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Learn more about Azu

• 1) Did you grow up speaking this language? Or were you inspired by a trip abroad, an individual or a certain aspect of the culture?

  Yes, I was born and raised in Japan. My hometown is Chiba, which is next to Tokyo.
  
  My first language is Japanese, and I am very proud to be Japanese, this is because the culture has been formed over thousands of years of history and is still reflected in daily life and traditional cultural activities such as tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and martial arts.

• 2) Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  Japan has many historical figures, and one of them is the remarkable Hayao Miyazaki.
  
  He is the director of famous Studio Ghibli animated movies such as "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Howl's Moving Castle."
  
  
  Not only does he create stunning visuals, but his works, which reflect Japanese culture and meticulous detail, are appreciated not only by many Japanese people but also overseas. Also, each of his works reflects the culture, economy, and clothing of the era in which it was created. He preserves history through film.

• 3) Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or expression in the language that you particularly like?

  One of my favourite Japanese expressions is ‘Japanese onomatopoeia’.
  I like Japanese onomatopoeia because it can express not only sound, but also texture, movement, and even emotion.
  
  When I want to express feelings like "excitement" or "nervousness," I use words like "wakuwaku" and "dokidoki." I hope to be able to effectively teach Japanese learners how to use these onomatopoeic expressions.

• 4) Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Japanese is my native language, so of course it's very important to me.
  
  Teaching Japanese has allowed me to meet many people interested in learning it.
  
  
  Studying to teach Japanese myself has also revealed a depth to the language I didn't know before.
  
  
  I've learned a lot about Japanese, such as how it was historically formed through exchanges with China, possessing unique expressions and grammar, and why Japanese is considered difficult to learn due to its polite expressions, including honorifics and humble language.
  
  
  Language acquisition takes time, but I want to teach students to make Japanese expressions used in current culture and everyday conversation easier to understand.

• 5) What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  The most challenging aspect is the diverse structure of Japanese compared to other languages, including its writing system, grammar and honorifics.
  
  The main difficulty lies in conversational ability; you need to learn how to speak naturally in specific situations such as everyday conversation, travel, speeches, and job interviews.
  
  I believe you can acquire the language more quickly by learning the fundamentals of Japanese (pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar) and then creating as many opportunities as possible to speak Japanese yourself.

• 6) Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school days.

  I majored in English at a Japanese university and learned English from native speakers.
  I encountered a variety of expressions/grammar and slang, as everyone had different backgrounds and therefore different ways of communicating.
  I realized that actually speaking, rather than just thinking about it, can be an effective learning method.
  I have come to realise that input and output learning are extremely important in language acquisition.
  
  By learning English as a Japanese speaker, I believe I am well suited to teaching Japanese to English speakers.

• 7) How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  I have studied abroad for one year (for English) and now live in Australia.
  Living in the speaking country has significantly improved my language skills.
  I believe that by using my personal experience learning a language, I can help students understand Japanese more easily.