OLD JAPAN WOODBLOCK PRINT

OLD JAPAN WOODBLOCK PRINT
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

AN ESSAY ON READING JAPANESE TEXT By Robert L. Huffstutter

A few days ago, you mentioned something about having to read a Japanese newspaper to find out who the other contenders in the Olympics were. That, of course, is of no concern now, but your mention of reading Japanese inspired more than a trifle amount of thought about reading Japanese.

One can only imagine how difficult it would be for English-speaking and reading populations to have to learn the thousands of characters it requires to read the news in a Japanese newspaper. Yes, a most admirable fete, learning the Japanese language. It is unfathomable for my occidental mind to comprehend where one would begin.

The thought of reading a Japanese novel would, for me, be a challenge of a lifetime. I have waited too long to learn the languages of the Orient. It would be, for all who learn and have learned, an accomplishment of a lifetime. I am understanding the mind of the Japanese just a little bit better by concentrating on the subject of how accurate their memory must be to visually know each character and where to put it in any kind of context.

This is just one of the many thousands of reasons I admire the Japanese and find Japan so fascinating.