When I was 15, I essentially ran away to Japan armed only with the phrases "Koh-knee-Chee-Wah" and "Domo Arigatou, Mr. Roboto". I was taken in for a month by an elementary school teacher in Saitama who lived next to the Keihin-Touhoku Line's Yono Station (JR's 与野駅! I'll never forget it!) . I spent the days shuttling around Tokyo and getting completely and utterly lost. It was a terrifying, stupid and wonderful thing.
I think I wanted to live out a cyberpunk sci-fi fantasy. And truthfully, at night, Tokyo wasn't that far off the mark. Maybe Japan will be all the more Blade Runner-y now that some years have gone by. I am continually saving up and studying up for the time when that second wave of escapist impulses will hit me. While there I actually didn't get much speaking practice -- too many people knew English and I knew too little Japanese! -- but I did pick up Katakana and the occasional Kanji symbol.
Edited to include some visual reference:
As for other reasons, I might study linguistics on top of my first academic love, philosophy. Picking up another romance language (while interesting) wouldn't equip me with a lot of breadth. I also love Japanese fashion. Interning at Vogue Nippon would be a dream come true.
So what about you, world? What are you working towards?
