Nicholas' Journey to Japan

Although most English speakers view Japanese as an incredibly difficult language to learn, taking Elementary Japanese 1 has been very insightful and I now feel motivated to learn it as a second language. I feel that I have a very solid foundation to continue learning, and I plan to take Elementary Japanese 2 (pending approval with my master's program), as well as self-study for the JLPT N5 language exam. Also, the opportunity to travel to Japan will be something that I remember for the rest of my life, and I hope to go back in the future, potentially with the ability to hold a conversation! When I compare my study of Japanese to my past study of Spanish, the best way to describe it is that something feels different. This is not to say that learning Japanese is easy, but rather that it does not feel tedious. I enjoyed doing the homework, which is not something I can say for most of the classes I have taken at ND. Ever since I was little I remember being fascinated by Japanese cultur...

 こんにちは！ せんしゅうのきんようび、わたしははちのにほんじんのこうこうあいました。それから、アパートでベーゲルつきりました。とてもおいしい！そして、べんきょうしました。わたしはべんきょうするがすきじゃないですが、にほんごがすきです！ごぜんにじごろねました。

 こんにちは！ さくらまつりがすきでした。わたしはコンサートをみました。わたしもおんがくをはなしました。コンサートのあとで、たべものをたべました。 I really enjoyed seeing the more advanced Japanese classes perform. Since I want to continue learning Japanese and plan to take Elementary 2 after this course, I enjoyed seeing the progression in skill that is possible with continued studying. It was motivating to know that the hard work does pay off. I also liked that the performance gave our class a chance to connect further, and it was fun working as a team to learn the song. みなさな、ありがとうこんにちは！

 こんにちは！ わたしはブルックスさんのうちにいきました！きんようびのよる､シェンギリスのコンサートにいきました。どようびに、がっこうにかえりました。それからにちようびに、わたしはえいがをみました。 ありがとうございます！

こんにちは! I recently watched the Japanese movie Grave of the Fireflies, which follows two kids named Seita and Setsuko as they struggle to survive fire bombings and famine in Japan at the end of WW2. This is without a doubt the saddest movie I've ever watched, and it truly highlights the devastation of war and its effects on civilians. While history tends to focus on the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the fire bombings of many Japanese cities like Tokyo and Kobe were just as destructive. After recently traveling to Tokyo, it is difficult to imagine how at least half of the city had been destroyed by firebombing. I highly recommend this movie, although it really is extremely sad.