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| Studying kanji on the iPhone | |
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2.16.2010
7:10 AM | Link0 comments |
 One of the major areas that I need to improve to pass the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N3 this year is my reading speed and accuracy, which means I need to really be able to look at kanji and just know the meaning fairly instantly. I've started getting serious about using several different study tools, and I think coming at the challenge from different angles is really helping! In the past I've tried Remembering the Kanji (Heisig's classic method), so I'm continuing to learn these helpful meanings with some great study goals available on Smart.fm. These word associations really help, but I've found I still need some solid brute force pattern recognition as well, so I'm also using Read the Kanji (which I can't recommend enough) as well as several iPhone apps to kick my brain into gear! I love it when these different methods seem to synchronize and reinforce each other.My favorite is Japanese Flip, which focuses on kanji compounds. This is fantastic since I get to exercise my vocabulary as well as my kanji recognition! Japanese Flip works on a kind of honor system where you look at the Japanese, think the answer to yourself, and then honestly respond if you were right or wrong when presented with the correct response. It does a great job with advanced spaced repetition, and it's super-fast to launch and whip through a few words during any spare moment. Next is KanjiBox, which uses a more traditional multiple choice interface where you choose the kanji combination based on a presented word definition. This app allows you to study individual kanji as well as vocabulary, and displays cool progress charts to help you decide what to study next. I really like that when you make a mistake, it displays the definition of both the correct and incorrect answers! I've also been playing with iKanji Touch, which has the most elegant and beautiful interface design, but doesn't let me plow through kanji at the speed I like. Everything about this app is top notch, but for me it's just a little too thorough (which is probably by design to facilitate really solid learning). However, it's still a fun app and a really valuable tool to have in my study arsenal! |
| Latest morning routine | |
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2.10.2010
6:50 AM | Link0 comments |
The morning is my favorite time of day, so I love making the most of it. I like the morning so much that on the weekends I get a little bummed after lunch since I feel like the day is over! I've written about my morning routine several times in the past, but since it's constantly changing (in fact, I recently adjusted it about a week ago!), I think it's fun to record it here. My new wake up time is 5:00 AM (that may sound crazy, but it's easy to do once your internal clock is trained), and the first thing I do is write my "one sentence journal" for the day. This is one of my 2010 goals, which I use to reflect on the previous day (and I've only missed one day so far, while I was in Los Angeles). Next is Japanese study on the web, which is a little more intense since I'm gearing up for the JLPT. I'm using two different sites to work on kanji (using different methods that help me from two angles), as well as standard vocabulary/sentence practice. After exercising my brain, my body is next with 15 songs on Dance Dance Revolution (since I've been re-enjoying all my old PS2 mixes). After the workout, I've started writing my WEBmikey post for the day (which is the step I'm on now). I used to do this later in the day, but sometimes it was getting too easy to blow it off, so I moved it into the premium morning time and shuffled a couple activities (which are easier and less likely to be procrastinated) to later in the day. Finally I get dressed, do a little more exercise (like sit-ups and light dumbbell lifts), then take my vitamins and eat breakfast while I read some manga or a couple chapters in whatever book I'm working on. At lunchtime I work in a couple more activities, which are checking my Jpop video downloads and importing/tagging another batch of images into iPhoto (I'm finally up to 2008, by the way!). During the day I make an effort to get in a couple walks (1.5 miles each), and if I have any spare moments (including potty time), I study a few more kanji using some fantastic iPhone apps I've bought recently with some birthday gift cards! |
| Three Small Things 10.9.09 | |
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10.09.2009
12:49 PM | Link0 comments |
 Lately it's been a nice time to be a Morning Musume fan! Their 41st single Kimagure Princess is coming out soon, so the song and video are all over the web. While I prefer their last two singles to this one (I don't like the chipmunk voice effects on the verse, but the chorus is nice), the video is full of attitude and glamor and I can't believe how great everyone looks! I can't wait to get their new All Singles Coupling Collection, which has all 40 B-sides (many of which I don't have in my collection), and I'm really excited about receiving my first order from the new HelloStoreUSA. It's so cool to be able to buy Momusu goods that were next to impossible to get before! Of course, I'm not looking forward to Koharu's graduation, but only because of the effect it will have on the current line-up (Koharu is my least-favorite, so that makes it easier on me). I'm seriously dreading the day Ai-chan decides to graduate, but even then Sayumi should be around a few years longer!Although I still study Japanese everyday, I don't spend much time writing Japanese essays like I used to when my pal Kumiko was tutoring me. So since my separate Japanese blog was pretty much stagnant, I've moved those essays into the flow of the main WEBmikey posts, and you can easily find them using the renshuu (Japanese for "practice") label. But speaking of Japanese, I've really been enjoying it lately, and I can kind of feel my vocabulary is substantially growing, so I've decided I want to take the JLPT again in 2010! Next year will be the first year with the new levels, so I'm excited about trying N3 (which is between the old Level 3 and Level 2, meaning it's a nice progression for me). That means I'll be re-focusing my studies next year (under Kumiko's tutelage), and I'm looking forward to it! Finally, I wanted to mention that as of yesterday I've finished with this year's Christmas shopping! That may be a new record for me, but I have to order things early to give them time to ship, so I can wrap them and pass them off to my parents at Thanksgiving. On the subject of buying, using my Amazon Visa for everything (and always paying it off) has really raked in the bonus Amazon dollars for me. I've already earned over $425 bucks this year! Labels: japanese, jpop, morning musume, small things |
