Daily Sports column (in Japanese) can be seen here デイリースポーツのコラムはこちら
You know, I can still remember one of the first things I was told when I arrived in Japan: “Nihongo ga jozu!” (Your Japanese is really good!) There are two ironies about this comment: (1) My Japanese was not very good at all – all I had managed to say was “hajimemashite” and I’m not even sure I said it correctly; and (2) I was also told the same thing just the other day – more than 21 years after I was first given that same compliment.
Naturally, my Japanese has gotten a lot better than it was in 1998. The thing is, I worked hard to get to where I am today. I studied hard and took a lot of tests so I could properly benchmark my level of proficiency:
In 1999, I took Level 7 of the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Exam. The next year, I took Level 6. (The lower the number, the higher the level of proficiency, FYI.) In 2002, I moved up to Level 5, which is the equivalent of knowing all the kanji that Japanese children learn in six years of elementary school. I took my sweet time moving forward, but ultimately in 2009, I completed Level 3, which covers all the kanji learned through the end of junior high.
Then in 2010, I took the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), which foreigners take for one of two reasons: (1) It might help them when applying for jobs, and/or (2) it might give them bragging rights and higher status in gaijin circles. Anyhow, I went straight for the jugular and breezed through the highest level, thereby completing my journey to true Nihongo Jozu.
Of course, I am being facetious… I still have a long way to go if I ever want to speak (and read and write) with the best of the natives. And that’s the thing. I never set my goal at “I hope I can be pretty good at Japanese someday.” No, I have always made it my goal to negate the gap between Nihonjin and gaijin. In fact, I want my Japanese to be as good as, if not better than, native speakers.
I had the same mindset when I started following the Hanshin Tigers, too. I didn’t want to simply be a gaijin fan, or someone who was pretty up on his Hanshin knowledge considering he wasn’t born into this cult(ure). No, I wanted to be at the front of the pack, regardless of nationality. So last year around this time, I took the Hanshin Tigers Proficiency Test. Naturally, I went straight for the highest level, and (naturally) I passed it.
This also was not something accomplished through natural talent, either. I read dozens of books about the team and its players, scoured the internet for information, and talked to anyone and everyone about the Tigers. Nonstop.
Anyways, you don’t need to compliment me on my Japanese ability or my Tigers knowledge. I’m still not satisfied with my level in either. I probably never will be.
And that is exactly what I wish to see in these Hanshin Tigers. I hope none of our guys just want to be run-of-the-mill. Pretty good for a member of the Tigers. Pretty good for a Japanese player. Pretty good for someone of this generation. NO! You gotta want to be the best at what you do, and work your butt off to get there!
I’m not questioning the players’ work ethic (I have no idea how hard they practice or how much they think about their craft), and I certainly know they have a harder road than I do. Think about it: I said one word of Japanese and got hailed as an excellent communicator. These players almost never get compliments on their skills unless they are doing everything exactly right.
Still, I hope they can go for the top, radically change their mindsets, challenge themselves, stay tenacious until the end, and experience major breakthroughs. May someone say to them in all sincerity, “Yakyu ga jozu!”