Howard Gilbert completed his Japanese studies in 1997. His Japanese-speaking ability and knowledge of Japanese culture and history secured him employment in the travel and medical insurance field as well as in lecturing positions in New Zealand.
Japanese language education
Secondary School
- Five years of Japanese study in NZ.
- Spent 10 months in Japan immediately after graduating from school working at the Tokyo Dome Corporation facilitated through a scholarship scheme between the company and some NZ schools. The programme involved Japanese language study in the mornings and working at the amusement park in the afternoons. Through this opportunity, Howard passed level 2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Exam at the end of that time.
Tertiary
- Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Auckland majoring in Japanese language and Asian History. Howard was able to gain direct entry into stage II and III papers for Japanese.
- Master of Arts programme in Asian Studies at the University of Auckland during which time Howard successfully applied for a Japanese Ministry of Education scholarship for 18 months as a research student at Chiba University.
- PhD programme at the University of Auckland. Although this did not involve formal study of the Japanese language, Howard’s language knowledge was a key component in the interviewing and sourcing of archival information that his research required.
Motivation to begin Japanese language studies
Howard’s interest in Japan began following a visit to Fukuoka as part of a sister-city exchange trip in 1987. His curiosity to find out more about this strange and interesting country fueled his interest to learn Japanese at school. This interest in the language soon led to a desire to understand more about various aspects of Japanese history and society.
Skills gained as a result of studying Japanese
Howard has acquired a conversational fluency in Japanese that remains with him, even though he no longer speaks Japanese on a daily basis. He has a deeper knowledge in subject-specific vocabulary that enabled him to conduct the research in Japanese through reading newspapers and magazines, interviewing Japanese research participants, and reading Japanese secondary research materials.
Howard’s knowledge of Japanese has given him insight into Japanese society, culture and history. It has allowed him to spend time living, working and studying in Japan at different times from ages 13 to 32.
Use of Japan/Japanese language skills and knowledge in current employment
After graduation from his PhD, Howard took a position at a company where they were specifically looking for a Japanese-speaking employee working in the travel and medical insurance fields. He became responsible for contacting Japanese speaking clients and Japanese hospitals.
Howard’s knowledge of Japanese society and culture (which he would not have without first having studied Japanese language) secured him a three-year position as a tutor in the School of Asian Studies at the University of Auckland and later three years as a casual part-time lecturer at UNITEC, teaching Japanese and East Asian History.
He also believes skills such as his would also be useful in the tourism and English language education/international student sectors, although he is yet to pursue work in these areas.
Time spent in Japan and benefits gained
Howard has visited Japan regularly since the first time for the Fukuoka sister-city exchange in 1987. What began as cultural and language exchanges turned into occasions for more formal study and research as he embarked on his Master’s and PhD qualifications. Howard has also taken opportunities to holiday in Japan.
Each visit to Japan has provided different contexts (working, travelling, studying, etc) in which Howard’s Japanese language abilities have been broadened. Across this 20-year period, Howard has experienced a country riding the wave of an economic boom and very confident about itself followed by one that went through very dark times economically, when there was far greater introspection and a very different outlook on the future. Howard also acknowledges that spending time in Japan in his late teens to early thirties also helped in his development as an adult, providing him with some of the best experiences of his life, but also some of his greatest challenges.