| Routine Mikey | |
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10.07.2009
12:01 PM | Link0 comments |
I’ve always been the kind of person that enjoys a routine, especially in the morning. It’s funny how I settle into something, which will last quite a while, then it will slowly morph into a different routine (I’m sure if you dig around on WEBmikey you’ll find several mentions of past routines!). Lately I’ve been pretty focused on a fairly extensive set of activities, and it always makes me feel great when I do them all! Of course, sometimes I leave things out, but here’s what a “perfect” day looks like for me. I wake up at 5:30 AM (I’ve always loved getting up early, and it’s been so easy since I started using my soothing iPhone alarm instead of my awful alarm clock!), and sit down at my iMac. One of my current projects is moving my entire photo collection to iPhoto (which includes tagging faces), so I do a few sets of pictures (it will take me months to finish it all, but doing a little every day is the way to go). Next I usually upload one of my latest toy macro photos to Flickr. I take these ahead of time, which is sometimes the next activity. I shoot a few photos of whatever new toys I’ve added my collection, and these transfer to my iMac automatically via my EyeFi card (once again, doing just a few shots each morning is much easier for me than doing a ton all at once, since I will just keep putting that off). Now I’m ready to go downstairs, take my vitamins, and start studying Japanese. I do three lessons on Smart.fm, then at least 100 words on LearnTheKanji.com. After that I turn on some classical music and read a chapter or two of whatever book or manga I’m working on. Finally, I have a quick breakfast (oatmeal or yogurt) while watching a few minutes of whatever Jpop TV shows I have ready on my Apple TV. After all of this, it’s finally time to get dressed for work! My weekday routine (aside from actual work in the office) starts during my lunch break. I almost always go home for lunch, and the first thing I do is fire up the Wii and play Gold’s Gym Cardio Workout before I eat, and usually post something on WEBmikey after I eat. Back at work, I’m in the habit of taking walks around 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM (a little under 1.5 miles each), which breaks up the day nicely. When I go home, I like to immediately work a little on whatever project I’m into, which currently is learning Final Cut Express, so I do a lesson from a book I’m working through. If I don't have band rehearsal or something going on with my pals, then most nights I watch a movie, and I even have kind of a schedule for that, somewhat rotating through purchased DVDs, Netflix rented DVDs, or Netflix Watch Instantly options. On the weekends, I still do my usual morning routine, then on Saturdays I talk to my parents on the phone, and right after that I go to the Domain or the Arboretum for a long walk. Sundays are almost the same, except I go to church before the walk. Some of this rigidity (or monotonous repetition) sounds a little crazy even to me, but somehow I really like it. I always enjoy blowing everything off once in a while, but most of the time I’m just happy living the same day over and over! |
| Three Small Things 8.09.09 | |
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8.09.2009
10:44 AM | Link3 comments |
 I've been getting behind lately taking photos of my new PEZ, LEGO sets, and other toys, mainly because I'm lazy! I decided that part of my procrastination has to do with getting out the USB cable and transferring my photos to my iMac, so I thought I would take that out of the equation by getting an Eye-Fi card for my camera. I've been interested in these SD cards with built-in wi-fi for a long time (I was pretty amazed by the idea when they first came out), and now they are so cheap. It didn't take long at all to configure everything, and now while I'm shooting my toys the photos are magically being transferred to my iMac simultaneously. It's a pretty simple concept, but I'm totally into convenience, so maybe I can keep up with my ever-growing toy collection now!
Since I've been eating the same kinds of simple meals for quite a while now, I've been trying things to keep them interesting. Lately I've been putting salsa on just about anything, since salsa is incredibly low-calorie. I don't think I had ever had salsa on scrambled eggs before, but now I love it! Salsa is also my only topping for a baked potato, too - no butter, no salt, just salsa. I also put it in black beans for some extra flavor. I haven't been trying any exotic brands, but I think I'm going to branch out since I'm using it so much. I haven't written about Japanese in a long time, so here's a quick update on my language studies (yes, I haven't stopped!). I'm still a big fan of Smart.fm, and I'm really close to completely finishing my fourth course. I discovered a truly awesome site called Read the Kanji that may be the easiest, most fun way to study kanji ever invented, and I can't believe how nice it is to crank through a few hundred words every now and then (it's really reinforcing my vocabulary, too)! Since the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is getting re-leveled next year, I'm pretty sure I want to take the N3 test (which is between the old Level 3 that I have already passed and the incredibly difficult old Level 2), so I may completely switch into studying mode next year. Until then, I'm having fun studying via the web and "practicing" by watching Jpop shows! Labels: japanese, small things |
| Three Small Things 2.18.09 | |
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2.18.2009
8:42 PM | Link0 comments |
I just finished shredding a year's worth of old statements and other paper documents, which was easy to do with my semi-heavy duty shredder, but while I was doing it I realized that all of those documents did nothing but take up space for the past few years. I don't even look at new statements anymore since I can see everything online! Previously I had been reluctant to switch over to paperless options from my bank, credit cards, and so on, but I suddenly decided it was time. I've just switched everything I can, so instead of all that paper I'm just going to get email messages!
