{"id":170,"date":"2019-05-02T13:48:19","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T20:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/furutak\/?page_id=170"},"modified":"2026-01-12T01:32:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T09:32:30","slug":"why-study-japanese","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/japanese\/why-study-japanese\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Reasons Why You Should Study Japanese"},"content":{"rendered":"

1. Japanese Culture is Rich, Unique, and Exciting!\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
Japan\u2019s culture has shaped the world in remarkable ways. <\/strong>From the elegance of tea ceremonies<\/strong>, calligraphy<\/strong>, and kendo<\/strong>, to the global rise of anime<\/strong>, J-POP<\/strong>, and video games<\/strong>, Japanese traditions and creativity have sparked vibrant communities worldwide. Its cuisine \u2014 sushi, ramen, rice bowls<\/strong>, and so much more \u2014 has become a beloved part of everyday life in countries far beyond its borders.<\/h6>\n
Japan\u2019s influence also runs deep in its history and philosophy<\/strong>. Traditions like Shinto<\/strong> and Zen Buddhism<\/strong>, along with the samurai code of Bushid\u014d<\/strong>, continue to inspire ideas of mindfulness, discipline, and harmony.<\/h6>\n
And of course, Japan\u2019s reputation for cutting-edge technology and robotics<\/strong> highlights its commitment to precision, innovation, and world-class design.<\/h6>\n

2. Knowing Japanese Opens Many Vast Career Opportunities\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
As of 2025, Japan remains a global economic powerhouse<\/strong>, ranked among the top economies in the world<\/strong>. Many Japanese companies are actively seeking foreign partners, joint ventures, and overseas agents \u2014 creating real opportunities for international collaboration. With numerous globally influential firms headquartered in Japan<\/strong>, the ability to speak Japanese gives you a distinct competitive edge<\/strong>, especially considering that Japanese consumers spend billions annually on imports.<\/h6>\n
Learning Japanese doesn\u2019t just unlock communication \u2014 it signals a deeper cultural fluency<\/strong>. It equips you with an understanding of social etiquette<\/strong> and nuanced business norms<\/strong>, helping you navigate cross-cultural interactions more gracefully. Beyond language, mastering Japanese also develops your capacity for broader perspectives<\/strong> and higher-level thinking<\/strong>, all of which can benefit any business venture<\/strong>.<\/h6>\n
Japan is actively seeking foreign talent<\/strong>, and demand is rising across many fields \u2014 from hospitality<\/strong>, IT<\/strong>, finance,<\/strong> and sales<\/strong> to healthcare<\/strong> and academia<\/strong>. These sectors now offer attractive opportunities for skilled workers looking to build a career in Japan\u2019s ecosystem.<\/h6>\n

3. Learning Japanese makes you different from others!<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n
In an English speaking country like Canada, many people choose to study Spanish, French, or other European languages, but far fewer take on learning Japanese<\/strong>.\u00a0 Studying Japanese shows that you’re willing to be\u00a0 diverse <\/strong>and unique<\/strong>. This makes your resume stand out<\/strong> and highlights your readiness to take on a challenge!<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

4. Japanese opens up the door to other Asian languages and cultures<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
Throughout its history, Japan has received influences from other Asian countries such as India<\/strong>, China<\/strong>, and Korea<\/strong>. Although the cultures of these countries are different, they also share many similarities.\u00a0 Through a study of Japanese, you can also develop the understanding on the cultural values that other Asian countries share with Japan<\/strong> such as religious beliefs, ethics, and aesthetics.\u00a0 A familiarity with Asian cultures also allows you to step outside your own culture and see it from a new perspective<\/strong>.<\/span><\/h6>\n

5. Japanese-speakers are the 4th largest language group on the Internet<\/span><\/strong>\"\"<\/a><\/h4>\n
Japanese ranks as the fourth most widely used language on the Internet<\/strong>, after English, German, and Chinese. With approximately 109 million Japanese speakers<\/strong> online, learning\u00a0Japanese opens the door to a vast and digitally connected audience. Mastering the language can help you build friendships, professional networks, and even business opportunities, giving you direct access to a market that could be invaluable for your career or future employer.<\/h6>\n

6. It is not as hard as you think<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h5>\n
Japanese may seem very different from European languages like English, especially when it comes to its writing system. But in many ways, its grammar is simpler than you might expect.<\/strong> For instance, Japanese nouns have no gender or plural forms, and there are only two verb tenses<\/strong> with just two irregular verbs to remember. Today, a wealth of modern resources makes learning Japanese both fun and rewarding. Click here<\/span><\/a> to explore a list of tools and materials to get you started!<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1. Japanese Culture is Rich, Unique, and Exciting! Japan\u2019s culture has shaped the world in remarkable ways. From the elegance of tea ceremonies, calligraphy, and kendo, to the global rise of anime, J-POP, and video games, Japanese traditions and creativity have sparked vibrant communities worldwide. Its cuisine \u2014 sushi, ramen, rice bowls, and so much […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-170","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/japanese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/japanese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/japanese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/japanese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/39"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/japanese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":39,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/japanese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1177,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/japanese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/170\/revisions\/1177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/japanese\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}