About

About The Writer:

English Name: Karen
Japanese Name:　カレン　(Let's just leave it at "Ka-re-n")

I am a Chinese-American who occasionally learns Japanese. Unlike the typical Japanese fan, I do not read manga, watch anime, or play Japanese video games that much so I am probably not your best source for Japanese entertainment. I do like some Japanese entertainment, but I am not crazy about it in general. I take a beginner's Japanese class once a week and learn slowly through practice and repetition.

About Japanese Because...:

When I mention to other people that I am learning Japanese, sometimes I get a puzzled look. They want to know why I want to learn Japanese. Some members of my family didn't like that I want to learn Japanese because it reminded them of World War II when the Japanese occupied China. In essence, I am choosing to learn the enemy's language. Other people probably thought Japanese is such a random language to learn especially when I do not follow Japanese entertainment. When they ask me why I want to learn Japanese, my answer is, "Why not?" What are the disadvantages of learning a new language? Doesn't everyone want to know what other people are saying even if they are an enemy? Anyway, we should all be more open-minded and work towards peace. It is not my intention to start any political war.

Because of my experiences with the "why" question, I have decided to name my blog, "Japanese Because..." There are so many reasons why a person would want to learn Japanese. It may even be "Just Because!"

In this blog, I hope to share my Japanese learning experiences with my readers. I am not an expert on Japanese nor do I claim to be an expert. I hope to create a light and easy experience for my beginner Japanese readers. If you are an advanced student, this blog is probably not what you are looking for although it may be great for review. For each post, I hope to post a Japanese phrase and little tidbits on what I learned. I will write a lot of English instead of Hiragana or Katakana.

Japanese might sound hard, but it doesn't have to be. With practice, anything is possible. Just the other day, I chose to open up a Youtube video about a magician who came to Japan to perform amazing magic tricks in public places. He spoke some Japanese and I actually understood some of the phrases that he said. It was such an exciting feeling for me that I hope you will all experience that feeling at some point in your lives. It will certainly boost your confidence.

I hope you have a fun and enjoyable experience reading Japanese Because... and I welcome any comments and ideas.

Contact:

Email: japanesebecause@gmail.com

Other Blogs:

If you find this blog interesting, feel free to check out my other blogs regarding my other interests. Thank you! 

CantotoMando - Demystify Mandarin from a Cantonese-American and/or English perspective!
Toisan Descendant - Learning Toisanese from a Cantonese-American Perspective
Wehaiyo!  - Korean and Chinese Entertainment Reviews
Target Treasure- Fun and Interesting Things Seen at the Target Store!
A Korean Destiny - Learning Korean from a Cantonese-American Perspective

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