I used to be much more of a coffee snob than I am now. Recently I started trying out different kinds of coffee from the grocery store, and I've been buying it pre-ground (just to be lazy). I used to always grind my own beans, but now I haven't used my grinder in several months, so I just cleaned it up and put it away. Sometimes being lazy helps reduce countertop clutter! I finished my second complete course on iKnow today! It's been fun to watch my stats get better, and it's definitely a nice way to keep the Japanese from falling out of my head. The next course has some really tough vocabulary, though, so my days of coasting are over! Labels: decluttering, japanese, small things |
| Studying Japanese is fun and free! | |
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12.13.2008
7:59 PM | Link0 comments |
 A couple months ago, I decided to take a break from my years of studying Japanese, and it's been nice to have more free time lately. But I knew I wouldn't be able to completely stay away from Japanese very long, and I was concerned about forgetting vocabulary and things that I've worked so hard to learn. Recently I decided to try out a new study method, thanks to an amazing website called iKnow that I read about on Tofugu! I can easily say that iKnow is one of the best, most interesting, and fun ways to brush up on Japanese that I've ever seen, and I'm already addicted to it! The website is run by a language learning company in Japan, and it uses fantastic Flash-based applications with a brilliant interface that makes studying feel like playing a video game (at least to me). The vocabulary section runs through various words and simultaneously teaches usage (through excellent sample sentences and photos), pronunciation (through native speaker sound clips), and even kanji, since everything is presented in kana right from the start. The quizes are multiple choice, but sometimes there are 10 responses to choose from (often including a "none of the above" choice), and each question has a time limit! There's also a dictation section that really exercises listening (was that a wa or a ga?) and typing skills. There is literally a mountain of classes available at all levels - I'm working on the lowest level, which is way below my skill, but it's really fun to remember words I already know, plus I'm learning lots of kanji that I haven't studied before. And best of all, iKnow is free - I just can't believe it! I would even recommend iKnow's method over Rosetta Stone, since it has much more variety so it doesn't get boring. I've been having a blast completing a few 5-10 minute lessons each day, and it's fun to watch my stats go up (you can see my live badge below). It feels great to keep my Japanese going in a stress-free, fun way!
Labels: japanese |
| Benkou yasumi | |
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10.13.2008
8:59 PM | Link0 comments |
A couple weeks ago I started re-evaluating how I spend my non-work time, and I made the big decision to stop studying Japanese. I've been studying for about seven years, taking two courses at Austin Community College, going to lots of lessons with three tutors, reading tons of books, listening to podcasts, studying with software, scouring websites, and everything else! I've passed two levels of the JLPT, and I like the fact that I can understand so many words when I watch Japanese TV shows (although I still need subtitles). But for quite a while now my study habits have been declining, and I've been spending more time trying to force myself to study than the actual study itself. So, I'm going to take a long break, which means I don't plan on studying again until I really get the urge. Even though I'll enjoy the freedom from making myself feel guilty after not studying, it still feels really weird, since studying Japanese has been my main hobby for so long. Making this decision has started an avalanche of thoughts about why I do the things I do, and I want to stop doing things just because I feel I "have to". I don't really know what that means completely, but if I feel like I'm forcing myself to do something, then I'm going to stop. This weekend I decided I'm not going to do a Christmas project this year, after spending a lot of time trying to come up with ideas that just didn't come together. So, maybe this is another way of decluttering, or maybe it's a mid-life crisis! Whatever it is, I'm going to start experiencing free time without responsibility for a while, and then I'm going to have to figure out what I'm interested in all over again. Ultimately all that matters is discovering new ways to enjoy life, and I definitely plan on it! |
| いい パーティーの ホストの じょうけん | |
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9.19.2008
9:09 PM | Link0 comments |
パーティーの ホストを するのは たのしいですが、ときどき ストレスに なります。ぜんぶ やるのと なにも やらないのと バランスを とりにくい です。私は パーティーの ホストを するのは むずかしいと おもいますが、この じょうけんの リストは やくにたつ かもしれません。 きゃくが のびやかな ふんいきを たのしむ ことができた ほうが いい です。ホストの 家が びじゅつかん みたいに かんぺき なら、きゃくは たのしい きもちに なれません。私の 家は この じょうけんに あいません ですが、やはり だいじ だと おもいます。 きゃくが ついた とき、ホストは きゃくの うわぎと かばんを あずかって、ほかの へやに あつめった ほうが いい です。 ホストは きゃくに さいしょの のみものは とって あげる べき ですが、あとの のみものは きゃくが じぶんで とった ほうが いい です。 パーティー中、ホストは 一人一人の きゃくと はなす べき です。きゃく ぜんいんが じぶんは 大切だと おもって くれた ほうが いい です。 パーティーが つまらなく なったら、ホストは おもしろい なにかを する べき です。たとえば、あたらし おやつを だして みます。 きゃくが かえる とき、ホストは ちゃんと「ありがとう」といって みおくった ほうが いい です。 なにより、ホストは たのしむ べき です。ホストは うれしくない なら、きゃくも うれしく なりません！ |
| Erin's Challenge! I Can Speak Japanese Vol 2 : 4 of 5 | |
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9.04.2008
12:46 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm glad I bought all three volumes of this series when I heard about it, because I'm really enjoying it! I may not be learning tons of new stuff, but it's all excellent review on many levels, including tons of reading practice. It's also cool to read explanations of Japanese grammar in Japanese, and some of these are really well done (the discussion of the dreaded -n desu that confuses so many people actually made sense!). The DVD includes 25-minute shows for each of the eight lessons, and they are even better than the first volume. The animation has a little more variety and jokes, and the culture segments are really interesting. This time they include typical subjects like festivals and riding trains, but also more unusual cultural aspects like cell phone emoticons (emoji and kaomoji) and even nail art! I really get a lot out of watching the video after I've read the complete lesson, and it's satisfying to watch cartoon Erin make the same conjugation mistakes just like every beginning student. In the live action world, it's nice how there's just enough overall story to keep the characters interesting - there are even a few romances getting started! As I said before, these books might be difficult for a total beginner, but the combination of video and text is worth if if you really work through it. I'm going to enjoy the next volume - I hope there are some new concepts for me to learn!
