What -were- plans for a podcast

"Konnichiwa! Welcome to Japanese 101 +More. This is our first podcast and to start things off, I am going to take some time to talk about what is so special about Japanese and why millions around the world want to learn it. Learning Japanese and falling in love with it has inspired me to create this podcast, and the website with the help of a few wonderful friends who share the same passion. I am going to try to keep it as light as possible so that you do not get bored. The main aim of this podcast is to make it more fun for you to learn Japanese. Are you ready? Yoshi!

Japanese is the language that is primarily spoken in Japan. When I say ‘primarily,’ I mean to say that knowing only English might not really take you places in Japan. Sure you will be able to survive, but you will need to know Japanese to really get into the scene, if you know what I mean.

Today, more and more people are wanting to learn Japanese and while most folks start out with anime as their main source of inspiration, there are others who start out because they love the language or because they need to learn it for business purposes.

However, there are many reasons for people to learn Japanese. Learning a new language is like falling in love; you can never truly point out as to why you fell in love with that person when suddenly asked.

So if you ask me why you should learn Japanese, I am not going to give the usual pointers that say ‘You will get a better appraisal at work,’ or ‘You can talk to Japanese people,’ and I’m definitely not  touching the part where you can watch anime without subtitles. Why YOU would want to learn Japanese is something that is unique to you and you alone can answer that question.

BUT, if you ask me questions like ‘Is Japanese as tough as the rumors say?’ or ‘Is it the same as Chinese or Mandarin?’ or ‘Does it sound funny?’ I sure CAN answer.

Whether Japanese is tough or not...well, that depends on how you approach the language and alter yourself while trying to learn it. Sure, you see statistics and facts saying that Japanese is one of the most difficult languages in the world, but if you ask me, I personally find it to be a naturalistic language that is quite easy. If you keep believing that it is almost impossible to learn Japanese because it is tough, that is the only thing that will remain in your mind and would make your learning quite uncomfortable.

When you perceive Japanese as a language like any other that can be learnt with good practice and understanding, you will surely learn to love it in no time at all.

There is a two hardbound rules to remember:

Rule one: Japanese and Chinese are not at ALL the same. Japanese has two scripts called Hiragana and Katakana that have EVOLVED from Chinese characters a very long time ago. We have a third script called Kanji which ARE basically Chinese characters whose readings are borrowed into Japanese. Other than that, there are no other similarities and thus Japanese is a completely different language.

So if you see people randomly talking about Japanese and poking fun at it while comparing it to Chinese or Mandarin, do not let that affect your studying. That is their opinion and you have your opinion. Have faith in what you believe and keep learning.

Rule two: is that you cannot really learn Japanese from anime. There are many people who claim that they have learnt Japanese from anime, but once you get to hear them talk, you will come to know that it’s not the sort of Japanese that you would want to use while conversing in real-time situations.

The Japanese used in anime is the brash, everyday language and it is not the best option to learn from. However, it would be really nice if anime can be used as a companion while learning Japanese. I personally have learnt so much more from anime than what I have learnt from my textbooks. But again, please remember that anime-Japanese and textbook-Japanese are nearly two different worlds.

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Every language in the world reflects the culture and traditions of the country where it originated from, or where it is being widely spoken and Japanese is no exception to that.

Many Japanese students wonder why their teachers deviate from what is written in the textbook and talk about everyday life in Japan, how things are done in Japan, or why the teachers talk so much about the four seasons. I, too, did not have a clue about it when my teachers would talk about Japan and not Japanese to the point that all of us in class would forget where we left off in the lesson.

But now I understand that it is VERY important for Japanese students to know all that as learning Japanese makes it necessary to know the country’s culture and traditions. Japanese is sometimes direct, and is subtle and sneaky most of the other times and in order to properly understand all the contexts of Japanese, you need to know how things work in Japan.

With all that said, I am hoping that you might have a fairly basic understanding of Japanese and why you would want to learn it. A friend told me that learning Japanese is actually fun, but that it requires a lot of concentration, practice and most importantly, interest. Well, Rini-chan couldn’t be more right! Keep her words in mind and also remember to have fun because only then can you look at Japanese as a new friend you are about to make. Put your heart and soul into learning it, keep an open mind and you will do great! Love the language, respect it and it will love you right back.

So, I have managed to cover a few topics in this initial podcast and I might have missed many other topics that you would have wanted to hear and I apologize for that. Just tell me what you would like to hear in the comments section and I will try to cover that as best as I can. I am also planning to invite guests to talk in the future podcasts of Japanese 101 +More so you will hear more about learning Japanese from a very diverse range Japanese students. We’ll do our best to keep you entertained and refreshed while you are learning what is said to be a “very difficult language.”

There is a good number of sources out there that can help you learn Japanese. Our aim here is to do the same, but in a lighter perspective. I, too, am a Japanese learner and I am always looking out for sources that can teach me Japanese in a fun manner. That is why I decided to churn out this podcast as a companion to the Japanese 101 +More website because there are always things that can’t be understood from text and videos alone; some things are best understood when explained.

Suppose that while you are learning Japanese and suddenly have a doubt and none of the text sources help you understand it, you would have a problem finding a person to TALK to you and clear your doubt. When you listen to my podcasts, try to listen to them on the go and study Japanese at the gym or at the supermarket or even on the way to work or school, when you are bored or just wherever you feel like it.

While you are listening to the podcast and referencing the website, please let your friends know about us on social media. There are many people who are actively involved in the contribution of the growth of this website and podcast, and they deserve to be acknowledged for all their hard work.

Well then, thanks so much for listening to the first podcast of Japanese 101 +More. Please feel free to write your suggestions or views in the comments section so that we can know what you would like to hear about. Please do subscribe to this podcast if you do not want to miss out on all the goodness that’s going to make learning Japanese a truly awesome experience!!"