Malaysia is a wonderful country with welcoming people and plenty of natural treasures to discover and enjoy. Malaysia has always been a favorite destination for many visitors due to its cultural richness, breathtaking scenery, delicious cuisine, and many other factors.
But let’s be real, Malaysians don’t greet you with their hands together as Thai’s do, nor do they offer you a 90-degree bow as the Japanese do. So, what makes foreigners adore Malaysia so much?
Recently, a YouTuber named Kouji Jepun upload a YouTube video about Japanese students stating their love for Malaysia. In reality, the Japanese are not fluent in Bahasa Malaysia. However, at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, there are a lot of Japanese students who took the challenge to learn the Malay language and that includes Kouji. It can be seen in the comment that a lot of Malaysian were amazed at how fluent these Japanese students are in using the Bahasa Malaysia.
To be honest, these amazing Japanese students really outdid themselves in learning Bahasa Malaysia and it is definitely an eye-opener for us all. In the video, he asked some of his friends questions related to Malaysia. So here they are:
Question 1: Do they love Malaysia?
Of course, they do! The students said they loved the people, the food, and also shopping in Malaysia. Surprisingly, some students learned the Malay language for almost three years and it is clearly because they love the country. Some of them praised the kindness of Malaysians. Students from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies who studied in the local university of Malaysia were treated well and were helped throughout the process of completing their student exchange program.
Also, the students loved the Malay language simply because of the word orders and the sound of it. The fashion sense of Malay women has also become a liking for the Japanese. They are said to have multicolor and various patterns of ‘tudung’ or shawl, which look beautiful and cute!
Question 2: Why did they choose to study the Malay language?
One of the reasons is that lot of Japanese don’t learn the language of Southeast Asian countries. So acquiring these skills make it unique. On a side note, it became a passion for many students to learn the Malay language. For some students, they fell in love with the mixture of Malay and Chinese cultures. Another reason they chose to learn the Malay language is because of their interest in economic development, especially in Malaysia and Singapore. Hence, not only do they want to learn the language but also learn about the economy, culture, history, and politics of Malaysia. There are some who actually lived for quite some time in Malaysia and this makes them grow fond of the language and thus drives them to learn it.
Question 3: Have they been to Malaysia?
A majority stated they have been to our country. Some have visited Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, Sarawak, Melaka, and other places. Some participated in a homestay program and exchange program organized by the local university. For some, they’ve been to Malaysia only once but learned a lot during the stay.
Question 4: Did they experience culture shock?
Most definitely they would have because they are from a different country with a different culture. One culture shock was the way of taking shower. I guess in Japan most people have hot baths and love soaking themselves. But in some places in Malaysia, it seems it was hard to get a bathtub and hot water! Also, Malaysian shower multiple times a day, unlike the Japanese who only shower once a day. Another thing was about the toilets. The Japanese students didn’t know that Malaysians use water instead of tissue and that’s why they were shocked with wet floors in the toilet.
It must be a proud moment for us as Malaysians because even people from foreign countries are willing to learn about our culture, language, and everything there is about our beautiful country.
Sources: Kouji Jepun,