Looking back at my previous posts, I realized that it’s been a while since I introduced myself. Our community has grown significantly since then, and so I thought I should introduce myself again.
Hi! I’m Bunsuke. I live in The Netherlands. Learning Japanese is one of my biggest passions. I’ve been studying the language and culture for 16 years, and spent around 6 of those living, working, and studying in Japan. I first visited Japan when I was 8 years old (see evidence below), and it has stuck with me ever since.
Bunsuke’s first soba
Even before I understood any Japanese, I remember being mesmerized by the rhythm and sounds of the words. My fascination started in my mid-teens, but I only started learning the language seriously when I was 18. To say that it has been an important part of my life is an understatement.
My love for the language led me to start studying Japanese literature, something I currently still do in a PhD program. My research is mostly on late Meiji and Taisho period literature.
Although learning the language is a great experience in and of itself, what I like most about it is how it’s been an opportunity to connect with others. I have so many stories of rare and interesting encounters I had in Japan, which wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t dedicated so much of my time and energy to learning Japanese. (I’m thinking of starting a podcast that includes some of these stories, but I’m on the fence about it, so please let me know in the comments if you’d be interested in something like that…)
This newsletter is just one more way for me to connect with people who have similar interests. The first Immersion Reading Project was a great way to get to know all of you a little better. I hope many of you have time to join the second project, which I announced yesterday and starts tomorrow. It was great to see how people bonded and studied together on the last project. It goes to show that studying with friends and sharing the hurdles you encounter is the best way to keep motivated.
Besides learning and sharing my knowledge of Japan/Japanese, my other interests are hiking, photography, cooking, reading, and watching movies (some of my favorite films are Kurosawa’s Ikiru and Marco Tullio Giordana’s La Meglio Gioventù).
Other random facts about me: I’m a very social person, but prefer quietness over large crowds; I prefer having a handful of intimate friends over having many superficial connections; I’m not the type of person that addresses his male friends with ‘bro’; I’m bad at multitasking (when I focus on something, I’m completely absorbed in it); I prefer talking on the phone over texting; almost all of my disposable income is spent on food and books; I love art and music (I grew up in a family of artists and musicians); I love animals, but have no pets.
This is me in a nutshell. I always enjoy hearing from you, so if you feel so inclined, please feel free to drop a line in the comments (or send me an email) and introduce yourself or ask any questions you might have.
Just read through the comments here about classical music (a bit delayed in catching up with my email CLEARLY) and wanted to chime in briefly to share that my beloved grandfather was second trombonist in an orchestra here in the states! (and he played some piano too - same goes for me and my mother). And great photo haha
Unfortunately not - I’d definitely pick it up again if I had a spare piano lying around. I’m weirdly actually more proficient at bagpipes at this point haha… I don’t have access to those anymore either though. So just guitar and mandolin for me! I’ll find you a recording of my grandfather!!
First of all, many thanks for taking the time to let us know you a little better! Also, a million thanks
once again for all the work you put in the newsletter and in the immersion projects (I´m joining in 生血 too).
Contributing to the self-introductory nature of this thread, I´ll also give you a few facts about me :)
-Actually doing a PhD in Philosophy and Literature in Madrid, Spain (my hometown). We´re PhD buddies :)
-I started watching anime out of nowhere in March 2020 and instantly became passionate about it. This led me to the start of my Japanese studies about a month later. Thanks to your newsletter, I´ve discovered the fascinating world of Japanese literature.
-I´m a very quiet and independent person, probably not very sociable (No Instagram, Twitter, etc.) I too don´t like big crowds and would prefer meeting just a friend than 5.
Other passions: Reading (and daydreaming with the reading) and classical music (especially opera).
Hi Daniel! Wow we're a lot alike! What's your field/topic for your PhD. I'm reading a lot of Baudrillard now but I know these postmodernists are usually taken less serious in philosophy departments…
I also listen mostly to classical music, but mainly piano and chamber music.
And I feel like I already have a PhD in daydreaming!
It's really nice to get to know you, hope to learn more soon.
