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Good afternoon.
Good morning in japan :) I am just starting to learn Japanese using Rosetta Stone as of a week ago. So I know a few words and like 3 characters of hiragana haha.
I really want to learn Japanese because I am a Marine and am getting stationed in Okinawa in august. I will be living there for 2 years, I’ve always liked anime, the food and the people.
The feelings towards the u.s. military over there are kinda mixed. Some are interested by the Americans but a lot, (especially the older generation) avoid them like the plague.
To make this worse, hardly any marines or servicemen for that matter put in a good effort to learn the language.
I really want to be a good example to the people over there and learning the language is the first and best step to do that. besides wanting to be able to make friends with them and be trilingual (I am Hispanic)
Anyway! I look forward to diving into textfugu. It looks really well put together. As well as getting to know you guys and your help in learning this beautiful language. :) peace!
-Peter
ようこそ (Youkoso! Welcome!) Peter! I actually know someone who went there for a few weeks with the Navy last year. He loved it, so i hope you will too!
It sucks, but i’ve read that the U.S. military doesn’t have a good reputation, not only among the older generation, but also the younger generation (especially in Okinawa) because of some extremely horrible crimes committed against Japanese people (i.e. women) even recently, at the hands of U.S. servicemen. Just as some foreigners who trash apartments and leave without paying their rent, are probably the cause of discrimination against foreigners sometimes, when trying to rent apartments and such in Japan, a few rotten human beings in the U.S. military, cause dislike against the whole military. A few rotten apples really do spoil the whole bunch. It’s sad, and i feel horribly for the women who have had these crimes committed against them. :/
I hope you go with the open mind and good spirit and willingness to learn that it seems like you have, :) and make our country proud, and not ashamed like i’ve felt after hearing about the crimes in Okinawa.
It seems like people in any country, like you more when you show them respect, and a willingness to learn their language. :) I hope you and your fellow servicemen/women love it there, and do your very best in representing our country in the most positive way! :) がんばって! (Ganbatte! Do your best/Good luck!)
p.s. check out http://www.wanikani.com (from tofugu) and get in on the beta version to learn some kanji, and also (first) check out the tofugu free e-book hiragana42 on the tofugu page, or read the first season of textfugu, then Google search “hiragana chart”, or download tofugu’s hiragana chart, and copy it 10 times and put it all over your house. I learned hiragana in about a month that way. :) You can do the same for katakana, and i just made a kanji chart that i’ll post in the forums today too. :)
Good luck with your Japanese studies and adventure to Japan!
Thank you so much! Yeah I know all about the garbage those people have done to the Japanese people. I absolutely hate it, why anybody would smear the military and the u.s.’s reputation like that to an entire country I do not understand. They are terrible people, I wouldn’t put it past some guys I know in Okinawa that don’t like being there :(
If I can change some people opinions even a little though, I’ll be happy
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