Chris - Good teachers
Hello everyone! Chris here. Studying a foreign language is very difficult. Japanese is one of the most difficult! There are three different alphabets, formal speech, polite speech, casual speech, and many large speaking cultural differences. It’s quite an undertaking! People often ask me for advice on studying. There is one secret to learning a language and I will share it with you all now: Find an amazing teacher. I have been so lucky to have some amazing Japanese teachers. Each one has been very special and amazing, but I want to focus on three in this blog.
Kawamoto Sensei was only formally my teacher for a short period, but she left a very lasting impression. She and her team wrote a series of books for adults wanting to read Japanese as a second language called “NPO Takudo Supporters.” These books are where I first learned about “Nopperabou!” Kawamoto Sensei was so thrilled to learn that we were using “Nopperabou” as the base for our movie. Her book series is great for making learning kanji more fun! I whole heartedly recommend them for anyone studying Japanese. Check them out at the link below!
Sarukura Sensei became my teacher when I started doing a live Japanese Television show called “Goji ni Muchuu.” I needed a tutor on-set to help me get through things. She was more than up for the challenge! I have never met such a kind and determined person! When she heard we wanted to film in a Japanese school, she introduced our production to Wada Sensei. He is the head of a language school called UNITAS Japanese Language School. Wada Sensei was very generous and allowed us to film at his school. All three of these teachers played a part in making this movie happen. I am so lucky to have had so many great teachers around me. Chris Actor Producer
「良い先生たち」
皆さま、こんにちは！そして、お疲れ様！ “Nopperabou”の撮影が始まったから超疲れたなｗ！でも、楽しいよ！Tokyo Cowboysはすごくいいチーム。 外国語の勉強なんだけど、難しくない？ 英語は難しいと思ってるけど、日本語も難しいよ。ひらがな、カタカナ、漢字。。。 ため口、丁寧語、警護。。。 いろいろな文化が違うところもあるから真面目に日本語で話せるようになりたかったら、３，４年ぐらいかかるかも。 友達がよくする質問なんだけど、“英語を勉強したかったらどうしたらいい？”おすすめ一つはある。いい先生を探すこと！ 今まですごくいい先生が沢山いたけどこれから特別な3人を紹介したいと思う。
川本先生と半年ぐらいだけ一緒に勉強したんだけど楽しい半年だった！川本先生のグループが書いた本シリーズ“NPO多言語多読”が最高に面白い。若い時日 本人が漢字を勉強するんだけど大人になってから漢字を勉強してみたら大変だよ!若い時字を全部1000回書く時間があるけど大人だったらそこまで暇な時間 がないだろう？NPO多言語多読は日本語を勉強してる外国人向きで、読みやすいけど勉強になる！しかも面白い話が沢山ある！実はNPO多言語多読で “Nopperabou”を知ったよ！川本先生に”Nopperabou”を映画にするよと言ったら、すごく喜びそうだった！
“五時に夢 中”に出てる間、ずっと猿倉先生と勉強していた。その番組の中でいろいろな変わってる言葉が使われてるからよく可愛そうだと思ったけど猿倉先生が一度も文 句言わなかったｗ。“Nopperabou” の話を聞いたら、“日本語の学校の撮影がある？友達を紹介してあげる！”と言って、猿倉先生が和田先生を紹介してくれた。和田先生はUNITAS日本語学 校の学長。すごく優しくて、“Nopperabou”の話を聞いたら、“是非UNITASで撮影してください！”と言ってもらった! この先生の三人のお蔭様で“Nopperabou”の撮影が上手く行ってる。私は本当にラッキ－！ クリス 俳優 プロデューサ NPO Takudo Supporters http://tadoku.org/en/vision UNITAS http://www.unitas-ej.com/e/
