Japanese self-study from zero to fluency: Interviewing the hysterical Ananya!

Summary

In this engaging interview, Logan is joined by Ananya, a prominent figure in the Japanese learning community. Born in India and raised in the U.S., Ananya shares her journey of learning Japanese through various online resources and her passion for anime and manga. She discusses her current role in marketing at Amazon with a focus on Japan and her content creation on platforms like Twitter and TikTok. The conversation delves into Ananya's artistic background, her unique approach to comedic content in Japanese, and her thoughts on Japan's business landscape and potential for digital transformation. Ananya also emphasizes the importance of immersion and repetition in language learning and hints at her future aspirations to bridge business opportunities between Japan and the U.S.

Takeaways

• 😀 Ananya is a prominent figure in the Japanese learning community and has a passion for creating content, particularly on platforms like Twitter and TikTok.
• 🌟 Ananya's journey with Japanese started at a young age with an interest in anime and manga, which led her to self-study using various online resources.
• 🎓 Despite studying business at UC Berkeley, Ananya's focus remained on utilizing her Japanese skills and she now works in marketing at Amazon with a Japan focus.
• 🎨 Ananya has a background in art, having drawn comics and created a manga in high school, but has since shifted her focus to content creation.
• 😂 Her comedic content on social media was initially a way to become more extroverted and has since gained her significant attention and success.
• 📚 Ananya's self-study of Japanese included using resources like JapanesePod101, Human Japanese, Tofugu, and Tay Kim's guide, emphasizing the importance of immersion.
• 🗣️ Language exchange and practice were key components of her learning process, utilizing platforms like Lang-8 and engaging in conversation with a language partner.
• 🔄 Ananya speaks Telugu, a South Indian language, and finds similarities in grammar structure with Japanese, which may have facilitated her learning process.
• 💡 She has a keen interest in Japan's business landscape and hopes to bridge the gap between Japan and the US in her future business endeavors.
• 🚀 Ananya is inspired by educational content creators and aims to provide value through her social media presence, focusing on Japanese language tips and skits.
• 🌐 She encourages Japanese learners not to be discouraged and to immerse themselves in the language through repetition and active use.

Q & A

Who are the hosts of the video?

The hosts of the video are Logan and Ananya.

What is Ananya's background in terms of language and origin?

Ananya is of Indian origin, born in India, and moved to the United States at six months old. She has been studying Japanese for about eight years and is fluent in it, although she mentions her Japanese proficiency has surpassed her Telugu, her native Indian language.

What was Ananya's initial interest in Japan?

Ananya's initial interest in Japan was sparked by anime and manga when she was around 12 or 13 years old, which led to her desire to learn the Japanese language.

What resources did Ananya use to learn Japanese?

Ananya used resources such as JapanesePod101, Human Japanese, Tofugu, Tay Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese, Lang-8, and immersion through platforms like Nico Nico Namahoso.

What is Ananya's educational background and current occupation?

Ananya graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in business and is currently working at Amazon in marketing, with a focus on the Japan side.

How did Ananya transition into content creation?

Ananya started content creation during the summer between work and school, initially on Twitter, and then moved to TikTok, where one of her videos on a bilingual air hostess trend in Japanese got over 200,000 views.

What is Ananya's perspective on the importance of immersion in learning Japanese?

Ananya believes that immersion is crucial for learning Japanese, emphasizing the importance of repeated exposure to native input and the use of resources like TV shows and dramas for language acquisition.

What are some of the challenges Ananya sees in the Japanese business environment?

Ananya identifies issues such as the preference of young people for large companies over startups, the lack of venture capital for startups, and cultural aspects like long working hours and the underrepresentation of women in the business field.

What are Ananya's future aspirations related to Japan and the US?

Ananya aspires to create a business or establish a forum that connects Japan and the US, although she is still exploring what form this might take.

What advice does Ananya give to those learning Japanese?

Ananya advises learners to stay focused, take it day by day, and use resources like flashcards with SRS (Spaced Repetition System), as well as to immerse themselves in Japanese media and practice speaking with native speakers.

How does Ananya maintain and improve her Japanese skills currently?

Ananya maintains her Japanese skills by speaking with Japanese people frequently, using websites like gishow.org for reference, utilizing dictionary apps, and shadowing Japanese TV shows to practice speaking.

