<!-- 550.html -->  <div id="pagebody_outline">    <div id="left_box">      <div id="title_box">      <div id="titie_box_top"><!-- Image --></div>      <div id="midashi">Break down the barriers that people feel toward speaking English</div>      <div id="title_box_left">MR　Patrick Harlan　Comedian, entertainer,<br /> actor Cohosts Eigo de Shabera Night <br />on NHK television</div>      <div id="title_box_right">        <div id="title_box_right_top"><!-- Image --></div>        <div id="title_box_right_text">Malaysian and Japanese <p/><br />students interview Pakkun             </div>        <div id="title_box_right_bottom"><!-- Image --></div>      </div>      <div id="titie_box_bottom"><!-- Image --></div>    </div>  <div id="bold_text">Mr.Patrick Harlan（Pakkun）Comedian, entertainer, actor. “break down the barriers<br />that people feel toward speaking English.”</div>      <div id="article">        <div id="article_left">                                  <img src="/english/images/feature/550_feature_06.jpg" width="140" alt="feature_06">                                <div id="article_text"></div>                                  <img src="/english/images/feature/550_feature_08.JPG" width="140" alt="feature_08">                              </div>        <div id="article_right"><font color="#FF3366">Q: What made you want to be a Comedian?  And ｗhy in Japan? </font><br /><br />A: Well I wanted to be an actor. I have been acting since I was 6, singing and performing in general.  I came out to Tokyo in 1996 to be an actor.  I watched Japanese TV and they had American personalities (talent) but not good American actors so I figured that they needed a good one and that was me!  After a year on the scene, it turned out that this country didn’t really need me.  I didn’t get any big jobs and hadn’t really made a name for myself as an actor.  So I had to improve my skills. Then I met my partner, Makoto Yoshida.  He wanted to be a comedian.  I said, “Gosh. If I want to be an actor, I should know how to be funny in Japanese.  So I figured “Use him and lose him”.<br /> I thought “Practice with him for awhile and when I get famous, I’ll go back to acting”.   But apparently, I’m not going back to acting anytime soon.  I picked Japan to act in and I picked a career as a comedian to improve my acting skills.  <br /><br /><font color="#FF3366">Q: What was your first impression of Japan? </font><br /><br />A: I was amazed that it was similar to America.  I thought it would be much more different.  Japan has American clothes, fairly big houses, regular cars and better food!  This is a great country to get along with!<br /><br /><br /><font color="#FF3366">Q: How did you overcome the barrier of language as a foreigner from a non-kanji country? </font><br /><br />A: Kanji cards!  I just carried them around with me everywhere, when I was on the bus, when I was supposed to be working. I focused on reading (rather than writing).<br /> I made 2000 cards in 2 years. Once you know kanji, it makes a huge difference.<br /><br /><font color="#FF3366">Q: What is the key for Japanese to improve their English? </font><br /><br />A: Go away! Living in a foreign country would be the fastest.<br />There is no secret.  Just study.  It’s no different from learning how to play tennis.  No one learns how to be a good tennis player in an hour or a week.  It’s just the same thing.  Practice makes it perfect. <br /><br /><font color="#FF3366">Q: What was the “culture shock” for you in Japan? </font><br /><br />A: Maybe my attitude or behavior as an American.  By Japanese standards, it was too unrefined.  For example, arms on a table, crossing my legs, or sitting next to an important person and saying, “Hey, how is it going?”  I had no idea.  So the expectation of politeness was a bit stricter. I also hit my head a lot.<br /> </div>        <div class="both10"></div>        <div></div>      </div>      <div class="both10"></div>                        <div id="profile">            <h4 id="profile_top">Mr Patrick Harlan,cohosts Eigo de Shabera Night on NHK television</h4>            <div id="profile_photo">              <div id="profile_photo_top">              <!-- Image -->              </div>            <img src="../images/feature/550_feature_12.JPG" width="130" />              <div id="profile_photo_bottom">              <!-- Image -->              </div>            </div>            <div id="profile_text"><font color="#FF3366">Mr Patrick Harlan  </font><br />Comedian, entertainer, actor. Raised in Colorado.. Earned a B.A. in the Study of Religion from Harvard University in 1993 and arrived in Japan the same year. Formed the comic duo Pack'n Mack'n with Yoshida Makoto in 1997. Cohosts Eigo de Shabera Night on NHK television, hosts Jam the World (J-Wave Radio) on Fridays, and appears regularly on other TV and radio shows. Coauthor of Bakusho Mondai, Pakkun Eigo Genron.</div>            <div id="profile_bottom">            <!-- Image -->            </div>          </div>          <div class="both10"></div>          <div id="left_line">          <!-- Image -->          </div>                   </div>  <!-- end of left_box -->  </div><!-- end of pagebody_outline -->