Jikoshoukai

 

(Draft)

In Japanese my self introduction is different than how I would do it in English. Usually in English I don’t introduce too much about myself. When I meet a new person I’ll usually tell them my name and then let information about me be revealed naturally. But, my Japanese introduction includes my name and information about my country of origin and the languages I speak. I wouldn’t feel the need to include that in my introduction because it is implied, being that I am in America and speaking English without a notable accent or cultural identity outside of that. But, when I’m speaking Japanese I feel the need to disclose that about myself because I am obviously not a native Japanese speaker. I wonder how it will be when I really have to introduce myself to Japanese speakers. I know that it can be a very formal activity like when you are introducing yourself to your class. But, will I need to be so formal when meeting a new friend? I was able to meet Brynn again today, a student who studied in Japan recently, and she mentioned how she met her Boyfriend while he was working at a restaurant. It made me think about if I were in that situation, how would I first strike up a conversation so that I could make friends outside of school or other exchange students. I’d like to learn to be able to say more things about myself so that I can introduce myself in a way like I might in English so I can have an easier time meeting new people. I’d also like to learn more ways to ask things about other people so I don’t have to just talk about myself as I’m really more interested in the other people I might meet.