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Japanese Program at CSU Monterey Bay

Students' Quotes
WLC Major: Emphasis in Japanese Language and Culture

Japanese culture has interested me since I was young. When I learned about CSUMB's Japanese program, I decided to go for it and attend the university. It has been an good experience, the classes have taught me a lot, the teachers have kept me motivated to keep up with the language, and I’ve been able to study in Japan for a year! I have learned a great deal and been happy with my decision to be a WLC major with an emphasis in Japanese.
Nicholas Taylor

I decided to become a WLC major with an emphasis in Japanese because I love the culture and the language. I grew up in a multicultural family, and for some reason Japan stood out in my life. I wanted to choose a major that holds my passion in life, so the Japanese program was a great choice for me. Being in the Japanese Program at CSUMB has been a great experience. The instructors are great and are able to give the proper attention and aid to their students. I also like how the class sizes got smaller once I began to excel in the Japanese language. I really value all of the required multimedia presentations with such tools as video or PowerPoint, especially in the language courses because I was able to talk in front of my peers in Japanese and show how much I have grown throughout each course. Lastly I have met people who I can call great friends who are also part of the Japanese program. We’ve been taking the same Japanese classes from my freshman year, so we have bonded over the years.
Nastassja Vidrio

Ever since elementary school, I have been intrigued by the Japanese culture. I remember in the sixth grade, I saw a Japanese TV show my friend had recorded and I though Japan was the coolest place ever. When I chose a college, I knew I wanted to major in Japanese. I came to CSUMB because it was a local college that had a Japanese program that would fultill my goals. At CSUMB, I have learned a lot about the Japanese language and culture. I love learning Japanese. I want to become fluent in order to be an interpreter or translator.
Paul Tabag

I decided to become a WLC (Japanese) major because different cultures and languages have always fascinated me. I love to travel and learn about different cultures or perspectives. Also, my mother’s family is Japanese and I wanted to learn to communicate with them. I first started taking Japanese because it is a part of my heritage. When I began taking Japanese, I realized that I really enjoyed the language. It is very satisfying to be able to speak to my grandmother or other family members in Japanese. I hope I can continue to use and improve the Japanese I have learned. I want to have a career where I can speak and interact with people from other countries.
Elizabeth Rafferty

I love to teach language and culture to children, and I want to become a Japanese teacher. I realized that even though I am Japanese there is much to learn about what and how to teach about Japan in a foreign country, so I transferred to CSUMB in order to learn more about teaching Japanese language and culture.
Keiko Hashimoto

Minor in Japanese Language and Culture

I am a Japanese American majoring in Global Studies. After a very positive experience taking two semesters of Japanese language courses at CSUMB. I am now studying ‘Advanced Japanese,’ and I plan to study in Tokyo for one semester. I hope to teach English in the JET program after graduation. CSUMB’s Japanese program has invaluable resources including; native-Japanese Professors, study-abroad exchange agreements, returning and Japanese exchange students, a great language lab, and student facilitators who are invaluable resources. I highly recommend this program.
Clayton Frederick, Global Studies

Akemi Maniwa,Teledramatic Arts and Technology

I decided to minor in Japanese Language and Culture because of the impact of Japanese culture on the movie industry with films such as Kill Bill, The Last Samurai, and The Matrix. Also, many other aspects of Japan’s pop culture, such as anime and manga, are incredibly popular with a large amount of American kids.

As a 4th generation Japanese American, I have always had an interest in Japanese culture, and I wanted to be able to communicate with my relatives in Japan. The Japanese Language and Culture minor has given me an opportunity to do so.
As a TAT major these classes have helped expand my knowledge of media and pop culture thus allowing me to expand my horizons of creativity while working on my own films. Having a grasp on the Japanese concepts of design and visual style have an effect on my future career in technical theater and film production because I can utilize the concepts in my own work. The idea of learning about a language and culture that I can claim as part of my own makes the topic that much more fascinating.
Akemi Maniwa,Teledramatic Arts and Technology

Exchange Program with Universities in Japan

Elizabeth Rafferty
My one-month summer exchange program at Chuo University in Tokyo was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I stayed with a host family, used public transportation, and took Japanese language and culture classes. It was a valuable cultural experience for me because I was totally immersed in the Japanese culture. I saw Japan from the eyes of a regular Japanese person, not just from the perspective of a tourist. More...

“With my friend in front of the Ramen Museum” - Paul Tabag

Paul Tabag
I went to Japan to live, study and make new friends for one year. It was like a dream come true. I lived with the best host family, they treated me like their own son. We went to many places – Kyoto, Osaka, Niigata, Okinawa and Australia. My host mom introduced me to many new cuisines that I would never eat in the United States; I ate raw eggs, raw horse, a ton of fish, new vegetables and fruits that you cannot find in the US. My family taught me a lot about their culture and all the mistakes in my Japanese language and pronunciation.