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| にほんご のうりょく しけんの よいてん、わるいてん | |
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9.01.2008
9:08 PM | Link0 comments |
毎年 世界中で 日本語の がくしゅうしゃは 日本語 のうりょく しけんを うけっています。私は よんきゅう と さんきゅうを うけって、いい けいけん でした。日本語の がくしゅうしゃは ぜんいん この しけんを うけるのを かんがえる べき だと おもいます。 日本語 のうりょく しけんは よいてんが たくさん あります。しけんを うける ことは べんきょう ほうほうが はっきり します。それぞれの きゅうには ぶんぽうの ポイントが わけられています。とても やくにたつと おもいます。毎年 てんすうの ようやくが だされているので、じぶんと ほかの がくしゅうしゃを くらべるのが おもしろいと おもいます。 しかし 日本語 のうりょく しけんは わるいてんも あります。それは ちょうかいが むずかしすぎること です。ちょうかいは せいかいの へいきんりつが ５０パーセント しか ありません。ちょうかいと かんじは ひっかけ もんだいが たくさん すると おもいます。しけんを うけた あと、けっかが くるのが 四ヶ月も かかります。ながすぎると おもいます！ にきゅうは すごく むずかしい ですが、２００９年の にきゅうの しけんに うかるのが わたしの ゆめ です。これから もっと べんきょう しなければ なりません！ |
| Erin's Challenge! I Can Speak Japanese Vol 1 : 4 of 5 | |
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7.20.2008
7:25 AM | Link1 comments |
 Now that I'm in between Rosetta Stone Japanese levels, I've finally started studying with a new set of books that I bought last year. I've always thought it would be cool to use DVDs as a study method, so when I heard about this series I was pretty excited, even though I knew these would be beginner books teaching me stuff I already knew. Actually, this series is kind of strange - although each lesson teaches a simple language concept, all of the explanation is in somewhat advanced Japanese! If a complete beginner tried to learn from these books, I think they would be totally lost. But for me, I had a great time studying "around" the actual lesson! Each lesson consists of a chapter in the book and an accompanying show on the DVD, which features both animation (including your yellow blob teacher named Honigon) and live-action skits. The skits follow the lives of several high school students, including Erin, who is supposed to be an exchange student learning Japanese, but of course she already speaks well. Each DVD lesson also includes culture segments such as Let's Try and Let's See, as well as a discussion of the grammar concept (all in Japanese). Only the skits are subtitled, and the book is completely in Japanese, too (except for scripts of the skit subtitles). I decided to read through each lesson in the book first, which gave me some reading practice and an overview of what I'd be watching, and then I enjoyed the DVD and did my best to follow along (I can understand about 90% of what's being said). I showed this book briefly to my tutor Kumiko and she was impressed with the natural speaking style, which is really fun for me to learn. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this book (though I'm not sure I would recommend it to a total beginner), since it's such a refreshing change from my other study methods, and I'm really looking forward to continuing with the next volume!
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| 夏休み の おもいで | |
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7.17.2008
9:07 PM | Link0 comments |
私にとって １９９５年の 夏休みは とても とくべつ です。１９９４年に りこん した ので、新しい なにかを さがして いました。１９９５年に 私と しごと なかまの トレーさんは カリフォルニアしゅうの サンノゼに ある アッペルしゃの ねんかいに さんか しました。サンノゼの あたりを たのしむ ために、ぜんじつに つきました。 まずは オープンカーを かりて、「PCH」という ゆうめいな こうそくどうろを うんてん しました。おおきな おとで おんがくを ききながら、つよい かぜ と うみの いい においを たのしみました。すばらしい きもち でした！ そして、スチンソン ビーチへ いきました。その とき、ほとんど 人が いなかった ので、そこで じかんを おく かけて、なみを みながら じんせいに ついて はなしました。トレーさんが やさしい 人 なので、はなしやすかった です。 そのあと、バークレーで さんぽ したり、本やで かいもの したり、ビールを のんだり しました。新聞を よんで いた とき、フォークの コンサートの じょうほうを みつけました。すごく ぐうぜんに おたがいに この バンドが 好き だったから、コンサートを みに いきました。とても もりあがりました。 １９９５年の 夏休みの ー日は 私の たからもの です。そして この けいけん について たくさん しを かきました。この できごとを ぜったい わすれません。 |
| ゴジラ・エビラ・モスラ 南海の大決闘（なんかいの だいけっとう） | |
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6.24.2008
9:07 PM | Link2 comments |
ゴジラの映画が すき？ ぼくは かいじゅうが かっこいいと おもうから、ゴジラの映画が マイブーム なんだ！ 今週「ゴジラ・エビラ・モスラ 南海の だいけっとう」を みた。この 映画は ゴジラのだい７かい、１９６６年に つくられた。ぼこが うまれる まえの 日本の とくさつの 映画は すでに すごいね！ 南海の ふしぎな しまで、「あかい たけ」という わるい そしきが げんばくを つくっている。それに、インファント アイランドの人を とらえていて、どれいに している。かわいそうな げんじゅうみん だね。インファント アイランドは モスラの うち だって している？ しらない？ もっと もっと ゴジラの映画を みる べき だぜ！ さらに、エビラという かいじゅうが いるから、この ふしぎな しまは そごく きけん だ。ぐうせんに、おなじ しまの山の中で ゴジラが ねていた！ ゴジラが おきると、やっと たたかいが はじまる！ エビラは でかい えびのよう だから、大きい はさみが ある。この はさみで 石を なげるん だけど、ゴジラが あたまで 石を サッカー みたいに かえしていた！ すごいね！ その あと、インファント アイランドの げんじゅうみんは モスラを よぶ ために うたを うたいはじめた。ところで、メインの げんじゅうみんは ゆめいな とくさつの やくしゃの みずの くみ だ。ほんとうに びじん だね！ とにかく、しまの人を たすける ために、モスラが きた。ゴジラは アトミック ブレスで エビラを りょうり する ように ゆであげたが、まさに この げんばくが ばくはつ する！ モスラは 大きい あみで げんじゅうみんを ぜんいん つれだした。とびながら、人たちが「ゴジラ！ にげて！」とさけんでいる。ぎりぎりセーフで、ゴジラは 大丈夫だった！ 「ゴジラ・エビラ・モスラ 南海の だいけっとう」は ゆうめいな ゴジラの えいがかんとくの 本田 いしろが いないけど、それでも すごい 映画だと おもう。でも、しまで すべての たたかいが あるから、まちを ぜんぜん こわさなかった！ ざんねん！ |
| Where's my Rosetta Stone diploma? | |
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6.20.2008
7:48 AM | Link0 comments |
