A Visit Long Overdue

For the past three years, I've been teaching English in New York City to Japanese students. Before last Friday, I'd heard so much about their lives in Japan, but (incredibly) I'd never been there to experience it for myself.

As I write this, I'm sitting in a room in Mune's family's home in Tokyo.* Finally, I'm here: my first visit ever! Actually, this is my seventh and final day in Tokyo. There is so much to tell. Hmmm...where to begin?

"For me, the most important thing about being in Japan was seeing Japanese people in their own country--not wrestling with the ups and downs of their new lives in the States."

This comment was made by a friend and former colleague when she came back to the U.S. from her first visit to Japan. Like me, she knew a lot about Japanese people and culture---but only through her observations and conversations with Japanese students in New York City.

Seeing Japanese people in their natural environment (more specifically, Japanese people in Tokyo), observing their daily routines and learning more about their personalities--discovering what's important to them and not so important to them....Yes, like my friend, I feel this has been the most valuable experience for me.

"Why the U.S.? Why did you decide to come here to learn English?" When I ask a new student this question, the response is usually something like, "To learn about real American culture." Naturally, I feel the same way about Japan: I want to learn more about real Japanese culture. But my primary goal is different. I want to learn about real Japanese culture, not to study and live in Japan (although this is an interesting idea), but to help my students benefit more deeply from their experience in the United States.

Next: So what have I learned?

*(Mune--short for Muneaki--is my business partner at our encaré english, our language school in Manhattan).