Ever since I began studying Japanese at the University of Arizona, I have always found not only Japanese language, but culture interesting. I only started college as a Creative Writing major, but over time added Japanese Culture. I continued taking language courses while also learning about the history, religion, and literature of Japan. Last Summer, I had the chance to spend about a month in Kyoto, continuing to foster my knowledge of Japan’s religious and literary history. I found out through my short time in Japan that, not only were the sights and storied locations exciting, but the people were more so. I talked to so many Japanese people, including fellow college students. Ever since then, I knew that I wanted to continue learning about the culture, both through class work and research, but also by learning from Japanese people themselves.
Since the beginning of my interest in Japanese culture, I’ve also loved indulging in literature both historic and modern. Currently, one of my favorite authors is Haruki Murakami, an excellent fiction writer and translator, his work has always been fascinating to me. As a writer myself, I have been so inspired by his work in so many different ways. I also was able to experience the culture of Japanese baseball during my short time in Japan. I went to two Hanshin Tigers games and met so many nice and wonderful people. From a retired man who wanted to share his food, to a salaryman looking for someone to talk to. I wouldn’t have had those experiences that excelled the baseball games without my abilities to speak their language.
A combination of my interests in Japanese culture and the exposure I had during my brief stint in Kyoto, it led me to a desire to spend more time in Japan. It changed my worldview, engaging and communicating with Japanese people and seeing how unique yet similar our lives, interests, and passions all were. This time, I wanted to study abroad again, but focus on the language aspect. It’s the very doorway to learning about who people are and how they view the world, to understanding one another despite being born so far apart. In addition, with having the opportunity to live out of a homestay, I wanted to feel myself grounded in the daily life and culture of Japan. I also look forward to engaging in extracurriculars, like clubs or school sport circles. Being able to not just be a tourist, but living life will help me better understand and appreciate both the culture and society of Japan. I want to further connect with people, bridge the gap between the Pacific Ocean, learning from each other over my stay.
With language, the best way to truly understand and become fluent is exposure. If I want to continue to learn and develop, as not just a writer or a student, but a person, I need to live and be a part of the functioning society of Japan. With the opportunity presented to me, I want to make the most of it. From engaging as a cog in the machine that is my homestay family, to spending time with both my fellow American students and the Japanese students also studying at the same university. Eating with them, learning with them, exploring with them, I want to do it all. I dream about one day teaching English in Japan, helping to translate works to bridge cultural gaps, and continuing to learn about the experiences and views of the world through interaction with others. That dream is very much within reach, all possible with the first steps of studying abroad and nurturing that dream.