@Kaona: worth trying, though as koichi-san says, worth also being clear what you want to get out of it (I am getting: greatly improved health-n-fitness, practice of kata, and better self-defense preparedness, and at some point I will be teaching…).
@Rachel: I am studying Shorin-ryu Karatejutsu currently, hard-fist hands-and-feet art. I have studied White Crane, and will return to that after I can teach Shorin-ryu. Do you study?
The hook for learning Japanese itself was not only the diplomas I receive when I earn them, but also reading some of the texts about these arts (_The Essence of Okinawan Karate-do_ by Nagamine, and _Okinawan Karate_ by Bishop, jump to mind at the moment). The practitioners who write also seem to also be shodo artists, which is a hook for the characters as well.