Japanese Learning and Teaching: A New Psycho-Logical Approach (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781514479155)

George Takahashi was born in Idaho, USA. He attended schools both in the U.S. and Japan, earning his B.A. and M.A. degree from UCLA, and honorary PH.D. from Ken Studies Institute in California. While teaching Japanese at UCLA for over twenty years in the Department of Oriental Languages. Dr. Takahashi spent most of his summer vacations in Japan, attending seminars and taking part in classes sponsored by Monbusho- on How to Teach Japanese to Foreign Students as well as attending Waseda University seminars on similar topic. Along with studying and teaching Shotokan karate, attaining 8th degree black belt, he utilized his training in radio announcing and narrative reading to record all the language tapes used in Beginning to Advanced Japanese classes at UCLA. He has also presented a yearlong introduction to a Japanese radio program sponsored by Asahi Broadcasting Companys Homecast system which covered Los Angeles and Southern California region. In 1997 he published his 367-page book on English language entitled An Adventure in English Language Space: A Key to the Mysteries of Prepositions. His interest in foreign language extends from Chinese and Korean to most of the European languages, including the Scandinavian languages of which he is especially fluent in Danish. Dr. Takahashi has dedicated his life over the years to not only mastering the language of his birth (English) and his heritage (Japanese), he has studied Noh singing and dancing (Hyooshoo-ryu). studied Sumie painting under Ensho Ashikaga (descendent of Ashikaga Shogunate) receiving the name Jyoojun. While working on this book, he has been studying the classical singing art of Shigin (Kokufuu-ryu) attaining the rank of Shihan (master teacher).