 The only good thing about waking up on the couch at 5:00 AM is that I have an extra long morning to get lots of stuff done! Today I realized I only had two lessons left to complete Rosetta Stone Japanese Level 2, so I decided to do them both in a row, and now I'm totally finished! This is a pretty big deal for me, since Level 2 encompassed over 200 individual lessons! I completed Level 1 way back in 2004, and then started Level 2 sometime after that, but I only worked on it sporadically because of my JLPT studies. But for the past few months I have been working on it daily (as a way of focusing on specific goals), and it finally paid off. For me, Rosetta Stone has been a great way to get a broad exposure to tons of Japanese vocabulary, and a nice overview (and sometimes review) of grammar concepts. I don't claim to have very much retention of the words that I've studied, but I know that when I encounter them again in other studies that a lightbulb will go on and I'll remember seeing them before! Sometimes the lessons were too wordy, but other times just right - I really enjoyed the series of comic strip lessons (guessing the cartoon panel that goes with the spoken sentence), and the several thematic vocabulary lessons were pretty interesting. I also love having a prepared lesson given to me - I would rather have a computer program tell me "you will learn this today" rather than deciding what to study on my own. Back when I started Level 2, Rosetta Stone didn't make a Japanese Level 3 product, but now they do (and it uses a new improved software engine), so I'm sure I'll dig into it sometime, possibly later this year. For now I have some other study materials that I bought a long time ago to check out!Labels: japanese |
| Warukunai desu yo | |
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5.10.2008
3:40 PM | Link0 comments |
You may remember that I was a disappointed in my scores on the 2007 Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 3, but since then I've been really curious to find out how the rest of the world did on the same exam. Every year they publish a set of statistics with that information, and this week I noticed the results were finally available online, so at last I can compare myself with the rest of the world! The numbers I'm interested in are the average scores for overseas examinees, and there were around 113,000 of them last year. I'm really happy to say that my scores were above average in all three parts of the test, so I feel much better now! My writing/vocabulary score was 84, while the average was only 69, and my reading/grammar score was 163, while the average was 126. Best of all, now I have proof that the 2007 listening comprehension section was really terrible - the average score was a mere 39 points, which makes my score of 48 seem much better! So overall, my total score of 295 looks nice compared to the average score of 235. I've really been enjoying my Japanese studies this year, and now it feels even better to know that my Level 3 results were definitely OK since the test was pretty difficult. Now I have new determination to pass Level 2 someday, most likely in 2009 - I'm definitely going to spend this year enjoying Japanese without cramming for the exam! While I'm on the subject, this week I had my last lesson with my tutor Mikie, who is moving to California soon. I couldn't have asked for a better teacher at this stage of my studies - her kindness really helped me through some tough spots and encouraged me to continue studying! I'm thankful that my pal Kumiko is my new tutor, and we are making fantastic progress and having fun, but I'm definitely going to miss Mikie-sensei! |
| オペラ | |
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5.08.2008
9:06 PM | Link0 comments |
むかし から、私は オペラの ファン です。大学生の とき、初めて オペラを みにいってから、大学の としょかんで オペラのビデオを よく みる ように なりました。それいらい 私は オペラの シーズン チケットを いつも かっています。 オペラは 音楽とか えんぎとか いしょうなどを くみあわせているので、かんぺきな げいじゅつと いわれます。ミュージカルと ちがう ところは ふつうの せりふが ありません。オペラは せりふが ぜんぶ うたわれます。この せりふの うたいかたを レチターチボと いいます。ちなみに、ながい きょくを アリアと いいます。 オペラでは かしゅの うたこえは オーケストラの がっきみたい です。ことば より 音楽の ほうが じゅうよう なので、ときどき 二人や 三人が ちがう せりふを どうじに うたいます！でも、その ねいろは うつくしいと おもいます。だいたい オペラは イタリアごや ドイツごや フランスごで うたわれますが、きんだいてきな げきじょうの ステージ の うえでは じまくが うつされます。 オペラは ３時間 ぐらい かかって、まくあいが 二回 あります。オペラの はなしは だいじ ですが、かんきゃくは みるまえに はなしを もう しっています。ただ えんぎを たのしむことが オペラの さいこうの みかた です。だから、私は オペラを みにいく まえに オペラの はなしを よんだり、音楽を みたり します。 私には 一番好きな オペラを えらぶのが とても むずかしい です。こいと じゅなんの アリアが 大好き なので、「La Boheme 」や「Faust」や「Rigoletto」や「Don Giovanni」が すばらしいと おもいます。つぎの シーズンに「Rigoletto」を みにいくのを たのしみに しています！ |
| まんがの キャラクターの びょうしゃ | |
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5.02.2008
9:05 PM | Link2 comments |
わたしは さいきん「ひかるのご」という まんがを よんでいます。この まんがが とても おもしろくて、日本 ぶんかが いっぱい はいっています。メーン キャラクターは「しんど ひかる」とうい １２さいの 男の子 です。この はなしを まだ よみおわっていない けど、ひかるくんは おもしろい キャラクター だと おもいます。 はじめに、ひかるくんは ちょっと なまけもの でした。かれは なにも きょうみが ありません でした。そして、やねうらで ごばんを みつけたら、とつぜん「ふじわらのさい」という れいが あらわれました！ さいさんは ゆうめいな ごの めいじん だから、ひかるくんに ごの あそびかたを おしえてあげました。 まもなく ひかるくんの ごが じょうずに なってから、「とうや あきら」という ほかの ごの きしが ひかるくんの ライバルに なりました。ライバルの おかげで、ひかるくんは もっと もっと がんばりました！ 日本の はなしには ライバルが つねに だいじ です。このばあい あきらくんは ひかるくんが もっと いい ごの きしの なる ために かんか しました。 ひかるくんは もっと じょうずに なる ために がんばっている ので、わたしは「ひかるのご」が とても すき です。さいご まで ぜったい よみます。つぎの ほんを たのしみに しています！ |
| Japanese in MangaLand Vol 2 / Marc Bernabe : 3 of 5 | |
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5.01.2008
10:15 PM | Link0 comments |