I´m working on Spanish 17th-century literature and its connections with neo-stoicism. Wow, I´m so glad to hear you are also into philosophy! We definitely have a lot in common! Well, you´d be surprised to see how many people here in Spain work in late-20th century philosophy and postmodernism. In fact, all of my PhD peers are tackling contemporary issues.
It´s also really nice to hear you like classical music! I play the piano myself, and I also love piano and chamber. In fact I was listening today to some Beethoven trios.
I don´t want to go off topic since this is a self-introduction thread haha. Really nice talking to you :)
Haha I have to ask…which trio was performing? Yes, everyone in my family is either an artist or a classical musician, so I used to play the piano quite seriously myself until I discovered I had no talent ;D
Your topic sounds fantastic! And that's surprising; in my head everyone in philosophy departments is doing either Hegel or Kant…
Beaux-Arts, my favorite! Especially the early recordings, with the original trio. Altenberg Trio is also incredible, if you're looking for something different.
Thank you Bunsuke for the wonderful introduction! Your daily newsletter really helps me a lot to improve my Japanese and I'm really grateful for you :) I hope you continue the good work
お疲れ様です！
PS : I'm really surprised about how much we have in common XD
Thank you for creating this newsletter; even though I can currently barely read Japanese, I hope one day I will be able to read and understand these literary snippets. ありがとうございます
Thank you for creating the opportunity - it is more then helpful since I struggle with consistency in my studying pattern. Glad I came across your newsletter. I am grateful:)
And yes, I think I would be very nice to hear about your stories. For I feel all are experiences about Japan and learning Japanese are different, but so many things are similar and it would be very interesting for those wanting to take this road, being on this road or thinking about studying Japanese or going to Japan and also very similar to those who are looking back at the journey they have taken.
Thank you for introducing yourself once more and adding interesting information. I feel we have things in common, I'm also very social, but like you tend to stay away from crowds. Love to meet you and others on this site one day, to share our Japanese passion of learning. Lovely photo, by the way of you when you were little and what a wonderful experience to be able to visit Japan at such a young age. My own learning journey goes up and down, like a roller coaster, but I would like to take a short language course in Japan when it is possible again. Learning Japanese in Japan must be amazing.
Just read through the comments here about classical music (a bit delayed in catching up with my email CLEARLY) and wanted to chime in briefly to share that my beloved grandfather was second trombonist in an orchestra here in the states! (and he played some piano too - same goes for me and my mother). And great photo haha
Hi Julianne, that's incredible! Do you still play the piano? And are there any recordings of your grandfather?
Haha thanks, I used to be cute ;)
Unfortunately not - I’d definitely pick it up again if I had a spare piano lying around. I’m weirdly actually more proficient at bagpipes at this point haha… I don’t have access to those anymore either though. So just guitar and mandolin for me! I’ll find you a recording of my grandfather!!
Hi Bunsuke, Daniel here!
First of all, many thanks for taking the time to let us know you a little better! Also, a million thanks
once again for all the work you put in the newsletter and in the immersion projects (I´m joining in 生血 too).
Contributing to the self-introductory nature of this thread, I´ll also give you a few facts about me :)
-Actually doing a PhD in Philosophy and Literature in Madrid, Spain (my hometown). We´re PhD buddies :)
-I started watching anime out of nowhere in March 2020 and instantly became passionate about it. This led me to the start of my Japanese studies about a month later. Thanks to your newsletter, I´ve discovered the fascinating world of Japanese literature.
-I´m a very quiet and independent person, probably not very sociable (No Instagram, Twitter, etc.) I too don´t like big crowds and would prefer meeting just a friend than 5.
Other passions: Reading (and daydreaming with the reading) and classical music (especially opera).
Nice to meet you!
Hi Daniel! Wow we're a lot alike! What's your field/topic for your PhD. I'm reading a lot of Baudrillard now but I know these postmodernists are usually taken less serious in philosophy departments…
I also listen mostly to classical music, but mainly piano and chamber music.
And I feel like I already have a PhD in daydreaming!
It's really nice to get to know you, hope to learn more soon.
I´m working on Spanish 17th-century literature and its connections with neo-stoicism. Wow, I´m so glad to hear you are also into philosophy! We definitely have a lot in common! Well, you´d be surprised to see how many people here in Spain work in late-20th century philosophy and postmodernism. In fact, all of my PhD peers are tackling contemporary issues.
