Doors to English

I will often ask a Japanese person I meet who speaks English well why they have gained such a high level of ability. Often, there was something in the person’s life that made English attractive to them. Their answers I have come to call ‘Doors to English’.
The answers have included music (‘I love the Carpenters!’), movies, Harry Potter books, desire for travel, interest in foreign cultures, inability to communicate in English at an earlier time,... the list goes on.
I try to use this knowledge in the classroom to motivate my students to WANT TO study English. My approach has been to include a wide variety of media and cultural content in my lessons as a way to ‘open’ the Door of English to as many students as possible.