 I can't believe I read this first volume of this series back in 2006, and I just now finally finished the second volume (guess I was really busy studying for the JLPT)! I really like the way this book concisely presents Japanese grammar - sometimes it has to bend the truth a little to avoid mentioning the many confusing exceptions that are lurking nearby, but I love the way it spells out grammar rules with confidence anyway. The selling point for this series is the manga examples, but truthfully they are the least helpful part of the book (but still fun to study). Even less helpful are the cultural/conversation chapters, which are just lists of sentences like a typical phrase book, which is pretty boring. The other weird thing about this book is it was originally written in Spanish, so this English version is actually a translation, which may be the reason some of the sentences are annoyingly full of complex grammar jargon. For example, "Potentiality and prohibition expressions in Japanese are not excessively hard to assimilate due to the relative simplicity of the verbal conjugations" is an actual sentence in the book! On the positive side, I really learned a few things that stuck with me, such as the origin of the crazy -chau conjugation, which is really a slang version of -te shimau (and now it finally makes sense!). There's also a nice set of "giving and receiving" diagrams (you can never have enough of those, trust me!). So even though this series has its drawbacks, I still want to get the third volume sometime soon! I wouldn't really recommend it for a total beginner, but it's been very useful for me as a refresher, with great exposure to many areas of the Japanese language.
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| ベスト マン | |
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4.27.2008
9:05 PM | Link0 comments |
アメリカには けっこんしきの しゅうかんが たくさん あります。その なかで ベスト マンと いう しゅうかんが とても にんき です。しんろうは ともだち と かぞくの うちから 男の人 一人だけを えらびます。その 男の人は「ベスト マン」と いいます。 ベスト マンは いろいろな ことを しなければ なりません。さいしょに、けっこんしきの まえ、しんろうの ようじが ある とき、ベスト マンが たすけます。たとえば、クリーニングを とりに いったり、はなの ちゅうもんを はなやに かくにん したり、しんぞくの くるまの よやくを かくにん します。つぎに、どくしん パーティの よていを たてます。だいたい ベスト マンが その パーティの ひようを ぜんぶ はらいます。 けっこんしきの日、ベスト マンは しんろうの ために けっこんゆびわを かんり しています。そして、けっこんしきの あとの けっこんひろうえんで、大切な スピーチを します。いい スピーチ なら、みんなが かんどう してくれます！ 私は いっかいだけ ベスト マンに えらばれました が、たのしい けいけん でした！ ベスト マンに なった ことが わすれられない です。 |
| レシピ | |
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4.16.2008
9:04 PM | Link0 comments |
私は ひとりぐらし して いる どくしん です ので、りょうり を あまり しません。でも、クッキーを つくることが できると おもいます。インターネットから クッキーのレシピ です。 さいしょに、オーブンを ３７５どに よねつ して下さい。ちいさい ボウルに、こむぎこ カップ 2か４ぶんの３ばい と ベーキングソーダ こさじ １ぱい と ベーキングパウダー こさじ ２ぶんの１ぱいを まぜて下さい。 つぎに、大きい ボウルに、バター カップ １ぱい と さとう カップ １か２ぶんの１ぱいを まぜて下さい。たまご １こ と バニラ こさじ １ぱいを まぜあわせて下さい。すこしずつ ほかの ざいりょうを くわえて下さい。 つぎに、きじ こさじ １ぱいlを まるめて、クッキング パン に ならべて下さい。オーブンで きつねいろに なるまで やいて下さい。たぶん、はっぷん から じゅっぷん かかります。 さいごに、つめたく なるまで、まって下さい。あとで、たのしんで下さい。 この クッキーは いかが ですか？ わたしは クッキーを 食べたい！ |
| 子供じだいのトランプあそび | |
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4.09.2008
9:03 PM | Link0 comments |
子供の とき、私は おじいさんと いっしょに よく トランプを しました。おじいさんが たくさん トランプあそびを おしえてくれました。クレージーエイト という ゲームが いちばん 好き でした。クレージーエイトを せつめい します！ さいしょに、トランプを きって下さい。つぎに、プレーヤーは それぞれ ななまい もらいます。トランプの やま から、いちまいを めくって下さい。 すべての カードを なくすのが この トランプあそびの ゴール てす。まいかい、めくられた カードを みて下さい。おなじ すうじ や おなじ マークは めくられた カードの うえに すてる ことが できます。たとえば、もし めくられた カードが「に」なら、どれでも「に」の カードは すてられます。それとも、もし めくられた カードが「ハート」なら、どれでも「ハート」の カードは めくられます。もし いい カードを もっていなければ、ほかの カードを ひかなければ なりません。 「はち」の カードは とくべつ です。その カードは いつでも つかえます。「はち」の カードを つかう とき、ちがう マークを しんちょうに えらんで下さい。「はち」の カードは かつ ために とても やくにたちます。 クレージーエイトは たのしそう だと おもいますか？ クレージーエイトで あそびましょう！ |
| てがみ | |
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3.30.2008
9:03 PM | Link0 comments |
なかまさん へ こんにちは！ オースティン へ くる と きいて とても うれしい です！ よろこんで あんない します！ なかまさん の ような げいのじん は なに を する の が 好き なのか わかりません が、がんばって よてい を かんがえて みました！ まず は、あさごはん を たべましょう。 オースティン では メキシコ ぶんか も けいけん できる ので、「Las Manitas」へ いきましょう。 この レストラン は ちょっと きたない ですが、かなり ゆうめい です。「Migas」と いう たまご りょうり が おいしい と おもいます。 つぎ に、ダウンタウン を さんぽ しましょう。 オースティン の キャピトル や、びじゅつかん や、こうえん は どこも すてき です。 さんぽ の あと は、たぶん おなか が すく と おもう ので、「Central Market」へ ひろごはん を たべに いきましょう。 ここ は すばらしい スーパー です、ほんとう に アメリカ てき！ オースティン といえば、ライブミュージク が ゆうめい です ので、たべながら バンド を みられる かもしりません。 オースティン には きれいな おか が たくさん あります。 けしき を たのしみ に ドライブ しましょう。「Lake Travis」では ふね を みられます。 へいわ な きもち に なる と おもいます。 よる に なる と、もちろん ばんごはん の じかん です！ 「Ruth's Chris」で おいしい ステーキ を たべられます。 わたし の ともだち は 「Ruth's Chris」が いちばん すき な ステーキ の レストラン だと いって います。 つかれて いなかったら、ばんごはん の あと で オペラ みに いきません か。 さいきん あたらし げきじょう が つくられた ところ です。 なかまさん が くる の が たのしみ！ マイク より |
| れんぞく ドラマの ちがう ところ | |
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3.15.2008
9:02 PM | Link0 comments |
アメリカの れんぞく ドラマ と 日本の れんぞく ドラマ は たくさん ちがう ところ が あります。 さいしょ に、日本の ドラマ は たいてい 十一わ か 十二わ で おわります。 アメリカの ドラマの おわり は いつ か わかりません。日本の つくりかたの ほうが いい と おもいます。はなし が いつも ちゃんと おわります から です。 つぎ に、日本の ドラマ は まいかい にんきな きょく が ながれます。たとえば、「はな より だんご ２」で、 とうじょうじんぶつの きもち が たかまった とき、宇多田ヒカルの きょくの「Flavor of Life」が いつも ながれました。ですから、ドラマ が おらるころ には、きょくを おぼえて しまいます！ さいご に、日本の ドラム は プラスしこうの はなし が よく ある と おもいます。はなしの なかで、とうじょうじんぶつ が かわって、しあわせ に なります。日本の ドラム は みてころ と、 いい きぶん に なります！ アメリカの ドラムも 日本の ドラムも すき です。でも、いつか じまく ぬきで 日本の ドラムを みるの が ぼくの ゆめ です！ |
| Yamenai! | |
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3.01.2008
10:20 PM | Link0 comments |
