TUJ Circle

The Communication Network of Temple University, Japan Campus

‘nihongo’

Being Black in Japan (Part 3 – The Dancing Jigger Toy[1])

I’ve been procrastinating on this post because this is probably the most difficult/uncomfortable thing that’s happened to me in Japan–well, race-related. Now that I think about it, it might very well be the most uncomfortable, race-related situation that has happened to me in my life. And instead of drawing it out, I want to get right into what happened.

It was the middle of May.

My old roommate Kira introduced my to my favorite place on earth, the bar I mentioned in my previous post. After I went there twice with Kira, the bar owner and his wife invited us and a few others to their house for an okonomiyaki party. As we stepped into their house, I noticed that the house looked a lot like their bar–full of American paraphernalia. All sorts of gadgets and toys lined their walls and shelves. Cans of Campbell’s soup, a box of Stove Top stuffing mix, figurines of the Budweiser toads, 1950’s Coco Cola bottles, a stuffed animal of Alf (the 1980’s television show), Tom and Jerry mugs, etc. If you name something American, I’m sure they have a replica of it in their house. And if not, it’s in their bar.
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Being Black in Japan (Part 3 – The Dancing Jigger Toy[2])

[This is Part 2. Click here for Part 1.]

Yes, I was uncomfortable beyond words.

I had a slew of different thoughts that kept hitting me at 1,000,000 MPH. The most important thoughts/questions were:
Why did he show ME that toy??
Doesn’t he understand where that toy comes from?
Doesn’t he understand the history behind toys like that?
Does he not know how many Black people have died to fight racist things like that?

More importantly, I wouldn’t even be here in Japan studying Communications and Japanese if it weren’t for my parents and grandparents who fought for their rights and the rights of their children.

But I couldn’t say any of that. Not only did I not know how to say that in Japanese, but I was completely speechless. What do you say to a toy like that in such a friendly environment?

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日本語の勉強、頑張って！(Go to a Japanese Bar)

Yes, I am studying Japanese

Yes, I am studying Japanese

Yes, you read the title right.
In this post, I want to talk about going to a Japanese bar in order to study Japanese.

When I first came to TUJ, I met a student who was really great at speaking Japanese. I asked him how long he had been studying and he said, “a year and a half.”
Any student of Japanese knows that a year and a half is a fairly short amount of time to get a tight grasp on Japanese. Eager for tips, I asked him what has helped him the most in his journey to fluency, and he said going to his local bar.

I was so suprised! He said he didn’t even learn from taking a class.

After going to a bar myself, I have seen how helpful it can be. You’re able to hear different speeds of talking, different accents and intonations, and you’re forced to speak– even if you’re usually too nervous!

For two months, I have been going to a bar in my neighborhood every Friday night. I bring my notebook and pen, electronic Japanese-English dictionary, and of course, money to spend. The bar is great for learning Japanese.
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日本語の勉強、頑張って！！ (Watch Japanese TV)

In my last post, I explained how Rosetta Stone was the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my journey to fluency in Japanese.

Yes, that statement still stands.

However, since I have finished Level 1, and do not have enough money to buy Level 2, I will be Rosetta Stone-less for now. However, that doesn’t mean I should give up on Japanese, right?

Right. So, what am I doing to study now?

Anything and everything, to put it lightly.

Before I came to Japan, I looked for websites to help me learn Japanese. Most of the websites I went to all told me “surround yourself with Japanese. Listen to Japanese music, and watch Japanese TV.” If you’re like me, this advice doesn’t seem to be enough. I thought, “But, how is simply listening to music and watching TV going to help me?? I can’t understand what they’re saying!! It’s impossible to become fluent in Japanese simply by listening to Japanese!”

Well, I wasn’t necessarily wrong, but I have to admit, watching TV has helped me.
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日本語の勉強、頑張って！！(Rosetta Stone)

日本語の勉強、頑張って！！[nihongo no benkyou, ganbatte!!] (Roughly translated as: Good luck with your study of Japanese!!)

Learning Japanese is… ugh, there’s too many words I want to use. Difficult, fun, challenging, tricky, rewarding, empowering–to name a few.

There are countless websites, podcasts, and textbooks dedicated to a student’s advancement in Japanese, but I haven’t found THE outlet that makes me feel like I am actually getting closer to mastering the language. The outlet that makes me say, “SCORE!! I AM LEARNING!” …I’m trying a variety of methods right now but only one has filled me with satisfaction and glee.

First off, I’ve been studying Japanese for a total of 8 months.
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