[giDdfezP]

This is hilarious!

..err....I mean, Omoshiroii....

[johobuo]

lol.

that was interesting.
im still trying to learn tho

[crestosssa]

Heeeeeeelarious! especially the part about the Anime freak, there are several kids in my school's Japanese program that fit that description PERFECTLY, calling eachother NekoChan and everything! That was a very funny essay, thanks for the post

[AlexClips]

In my japanese class there are 3 other kendokas, 3 anime freaks, and an airhostes this article is spot on

[eskimosik]

That's absolute Gold Kenzan, +1 for you!

[Haftdrarp]

SO great!!! Thx!

[Sleflanna]

i've read this a couple years ago... it's absolutely ace!

[ariniaxia]

...this list just makes me sad.

I think Japanese IS easy. And most of the jokes are the sorts of things you hear JAPANESE people say about Japan, despite the fact that the're pretty much patently untrue.

Filthy, lying Japs.

(The "Classmates" bit is somewhat horrifying, though, and makes me dread the prospect of enrolling in classes back in the US, even if I'll be starting in the higher levels. I think I may have to kill the anime freaks and know-it-alls to preserve my sanity)

[AccusaJalsBub]

...this list just makes me sad.

I think Japanese IS easy. And most of the jokes are the sorts of things you hear JAPANESE people say about Japan, despite the fact that the're pretty much patently untrue.

Filthy, lying Japs.

(The "Classmates" bit is somewhat horrifying, though, and makes me dread the prospect of enrolling in classes back in the US, even if I'll be starting in the higher levels. I think I may have to kill the anime freaks and know-it-alls to preserve my sanity)

why? you have a japanese girlfriend?

[jamisi]

Funny article and scarily accurate too. Even though i don't have anywhere to take classes so i do it on my own at home i still have an anime freak being completely annoying. And the worst part is she lives in my house!!!
please g-d save me i didn't do anything to deserve this... ok maybe i did but still its just a little too cruel.

[Tzqowwyt]

Although many of Japanese-language students are smart, funny, hard working people, none of them will be in your class. I have to say that my 2 years of Japanese (now mostly forgotten) at the University of Michigan was characterized predominately by the above quote. These classes were by far my most enjoyable classes. From Ota-sensei teaching us to conjugate to -te form by dancing gaily about the classroom singing the conjugations to the tune of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" to the absurdly difficult and altogether lightning quick listening exams that sounded something like Japanese and mostly of two women just chatting away (which I can't even understand in my own native language), these classes rocked.

I was proud of the B's I scrapped out and didn't work harder in any other class in my 4 years of undergrad (even the classes I tried in). And, I will say that at the bare minimum, it served me very well when I had to buy month long rail passes for a group of 20 during a trip to Kobe (where I incidently discovered kendo).

SO - for those of you who were discouraged by the jokes in the post, know that there are kernels of truth (my teaching assistant was a nerdy anime psycho - brilliant mind you, but still psycho), but for the most part, we had a blast trying to buy food, get directions to the theater or the ballpark, and understand the phone number we'd just received from the adorable Japanese hotty only to discover we'd misunderstood and had some husky Japanese dude pick up instead.

Regardless, I would highly recommend learning the language to anyone. Practically, it's always worth attending a class or two before enrolling to get the feel of it. There were other classes that didn't have the fun we did.

[JewJoleSole]

why? you have a japanese girlfriend?

Nah.

Just that anyone who gets all their info about Japanese culture from talking to Japanese people needs to get their head examined.

It's sort of like asking bungee jumpers to explain the concept of gravitation. Just because they EXPERIENCE it doesn't mean they have even the slightest UNDERSTANDING of it.

[kaysions]

Nah.
Just that anyone who gets all their info about Japanese culture from talking to Japanese people needs to get their head examined .It's sort of like asking bungee jumpers to explain the concept of gravitation. Just because they EXPERIENCE it doesn't mean they have even the slightest UNDERSTANDING of it.

And both are crazy if you ask me.

[peakyesno]

I took some Japanese classes while in college and I most certainly met people who were of all types. As far as me, I don't exactly know where I would place myself. I would consider myself one of those know-it-alls since I easily got As in the four courses I took while the averages were usually lower than that. But, unlike the classic know-it-alls we all know, I never made a big deal about the grades I made. But even that didn't stop the hidden ridicule that was going on.

[gregmcal]

But even that didn't stop the hidden ridicule that was going on.

I think in this case, behind all that ridicule, there's an ugly monster called jealousy.