Japanese?

"Why Japanese?"

That's the question many ask me when I say that I am taking Japanese 101. As a BSE major without a language requirement, why would I sign up for the challenge of a once-a-day, every-day class? In the spirit of the two Japanese verb tenses, perhaps I could say that I find my interest in learning Japanese to be divided into both Past and Non-Past elements.

Past: Not so much a "past" feature of the language as an ongoing and forever-enduring connection, the culture of Japan is rich and interesting. Even the modern Japanese culture holds on to many elements of historic tradition, from traditional outfits to unique ceremonies. I particularly love Japanese cuisine, with my favorite foods including udon and ramen noodle dishes, as well as fried katsu and croquette foods. Modern Japanese pop culture is also very unique. I'm a fan of anime and manga, and also find myself curious about what exactly goes on during everyday variety shows on Japanese TV.

Non-Past: Looking to the future, I am very interested in discovering how Japan will continue to push forward the limits of technology. The Japanese robotics industry is truly innovative, and as someone potentially pursing a Robotics and Intelligent Systems certificate, I definitely have a strong interest in the field. Many other technology companies also have a stake in Japan. The electronics industry is booming, and so I feel that gaining a strong background in Japanese now will prove to be a strong asset in my future.

I'm excited to find out where this course will take me over the next few semesters. Language learning has not been a very strong skill for me in the past, having taken classes in the past in French, Spanish, Chinese, and Latin to varying levels of success. However, with this new opportunity I'm going to really aim to put myself up to the challenge.

The first few days of classes have been interesting as I work to adjust myself to get back into the learning cycle. I'm hoping things will smooth out better over the next few class meetings. Learning the hiragana alphabet will be the next big hurdle to overcome, but it will definitely be only the first of many difficult, interesting challenges.

Ja, mata! じゃ、また！