‘Learning Japanese Is a Long-Distance Race’

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How can one master kanji, even with the help of sports, and why is Japanese Studies considered the pinnacle of Asian Studies? In this interview dedicated to the Japanese language, Vasilii Shchepkin and Olga Klimova discuss specific features of the language, the reasons for and experiences of learning it, as well as translation practices.

— How did you start learning Japanese? What was the beginning of your journey?

Vasilii Shchepkin, Associate Professor at the Department of Japanese Studies of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at the HSE Campus in St Petersburg

— I was born and raised in the small Siberian town of Shelekhov, which is fortunate to have a Japanese sister city, Nomi. These ties began back in Soviet times, and my grandfather was one of the pioneers. In 1980, he visited Japan and brought back many photos, souvenirs, and a pocket Russian–Japanese phrasebook—that was my first encounter with Japanese in childhood. When I was ten, a Japanese language club opened in our town, taught first by a woman from Nomi and later by students from Irkutsk universities. I joined the club and studied Japanese there for five years before enrolling in the Japanese language department at the local linguistic university. As a school student, thanks to the sister-city connections, I visited Japan, spoke Japanese with locals, and continued corresponding with them for some time. It was my first trip abroad and outside my home region, and I believe the experiences and impressions from that trip greatly influenced my long-term commitment to learning Japanese and exploring Japan.

Olga Klimova, Associate Professor at the Department of Japanese Studies of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at the HSE Campus in St Petersburg

— Japanese has been an integral part of my life since birth. My love for the profession and the language came from my father, Vadim Klimov, a Japanologist and historian. I was mesmerised by the way he spoke Japanese and the beautiful characters he wrote. I grew up surrounded by Japanese books. I remember being seven years old and promising myself to learn the meanings of all those mysterious signs. It felt like they concealed a fascinating, magical world, and I was right! I recalled that promise when it was time to choose my future career. My parents advised me to pursue economics, which was very popular then. I agreed and even took the entrance exams... but then, without telling anyone, I decided to follow in my father's footsteps and applied for a programme in Japanese History at university. My parents were shocked. The competition was fierce, but miraculously, I got in. It was the beginning of a new, exciting chapter—the golden years of my life! I always tell our students who join the Asian and African Studies programme at the Department of Japanese Studies that they are on the threshold of a new world and a new journey. Their new life is just beginning!

— What challenges did you face while learning the language? How did you overcome them?

Vasilii Shchepkin

— At first, I did not face any challenges because learning the language felt more like entertainment, as if I were reading an interesting encyclopaedia where every new word and difference from my native language was something novel and unusual. I think the fact that I was young also played a role. The challenges began at university when certain knowledge requirements were set for specific levels and exams. Like many students learning Japanese, I initially struggled with kanji (logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese). Only in my third year, after taking a course on Chinese writing systems, did I crack the system, and things became easier. I also struggled with the syntax of complex ‘three-storey’ sentences, where, due to word order, it was hard to tell which predicate belonged to which subject. To tackle this, I chose predicative relations in Japanese as my term paper topic and started translating a Japanese detective novel. I wrote down every complex sentence, broke them into simpler components, and figured out how they connected.

Olga Klimova

— It is important for me to love what I do. This has always helped me overcome any obstacles, and the same applies to learning Japanese. Just think about kanji! But it is a great thing for developing memory! I spent a lot of time memorising, learning, and drilling new material: kanji, vocabulary, and grammar. To learn kanji, I made flashcards. On one side, I wrote the kanji, and on the other, its readings and meanings. I studied them everywhere—at home and on public transport, often getting genuinely surprised looks from people around me. I even remember getting offered a seat a few times. Nowadays, it is easier, thanks to various apps that help with learning Japanese.

I also struggled to get used to the fact that Japanese sentence structure is fundamentally different from Russian. Strangely enough, sport helped me overcome the challenges of learning Japanese! It allowed me to recharge and return to my studies with renewed energy. There were countless times I ‘fell,’ but I always got back up and kept going. The key is to stay positive and organise your day and time efficiently. For me, the support of my family and friends was crucial; they never let me give up.

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— What advice would you give to those learning Japanese?

Vasilii Shchepkin

— Since many students, especially beginners, find kanji challenging, I would advise against learning kanji in isolation from vocabulary, as most textbooks do. Ideally, when learning a new word, you should immediately find out how it is typically written—whether in kanji or one of the syllabaries. If it is in kanji, learn the word with its kanji representation straight away.

Secondly, take a dive into the language—watch the news, follow bloggers, watch films, anime, and play games. Listen and repeat entire phrases, imitating pronunciation and intonation, and memorise words in context alongside related words.

Overall, the best approach is to confront each challenge directly. If you struggle with listening comprehension, listen even more. If speaking is difficult, find opportunities to practise. If you have trouble recognising kanji, read more. There is no other way.

Olga Klimova

— Self-discipline, hard work, focus, and self-control are essential qualities for mastering any language, especially Japanese. It is important to stay focused on your goal, remain optimistic, and, while realistically assessing your abilities, keep moving forward.

I always tell our students that learning Japanese is a long-distance race. The key is not to lose heart and keep going. Mindset is crucial. Yes, there will be setbacks and bad grades, but the main thing is to keep your eyes on the goal and move towards it step by step. Our bachelor’s programme at the Institute of Asian and African Studies at HSE University-St Petersburg is very intensive, and without self-discipline, it is tough. However, new friends, new experiences, and teachers who truly love their profession provide the motivation to achieve great things.