It´s also really nice to hear you like classical music! I play the piano myself, and I also love piano and chamber. In fact I was listening today to some Beethoven trios.
I don´t want to go off topic since this is a self-introduction thread haha. Really nice talking to you :)
Haha I have to ask…which trio was performing? Yes, everyone in my family is either an artist or a classical musician, so I used to play the piano quite seriously myself until I discovered I had no talent ;D
Your topic sounds fantastic! And that's surprising; in my head everyone in philosophy departments is doing either Hegel or Kant…
Beaux-Arts. Absolutely love them. I was re-enjoying "Ghost" and "Archduke"
Wow, I think the last time somebody did a PhD on Hegel at my department I hadn´t been born yet haha
Beaux-Arts, my favorite! Especially the early recordings, with the original trio. Altenberg Trio is also incredible, if you're looking for something different.
They are wonderful, aren´t they? Thanks for the recommendation! I haven´t had the chance to listen to them, so I´ll definitely check their recordings!
P.S: I forgot to mention how awesome it is you have a family of artists and musicians! I´m the rare classical-music lover in mine :(
Thank you Bunsuke for the wonderful introduction! Your daily newsletter really helps me a lot to improve my Japanese and I'm really grateful for you :) I hope you continue the good work
お疲れ様です！
PS : I'm really surprised about how much we have in common XD
Hi Aishwarya, glad you're enjoying the newsletter! Now I'm curious to hear about what we have in common ;)
XD Almost all of the random facts about you resonate with me :)
メールアドレス教えてもらえますか？日本の大学院のことちょっと質問がありますので、聞いてもいいですか？
もちろん！私が毎日送っているメールに返信したら届きますよー！
ありがとうございます！よろしくお願いします :) <3
こちらこそ！メール、楽しみに待ってます。
it's nice to meet you! ^^ your newsletter helps me to maintain consistency in my studying, thank u!
Hi Elena, happy to hear the newsletter is helping you in your daily studies! Hope you enjoy the reading project and the snippets to come.
Thank you for creating this newsletter; even though I can currently barely read Japanese, I hope one day I will be able to read and understand these literary snippets. ありがとうございます
Hi Fabrice, glad to hear you like the newsletter! And don't worry, just try a sentence here and there and you'll get the hang of along the way.
Thank you for creating the opportunity - it is more then helpful since I struggle with consistency in my studying pattern. Glad I came across your newsletter. I am grateful:)
Hi Yash, you're very welcome, hope you enjoy the project!
Kurosawa's Ikiru, Shichinin no samurai and Dersu Uzala(1975) are really masterpiece.
I love Ikiru more than Rashomon and others.
Any other good movies recommendation?
Have you seen Tokyo Monogatari?
Yes. Old(Ozu), Setsuko Hara a timeless beauty. New adaption Yoji Yamada(Tokyo Kazuko 2013) with a little twist at the end. Love both of them.
Great stuff! What about Manbiki kazoku?
Yup. That too Lily Franky, Sakura Ando and ofcourse the children too. If you love family dramas checkout
永い言い訳（２０１６）
湯を沸かすほどの熱い愛（２０１６）
Eureka(2000) 3h37m long.
And yes, I think I would be very nice to hear about your stories. For I feel all are experiences about Japan and learning Japanese are different, but so many things are similar and it would be very interesting for those wanting to take this road, being on this road or thinking about studying Japanese or going to Japan and also very similar to those who are looking back at the journey they have taken.
Thank you for introducing yourself once more and adding interesting information. I feel we have things in common, I'm also very social, but like you tend to stay away from crowds. Love to meet you and others on this site one day, to share our Japanese passion of learning. Lovely photo, by the way of you when you were little and what a wonderful experience to be able to visit Japan at such a young age. My own learning journey goes up and down, like a roller coaster, but I would like to take a short language course in Japan when it is possible again. Learning Japanese in Japan must be amazing.
Hi Koppa, great I'll see if I can get it off the ground! Hope you'll get to go to Japan and do a course there when the country opens up again.