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n00b

Nihongo wa Wakarimasen

by Austin Otaku on July 15, 2009

The third trait of a “wapanese” person (“the term used to describe a person of non-japanese descent … who is incredibly obsessed with Japanese things”), according to the Urban Dictionary, is that they “Halfheartedly [study the] Japanese language and/or is a part-time practitioner of martial arts.”

I’m always the first (and probably a little too willing) to admit that I’m a disgrace when it comes to being a Japanophile. For most of my life, I’ve allowed family commitments, career tangents, worries about this and that, and other things to get in the way of really pursuing my passion, which is all things Japanese.

Mountains of North Carolina

Of course, some of my limitations were due to where I grew up, deep in the mountains of North Carolina, long before the advent of the Internet. It’s not like there was a lot of multiculturalism going on in the land of Bible-thumpers and NASCAR fans. Despite my initial fascination with Japanese culture, which began in 1980 with the television mini-series “Shogun,” there wasn’t a good outlet to explore it where I grew up. And so, my Japanophilia would wax and wane according to the availability of anything related to Japan.

Time Waits for No Man

Nowadays, I really have no excuse. I’ve since lived in two cities (Atlanta and Austin) that have relatively good exposure to Japanese culture, and I’m fully aware of the opportunities that abound.

That said, I’m really going to take on the commitment of learning Japanese over the next 12 months, as opposed to my halfhearted attempts in the past. I have the Rosetta Stone software and the Talk Now set (and even a Nintendo DSi game). And I have a lot of spare time (since I don’t have a wife or kids).

With that decision made, imagine my surprise when my Twitter pal @Jamaipanese announced a contest to win a copy of the Japanese educational game NihongoUp. Though I hadn’t really heard of this software before, I could see how it can help with my language learning after looking at the website. With NihongoUp, I can get a firmer grasp of one of the most difficult aspects of the Japanese language, namely the hirigana, katakana, and kanji writing systems.

(The rules for entry are pretty easy and straight-forward. Head over to Jamaipanese.com if you’re interested in entering to win your own copy of NihongoUp. )

At some point, I’d really like to live and work in Japan to get a better understanding of this place that has held my fascination for nearly three decades. What better way to experience it than as someone who can speak the language and communicate with the locals?

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Another n00b moment: the Austin Japanese Meetup Group

by Austin Otaku on June 14, 2009

The more I dig into the otaku and Japanophile culture here in Austin, the more I feel like a novice. Despite a couple of decades of reading Japanese literature and watching Japanese cinema, I find so many more people who know so much more than I do. Such was the case again this weekend as I attended my first meeting with the Austin Japanese Culture and Language Meetup group.

First of all, I was quite impressed (and a little intimidated) by the size of the group. There were probably 40 people of various ages and backgrounds at the meetup, taking up two large tables at the China Cafe by Phoenix. You know a group is popular when you have a hard time finding a place to sit.

The Austin Japanese Culture and Language Meetup Website

For someone who wants to learn and practice Japanese, this is probably the best place to do it. Eriko, the group leader, is a native of Tokyo, Japan, and there were other native speakers of the language there as well. It became immediately apparent to me that I was also surrounded by folks who had majored or minored in Japanese at university.

Suddenly, my ability to introduce myself in Japanese seemed a lot less impressive; especially when I was asked a follow-up question and all I could respond with was “Wakarimasen” (I don’t understand).

Initial intimidation aside, it turned out to be an enjoyable experience. Eriko-san was quite patient and insightful in her instruction of Japanese adjectives. And I really think I could learn a lot by joining this group on a regular basis.

If you’re interested in joining the group, start out by going to the Austin Japanese Culture and Language meetup page on Meetup.com. Join the group and RSVP for the next meeting. They meet regularly at the China Cafe by Phoenix on Spicewood Springs Road.

China Cafe by Phoenix on Spicewood Springs

If you’ve never been to China Cafe before, Google Maps might throw you off a bit, as it indicates that the restaurant is on the south side of the road. China Cafe is actually in the center island of Spicewood Springs just after the road splits into separate eastbound and westbound lanes.

Overall, I give my first experience with this meet up group the following rating:

Rating:

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Confessions of a n00b

by Austin Otaku on May 25, 2009

Before I get much further into this blog, I have to make a confession. (dramatic pause) Okay, here it goes.

*sigh* I’m a n00b. While I have had a fascination with Japan since I was 9 years old (which means I’ve had that fascination for over 3/4 of my life), I’ve only been watching anime and reading manga for the past year and 2 months.

Yep, that’s right. I was well into my 30′s before I discovered these gems of Japanese culture. Sure, I took various martial arts for 20+ years. I’ve read the works of Ryotaro Shiba, Haruki Murakami, Eiji Yoshikawa, and Yukio Mishima. I’ve seen almost every Akira Kurosawa film, along with dozens of other Japanese films. I even visited Tokyo and Kyoto back in 2002. But I was never into anime, J-pop, J-rock, or manga.

Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai

…until recently. A close friend introduced me to anime by insisting that I watch “Appleseed ex Machina,” which had just come out on blu-ray, with him. (Yes. That means it was after March 11, 2008 that I officially became an otaku.)

Appleseed Ex Machina

After that, I was hooked. I watched every anime I could get my hands on (Death Note, Bleach, Genshiken, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Minami-ke, Azumanga Daioh, and on and on…). Eventually, I also discovered J-dramas and fell in love with their characters and stories (Nobuta wo Produce, Kurosagi, Galileo, etc.). Then I picked up a few manga (Dark Metro, Love Hina, and The Record of a Fallen Vampire). I even tried to cosplay once for Halloween, … and I failed miserably.

So, with that said, I want to reiterate the purpose of this blog. It is to discover the otaku culture of Austin. I make no claim that I am currently an expert. But I hope to continue exploring this aspect of my personality and find ways other people in Austin express their otaku-ness.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

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