Outlines

00:00

🤝 Welcoming Ananya to the Channel

In the opening paragraph, Logan warmly welcomes Ananya back to the channel, expressing his admiration for her influence in the Japanese learning community. Ananya is an Indian-born content creator who has studied Japanese for eight years and is now working in marketing at Amazon with a focus on Japan. She shares her journey, from being inspired by anime and manga to studying business at UC Berkeley and using her Japanese skills in her career and content creation on platforms like Twitter and TikTok.

05:01

🎨 Ananya's Artistic Background and Japanese Learning

This paragraph delves into Ananya's artistic background, her love for drawing comics, and her dream of becoming a mangaka during middle school. It also covers her self-study journey in learning Japanese, utilizing various resources like JapanesePod101, Human Japanese, Tofugu, and Tay Kim's guide. Ananya discusses her use of language exchange platforms and the importance of immersion in learning the language.

10:02

📚 Ananya's Deep Dive into Japanese Learning Techniques

Ananya shares her strategies for mastering Japanese, emphasizing the importance of repetition and immersion. She talks about using a Japanese cooking book to learn vocabulary and suggests watching a single Japanese movie repeatedly to internalize the language. The paragraph also touches on the availability of resources for learning Japanese today, compared to the past, and the value of deep dives into specific content rather than skimming many sources.

15:04

🏫 Ananya's Insights on Japanese Language and Business

The conversation shifts to Ananya's thoughts on the overlap between the structure of the Indian language Telugu and Japanese, which she believes has facilitated her learning process. She also discusses the challenges faced by Japan's business environment, such as the declining population and competition from China, and her aspirations to create a business that connects Japan and the US.

20:05

💼 Exploring Ananya's Business Interests and Goals

Ananya expresses her fascination with Japan's business landscape, particularly the startup scene and the challenges of digital transformation. She talks about her experiences interning at a Japanese media publication and her desire to create content that provides value, such as explaining business concepts in Japanese. The paragraph also highlights her concerns about Japanese work culture, including long working hours and the underrepresentation of women in business.

25:07

🌟 Final Thoughts and Encouragement for Japanese Learners

In the concluding paragraph, Ananya offers advice for those learning Japanese, encouraging persistence and focusing on daily progress. She mentions her current resources for maintaining her Japanese skills, such as using jisho.org and shadowing Japanese TV shows. Ananya also promotes her content across various platforms and expresses her excitement for future projects.

Keywords

💡Japanese learning community

The 'Japanese learning community' refers to the collective group of individuals who are engaged in the process of learning the Japanese language. In the video, Ananya is recognized as a legend within this community, indicating her influence and contribution to Japanese language learners. This concept is central to the video's theme as it sets the context for the discussion on language learning methods and experiences.

💡Anime and Manga

Anime and Manga are forms of Japanese entertainment that include animated shows and comic books, respectively. They are significant in the script as they were Ananya's initial attraction to Japanese culture, which subsequently sparked her interest in learning the language. This keyword is integral to understanding her personal motivation behind studying Japanese.

💡Content creation

Content creation refers to the process of generating various forms of content, such as videos, tweets, and other media, for online platforms. In the video, Ananya discusses her journey into content creation as a means to express herself and utilize her Japanese language skills. This concept is a key element of the video's narrative, showcasing her path from language learner to content creator.

💡Tofugu

Tofugu is a resource for learning Japanese, mentioned in the script as one of the platforms Ananya used during her language learning journey. It represents the array of tools and platforms available to language learners and is an example of the resources one might use to study Japanese outside of traditional classroom settings.

💡JapanesePod101

JapanesePod101 is an online platform offering audio and video lessons for learning Japanese. It is cited in the script as part of Ananya's self-study regimen, highlighting the role of digital media in modern language acquisition. This keyword is indicative of the diverse learning methods available to Japanese learners.

💡UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley refers to the University of California, Berkeley, a prestigious institution where Ananya studied business. This keyword is relevant as it contrasts her formal education with her passion for Japanese, showing that expertise in one area can complement and enrich endeavors in another.

💡Marketing

Marketing is the concept of promoting and selling products or services, which Ananya is currently engaged in at Amazon with a focus on the Japan side. This keyword ties into the video's theme by illustrating how Ananya integrates her Japanese language skills into her professional career.

