Nihongo Phonopoeia

INTRODUCTION

Assignment Japan

My stay in Japan began in 1987 when I was assigned to Yokota Air Base as a member of the US Air Force. Having had an interest in Japan since I was a child, I was thrilled to hear of my assignment. Now, instead of learning of Japan through watching martial-arts movies and TV animations, I would finally have the opportunity to experience Japan first-hand. A four-year assignment would somehow turn into a 17-year stay during which I would acquire a wealth of knowledge about Japan, its people, and Japanese language.

Exploring Japan

I was eager to learn about  Japan and immediately began getting out and exploring. I actually climbed Mt Fuji, a famous mountain located near Tokyo, my first weekend in Japan. Over the next few months, I spent a lot of time riding trains, exploring and learning my way around Tokyo and other parts of Japan. In the process, I discovered many interesting shops, historical monuments, good restaurants, and met a lot of interesting Japanese people. It was when I began meeting and attempting to communicate with Japanese people that I realized that Japanese language skills would be essential to enjoying my stay in Japan. Consequently, learning Japanese language became a priority. 

Quest for Japanese Language

Learning Japanese would be a time-consuming process that would involve a great deal of both formal and informal study. I started my education in Japanese language by taking formal courses offered by the University of Maryland University College at Yokota. Through taking courses with UMUC, I was able to acquire a fairly solid background in formal “proper” Japanese. That foundation enabled me to communicate fairly well in most situations that required Japanese. The problem was that in some casual social situations, I was often told that my Japanese came across as too formal. Those comments made me realize that I needed to expand my Japanese language skills to include learning colloquial forms of speech as well.  At that point, self study became the means I used for expanding my Japanese language skills. Practical application, an array of study methodologies, and more advanced Japanese language learning resources are what I used to help me achieve my objective.