Hi.

I am a native speaker of English from Canada. I was born in Vancouver. I have taken basic Japanese 10 years ago in high school and I have also taken a basic class in university. I have my own Japanese learning materials so you don’t need to prepare a lesson plan. I also have English books for all levels. We can talk freely or I can try to teach you something specific.

I have been to Osaka and loved that place very much. I know there are differences between that place and Tokyo but I think Osaka has friendly people, is very clean, and is not so crowded like Tokyo but can still be more exciting than Vancouver.

Although I am not in school anymore, I think learning Japanese as a good way to keep my brain in shape. I know people always ask why to learn Japanese because it is not required. I can understand why people want to learn English is to get a better job and communicate with most of the world. I can understand learning English can be stressful to you because you come here temporarily and hope by the time you leave you can become fluent. After about 6 months you start to worry and get stressed because you think you are not learning as fast as you would like or have thought you would. I know you are still getting better but it’s hard to see yourself because it only happens a little by little.

Learning a language such as English is a life time goal and I can teach you ideas on how to study and use English in your everyday life that you may have not thought of before. For me, learning Japanese is relaxing and an escape from everyday life. But I know for most of you, when you study English, your future depends on it and you do not want to disappoint yourself or family after spending your time and money here. Not to mention, there are many other challenges to living in Canada for the first time and being away from Japan. Sometimes you become homesick and wish to go back to your home city, but you cannot give up because you have sacrificed so much to come here.

It can also be lonely here without having all your family, friends, and familiar things around. It’s hard to make friends too because your level of language is limited and almost all the other people you know come from your language school. But you worry too because they are also learning English and you think you are not getting enough practice speaking with native speakers. So you try to make friends or perhaps some people approach you when you are out on the street except you do not know who is a good person and who is a bad person. It is hard to tell since there are many language and cultural differences between here and Japan. All you have to go on is your feeling inside, your instinct. But don’t worry or get depressed, if you have a bad experience here, it is not your fault and you are not alone. Every negative thing that happens in your life can be a positive in the future if you can understand and realize the value that lesson taught you.

Although I have not met you I have met and heard stories from the people who have come before you to learn here. By watching you learn helps me learn and also become a better person. I have tried many times on and off to learn Japanese over the years. It is not an easy thing to do. Sometimes it’s hard to find the motivation to study because as I mentioned earlier learning Japanese is a hobby and not a necessity such as English. When our parents spoke to us when we are babies, by the time we were just a few years old we could speak and understand our language without any effort just by listening. No stress from studying or worrying about tests. That’s why it’s important to see the big picture. Don’t worry about trying to become fluent in English in one year because that is not going to happen, but know that every day you will get better and study at your own pace as long as it’s a constant pace, although sometimes you cannot see the progress.

Although my Japanese basic I continue to stay interested by watching Japanese dramas and movies, listening to music, and coming here to try and meet other Japanese people.
That’s why I took the time to write more here so you can have a chance to see what I think before meeting me or sending me a message. I also wanted to tell you about myself, so please ask me and I will answer because I wanted you to send me a message first before I get more personal with you.

I hope we can become good friends and learn from each other. If you are interested, then can you write me back in both English and Japanese but include both Kanji and Hiragana? This is how I learn, little by little, so if you reply I will take the time to study your writing in Japanese. And if we meet, then I hope half the time we can communicate in Japanese and the other half in English.

And if we don’t have time to meet but you read my message anyway. I hope you believe in yourself and see the value of your life experience by living here. Don’t be too stressed out about the English you learn in school but focus everyday on becoming a better person and learning from all the lessons that Canada will give you.

Although you may not all become native speakers overnight, remember your English will still be better than most of the other Japanese who weren’t fortunate enough to live abroad in an English speaking country for a year. All you can do is all you can do. You can’t do more than all you can do. But whatever you do, just do your best!

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