💡Twitter

Twitter is a social media platform where Ananya shares content and engages with her audience. In the script, it is mentioned as one of the channels through which she began her content creation journey. This keyword is central to understanding her current endeavors in social media and language use.

💡TikTok

TikTok is a short-form video platform that Ananya has recently started using for content creation. It exemplifies the evolving landscape of social media and its role in language learning and cultural exchange, as well as a platform for Ananya to showcase her Japanese language proficiency and creativity.

💡Telugu

Telugu is a South Indian language spoken by Ananya, which she mentions in the context of its structural similarities to Japanese. This keyword is significant as it provides insight into Ananya's linguistic background and how her bilingualism may have facilitated her learning of Japanese.

💡Digital Transformation (DX)

Digital Transformation, often abbreviated as DX, refers to the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business. In the script, it is discussed in the context of Japan's economic landscape, indicating a shift towards embracing digital innovation. This keyword is relevant to the video's theme as it touches on the broader implications of technology on business and culture.

Highlights

Ananya, a prominent figure in the Japanese learning community, shares her experiences and insights in a discussion with Logan.

Ananya's journey from India to the U.S., her early life, and how she became interested in Japanese culture through anime and manga.

Ananya's self-taught approach to learning Japanese, utilizing various online resources and apps.

The importance of immersion in language learning, as discussed by Ananya, and her use of platforms like Nico Nico Namahoso.

Ananya's comedic content creation on social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok, and how it started as a way to express herself.

The role of introversion and the desire to become more extroverted in Ananya's journey towards content creation.

Ananya's background in art and her aspirations to be a mangaka during her middle school years.

How Ananya's business studies at UC Berkeley influenced her perspective on combining Japanese language skills with business.

Ananya's current work at Amazon in marketing, with a focus on the Japanese market.

The overlap between the structure of the Indian language Telugu and Japanese, and how it may have facilitated Ananya's language learning.

Ananya's perspective on the challenges and opportunities in Japan's business landscape, including digital transformation.

The importance of risk-taking and the role of venture capital in Japan's startup ecosystem.

Ananya's future aspirations to create a business that connects Japan and the U.S., and her focus on content creation as a stepping stone.

The significance of educational content on social media, as exemplified by Ananya's tweets and the potential impact on the younger generation.

Ananya's advice for learners of Japanese, emphasizing the importance of persistence and daily practice.

Resources Ananya recommends for learning Japanese, including websites and apps that utilize Spaced Repetition Systems (SRS).

Ananya's encouragement for her audience to check out her content on YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok for Japanese learning tips and skits.

