Why I chose NIHONGO

I chose to study Japanese for a number of reasons. For one, I was born there and lived the first three years of my life Tokyo. While I admittedly can't remember a lot from that young age, Japan has grown to be a small but ever-present part of my identity. Growing up in New York, I developed a deep love for Miyazaki Movies, One Piece, and Tonkatsu that kept the Japanese flame burning, so to speak. I have been back to Japan on numerous occasions, and have visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, as well as a few other places. I absolutely love the culture, the people, the food, and the anime/manga! There is truly nothing like the sprawling urban life of Tokyo. However, I equally love the quiet and beautiful simplicity of bath houses nestled in the mountains. The last time I went I even stayed at a Buddhist temple on Mt. Koya, and got to see how disciplined monks lived first-hand. Japan is a truly unique and beautiful place. The last step was naturally learning to speak the language, which I have been bashful about up until this point. I would love to go back one day and be able to really integrate myself in the culture even more through the common native language of Japanese. This is my reason for wanting to study NIHONGO!!!!!