 Studying Japanese has been one of my major activities for the past several years, but lately I've been having a tough time. I always feel frustrated when I try to speak (even though I have two spectacular tutors), and I'm often too lazy to do the hard work of attempting to express myself by writing, so I don't feel like I've progressed much, especially this year. One of my goals for this year was to have more fun with studying - to find new ways of studying as a kind of enjoyable game - but instead, I feel like my studies have a lack of direction, which drives me crazy sometimes!I received my results for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Level 3 that I took in December, and I was a little disappointed. I was well above the passing score, so I have a nice certificate to frame, but my scores were just so-so. Actually, looking at the statistics from 2006, I'm way over the average mark, but I just wanted to do better. I made an 84 out of 100 in vocabulary and a 163 out of 200 in reading comprehension, but my listening comprehension was only 48 out of 100 (kind of embarrassing!). So, my total score was a high C grade, but since I'm such a perfectionist (probably because I was my high school valedictorian), I was a little bummed. On top of that, my work week was a little crazy, so I've been in a negative state of mind that made me consider just quitting Japanese all together. But since then I've changed my mood, and I definitely want to continue studying! I just need to really chill out and treat my studies as a hobby, because that's exactly what it is. I have a strong love of Japanese culture, and I've always enjoyed enhancing that by learning how this beautiful language works - I just need to remember that motivation! I'm really moving along towards finishing Rosetta Stone Level 2, and my pal Kumiko is going to assign me some fun essays to write for homework. It's always hard to balance my time and keep my over-obsession in check, but I'm going to do it! |
| Sweet shift | |
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1.23.2008
6:18 PM | Link0 comments | The other day I was typing up some vocabulary from my last Japanese lessons with Mikie and Kumiko, and I accidentally discovered something incredibly useful when typing in kana on the Mac! I'm sure everyone already knew this but me, but I was so excited about it that I just have to mention it just in case it makes someone else's life easier. Previously, I used to hate switching between hiragana and katakana - I would either use the menubar, or suffer through the weird keystroke Ctrl-Shift-K to get to katakana and then Ctrl-Shift-J to get back to hiragana. As I was making this bizarre stroke, I had the Shift key down and accidentally typed a few letters and realized they were coming out as katakana, even though I was in hiragana mode! Since Japanese has no upper and lower case distinction, the Shift key is totally open for this kind of shortcut, and it works beautifully. Now I can effortlessly switch when I need to type a katakana word, which will make typing Japanese so much better for me! |
| Ittekimasu! | |
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11.30.2007
7:35 AM | Link0 comments | Tomorrow I'm leaving for Los Angeles to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Level 3 on Sunday! I feel like I'm a little more prepared than when I took Level 4 last year, so I'm looking forward to the experience (but I'm not looking forward to waiting until March for the results!). I'm glad that I've stuck with it and studied all year, and it's great to know that my pals are cheering me on, too. My pal Kumiko sent me a Japanese e-card, and my pal Melinda went all-out and surprised me with a "good luck kit" full of snacks and Christmas goodies! I'm going to enjoy the trip, especially seeing Dae and Ernesto again, and when I come back I'll be in full relax mode! |
| JLPT 2007 signup | |
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8.06.2007
11:07 PM | Link0 comments | I've officially registered for the 2007 Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 3! It's pretty exciting to actually be signed up, even though it only took me two minutes to register online. I think this year is going to be much smoother, since I'll be familar with the testing location on the USC campus and how the whole process works. Unfortunately, I didn't study at all this weekend, but I'm hoping to make up for lost time really soon! It's time to really get serious about focusing my studies on the test itself, and I'm looking forward to it. December 2nd is coming up fast! |
| Astro Boy 1980s Japanese opening theme | |
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7.28.2007
12:28 PM | Link0 comments |
