Murten
Member
From: Karlstad, Sweden
Registered: 2007-09-09
Posts: 46
I´m reading posts in this forum quite often, posting myself doesn´t happen as often.
But I want to share this with everyone of you - today I met James W Heisig.
He has been existing only in script for such a long time, and now sitting face to face with him just felt unreal. He is the nicest man you can imagine, and it was altogether an overwhelming experience to acctually meet him.
I have very few idols, but James Heisig is one of those who qualifies into that list.
He have changed my life so dramatically that I simply can´t tell in words what his work has meant to me.
I´m only halfway through the third book, but seeing him in person makes me want to finish that book as quickly as I can. Just because it´s so simple and rewarding!
As he knows all about.
Jarvik7
Member
From: 名古屋
Registered: 2007-03-05
Posts: 3946
I work in Nagoya (大須 area) and my girlfriend goes to Nanzan. I've thought a few times that it would be pretty easy to meet Heisig if I wanted but I didn't really see a point.
Me: Hi, I learned some kanji using your book.
Heisig: Cool
Me: When is the next volume of RTH coming?
Heisig: Dunno
Me: Oh.. Well, bye.
Last edited by Jarvik7 (2009 November 20, 8:39 am)
liosama
Member
From: sydney
Registered: 2008-03-02
Posts: 896
There is plenty of shit you could talk to the man about, I personally think he doesn't give a flying **** about kanji.
You could discuss with him Zen Buddhism and argue against his translations of Buddhist 'scholars' such as D.T.Suzuki and the like. He believes that many of the Kyoto school philosophers (a set of contrarian leftist/liberal scholars back in WW2) only said they believed in the 'Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere' 大東亜共栄圏
and whatever other bullshit fascist Japan proliferated back then in their works, was for their own safety, and that they were forced to do so by the academically oppressive 思想警察\特高警察 ('Higher Police'). And to 'misinterpret' their works, which is what most western sociologists and philosophers have done, according to Heisig, would be to misjudge their whole idea of zen philosophy.
I don't want to turn this into a religion thread, but we all know it is not uncommon, that is, using religion to proliferate and justify war/colonization/oppression/occupation/annexation list goes on...
Where I stand on the issue, I really have no idea. If you read a bunch of the translations Heisig has done you see some blatant shit. I'd have to have a reread of it all though, I'm working off memory 2 years ago now.
He'd be an interesting person to talk to none the less, all philosophers and sociologists are.
---
Edit typo~
Last edited by liosama (2009 November 20, 9:07 am)
Tobberoth
Member
From: Sweden
Registered: 2008-08-25
Posts: 3364
I don't know about you, but we criticize Britain quite a lot (in Sweden). We criticize all colonial empires because it's BS. In the end though, it's not worth it to criticize any country since one's own country definitely has some stuff in the past they can't be to proud about. It would for example be nice to see a table over how many people Swedish Vikings murdered and raped 1500 or so years ago.
Last edited by Tobberoth (2009 December 14, 7:45 am)
Ampharos64
Member
From: England
Registered: 2008-12-09
Posts: 166
As a Brit myself, I'd say we ourselves also criticise the Empire etc. quite a lot. We certainly weren't taught to regard much of our history positively in school, instead I felt they rather overdid the guilt-tripping, since, 'y know, none of us were even alive at the time.
Anyway, 'grats on getting to meet Heising-sensei, Murten. I'd definitely want to take the opportunity if it arose, simply to thank him for making me see Kanji as something other than a confusing mass of identical squiggles, and for showing me that one needn't be brought up with them to ever be able to make sense of them.
Ryuujin27
Member
Registered: 2006-12-14
Posts: 824
Murten wrote:
Well he´s been living in Nagoya for the last 30 years so you can guess his ability in japanese 
Of course we chatted in english though, we talked mostly about his experiences in making the books, he showed me the first printing ever for example. Amazing to see things like that, in perfect condition too.
I wouldn't judge on how long someone lived in the country to know their ability with the language. I had a professor in 東京外国語大学 who lived in Japan for the past 23 years and didn't speak a word of the language. It was an embarrassment, really.
Also, I've always wanted to meet Heisig, so congrats on that! One of my professors at University worked with him a lot, and he was always flying to Japan to collaborate on project with him. I only found this out when I went to chat with him and casually mentioned I was doing Heisig's method of learning kanji, and suddenly he goes, "Oh you're using Jim's book? It's pretty good."
Murten
Member
From: Karlstad, Sweden
Registered: 2007-09-09
Posts: 46
jmkeralis wrote:
I think it's really cool that you took the initiative to meet him and chat a bit. I bet it's nice to know that some of your work has impacted others in a positive way, even if it's not your "magnum opus," so to speak.
Thank you, I´m happy I took the chance to meet him when I had the chance, and I´m also sure that he appreciates whenever people are showing him gratitude for his work (may it not be his "magnus opus" as you said). That was really my point of the meeting, I just wanted to say thank you in person.
Ryuujin27 wrote:
I wouldn't judge on how long someone lived in the country to know their ability with the language. I had a professor in 東京外国語大学 who lived in Japan for the past 23 years and didn't speak a word of the language. It was an embarrassment, really.
True. But imagine his headstart with half of the language, after a month in Japan. And he also told me that all the kanji (at least from the first book, and most likely many more) are just japanese to him now. He never gave up learning the language.
ms_shibuya
New member
From: las vegas
Registered: 2009-08-11
Posts: 3
Ryuujin27 wrote:
Murten wrote:
Ryuujin27 wrote:
I wouldn't judge on how long someone lived in the country to know their ability with the language. I had a professor in 東京外国語大学 who lived in Japan for the past 23 years and didn't speak a word of the language. It was an embarrassment, really.
True. But imagine his headstart with half of the language, after a month in Japan. And he also told me that all the kanji (at least from the first book, and most likely many more) are just japanese to him now. He never gave up learning the language.
Oh I'm sure he never gave up, and no doubt he's excellent. I just wanted to rant about people living in a place for many, many years and not learning any of the language, haha.
I have to agree with you when I was in Japan. I met a lot of people that lived in Japan for 5 years, 10 years and did not know a word of Japanese! 
It's suprisingly common, overall it's still rare for a foreigner living in Japan that can speak, read and write!! But that's awesome that you met James Heisig he's one of my idols 
Esp, during a time where in the 70's where African-Americans and Foriengers were a rarity in Japan and we did not have all the resources like we do now to help improve and learn Japanese! I'm soo blessed to be living in this decade with all these resources! 
