I like video games. alot.

My only reason.

Monster Hunter Frontier. They didn't translate it... Damn it Capcom!!!

theasianpleaser Wrote:My wife is Japanese, we live in Japan, and I don't want to teach English forever.

I never thought about Japan or Japanese until I met her. But, WOW! This is a great place and being able to function as an adult is even better.

Haha, pretty much the same as me. Japanese is my ticket back to my previous line of work, except in Japan. It's also very annoying feeling like a helpless child at times. Every little bit of Japanese I learn makes living here a little better.

Current reasons:
-US sucks. Not that I expect Japan to be a magic place, but it'd be a change of scenery.
-Restaraunts. Through RTK I'm already recognizing half the kanji on Chinese menus too. That's badass.
-Anime/manga/games.
-I hate being a dumb tourist. I'd love to be native-level fluent, but so long as I'm not the "mein hovercract is full of eels" guy. That's the important bit.
-Dude seriously my wife and I are both fine with obtaining language the deSade way. Much as I want to make fun, more power to all.

Everything begins with a " hey I should learn japanese so I can listen to anime without sub, should be easy, I learned english without even trying heh... " So it started with a curiosity in the language... now I'm going to do my Bachelor in Asian culture/Anthropolgy focus/Japan. My goal is to enter in an exchange program during my second or third year and by this time I hope I'll be able to speak semi-fluently, 2 and a half years of intensive SRS, Yeah!

I also going to have to work on my english, not that I'm bad, In fact I understand it perfectly, but you dont learn how to speak a language fluently just by reading things on the internet/game/anime(subs) and listening to Tv/movies in english.

So My goal for the next 2 years are: to complete my english studies and to be able to do JPLT 2-kyu or higher.

Ps: Feel free to correct me if I do some major grammar error

Kinda forgot what got me into japanese anyhow nowadays I just do it, because I've gotten so far. At my current level, I don't need English subtitles to understand what the heck is going on lol. It actually makes much more sense in It's original language, japanese. A lot of English subtitles don't' really give all the meanings there conveying when they talk. The languages are really different, i remeber when i was so used to english subtitles. Now i don't really like them anymore.

- I am interested in Japanese culture
- I want to go to Japan one day to do karate full time
- I find Japanese guys extremely attractive
- I enjoy talking to my sensei
- I simply love learning languages.

With ta12121 on this one.

I started partially because of pop culture. I also recall a strong urge to want to be fluent enough to be able to translate anime/manga so I could give back to the community which I had benefited from early on. These days I just continue because I've invested so much time into it (which sounds bad, but I don't think of it as a chore) and I want to just be able to read and enjoy.

I think 忍者それに侍 is what my interest was back then. Still is, but the difference now is that i can understand and read a lot. My goal hasn't changed from these 7+months. It's to become native-level in all skills. I'm confident in terms of reading/understanding. But I'm focusing more and more on writing/speaking. Because those skills will get me the whole package.

One thing i noticed from when i was an amateur. Is that the language itself sounds much more beautiful then when i first started because now i can understand so much more.

ta12121, after seven months of study you are confident in your reading and listening comprehension? Wow...

All Asians are hot, especially Japanese guys and girls, because they're so traditional and submissive, very hard workers and group oriented. It's common for expatriates to have deep meaningful relationships across the language barrier when visiting Japan and get married--just kidding, I want to use them as tour guides and for Japanese citizenship, and also to teach me the most difficult language in the world, Japanese, so that I can indulge in their wacky pop culture. Well, enough to have conversations with other hot Japanese guys and girls, as Asians are universally attractive. It's their genes. You might be reasonably attractive as a non-Asian, but just think if you were Asian!!

In exchange I might save their souls by converting the heathens to Christianity and teach them a proper language like English. Most adult Japanese only know ~500 kanji. That's why they don't have sex and commit suicide all the time. That and they all worship kamikaze and samurai belief systems. It's a meme they're implanted with at birth.

I look forward to starting a blog to tell you how awful Japan is.

kendo99 Wrote:ta12121, after seven months of study you are confident in your reading and listening comprehension? Wow...

Well I can understand a lot now, even news. But some news are still hard to understand. And also some songs are hard to understand still. But when i see the subtitles in japanese it's easier. I'd say in a full year i should be nearly fluent in those skills. If not then i will only need a few more months to get to fluency in those skills.

Like khatz says you don't become fluent in japanese, you become used to it. Then fluency will be the by-product of that. Although my speaking/writing skills are behind....So in terms of those skills i'll have to work on them.

ruiner Wrote:All Asians are hot, especially Japanese guys and girls, because they're so traditional and submissive, very hard workers and group oriented. It's common for expatriates to have deep meaningful relationships across the language barrier when visiting Japan and get married--just kidding, I want to use them as tour guides and for Japanese citizenship, and also to teach me the most difficult language in the world, Japanese, so that I can indulge in their wacky pop culture. Well, enough to have conversations with other hot Japanese guys and girls, as Asians are universally attractive. It's their genes. You might be reasonably attractive as a non-Asian, but just think if you were Asian!!

In exchange I might save their souls by converting the heathens to Christianity and teach them a proper language like English. Most adult Japanese only know ~500 kanji. That's why they don't have sex and commit suicide all the time. That and they all worship kamikaze and samurai belief systems. It's a meme they're implanted with at birth.

