For the Love of Anime: Why I Began Learning Japanese
My parents influenced me to start learning Japanese because they saw how much anime I watched. When I was 18, they saw that I’d kept my childhood hobby of watching a lot of anime. They knew I was already interested in the Japanese spoken by the characters so they urged me to learn the language. Before I started with Japanese classes, I first started on my own.
Honestly, working in Japan didn’t cross my mind then. However, as I began learning Japanese and learning more about Japan, I found the earnestness, diligence, and professionalism of the Japanese people fascinating, and it made me curious about work in Japan.
Joining Japanese Classes Was a Game Changer
I used to self-study Japanese, but my progress really began when I was already studying at University of Pune and alongside enrolled in Hirameki’s Japanese classes. I joined N5 classes during my first year and eventually, I progressed to N3 classes!
Compared to studying on my own, joining a formal Japanese class made my Japanese language learning journey so much more efficient and fun. Here are some positive effects of joining the class:
I was inspired to catch up with classmates who spoke better Japanese.
There were many classmates in my Japanese class whose Japanese level was higher than mine, so I was able to study harder to catch up with them. My Japanese learning experience was very efficient because having classmates was more stimulating and we’d sometimes compete against each other.
I became best friends with my Japanese class
Being in a room of folks with the same future in mind, it was easy to fall into a close friendship. Some of my friends have already started working in Japan and some are even working for the company I’m set to join. I am currently in India as I still have some time left before graduation, but I am looking forward to the moment when I will be able to meet and work with them again in Japan.
I was automatically funneled into FAST OFFER International’s job-hunting process.
Luckily, my Japanese classes had a partnership with FAST OFFER International. This helped me get job interviews with Japanese companies as soon as my language skills were up to par.
I got to hear my classmates’ motivating success stories.
Learning Japanese takes time and dedication. Hearing inspirational stories from my peers really helped me keep on track. I had been participating in Japanese language classes for engineering students since my sophomore year of college, so I knew many students around me who had already received job offers from Japanese companies through FAST OFFER International.
I had peers ahead of me who could give me advice.
Not only did those peers inspire me to keep going, but they also gave me practical, solid advice. I learned how to answer questions and interview tips from them, and repeatedly practiced interviewing in Japanese with them.
Landing My Dream Job in Japan Thanks to My Japanese Classes
When I started to look for a job in Japan, I first prepared to talk about my background in Japanese with my Japanese class teacher. After that, FAST OFFER International staff interviewed me. Soon after, I got an opportunity to interview with a Japanese company.
In order to interview with Japanese companies, I was able to travel to Japan through FAST OFFER International. There, all the practice sessions I did with my mentor and my friends paved for the actual interviews to go well. I landed the perfect position too. It perfectly matched my major in electronics and communications engineering, plus it was also a company where some of my best friends are already working at! I couldn’t be more excited to start working there!
Advice for Japanese Language Learners
Do not give up even if you feel it is difficult.
Difficulty is not a reason to give up. Everything is difficult. You just have to persevere and keep going. I learned the importance of perseverance from swimming, studying, and my childhood with two working parents. Afforded with some independence at an early age gave me the ability to think and act for myself. I was used to the learning process. So, I never felt that the process of learning Japanese was impossibly difficult. I just accepted the challenges as they came. Of course, there were difficult moments, but they were steps to reach the next level!
You can grow fast if you choose an environment conducive to friendly competition.
Studying with people who could speak Japanese better than I could, I felt desperate to catch up. It kept me from getting defeated by my blind spots to my weaknesses. Plus, the friendly competition helped everyone get better faster. So, please find friends with whom you can improve together!
Study while having fun and cooperating with friends.
I organized a Japanese study group with Japanese Language classmates. We practiced Japanese conversation on a regular basis. In these study groups, several classmates would get together to work on homework assignments for Japanese class and watch old Japanese movies. The members would divide the roles among themselves, decide on a theme for the study group, and take turns hosting the study group. During the study sessions, we would also have conversations in Japanese, which was very useful for practicing Japanese conversation. At times, we would hold study groups four days a week, on days we didn’t have classes.
Beyond Japanese Classes: Incorporating Japanese into your personal life
I think many people learn Japanese by separating it from their personal lives. However, I made a point to learn beyond the Japanese classes. I constantly exposed myself to the Japanese language through changes in my daily life and creating a conducive environment.
How I incorporated Japanese in my daily life beyond the classes at the University of Pune:
- I created an account on YouTube to watch only Japanese videos
- I watched Terrace House while consciously listening to the locals’ pronunciations
- I practiced speaking Japanese with Japanese natives through online language learning apps
I urge you to study Japanese very hard with these points in mind. Japanese is very difficult. That’s why there are fewer foreigners working in Japan than in other countries. However, if your Japanese language skills reach a certain level, Japanese people will welcome you kindly and give you many opportunities. If you keep going, good results will be waiting for you!
Here are some of my closest friends from the Japanese classes’ success stories you can also find here:
- Tech Dreams Fueled by Japanese Animation: An Indian’s Journey to Employment in Japan
- From Anime Inspiration to Data Science Career in Japan: A Resilient Journey
- How Learning Japanese Transformed My Career Path: From Beginner to Job Interviews
- How My Uncle’s Influence and Japanese Anime Shaped My Path to Working in Japan