Transcripts

hey everyone logan here and today i'm

joined by ananya again ananya thank you

very much for uh coming back and being

back on the channel no i mean this is

like an honor you're literally a legend

in the japanese learning community so

yeah i really appreciate it oh yeah i

mean it's totally my pleasure

we talked about this in our initial

conversation someone that i was

following liked one of your videos or

something on twitter so it showed up on

my twitter feed and i watched it and i

think it was the burrito one you really

liked it i watched it i was like yeah

yeah and i was like oh my god this is so

funny like especially the um the uh

you know that line

yeah i thought oh my god that is such

good like comedic writing

i could never write that video i've

never had experience with booty go so to

speak so it's interesting to kind of

hear your perspective and i'm really

excited for the concept that you're

going to be making in the future but

before we go too far down that road do

you want to just give just like a basic

uh self-introduction maybe like you

where you were born how you study

japanese um what you're doing right now

yeah um so just to kind of start off

like i am completely indian like that

was my origin i was born in india when i

was really really young like born six

months in we moved to the states and i

was living in the east coast for i guess

until i was six and then moved over to

uh the west coast

lived in california the bay area since

japan was something that was like not at

all on my radar like my for a good chunk

of my life and then i think i was like

12 or 13. and that was when i just sort

of

learned about anime and manga or

yeah naturally manga just like spoke to

me and like my

dream was like to be a mangaka when i

was in middle school like that was the

level that i was at like i was just so

into it and so at that point i was like

okay i really want to learn japanese

like just for fun

started off you know i went to tofugu

that was probably my main source like

tofugu japanesepod101

all that stuff all the apps and i just

tried everything out

and then i've been studying japanese for

about eight years now um

and so now

you know i just graduated from uc

berkeley i studied business so kind of

different from japanese but i was very

focused on doing something with my

japanese and then from there

i'm currently working at amazon doing

marketing

also kind of on the japan side a little

bit

and

yeah actually yeah and um while i was

doing that during the summer between

like work and school i started content

creation uh this past year actually i've

been doing twitter and then i just

recently started tiktok so i'm just

trying to like jump into a bunch of

things and use my japanese in that way

okay cool very cool um i've got like

three questions that i thought of while

i was listening to you first i'm very

curious about you said that you've been

interested you were interested in art

your whole life did you what kind of art

were you doing uh

when you were younger yeah i loved

drawing comics like sunday comics were

like everything for me i'd always

like

just art was the thing when i was in

middle school

i wrote an entire manga i wrote a script

for it and then i lost it so i have all

the bubbles and everything but no story

to fill it up it was like the weirdest

thing

um but yeah from there uh in high school

i actually

did like ap art i drew a lot of things

just related to japan um and that was

kind of how i was expressing my like

strong passion towards it but yeah right

now i don't really do as much art which

is a shame but that was like my goal as

a kid for sure very interesting what was

kind of the trigger for you to get

started with uh like the comedic stuff

that you're doing on like tik tok and

twitter like you kind of

just mentioned that you started doing it

but was there any specific reason that

you wanted to try it yeah it's a really

interesting thing the more i think about

it i feel like it was rooted in a very

deep place but started very normally and

just casually um

you know i

let me kind of just

step back a little bit you know i was

insanely introverted as a kid and i

could not yeah me too really

yeah and i just couldn't get myself to

like talk to strangers or let alone like

the mcdonald's employee when i have to

you know get a different toy or

something like that i'd always greatly

wanted to be more extroverted and more

out there and i think i used japanese as

a tool to do that and so

uh that was kind of where i became more

like i was trying to put a lot of things

out on social media on twitter i was

doing a lot of just text-based content

and i kind of wanted to mix it up a

little bit so

i filmed a little skit that i'd come up

with once or twice and those did really

well and it was just really fun and easy

to put together and so

that was what started it so i think last

year november

is when i started and then you know i i

wanted to do tick-tock really badly too

and so i kind of just threw what videos

i had onto tiktok at the time there was

like a trend going on with this like

bilingual like uh air hostess or

whatever that was like the trend and no

one had done japanese i'd seen korean

i'd seen chinese i was like you know

what i think i could do that for uh

japanese and that one i just put it

together and it got like over 200 000

views which was so much more than i'd

ever gotten um on twitter or anywhere

and so i was like this could be an

opportunity and so that's kind of where

you started pursuing it yeah you kind of

it sounded to me like um the reason that

you were

starting to get you wanted to kind of

create art in japanese so to speak

whether that was tick-tock or whether

that was you know

little jokes on twitter it was more

because

you wanted to get more extroverted i

almost wonder if

you were kind of unconsciously looking

for a way to express yourself in terms

of artistic expression um

i don't know i think i i'd always wanted

to do something on social media that i

knew very clearly you know i was getting

a business degree it had nothing to

really do with japan

um and that desire of wanting to do

social media or like youtube for example

