I think it all began my Freshman year of high school in my English class. I had to read a book from a country and do a report on that country. The book I read was The Samurai by Shusaku Endo. Since then I've read some other Japanese novels that have been translated, and they weren't translated very well. But Endo's The Samurai was beautiful to read. It enthralled me. The second phase was to do a report on Japan, which included a brief history and a look at it's modern society. As I started to read some Japanese history books, I found that this country's history was the most interesting and fascinating to me. I had never been very big on history before, and all that I had ever studied up to that point was either American or European history. But Japan's history was so different, so exotic, so appealing. The one person in Japanese history that interested me the most was Oda Nobunaga, and how he reunified the country in the 16th century.
Since then I've made many Japanese friends. My most precious friend is my pen-pal Mayumi, whom I call "Mayu-chan." I think she's very cute. We've become very good friends and we've known each other since March of 1995. I met her through a pen pal agency, called ALC Press. I was supposedly matched up with three pen pals, but Mayu was the only one who wrote me. But she has been a wonderful friend, and I consider her one of my best friends. I like her very much. It's funny how someone so far away can seem so close. The past two summers in a row, we've hosted several Japanese guests to come and stay in our home. The first was Masato in August of 1996. He came with the WYVEA (World Youth Visit Exchange Association) program. In the summer of 1997, we had Isao stay with us. He was from WYVEA as well. Two days after he left, we agreed to host another at the last minute. This time it was Ikuko, a high school girl from Himeji, Phoenix's Sister City in Japan. And after we thought that we had hosted our final Japanese guest for the year, my Japanese history teacher asked us if we would host a teacher from Japan named Kozo. Such a busy year! Plus, I've made friends with a lady named Reiko whom I met at my church through being introduced to her through my friend Lisa's dad, and we help each other learn each other's languages.
As I mentioned earlier, I've taken a Japanese history class at ASU West. Which is really nice, since it fulfills a global studies requirement for business. I already have read books about Japanese history and culture, and this class has helped me learn much more about the country. I have a personal library of several books I've collected about Japan. For a long time, I was trying to teach myself the Japanese language. Then I was finally able to take a class at Phoenix College, JPN 115 in the spring semester of 1996. It's a conversational Japanese that only teaches basic grammar, and does not teach any reading or writing. I tried to take 116 in the fall, but it was canceled. I hope to be able to take 116 next spring semester before next summer.
My big goal for the summer of 1998 is to go on a trip to Japan and visit my friends over there. I'm currently working two part time jobs at ASU West for a total of 24 hours a week. If I budget my money right, I should have $3000 by next summer. I think that should be enough for a successful trip. Last summer I tried to go on a trip with the WYVEA outbound group, but it was canceled due to a lack of interest. We needed a minimum of 10 people to go, but we only had 6. We were going to go anyway, but then two people dropped out at the last minute, so it was definitely out of the question. I don't think I will bother with WYVEA next summer. I am planning on traveling all by myself. It will be kinda scary since it will be so new to me, but it will be a learning experience for me. This way, I can definately visit all my friends, and I can see them for as long as I want.
Ultimately, I plan on becoming an English teacher in Japan. Yeah, I know it's not the most original idea, but it's what I want to do. Hopefully I can get a job near where Mayu-chan lives and works. That way I will have a friend I can spend time with, and she has offered to help me if I ever need it. But it may become difficult to find a job in Nagano Prefecture where she lives, because that is where the 1998 Winter Olympics shall be held. This will probably boost Nagano's popularity for job seekers. But, I am working on being the best prepared for finding a job. I hope to visit several potential future employers while I am on vacation there this summer.
So basically, why Japanese culture? It's something for me to study and learn. I don't think that Japan is the greatest place in the world, nor do I have an over-idealized impression of what it is really like. It's an experience for me, and it's expanded my knowledge of the world. Most Americans do not care about any country other than their own, and I happen to be different. I get many negative reactions for my interest in Japan, but I also get many positive reactions. When I go there and experience its culture, I hope to learn to better appreciate the country as well as my own, and I hope to learn a bit about myself and to change myself for the better by reflecting on myself and my personality. I do not think that Japanese culture is superior to American culture, and I certainly do not think that mine is superior to theirs. But both cultures have much to learn from each other, and I hope to play a part in that mutual learning. Perhaps I already am a part of it, even by making this web page.
Next, read about when I visited Japan for the first time!
Go back to the "Greg's Life" Table of Contents
"Ever since I discovered the print, Japan has appealed to me as the most romantic, artistic country on earth." ---Frank Lloyd Wright