The Japan Around Us: Japanese Inhabitants and Cultures in Hong Kong - Sounds like I’m finally home
“I loved watching The Silk Road on television when I was living in Japan. It got me interested in Chinese culture, so I came to Hong Kong, first to learn Putonghua, then Cantonese,” Mochizuki Sensei told me in fluent Cantonese. The veteran Japanese language teacher has been speaking about her Hong Kong experience on the CIBS programme, The Japan Around Us: Japanese Inhabitants and Cultures in Hong Kong.
Takako Mochizuki has over thirty years of teaching experience in Hong Kong, yet her style is anything but traditional (Photo provided by interviewee)
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A task-oriented approach to Japanese teaching
Takako Mochizuki left her native Saitama and came to Hong Kong as an exchange student in 1988. She went on to work in a Hong Kong-based Japanese company, find her future husband here, and establish herself as an educator.
She currently teaches Japanese language at Baptist University where students call her “sensei” with affection and respect.
“Hong Kong students are very self-conscious about making mistakes.”
Mochizuki Sensei doesn’t like teaching grammar in the traditional, repetitive way. Instead, she would have students complete a task, such as ‘introduce your favourite place in Hong Kong’ or ‘tell us about the happiest moment in your life’. Students will practise the target language in the process of doing the activity.
For Mochizuki Sensei, language is in the doing, not the memorising.
“I try to create a comfortable atmosphere and I praise my students for trying. Mistakes are opportunities for learning.”
Mochizuki Sensei prepares her own teaching material to make it fun for her students (Photo provided by interviewee)
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No need to be extra polite
Most Hong Kong people are crazy about traveling to Japan, myself included. Most of us also equate Japanese people with politeness. I recall how my friends would put down their aggressive tendencies and become extra polite while vacationing in Japan.
“Not all Japanese are like that,” Mochizuki Sensei told me, pointing out the cultural stereotype. “Some can be quite rude, especially older men who think they know everything.”
Another stereotype is that Japanese women are more obedient and passive compared to their male counterparts.
“Not in my household!” Mochizuki Sensei declared. “My husband learned that pretty quickly!”
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Home is where the heart is
Mochizuki Sensei (centre) shares a moment in the recording studio with CIBS programme presenters Victor (left) and Tom (Photo provided by interviewee)
On the topic of gender equality, Mochizuki Sensei observes that, in general, Hong Kong men display a higher level of respect towards women compared to the men from her home country.
“It made me comfortable. I felt this when I first came to work in Hong Kong,” she said. “But I want to go back to Japan after I retire.”
“Hong Kong is very convenient, but it’s not a place for taking a rest. Living spaces are very small here. Air pollution is also a problem
“I want to lead a slower life after I retire. I think Japan is better for that.”
And so I asked if there was anything she wanted to try in the years leading up to her retirement.
“I’m learning to play the shamisen (a three-stringed Japanese musical instrument) ! I’ve been learning online for just over a year, and I want to get better at it!”
Written by Atom C