uh alongside just not doing that in my

daily life like obviously to me like

what i do now like on twitter and tick

tock it's like

genuinely what i'm so passionate about

and it's like a side thing that i can be

like oh like this is who i am you know

exactly exactly yeah yeah yeah can you

talk a little bit more about how you

studied japanese because your your

japanese is phenomenal it's spectacular

you you never studied japanese in in the

classroom i've taken i think one class

like just to like transfer to my

university um but it was like

at that point i'd already been studying

japanese for like over five years and

they had like an elementary class like

it was like a cakewalk at that point but

yeah i can i can sort of dive into how i

started yeah i'd love to hear the

specifics because i think that there's a

lot of people probably watching my

channel and surely your followers as

well that would love to learn

more

specifically how you studied things and

i've seen

videos that you've made in the past

talking about how you think that there's

some overlap between

the indian language that you also speak

in japanese i think that'd be very

interesting to hear about as well yeah

um

yeah so just to right off the bat you

know i started

uh when i was 13 as well i think that's

kind of been the trend for a lot of

people um and i started off with

definitely japanese pod 101 so i just

checked out a lot of their videos i used

the free part of human japanese

and

tofugu so those are the kind of three

resources that i went towards i started

off with those

made a bunch of like small flash cards

with hiragana and katakana and you just

get that off the bat you know in the

first month or two

and then from there uh tay kim's guide

to learning japanese that was sort of my

main source for learning grammar so i

just kept rereading that but i had a

like a language buddy that i would do a

call with like every

week or so i think when i first started

and um that definitely helped that was

when lang 8 was around like not really

around oh yeah i used to use that yeah

that was where i found like the language

partner because obviously there weren't

really many places to look anyway

um and so that was what i did in terms

of speaking oh and i also use like nico

nico namahoso

and i just oh okay that was uh i could

get into that i think

that was an example of like how much i

think immersion is super important to

japanese and i know

you and matt talk about that um

and yeah immersion srs those two things

i think are the holy grail of learning

japanese honestly yeah for sure for sure

when i bought my first japanese

resource it was like cassette tapes it's

very different in terms of just the

general dynamic right now like right now

you can jump on

youtube or you can jump on netflix and

immediately have like an unlimited

amount of

uh native input and i think it's super

super valuable

um and it's i think

probably there's never been a better

time to be

a japanese student and it's interesting

to hear how

you've taken advantage of those

different things again i kind of the

bulk of my japanese studies again i did

before

youtube was even like a thing and right

yeah it's just very interesting to see

the how the paradigm has kind of shifted

so to speak yeah i mean i agree like i

did my well at least i felt like i did

my bulk of japanese learning early on

and i'm not really doing it as much

currently but i will

stress that i think that as graded as it

is as it is with all these resources

looking at it now i feel like it

sometimes it's information overload to

really get

really strong and proficient in the

language you really have to dive deep

into the things that you read once or

twice and read it like 50 times like i

remember um i had this japanese cooking

book and you know obviously cooking

vocabulary is totally a different ball

game and i would force myself to like

make like toriyaki and i would translate

each and every word and i did that a

couple times and after a while you know

you master all those words because

you're so familiar with them um and so

doing things like that i think diving

into tv shows that you like a bazillion

times is what's going to make the

difference versus just watching a bunch

of different tv shows i agree 100 the

number one tip that i give to everyone

that's taking my patreon course is to

pick a japanese movie one movie and to

watch it on repeat until you've

unconsciously memorized every single

line in the movie

yeah

that's literally it yeah so i agree 100

do you mind talking about

um

the indian language that you also speak

and and any overlap you think that might

have with japanese yeah i think that

like you know i speak telugu which is um

a south indian language i think the way

that the grammar is structured in telugu

is oh it's very similar

um

like i think japanese it's like the

structure is opposite from the way we

have it here in the states right when

you're saying a sentence yeah um that's

very similar to how it is in telugu and

then certain words are like somewhat

similar to an extent i think the

vocabulary and grammar just made it a

lot easier to sort of catch on to when i

was learning japanese i'm sure like you

know being bilingual already i think

definitely makes it a lot easier um and

i think that definitely helped in that

aspect i feel like i saw

a video of you

saying something along the lines of you

initially didn't study

that that language that indian language

but then you started to pick it up

again later is that true well kind of

just to explain like i was very good at

telugu when i was born when i was really

little yeah that language skill went

down a lot when i started learning

japanese and right now my japanese is

very much better than my telugu

unfortunately um and that was because i

kind of

fell in love with japan and just like

totally tossed my culture to the side i

was like this is it you know like you

have that

there's that phase where you're like i

want to be japanese and then you kind of

like come to your senses but um yeah

that that's what happened and so now i'm

sort of coming to terms with that and

trying to pick up my

native language more was it just a

