https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/3rrl16bLzUqwacIkjN7RtQ/video?utm_source=generator&t=50
I’m introducing why I started this podcast and named it ‘Just Another Human’ today.
I love radio and podcasts. I listen to them every day.
My favorite radio station, Inter FM in Tokyo, saved me when I moved to Tokyo from the western part of Japan.
I felt alone because I didn’t have any friends in Tokyo. Even worse, I was a freelancer with no money. So, I only went out when I had meetings with clients, and I would ride my bicycle wherever I needed to go.
In that lonely life, I found Inter FM. They introduced a lot of music and cultures, and it kept me connected to the world.
Especially Ms. Shaula Vogue, who is from Hawaii and works as a television, radio, and podcast host in Japan, is someone I admire.
She is cheerful and fluent in both Japanese and English.
I wanted to start my own podcast in English too, but I didn’t have the courage.
But I realized that if I truly want to improve my English skills, I need to write and speak.
I lived in Europe for a month last year, staying in Latvia, Denmark, and the Netherlands, but I didn’t use English as much as I had imagined.
Each country has its own language, and I didn’t really need to speak unless I was shopping at the supermarket. So, I only learned phrases like 'Do you have a point card?' in the local languages.
I visited many museums, like the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, the Design Museum in Copenhagen, and the Nijntje Museum in Utrecht. I could read English captions with Japanese using the Google Translate app. It’s such a convenient era now.
One time, I spoke in English with an elderly lady knitting gloves in Latvia. Since I love knitting (which is why I chose Latvia), I gathered the courage to start a conversation with her. Through our conversation, I realized that I might be able to speak more English than I thought.
In addition last month, I stayed at my sister’s accommodation in a snowy area in Japan, where the primary language was English, not Japanese, because people from overseas live there. I spoke English more than I did in Europe. This experience really improved my English skills.