About Me — Tom Scullin
I learn languages, I teach languages, and I live in Japan.
Hey there! I’m Tom. My family and I live in Chiba, Japan — a place you’ve probably breezed through on your way to Tokyo from Narita Airport without giving it much thought. Ironically, I passed through it a handful of times myself before realizing I’d end up calling it home.
I’m actually from Washington, D.C., but grew up in California — and there’s a bit of a story behind how I ended up in Japan.
My Own Journey to the West (No, I’m not Sun Wukong)
Nostalgia Alert! Looking back, the 90s in the U.S. felt like a golden age for Japanese media. Nintendo, PlayStation, Toonami’s after-school anime block — Pokémon, Digimon, Power Rangers, Yu-Gi-Oh! — it was like Japan unleashed its full cultural arsenal right when I was figuring out my own interests and sense of self
And while the U.S. loved its anime and manga, Mexican culture is a huge part of California, and believe it or not, Mexico has an even bigger love for Japanese media. Growing up in both Northern and Southern California, I was surrounded by this mix — first in the San Francisco Bay Area and later in San Diego.
When I was finishing high school my brother got stationed in Japan for two years while in the Navy, which gave me my first real glimpse into life there. In college, I finally had the chance to study a language other than Spanish, and you can bet I jumped at the opportunity to learn Japanese.
Turns out, I was pretty bad at Japanese. I loved the idea of learning languages, but no one ever taught me how to actually do it. After a lot of trial and error (and dropping out of my Japanese class more than once), I finally started getting the hang of it. If you’re struggling with language learning like I was, trust me — it’s all about finding the right approach that works for you. I wish someone had told me earlier: learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint. Let’s talk about how to pace yourself.
I only completed a year of Japanese before my junior college cut their Japanese program completely. That detour, though, led me straight to Linguistics — a field I had no idea I’d love so much.
I spent more time than I care to admit figuring out what I wanted to do in college, but everything finally clicked when a counselor, who had taught in Japan on the JET Program, introduced me to the world of ESL.
I got an associate’s degree in education, thinking it would open more doors early on, and transferred to San Diego State University to study Japanese and Linguistics. While at SDSU, I got a Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (TESOL/TEFOL) certificate and studied for a year at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. I was all set to teach English in Japan and moved to Chiba in March 2019.
What I want to write about on Medium
Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself! There’s plenty more to share about the English teaching industry in Japan (trust me, it’s a wild ride), so stay tuned for that! And that gives me a great segue to talk about what I want to do on Medium. I’ve spent at least one thousand classroom hours studying Japanese and probably about that much time in self-studying. I finally have the theoretical and practical knowledge of how people effectively acquire languages in the long term and not just study to cram for tests. I would love to share what I’ve learned with you all.
Language learning is my thing — I geek out over grammar, vocab hacks, and language apps. Plus, living in Japan means there’s never a dull moment — from the daily challenge of raising a bilingual daughter in a very monolingual society, to cultural quirks and whatever’s trending in the news. I’m excited to share it all.
If that sounds like something you’d be interested in, I’d love for you to join me on this next step in my language journey.
Thanks for reading! If any of this resonates with you — whether you’re learning a new language or just curious about life in Japan — I’d love to hear your thoughts and your language learning story. Let’s swap language learning successes, struggles, and tips in the comments!
🚀 Love language learning, linguistics, and Japanese media?
Check out the Like My Anime Podcast — where language learning, media analysis, and Japanese pop culture collide.
Listen on → Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
📝 Prefer reading?
The Like My Anime publication on Medium features deep dives on learning Japanese through anime, games, and pop culture.
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👇 Keep Learning & Nerding Out
If you enjoyed this post, here’s more you might like:
📚 Learn a language (without losing your mind) → Language Learning
🧠 Nerd out about how language works → Linguistics
🇯🇵 Get a peek behind the curtain of life in Japan → Life in Japan
📖 Upgrade your study game → Study Skills & Productivity
🔍 Find tools that actually help → Resource Reviews
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Bonus: Turn Your Binge-Watching Into Study Time
I use Lingopie to study Japanese through Netflix, anime & YouTube — with dual subtitles, instant flashcards, and real audio.
Check it out here. (Affiliate link)
I use it every day, and it’s honestly one of my favorite tools.
→ Read my full Lingopie review to see how it can help you.