Going to a Japanese college was a really good experience in interacting with young Japanese students and making new friends. The courses they taught at Obirin University were all about the Japanese language taught in Japanese. (I believe this was the biggest outcome for having going to a Japanese school; being immersed into the language and daily life).

“How do I look in a Kimono ” - Nicholas Taylor

Nicholas Taylor
Deciding to attend Obirin University was one of the best and most life changing decisions that I have made in my life. It has changed my perspective on the way I see people and things that occur around me.
The school itself was a great resource for learning the Japanese language but the biggest resources were the friends that I made while there. These friends taught me so much about the language and culture, even without realizing it they helped me learn more than I would ever have learned just reading about it in books.

It helped to be able to have a use for the language we sit around in classes and try to learn every day. Just exploring new places helps your language skills, you have to read signs and ask people questions, this is not something you can gain without living or spending time in Japan.

The staff at Obirin was friendly and helped me through many of the problems one would face when living in a foreign country when at first you have only limited understanding of the language.

Nastassja Vidrio
My experience at Obirin was the best. Every person there, teachers, staff, and students were very welcoming and wanted to know about me. I was a little bit overwhelmed at first, but it was such a good opportunity to meet new people.

The classes at Obirin were a great place to learn the language and culture while living in Japan. I could easily apply all the new information I learned in every day situations. I also loved the bilingual classes where both Japanese and exchange students would attend the same class.

In addition, I thought the location of Obirin was perfect; thirty minutes away from all the hustle of Tokyo, but really close to Machida if you want to hang out with friends or do some light shopping. I loved every minute and was surprised how a year can just go by so fast.

Service Learning Experiences

“I think this is how to wear kimono….” - Nicholas Taylor

Doing service learning for the Japanese department has been and is an interesting experience. For one Semester, we went to a couple different after school programs to teach about the Japanese language and culture. Preparing lesson plans and then reflecting in Japanese helped my Japanese. Not only did it of course reinforce these things in my own mind, it was also a great experience teaching young kids about what I find to be interesting. The kids that I taught all were interested in learning about the Japanese language and culture so it was an overall enjoyable experience.
Nicholas Taylor

“Let me help you” - Elizabeth Rafferty

My service learning experience has been a lot of fun. I teach an after school Japanese language and culture class at Crumpton Elementary School. We teach them about Japanese writing and phrases, about the country of Japan, and Japanese culture. The kids really enjoy it, and it has given me confidence in my Japanese and my ability to teach children. It is a good feeling when the students have fun in the class and are excited to see you each week.
Elizabeth Rafferty

“Today's story is shitakiri suzume...” - Keiko Hashimoto

“O.K. It's ready. Now let's blow it up ” - Nastassja Vidrio

Making an Origami Box...
My service learning experience has been a lot of fun. I teach an after school Japanese language and culture class at Crumpton Elementary School. We teach them about Japanese writing and phrases, about the country of Japan, and Japanese culture. The kids really enjoy it, and it has given me confidence in my Japanese and my ability to teach children. It is a good feeling when the students have fun in the class and are excited to see you each week.
Nastassja Vidrio

It was a joy to have the students at Highland School. It will be pleasure to have them here again.
Patricia Isadore, Service Learning Site Supervisor
Highland Elementary School, Seaside, CA


“Today’s story is shitakiri suzume…”	"I can’t believe how fast they learn.”	“Look what I made!”

Voices of Our Graduates

As one of the first graduates from CSU Monterey Bay from the Japanese program I have been able to use the abilities gained at CSUMB in the real world while working in Japan for 5 years and then working at a Japanese web design company in the U.S. for 2 years. While at CSUMB, the small classes really helped me get the most out of the class, and taking part in a one-year exchange program with a Japanese university really broadened my horizons.

Undoubtedly the skills and knowledge that I obtained while studying Japanese at CSUMB have helped me in the workplace. My work both here and abroad has required knowledge of Japanese culture and customs as well as a high level of Japanese language. Recently, I have returned to CSUMB to seek a teaching credential in Japanese. I look forward to finding new ways to use what I have learned about educating students interested in Japanese language and culture.
Shawn De Haven,
Class of 1999

After graduating from CSUMB, I moved to Japan, and began working as a programmer at a company called International Language Institute (http://www.icijapan.com) in Chiyoda-Ku Tokyo, literally walking distance from the Imperial Palace. Although their primary businesses are translation and language instruction, they were in need of a programmer to maintain and upgrade their e-Learning system, known as Step Up Nihongo. (http://www.stepupnihongo.com) My programming background, and the Japanese language skills I acquired through CSUMB's World Languages and Cultures Major enabled me to excel in this position!
Charles Chappell,
Class of 2005