language that you spoke like at home

with your family yeah and i can speak it

decently like i can get around but um

i think that my japanese definitely like

outshines it and you know i remember

it'd be difficult sometimes like when i

was

surrounded by japanese people when i was

in like community college or even at uc

berkeley like i would be talking to my

dad and sometimes japanese words would

pop out instead of telugu and it'd be so

mortifying um but that's what happens

when you've like totally immersed

yourself i think that the fact that

you're so young and already so good at

japanese is really really it's it's very

very inspiring like i've been i'm more

than 10 years older

more than 10 years yeah older than

ananya and the fact that she's at this

level already i think is just incredible

um one of the other things i'd like to

get to in this kind of interview though

is

is your interest in business is facing a

whole bunch of issues right now because

of the the

declining population

and

also competition from china having an

interest in business in general i think

is very very important for the average

japanese

person well for japan in general and i

just like to

hear kind of

your thoughts on that kind of entire

matter and

in the past conversation we had you kind

of talked briefly about how in the

future you'd like to create a business

of some kind maybe you could just uh

speak about that a little bit as well

yeah i honestly find it super

fascinating and twitter has been sort of

a catalyst for me to be able to talk to

a lot of japanese people who are in

specifically trying to change that

um yeah yeah it's interesting i think

you know you look at japan and it's

third in terms of gdp which is crazy but

at the same time you know i think the

overall japanese population is very

despondent about themselves they're like

oh we're done for like

and it's just like

it it's just like you know when you

really think about it though um

japan was the top when it came to

hardware and everything in the last in

the past like 20 years um but now as

everything's shifting to software

they're kind of lagging behind and

that's why you hear the term like dx

digital transformation like everywhere

especially on twitter twitter is where i

talk to people specifically doing

startups and vcs japan's startup field

is like really exciting at the same time

there's a lot of issues because like

this this kind of getting a little

granular here but like the young people

they're still very much

um intent on going to large like

companies like shosha um but the thing

is it's because of this like concept

that you know you go to a big company

you get paid well and you stay there

till you die unfortunately not enough

people are taking the risks once we get

more people taking risks like here in

the us i think that it'll allow for like

more potential it's just a lot of the

startups are not getting enough like

venture capital if you look at kind of

the markets yeah there's a lot of

potential for japan and you know i

learned a lot of this while i was

interning for like um a japanese media

publication and they covered all kinds

of american startups so my job would be

to like do all the internal stuff in

japanese you know like getting things

together like filling out spreadsheets

and then i would talk to the startup

ceos in english and i'd learn a lot from

them as well as just doing like

english translations for my friends

startups you know in japan

overall i just think that

personally i i yeah in the future i want

to do a business or kind of connect

japan and the us and some business forum

like that's been the goal for the last

couple years i've just been getting

closer to figuring out what that could

be it's still something that i honestly

don't know what i want to do that's why

i've just been focused on content

creation at the moment

but yeah there's just so much

possibility for that yeah i think that

what you're doing on twitter though is

so important i think one of the the main

reasons that people have been intent on

going to those big companies as you just

mentioned and staying there is because

if

the definition the definition of success

in japan

and you know successful people around

you are the people that are going to the

big companies

that's going to be what you want to do

and if all the schools have the same

basic education system as well it's hard

to even what would you say realize that

there are other options

now i i'm actually kind of optimistic

about the future of japan as well

because

specifically of things like youtube one

of the channels that i watched that i

think is really really important for

japan in general is uh

youtube

oh yeah i don't know i totally yeah huge

fan okay yeah yeah yeah yeah and

what he does on his channel is he'll

he'll take a single book

whether it's you know a book about maybe

history or a book about economics or a

book about

um global warming or making you know how

to start a company or investing or

whatever and he'll he'll break down the

contents of that book across two videos

that are each about 20 minutes long he's

kind of exposing the younger japanese

generation that are watching youtube to

things that they they would never

typically see in in their public

education system now in that same sense

i think that what you're doing on

twitter the perfect example we've talked

about this as well in the past is ananya

had a tweet and this was in japanese

which is why i think it's very important

it was citing some statistic that said

if you take the average japanese person

and the average american person and they

actually have the same

ability when it comes to like a specific

subject oftentimes the american just

because of the american culture because

of their upbringing they'll think that

they're better at it than they actually

are and they'll have more confidence

then just that

confidence can often lead to more

opportunities in the future it can often

uh result in kind of crashing and

burning as well

but at the same time it's very very i

think

valuable just to have that second

perspective and i think that the more

outside

stimuli the more that there is of that

from different people whether that's a

