Tim Ito
English Teacher
’13 Old Dominion University
Asian Studies
Favorite Words:
なんでやねん/ 魑魅魍魎
At first I wasn't interested in Japanese language, but more the culture. I grew up watching the Japanese classic shows/movies like Godzilla, Ultraman, Dragon Ball Z, etc. I was always pretending to be a samurai or ninja as a kid and never really put any thought into Japan language or deep rooted history. It wasn't until about the middle of my sophomore year at ODU that I started to focus more on Japans day to day life (government, language, lifestyle,etc.) and less on its pop culture. I had always wanted to visit Japan, but never had the motivation. Not until I overheard a student saying she had just returned from a study abroad I Japan and had such an amazing experience. Her only regret was she didn't know very much Japanese. That's when it clicked, I was going to use my college experience to not only land me a study abroad and learn Japanese. Which leads me to the beginning of my life in Japan. I signed up for Japanese classes and finally got into a class after two semesters of waiting (Japanese language classes were limited and filled fast).
My teacher was the lovely and funny Marken-Sensei. She inspired me a lot and even though I struggled a lot with Japanese grammar, I pushed through with her encouragement. I ended up taking a basic level introduction course to Japanese. After that I went on to a secondary level with a different sensei, but sadly him and I didn't see eye to eye. So I stopped my language course taking there until Marken-sensei approached me with a class she had created dealing with kanji and 書道 (Shodo, Japanese calligraphy). Although I didn't have the Japanese language level, Marken-Sensei knew my passion for Japan, but also knew that even though I struggled with grammar, my Japanese kanji was strong. Later that year, I graduated from ODU and landed an English teaching job in Japan. I've been in Japan now for four years teaching English. It's not exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life, but it has put me in the best environment for absorbing the Japanese language. So, if you are interested in learning the Japanese language, I suggest three things. One: study, study, study!!!! Two:practice makes perfect, especially when learning the two alphabets and kanji that Japanese has to offer. Three: don't be afraid to make mistakes, that's the hardest of the three that people struggle with. As for studying tips, I recommend flash cards, watching Japanese dramas (Anime is so-so, but tends to use too much slang), whereas dramas focus on more traditional speaking, and practice with a speaking partner both English and native Japanese. I hope my story inspires you to grasp your dreams or goals for Japan and the Japanese language.
Good luck and thank you for reading my story.
