The term ‘Japanese’, whether it refers to the Language, the People, the Culture or the
Technology, is simply ‘different’ from the others! This indigenous identity has acquired its
own status in the world for its uniqueness in all respects! And that is what attracts people from
other parts of the world to learn Japanese Language, to know more about Japan and to get a
feel of the culture, of course much more than just the taste of Sushi (寿司)!

This is important!

A foreigner in Japan would always feel this difference starting from the day he lands. If
he wants to catch a cab home, or get a train ticket at the vending machine, or ask someone
where a public telephone is, the international lingua franca may not be of much use! Most
of the Japanese people do not understand English, let alone the accent or the slang! Yes,
this is the biggest ‘difference’ an alien would face during the stay in Japan. So definitely he
should have done some by-heart exercises like “Ano sumimasen…” (Er… Excuse me…)
or “Arigatou gozaimasu” (Thank you) or the famous “Ginko wa doko desuka?”(Where is the
bank?), useful in routine conversations. He would usually not get any answer except for a
bland look when he asks “I want to buy a phone card”. I know what you might be thinking of
now – “Come on; this must be a joke! Are you saying that the Japanese won’t understand even
such a simple sentence?” . Unfortunately, this is not a joke; leave the sentence, they won’t
understand the word “phone-card” until you slow down and say “terehon kaado”(Telephone
card). I know of a first timer who purchased a lot of things at a kiosk and finally tried to ask
for a “calling card”. The lady at the shop searched in the dictionary as usual and humbly
presented her visiting card! Yes, the language makes the big difference and the difference
in usage complicates it! But one thing is simple; when in Japan, you need to use Japanese
language.

Get Out and Learn These!

To a beginner, Japanese language may look like a series of complicated pictorial
representations. In fact most of the beginners have a notion that Chinese and Japanese are
similar – just series of ‘complex pictorial calligraphy’! But unlike Chinese, Japanese has
alphabets or the Kana system of writing. While ‘Hiragana’ is used for native Japanese
words, ‘Katakana’ is used for writing words of foreign origin. But Japanese writing system
also uses ‘Kanji’, the Chinese letters that challenge most of the beginners who wish to learn
Japanese. This may be due to a prejudice that learning ‘Kanji’ is difficult. But actually,
learning Kanji is ‘different’, a great fun and a brain sharpening technique that demands just
a playful heart to enjoy it. At the same time, spoken Japanese is surely easier and is the most
powerful tool in making friends in Japan! In simple words, to learn Japanese is to have fun
with a feeling that is just ‘different’!

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