japanese person speaking in english or

in japanese or whether that's a

foreigner speaking in english or in

japanese i think that just the more the

merrier so to speak is there anything

specific in terms of like actual

business

goals perhaps like some kind of uh

business

idea i don't know if if talking about it

would be a bad idea or not but um

any kind of specifics bouncing around in

your mind right now i always look at

things obviously from like a business

lens and so like content creation is as

much as i love it and it's just a fun

thing to do i am always thinking about

you know like how can i make this

something that i can you know get

passive income from or something like

that the thing is with japan is like i

haven't thought of anything that i think

could be profitable like the ideas that

i have you know when i was in college i

wrote a lot of papers on um two things

the japanese work culture and then the

other one being um like females place in

the work work setting or whatever that

may be just because there were things

that bothered me a lot when i was

writing my tweets and just like

interacting with a lot of japanese

business people

is that you know i did so many coffee

chats with so many people over like the

last couple months in japan

and i honestly think maybe like five

percent of that was like female like

everyone else was just male 1 oh and you

know these are people who are like

established in the business place or

like very headset on going into a vc or

startup and the female representation is

just really low there

that and also a huge issue i'm so

passionate about is like just like the

japanese like working hours just like

when i when i

at the amount of like shock i felt when

i went to japan when i was like 17 or

something and my friend's dad got home

at like 12 a.m and then would leave for

work at 7 00 am i didn't even see him

that just like broke my heart i just

could not believe that was normal and so

i wrote a lot of papers on that um so

those are long-term issues that i keep

in the back of my head when i'm

approaching something but i don't have

any like business ideas at the moment

those are just things that i want to

accomplish eventually in terms of japan

and they're huge goals and i feel like

you know the older i get i'm getting a

little bit more like oh do i really

think i could do anything about that but

i'm trying to keep optimistic because i

think any step in that direction would

be the right step you know yeah

absolutely if anything

i think it would be super interesting

and obviously it's completely up to you

whether you want to pursue this or not

but if you

even made short youtube videos in

japanese where it's like i don't know

explaining like a basic business concept

in like a five to ten minute video in

japanese

i think that would be so interesting to

see

from a foreigner from you specifically

someone who was born in india came to

the states studied japanese by

themselves and is you know still very

very young but already pursuing these

various different avenues i think that

would be super interesting no i totally

agree like the youtuber that you

mentioned like i literally bought his

book because i thought he was amazing

like the way that yeah he's awesome like

the thing is japanese people love like

all these like uh genojin and like all

the kind of stuff and i feel like

there's so much trust there and so the

fact that he went from being someone

who's like a like a talent like someone

on tv and then switching to a very

educational route creates a lot of hope

and i get hope just from watching the

videos that i feel more educated at the

end of the day absolutely yeah

and doing that opposed to just like

a lot of the things that are common in

like the influencer realm i think you

mentioned this before i think but like

that that creates value that creates

like educational content that can help

someone and i

believe in that very firmly and so

that's what i try and do on twitter yeah

i think that it'd be super interesting

if you continue to do that on twitter

and perhaps on tick tock perhaps on on

youtube as well we're probably going to

have to wrap things up fairly

soon is there any final things that you

would like to to talk about or mention

you know i think

when learning japanese it's easy to feel

like discouraged i think you just kind

of have to go heads down and just focus

on what's in front of you take it day by

day

um like right now

i wanted to mention the resources that i

use right now like oh yeah please uh

right now you know i'm not like

constantly studying japanese but i speak

with japanese people pretty frequently

and i use um

gishow.org to like look up anything when

i'm on my laptop or i use the japanese

app it's like a dictionary like somewhat

frequently use the flashcard feature

because it uses srs i do a lot of

flashcards nowadays my japanese gets

pretty like

choppy sometimes what i do is i just

watch like a drama or a tv show and i

just shadow i repeat after what they're

saying and then yeah after that

yeah and then i go see someone after

that and i'm like whoa i'm like back to

normal like no issue like back to that

level anything i want to plug uh you

know i definitely think that anyone

who's seen my youtube channel it's like

pretty sparse right now like um i

definitely want to go and film a lot

more videos and tiktok and twitter i'm

pretty much trying to update pretty

frequently

and if you're interested in looking at

any japanese tips i have a video on my

channel as well as on twitter i post a

lot of tips you know you can kind of

read through the content that i'm

posting and kind of understand how to

set up you know paragraphs and i just

have language tips on there in general

um and i post a lot of skits that dogan

mentioned uh on my tic toc so please

check it out i think it should be linked

down below sweet well i

like most of my audience is very excited

for everything that you have planned for

the future and uh we look forward to

seeing more on anya yeah thank you so

much for having me it's like an honor

and i'm so excited as well no worries my

pleasure please check out ananya's

content below and uh yeah see you guys

soon

you