Sue found a language to connect to her ancestry
With a Japanese great-grandfather, Sue felt inspired to explore her heritage by learning the language and culture. Studying Japanese at City Lit helped her deepen that connection, giving her the tools to travel round Japan herself.
Video: Sue talks about her learning experience at City Lit.
Sue's story
“There were two reasons I enrolled,” she explains. “The first was that I’ve always wanted to visit Japan because we’ve got a family link. My great-grandfather was Japanese. The second was that I’ve always wanted to be able to communicate with people when I travel.”
Sue’s great-grandfather was a gardener whose family business exported plants from Yokohama to the UK. He settled in London, opening a shop on Lamb’s Conduit Street and starting a new chapter of his life. “I’ve been fascinated by Japan since I was a child,” Sue says. “Learning the language felt like a way to connect with that part of myself.”
Over the years, Sue has studied with several teachers at City Lit, but one in particular stood out: her tutor Chika. “When COVID hit, we all moved online.”
“There were seven of us, all women, learning Japanese and the tech at the same time. We called ourselves the ‘Seventh Samurai’ and we still keep in touch. I see most of them every week.”
For Sue, the class became more than just a language course. It was a creative, supportive community, and a place where her confidence could grow.
“Chika was so imaginative in her teaching. At the end of every class, she’d share something about Japanese culture. She introduced me to things I’d never even heard of.”
Last year, Sue finally visited Japan. A trip she had dreamed of for decades. “It was just amazing,” she says. “We travelled everywhere by train or coach, and having learned the language made it so much more special. We could speak to local people, have real conversations, which I never could have done otherwise.”
Learning Japanese gave Sue the confidence to engage in new experiences and deepen her understanding of her heritage. But it also gave her something more enduring: a sense of voice, of being able to connect with others through shared learning.
“The biggest benefit of this course has been confidence,” she reflects. “I’ll keep learning Japanese to stay in touch with the friends I’ve made and because I believe you can never stop learning.”
Sue is already planning her next visit to Japan, with hopes of seeing the famous cranes of Hokkaido and exploring even more of the country she feels increasingly connected to.
Find your voice at City Lit
Everyone is uniquely wired, with our own passions and ways of expressing ourselves. Yet many of us haven’t discovered our true voice or have the opportunity to share it. At City Lit, our courses are designed to help you find your voice by exploring your ideas, building your confidence, and unlocking the strengths you never knew you had.
Find your voice at City Lit, today.
Study Languages at City Lit
City Lit offers over 30 language courses across all levels, from beginners to advanced, in European, Asian, African, and even Ancient and Classical languages, so you can choose whatever you fancy learning.
