Hello one and all!

My name is Codi Bottrell (pseudonym Crodo Bottkins). I’m 28 years old and I’m a marketer, designer and information architect for a software company in Los Angeles.

I’ve been to Tokyo three times, and Kyoto once. I’m utterly in love with Japan.

I didn’t know what to expect the first time, and went into the experience with an open mind and curious perspective. My husband had wanted to go for years, being fascinated by the language and many other aspects of the culture and media. This crazy guy…he decided to learn Japanese in college BECAUSE it was such a challenge. Sheesh…

I’d really only ever admired Japan for its influence on graphic design, woodblock printing (ukiyo-e), and the Sengoku and Edo periods. My real love came from their profound influence on branding, which is my passion as a marketer. The perfect distillation of abstract, evocative concepts into visual and written form, and other sensory inputs…no one does it better than the Japanese and they’ve been doing it for centuries, WAY longer than the western world’s industrial revolution (just look at mon 紋for example). They kick butt, no doubt about it.

But, knowing next to nothing about modern Japan, I was awestruck by its modern vs. ancient dichotomy, its beauty, its efficiency, its accessibility, its serenity in the middle of sheer chaos, and the wonderful (mostly) harmonious people—so much so that I truly feel my heart and soul belong there. Japan has flaws, just like anywhere else, but it feels like home to me. Both my husband and I love it so much that we want to live there ASAP.

I’ve been “trying” to learn Japanese since we went for the first time in 2012, but I keep finding excuses and distractions…I’m sick of it.

I know I can learn, I just need the drive to do so. I stumbled upon Tofugu a few days ago, and decided to give TextFugu a try. I’ve used other well regarded sites and software before, but I could never stick with it. But, TextFugu (really all of Tofugu’s content and the mission) struck a chord with me, and I appreciate the overall approach.

The first exercise in TextFugu (write down your goals) really put my lack of concrete drive into perspective for me. Once I truly thought about why I wanted to learn, it was easy to realize that the motivation has always been there, I just wasn’t using these reasons as tools to push myself. This was possibly the best advice I’ve ever received about learning a language, and I haven’t even jumped into the lesson yet!

I even wrote down silly things like I wish to be able to read a book I purchased when we went last January on the history of Japan’s railway system. Silly though it may be, the promise of being able to read about a niche subject that I am extremely passionate about in the native language rather than translating kanji to English and trying to decipher the meaning lit a fire under my bee-hind to commit to doing this. For REAL this time.

Someday in the future, I hope to work for Dentsu in Tokyo. They are one of the largest advertisers in the world, and responsible for loads of cutting-edge, influential and exciting marketing. We typically stay in Shiodome near the Dentsu headquarters in Tokyo, and I have spent an (embarrassingly) inordinate amount of time staring out the hotel window at their skyscraper, wistfully dreaming of the day I’ll be working there. I desperately wish to be caught up in that world. Branding, marketing and truly exemplary design permeates every single aspect of their daily lives, even more so than in the U.S., and it’s simply fascinating in its cleverness and elegance.

So, working in Japan, whether at my dream job or not, means being fluent. There’s another reason.

My husband and I are going again in May next year, and I’m determined to be able to communicate ON MY OWN without having to rely on him again. He’s not fluent, but he has been learning for almost a decade and is much further along than I, certainly! While I have retained extremely basic things and a few words or concepts here or there, I can’t truly communicate. This was the final realization for me that I need to get a move on. It totally stresses him out to be the only Japanese speaker in our duo…well, NO MORE!

I’m excited to be on board, and I’m determined to stay on the wagon this time!

Best wishes and great success to everyone in their pursuits as well!

- Codi

P.S. I miss vending machines and kombini so much it hurts.

• This topic was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by  crodobottkins.