My Nihongo Lessons

For most of my life people have asked me “Why are you studying Japanese?” As a language educator at an art college I’m constantly confronted by non-artists asking “Why do artists need to learn languages?? My answer is usually “Why not?!”

My Nihongo Dreams have change through the years (as they should).

• be an exchange student ✅
• get a job in Japan✅
• work as an actor in Japanese✅
• promote Japan-US relations✅
• teach at the college level✅
• become a Brush Calligrapher…… still working on that one.

What are your Nihongo dreams?

It’s going to be awesome when those dreams comes true

What happens though when that small negative voice that we all hear gets a bit louder and starts to question why you are attempting the most difficult language for English speakers? That negativity is like a nightmare, isn’t it?

There is an old tradition in Japan of calling on a nightmare eater: 獏 ・ばく・ BAKU

What’s 獏 ・ばく・ BAKU?

獏 ・ばく・ BAKU is a type of yokai. You may have seen them in anime and manga if that’s your jam.  They were imported from Chinese folklore along with Buddhism and are found in Buddhist temple architecture today. You can see them throughout Senjuji Temple, a national treasure in Mie Prefecture (so many important shrines and temples there!).

Watch this:

Did you see them?

In Japanese folklore, when one has a nightmare, people will call upon 獏 ・ばく・ BAKU to eat the bad dreams.

---

聞きましょう！Kikimashou!

Check this out

Music is a great way to practice your Japanese no matter what level you are at. There is so much you can do with the lyrics of a song. Even if you are not in a formal class, you can use the activities below with your latest favorite song in Japanese.

WARNING:

As easy as it may be to find the translated version of your favorite song, I want to encourage you to resist the temptation to start there.

Learn to go with the gist of what something means first. (What words can you pick out?) Then explore the vocabulary and grammar. Finally when you have exhausted all of that you can check out the “official translation”.

Learning to trust yourself builds your confidence. More confidence means you are able to take chances with exploration, and suddenly you are able to pick up the meaning of all kinds of things you hear and read around you. Do not be tricked into feeling you must understand 100% of something 100% of the time. You’ve got 12 years to develop proficiency.

Here are some activities I have my students do with lyrics.

• Vocabulary building: https://jisho.org/. I love this dictionary tool. You can use English, romaji, or kana/kanji. You can even look up kanji, too!
• Grammar discovery for intermediate learners(you know what “て form” means): https://cotext.reverson.net Input lines from the song and see other expressions and grammar structures used in authentic Japanese – this is one of the fastest ways I know to beef up your skills.
• Writing Practice: https://happylilac.net/pdf/kanzi-koi-ms202101271058-104-a4.pdf
  • Just learning kana: copy the kana of the lyrics and read along with the song
  • Ready for kanji: use the same paper for writing each kanji. Then try to write all the lyrics out with the kanji
• Production: Put your new language skills to work. (aka – show it off)
  • Write another verse to this song in Japanese following the grammar patterns used
  • Write a manga or essay about 獏 ・ばく・ BAKU in Japanese
  • Record a conversation you have about 獏 ・ばく・ BAKU in Japanese
  • Give a short presentation about 獏 ・ばく・ BAKU inJapanese

Lyrics: ピンクの獏

---

Recording the Journey

I require all of my students to start a blog to document their language journey. Most prefer www.blogspot.com because it integrates well with other google-based applications that my courses utilize. Some of their entries are only in English; some are pdfs, photos or videos of their language productions (see the activities above) with an English summary.

Why don’t you try this with me?

Here’s a blog/journal prompt:

1. No matter where you are in your Japanese language journey, take a moment to reflect about your dreams as a user of the Japanese language.   Choose two or more of these prompts and free write about what you’re thinking. Do not limit yourself with your current skills. Dream Big!
   • Who are you right now as a language learner?  (ex: beginner? self study learner? perpetual college student? )
   • What’s the end goal of this? (ex: Japanese professor, manga translator, diplomat)
   • What do you dream of doing with your knowledge of Japanese?
   • Who do you want to be as a language user in the future?
2. Find or draw your own 獏 ・ばく・ BAKU. Imagine that this baku is keeping all those doubts at bay so your dream – as wild as speaking/reading Japanese fluently – can flourish
3. Share your Nihongo Dreams in the comments section of this post
   or on social media with #nihongodreams
4. Share your BAKU with me on social media. Use #baku

I’m looking forward to learning about your Nihongo Dreams