Learning any language requires hard work, especially Japanese, with its complex kanji and grammar. However, at the Department of Japanese Studies at the Institute of Asian and African Studies, HSE University-St Petersburg, we use technologies that enable students to reach the second level of language proficiency within five years (the first level being native-level fluency).

Of course, language learning is not measured in years but in hours of study. Passion and desire to learn the language are vital. Learning does not end in the classroom—it starts there and continues at home. You need to immerse yourself in the language quickly. In this sense, about one-third of Japanese language learning happens in class, while two-thirds depends on self-study.

It is also important to remember that Japan is an entirely different world. By learning Japanese, you are not just mastering grammar but also gaining insight into another culture. Understanding and bridging cultural differences is crucial. It is interesting to note that many of our political and economic leaders are professional specialists in Asian studies. To become an expert in Asian studies, you need to be able to see the world through someone else’s eyes—a valuable skill in any field. Japanese Studies truly represents the pinnacle of Asian studies.

— How does the Japanese language influence the formulation and description of scientific problems? What challenges do you encounter when translating texts in this language?

Vasilii Shchepkin

— In my opinion, Japanese—especially in its written form and particularly in academic texts—is grammatically very logical and precise. Thanks to its extensive vocabulary, which includes native Japanese words, Sino-Japanese terms, and loanwords from European languages, it allows for accurate expression of ideas. One can also add an archaic or modern touch without compromising clarity. Moreover, the language used in academic writing is highly standardised. By reading just a few academic books or a dozen articles, you can learn all the key structures and expressions typical of the academic style and start using them yourself. In general, writing academic texts in Japanese is a pleasure.

Regarding translation from Japanese, I think the main challenge for many learners is not becoming a prisoner of the Japanese syntax and avoiding overly literal translations. For translation, especially written work intended for publication, it is essential to have a much higher proficiency in your native language than in Japanese—something students often overlook.

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— Do you have plans for new research projects related to the Japanese language?

Vasilii Shchepkin

— I am not a linguist (although my university degree says otherwise), so Japanese itself is not the focus of my research. However, in my study of Japanese history, I constantly use Japanese as a tool, reading sources, books, and articles in the language, and I plan to continue doing so. Most of my projects related to Japanese are in education: I am eager to keep developing new courses, such as those on Classical Japanese or the history of Japanese writing.

Olga Klimova

— Yes, absolutely. We at the Department of Japanese Studies are planning new research projects in history, linguistics, literary studies, and other fields. All teachers and professors of our department are highly specialised in different academic areas, which is invaluable because we can approach a single research problem from multiple perspectives.

For example, I am a historian. My early coursework was on medieval Japanese history. During an internship in Japan, I continued studying the history of Japan in the 15th–16th centuries. Later, during my doctoral studies at Osaka University, I focused on the history of Russo-Japanese relations in the early 19th century. This was when I dedicated myself to examining historical sources stored in both Russian and Japanese archives. Currently, I am continuing my research in this area, translating 19th-century Japanese manuscript materials into Russian and analysing them. In this case, Japanese is the key to unlocking the information preserved in Japan’s written records.

— If you could give a personal tour of places that you associate with the Japanese language, which places would you visit?

Vasilii Shchepkin

— If we are talking about St Petersburg, the must-visit place is the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where I mainly work. It houses the largest collection of old manuscripts and woodblock prints in Japanese in Russia and one of the largest outside of Japan. It also holds unique sources on the history of the Japanese language, including early Russian–Japanese and Japanese–Russian dictionaries compiled in the 18th–19th centuries with the help of Japanese sailors who were shipwrecked near Russian shores. These dictionaries are invaluable for studying the history of Japanese dialects because, unlike texts from that era written in Japan, they were not composed in classical but in spoken language.

Of course, you should also visit the Faculty of Asian and African Studies at St Petersburg University, which has the oldest tradition of teaching Japanese in Russia. Its scientific library has an interesting collection of old Japanese books donated by Prince Arisugawa Takehito after his visit to Russia in the late 19th century.

Nearby is the Kunstkamera—the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The exhibition dedicated to Japan is fascinating, although it barely features the Japanese language. However, in the 1730s, this very building (which then housed the Academy of Sciences) was home to the first Japanese language school outside Japan, where the earliest textbooks and dictionaries were created. These are now preserved at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts.

Olga Klimova

— If we talk about St Petersburg, I would first recommend visiting the Winter Palace of the State Hermitage Museum. It was here on 3 April 1873 that representatives of the Iwakura Mission met with Alexander II, followed by a ceremonial banquet in honour of the Japanese delegation. Japanese sources from the 19th century include a depiction of the ball held in the Armorial Hall of the Winter Palace, which made a lasting impression on the guests.

Next, I would suggest visiting the Hotel Astoria, where members of the second Japanese embassy stayed in 1867. On 13 January 1867, they met with Alexander II there to discuss the Sakhalin question.

In the villa Kushelev-Bezborodko, located at 40 Sverdlovskaya Embankment, lived the famous Japanese merchant Daikokuya Kōdayū (1757–1829). He was swept out to sea with other Japanese sailors on the ship Shinsho-maru and spent about ten years in Russia. His return to Japan served as a reason to attempt establishing friendly relations with Japan.

Another place connected with Daikokuya Kōdayū is the Catherine Palace in the town of Pushkin (Tsarskoye Selo). It was there, in the Throne Hall, on 28 June 1791 that Kōdayū had an audience with Russian Empress Catherine II.

For fans of theatre, I would recommend visiting Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theatre (BDT), which is currently staging Crime and Punishment, directed by Japanese director Miura Motoi, with the premiere having taken place in June 2023.