Studying Japanese At Temple University In Tokyo In The Fall

I am currently studying Japanese at the moment although I have studied Danish for a quite a while but due to the lack of resources for learning Danish and what not I have put it aside for now. Probably the most frustrating thing while learning Japanese is remembering the Kanji, and finding native speakers to speak it with. My ultimate goal for learning Japanese to be able to speak the language to the point where I sound fluent and not like an animé character(Applemilk1988) as well as working there. I’m currently planning to attend Temple University in Tokyo during the fall semester.

I use a website called http://www.lang-8.com where I write a blog entry in Japanese and a native speaker will correct it and in return I correct their English entries.

Sincerely,

Josh B.

My Response:

Hi Josh,

Thanks for the comment. That’s great that you have studied Danish… it is definitely not a commonly studied language in the United States.

To respond to your comment about lack of resources for Danish, I think you should remember that literally any native material in Danish can be turned into study material for your language pursuit. For example, let’s say that you like mystery novels, you might consider purchasing a mystery novel in Danish and using that to increase your language abilities. Remember that you will also want to have some sort of system for keeping track of all the new vocabulary that you will come across.

As for Japanese, nice choice! Japanese is also a language I have studied extensively. Kanji is a problem for a lot of Japanese speakers but I think you might find some helpful hints on studying kanji in some articles I have written… here are four articles you might find useful: How Many Kanji Should I Learn Per Day?, How To Learn All 1,945 Joyo Kanji Without Much Effort, Difficult Kanji: How To Learn Hard Kanji Fast and Best Way To Remember Kanji.

Also, I’m glad that you have decided to learn Japanese to fluency and not just a few phrases here and there. It’s clear that you are a serious language learner.

Temple University in Tokyo is quite nice! I have a good friend who goes there and I think that you will find that by living in Tokyo, you will have a wonderful opportunity to improve your Japanese. However, don’t fall into the trap that so many language learners fall into. You will still have to put effort into learning Japanese even while in Japan. You can read more about the problems study abroad learners face and how to overcome them here: Making The Best Of Your Study Abroad Trip.

Also, by being in Tokyo, you will find that you will have access to many, many Japanese speakers. I think that should solve your problem of not being able to find any native speakers with whom to practice Japanese!

In any case, if you haven’t already, you should really consider picking up a copy of my language learning book before you head over to Japan. The book will teach you the fastest and best techniques for learning a foreign language so that you will be able to implement them immediately. This way not only will you be well prepared before you head over to Tokyo but you will also not waste any of your time while studying in Japan.

I wish you the best of luck on your study abroad trip to Japan next fall and in your Japanese studies, as well!

-Robbie

Author Robbie Kunz is a recognized expert in language learning. He has created a language learning book that will teach you to learn any language in the shortest bit of time including learning the Japanese language. Foreign language learners of any level should be sure to read his fast language guide website where free information and articles are available.