Me and Japan

 Hello, I am Iker from the Computers in Language Learning Class and even though I could do a simple presentation about why I study japanese and my hobbies, I chose to present you my favorite japanese things in general and how I feel connected to that so you can get to know me better in a different way :)

Firstly, the media I like the most from Japan is its videogame industry. I have always found it very cool since japanese developers tend to focus on very original stories and I am a sucker for good and engaging stories. Some examples of games I love:

I really like the Judgment Saga (Judgment and Lost Judgment), its a series of games that takes you to the actual Japan as the character Takayuki Yagami, an ex lawyer turned detective that has to solve very deep and conflicting cases that makes you see japanese justice system in a more critical way that left me thinking about it for a long time. Apart from that, you can do lots of things in there, such as side cases, be a monitor in a high school club, skate... Its great! Also, did you know that in these games you can walk through very accurate representations of Kabukicho and Yokohama? Thanks to these games, I want to visit the two of them, especially Yokohama! The second game takes place there and it seems like a very good place! If you are interested, please play them, it will make me so happy!

I also like japanese music. I think it is very unique and particularly emotional, I dont know how to explain it. One example of this is the classic electronic-pop Perfume! This group formed by three girls and its producer has a really unique and addictive style of music! This group is important for me because it was my gateway to the very special world of japanese music, also it reminds me when I started studying japanese two years ago, so their songs are very nostalgic for me. If you want to start listening to them, I recommend starting with the GAME album, you will feel very nostalgic listening to it.

I have not seen many japanese movies yet, but one that I really liked was Love Letter. This movie follows the journey of a girl that receives a letter from a person called exactly like her dead husband, but in reality its a letter from a girl that is also connected to her dead husband. As the movie advances, we see the heartbreaking story of the three protagonists. This movie is set in a snowy region in winter and I like that because winter is my favorite season as it is very emotional for me, also I relate a lot to the themes of this movie. If you have the opportunity, please check out the film in winter (with some tissues at hands reach if you are an emotional type of person), you wont regret it.

Apart from media, my favorite animal is also japanese. Do you know about Shima-enaga? If not, let me show you a photo and maybe you recognize it:

As a bird lover, my favorite animal also had to be a bird. They are pretty popular in Japan as they have a lot of merchandise everywhere, but they are a rare species that only lives in Hokkaido. One of the things I really want to do is go to Hokkaido and see them in real life because they are so cute they dont look real, right?

I hope this has been an entertaining read and hope you got to know me better. See you!