In the world we currently live in, it makes such a difference to know a secondary language like Japanese. Having the ability to correspond with people that only speak a language other than English is a quality that many companies are begging for. Speaking Japanese also makes it possible to take vacations in destinations that would be very uncomfortable otherwise. One smaller bonus to knowing another language is that many independent films make their way here from other countries and are only available in Japanese, making them impossible to watch closely without fluency in another language.
Most companies are often very willing to spend extra money for someone with knowledge of a second language like Japanese. Simply by having someone within the company who can speak Japanese they can now advertise that they can serve those that only speak that language. In the eyes of those making decisions in business it makes a lot of sense for them to pay a little more for someone who is bilingual knowing they can potentially bring in a whole new group of clients who wouldn’t have been available before. For this reason alone, companies often go out of their way to try to attract those who can speak Japanese.
Many people out there have wanted to take a vacation in Japan, whether that’s to lounge around and take in the beauty of the country or to see one of its many historical sites, these vacations can be very frustrating without the ability to speak in that area’s language. Anyone who has the ability to speak Japanese can avoid this frustration and enjoy a relaxing vacation without worrying about what’s being said behind their back.
There seem to be more and more foreign films hitting the American theatres every year, many of which are in Japanese. Most of these films have subtitles in English, but trying to keep up with the action on the film while keeping up with reading the Japanese to English translation can be overwhelming. It is also a recipe for missing many things through the film, which is why being able to understand Japanese in the films can become such a key. Being the person who actually catches everything in the film for a change can make learning Japanese worthwhile all by itself.