Brian Palmer says:

Many years back (about 11 now) I was really into Japanimation (Anime), I didn’t care for watching the English dubbed version videos, so I switched to the subtitled videos. That got old rather quick, which I mentioned this to a friend he suggested I ‘learn Japanese, so I could watch the videos as intended’, I was thinking pretty small minded when I said ‘yeah right’. But despite that I decided to give it a try. I went out bought books, made pen pals in Japan, got charts with Hirigana and Katakana, grade school lessons for grammar, started going to Japanese chat room, read Japanese newspapers from Borders and online, and just basically tried to immerse myself into the language. From the chat rooms, I made friends who would teach me Japanese in exchange for English lessons. After several months, one of my friends, Shin, suggested that I visit Japan. I immediately rejected the slightest possibility of that ever happening, my response was actually very ignorant, I said “You don’t understand Shin, Black people don’t just go to Japan…” (Again this was back in the late 90′s and I was about 20 years old). Shin asked “Who told you that?” I kind of blew off the converstation, but then I started thinking “why can’t I go to Japan?” (Granted no one in my immediate or extended family had been out of the country) , so I started looking for flights…not too expensive if I could get to California. Email my friends in Japan, they helped me with lodging with letting me stay with them and told me about a few low cost bed & breakfast places. I Started working overtime to save up money, started studying my lessons in Japanese everyday, attempted to eat Sushi, (the first time was not good, I was like a frighten kid trying to pickup and eat a spider!), started listen to Jpop, and got a passport (one of the happiest days for me!). Finally bought my ticket and couldn’t believe I was on my way. I cannot tell you how axious, scared, and excited I felt on the trip from LAX to Kansai Airport in Osaka, Japan, and how I under-estimated how long 15 hours on a plane was (honto!). Anyway, I got to Japan, step off the plane and had a termendous feeling of accomplishment, I never though in a million years that I would be in another country onthe other side of the world. From that point on I saw everything differently, myself, my future, traveling, the world, everything. Since then I went to Japan 12 times, formed a hip-hop group there, recorded an album, got into the Jazz scene, and made hundreds of friends. Also, I traveled to China, Korea, UK, Canada, and Mexico making friends everywhere I went, it just got easier and easier to go places each time. Oddly enough, Mexico is where I met my amazing wife, another great story. Seriously, I haven’t looked at anything the same since I went to Japan the first time, I’ve made accomplishment that, had this never happened to me, I probably would not have even tried. Since I started traveling, I have talked to my cousins, nieces, nephews, and as many young people that I can find the express the importance of not writing what seems impossible off. You have to try it, and if that doesn’t work try it again. It took about a year and a half for me to get to Japan, after I first said I would go, takes hard work and dedication. Next year my wife, daughter (2½), and I will go to Japan to meet up with some of my friends, and I can’t wait to show them around. I want my daughter to experience the world, so that she will know she can go anywhere, do anything, and not be afraid to think globally.