I look forward to starting a blog to tell you how awful Japan is.

lol haha. Interesting....

ruiner Wrote:All Asians are hot, especially Japanese guys and girls, because they're so traditional and submissive, very hard workers and group oriented. It's common for expatriates to have deep meaningful relationships across the language barrier when visiting Japan and get married--just kidding, I want to use them as tour guides and for Japanese citizenship, and also to teach me the most difficult language in the world, Japanese, so that I can indulge in their wacky pop culture. Well, enough to have conversations with other hot Japanese guys and girls, as Asians are universally attractive. It's their genes. You might be reasonably attractive as a non-Asian, but just think if you were Asian!!

In exchange I might save their souls by converting the heathens to Christianity and teach them a proper language like English. Most adult Japanese only know ~500 kanji. That's why they don't have sex and commit suicide all the time. That and they all worship kamikaze and samurai belief systems. It's a meme they're implanted with at birth.

I look forward to starting a blog to tell you how awful Japan is.

Bwahaha

Back in the day (8 years ago?) I wanted to learn Japanese so I could understand anime and mange in the original language. And because I thought the culture was interesting. But I never had the motivation (guts?) to start learning it. No Japanese classes at all where I live. I think you'd have to travel 300 miles to get the nearest school or college that would offer them... So I didn't. Tried a few times but failed.
My reasons for learning Japanese now have drastically changed. I (like the original poster) want to be a missionary to Japan. I really want to communicate Christ's love to them in their own language. Then I found AJATT and decided it was actually time to get my butt in gear and learn it! So here I am. lol

So lets see...

I got interested in Japan after realizing that Japan was a country distinct from China when I found out that DBZ was not made in America. Basically I was one of those americans who just thought everything asian was Chinese.

then I went to highschool, got smitten with yellow fever and got into anime. (or was it got into anime then got yellow fever???)

Either way, I started learning a few words here and there but nothing too serious.

I went to college and sort of chilled out with the anime and shit. I actually started to dislike the stuff because I found it to be to closely related to 4chan wankers (and I detest 4chan). Obviously they are not intrinsically connected, but many of the types of people who like anime like 4chan shit and so I wanted to distance myself from that crowd.

I started studying Japanese in college because I did't want to take spanish or German to fufiil my 2 year foreign language requirement.

The people in my Japanese class were interesting and I became friends with them, but slowly I began to realize how most of them were idiots. I connected weaboo-ism and Japanese and decided that Japanese wasn't a "cool" language so I stopped studying and focused my attention on graduating.

Then I met the love of my life (who is Japanese by no coincidence) and that got me back into the language. Now I'm in Japan teaching english with JET but will return and finish my Ph.D in Japanese Relgious studies.

So I continue to study Japanese now because

-my wife is Japanese
-I want to read Japanese (for research)
- I've spent so much goddamned time on Japanese that if I quite now it will be like I wasted years of my life.

ruiner Wrote:I look forward to starting a blog to tell you how awful Japan is.

haha can't wait.

I want to watch shows with no subs
Girls
I want to be a game designer
Games
I love the culture
Live there

ALL you Japanlovers stop diluting yourselfss!!11 Its not so great I hate it its so flawed I cants believe how much you drool over Japan get a life why are you learning Japanese even???

*bows* That was my impression of a Japan Hand explaining to the lowly masses how I know the Real Truth™ about Japan, and I'm here to tell it to you straight from on high because of the blatant Japan-idolizing that clouds the Recent Posts section on a daily basis.

I think I remember why I originally went into Japanese. The songs themselves were beautifully even though I didn't know anything. I usual listen to both male/female singers but I prefer female singers.

http://www.youtube.ca/watch?v=PlPjnLCU--o

At first I just wanted to play imported games and understand song lyrics, but then I decided I'm going to move over there and become a celebrity, so I figured it would help to know the language really well.

BoccKob Wrote:At first I just wanted to play imported games and understand song lyrics, but then I decided I'm going to move over there and become a celebrity, so I figured it would help to know the language really well.

Haha, nice. I remember seeing some survey results awhile back (think it was an article on dannychoo.com somewhere) in which a bunch of high school kids in Japan were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. Apparently, they did a top 10 list and the #1 job that males chose was a game show contestant, lol. I remember the comments regarding this poll and people were wondering what this meant for the future of Japan

It does kind of make sense I guess. Despite being ridiculously outlandish or just flat out weird, Japanese game shows are funny as hell. Although, that kind of humor is right up my alley!

I was watching some show on KeyHoleTV last night that as far as I could tell, involved some people putting odd toppings on instant ramen and yakisoba, then tasting it.

I'd never thought of trying to get on that sort of show though.

i enjoy learning it more now since I've gotten soooo far into it. NO reason to stop until I've become completely fluent.

P.S. anyone hear a metal gear sold fan?
you're going to laugh your butt off

ta12121 Wrote:i enjoy learning it more now since I've gotten soooo far into it. NO reason to stop until I've become completely fluent.

P.S. anyone hear a metal gear sold fan?
you're going to laugh your butt off

Hahaha, what the hell? What is that, one of the joke videos from the Secret Theatre? I can't believe I've never seen it before.