Why Japan and Japanese? Let Me Tell You...

Ever since I was a child, I’ve had an interest in languages. To me, there was nothing cooler than someone who could speak more than one language (and I still friend it pretty darn cool). Growing up in a monolinguistic household, my goal was to one day become fluent in another language.

For the next couple of years, I experimented with different languages. I started with what is considered to be the “basic languages” (or the languages that are most commonly taught in schools): Spanish and French. When neither of those did it for me, I moved on to other languages. I tried Swedish, Russian, Swahili, Hindi, and Urdu. Nothing seemed to stick. Once I reached middle school, I had to pick a language. My options were Spanish, French, German, and Latin. I had already tried Spanish and French, so I knew I wasn’t going to take those. I didn’t really have an interest in Latin, so I passed that up too. That left German. I thought, ‘why not?’ My family way back was German, so maybe this could be a good way to get in touch with my German heritage. About two years into learning the language however, it was becoming more and more clear that it wasn’t the language for me.

That’s not to say any of these are bad languages. I love each and every one of these languages, and I love hearing people speak them. The problem was none of them were clicking. It was like I had almost completed a puzzle, but there was one empty spot left and millions of pieces to choose from to put in that spot. Finding that piece seemed almost hopeless. Just when I was about to give up, a friend of mine introduced me to a language that would set me on the course I’m now on. That language was Japanese.

I heard her speaking it to herself one day, and I asked her what on Earth was she speaking. I had never heard it before. It had a flow and tone that I hadn’t heard in any of the other languages I tried. I was immediately interested. We talked about Japanese for a little bit, and by the end of our conversation, I decided I was going to go try it out. So, I went to the bookstore, grabbed a couple workbooks, and begun.

And then…it clicked! I found that missing puzzle piece. The language I had been searching for. Soon I had shelves filled with workbooks, history books, notebooks, DVDs, Japanese movies and CDs. I was obsessed with it. It was pure elation to finally have a language that I connected with, and have stayed connected with all these years. Naturally, since I began learning the language, Japanese history and culture became part of the packaged deal. I now have bookshelves dedicated to history books, language books, culture books, mangas, and Japanese novels. And I was lucky enough to travel to Japan a little over three years ago, and I loved it! It was a dream come true to finally see the country I had been reading about since I was thirteen. The language served as a gateway to culture. Culture served as a gateway to history. Seeing it all in person and using the language daily was surreal, and I can’t wait to go back and explore the country more.

For all of those who want to speak another language but can’t seem to find one that clicks, keep searching. There’s a new language for everyone out there. And once you find one that clicks, you don’t have to focus on just that one if you want to keep exploring. There are so many fascinating languages in the world, and all of them, no matter how little they’re spoken, deserves recognition and appreciation.  I still have an interest in German and recently have developed an interest in Irish (thanks to my fiancé). Languages are for everyone and they can be enjoyed by everyone. Each one is so unique and interesting, I wish I had time to learn every single one! But for now, I'm sticking with Japanese, with a little German and Irish mixed in. Whatever language you all may be learning, I hope you forever have enthusiasm and the energy to continue it. Just keep studying!