 Lately I have been watching a ton of Astro Boy (already four episodes today!), since I realy want to finish this DVD set before I move on to other things to watch. The show is really fantastic, as I've said before, and it's kind of cool absorbing each episode one after another, since you can really watch the characters grow and see all kinds of connections. There are so many great stories, such as the Greatest Robot in the World saga, all of the Atlas episodes, and even some guest appearances by other Tezuka characters, such as Black Jack and Princess Knight! Of course, now I've heard the theme song a billion times, but strangely enough, I couldn't find the actual Japanese lyrics with translation on the web, so I just did my own. I tend to translate more literally than poetically, since it helps me learn vocabulary, and it's amazing how even a simple song like this can contain idiomatic phrases and things. By the way, Astro's "real" name in Japanese translates to Mighty Atom. So, here's the Astro Boy opening theme from the 1980s anime!Japanese sora wo koete ra ra ra hoshi no kanata yukuzo atomu jetto no kagiri kokoro yasashii ra ra ra kagaku no ko juuman bariki da tetsuwan atomu mimi wo sumase ra ra ra me wo mihare sou da atomu yudan wo suruna kokoro tadashi ra ra ra kagaku no ko nanatsu no iryoku sa tetsuwan atomu English Passing through the sky, la la la Far off in the stars Go, Atom (Astro), To the limit of your jets! His heart is kind He's a child of science He has 100,000 horsepower Mighty Atom (Astro Boy) Listen carefully, la la la Be amazed! That's Atom (Astro) Don't be unprepared His heart is just He's a child of science He has seven powers Mighty Atom (Astro Boy) |
| Maiasa no benkyou | |
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7.03.2007
6:35 AM | Link0 comments |
 I have about five more months of study before I take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) Level 3, so I'm starting to get a little more serious about how I spend my study time. Recently I've got kind of a morning routine going that takes up quite a bit of my free time before work, but I think it's worth it (even if I do have to get up early!). First, I go over a few new points from my grammar book and answer a few sample questions. It seems like there are so many new constructions in Level 3, and many of them blend together to confuse me, so this is really important! Next I work on my kanji, which I'm studying two different ways. I've started working through Heisig's famous book Remembering the Kanji, because I really want to just get all 2,000 essential characters out of the way. So far I'm really enjoying the method (even though some of the memorization techniques are a little goofy), and I've using some new flash cards to work through 100 characters a day, rotating 10 new characters in and out of the group. In addition, I'm using the awesome Speedanki.com website to go over the specific Level 3 kanji combinations, and brushing up on Level 4 kanji at the same time. Finally, I've been making tons of computer flash card sets (using iFlash) of Level 3 vocabulary, studying them in groups of 30 words. I think if I continue with this routine for a couple months before practicing with more JLPT sample exams, I will really see a difference! Hontou ni ganbarimasu!
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| Finally finished | |
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6.05.2007
7:14 AM | Link0 comments | Whenever I can see the end of a task is in sight, I have a habit of making a sprint to the light at the end of the tunnel - I just like to go all out to finish up whatever I'm doing. This weekend my mad dash was to finish watching all of the shows I purchased from YesJapan, and now I can say I've seen nearly every single episode they have to offer, and I've got them all archived for the future. I watched so many shows (usually about 30 minutes each) that I lost count, but it must have been at least 15 or so. Back when I discovered YesJapan, I thought these were the greatest thing I'd ever seen, but now they are only semi-interesting, so I'm glad I've finished them up (although I'll probably still check out new episodes periodically). Although there's some great Japanese learning buried in there, I'm weary of sifting through all the boring and often rude humor to learn something! I still think YesJapan is a cool resource, and I know beginners will be just as excited as I was when they take a look, but I can learn more watching an anime episode rather than cringing over these shows' embarrassing moments. Anyway, it was still a nice accomplishment to see them all! |
| Bunpou ga daisuki | |
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5.17.2007
6:57 PM | Link0 comments |
 Lately I've become obsessed with studying Japanese grammar! When I first discovered the fantastic JLPT Study Page, I was pretty far into my Level 4 studies, so I didn't use it that much. But now that I'm itching to discover every inch of Level 3 material, I'm really excited about the complete list of grammar concepts and constructions. I've been going over all of the examples with Kazki in my weekly lessons, and I think it's great practice (it also really helps with my kanji reading, since there's no furigana). Of course, I've read lots of language learning discussion that says boiling a language down to grammar is actually a bad way to learn - they say it's much better to absorb correct sentences and let the grammar follow naturally. I can definitely see how that could be true, but my analytical brain just loves interpreting Japanese like a math equation! Right now I'm studying another Level 3 grammar book from the Complete Master Series (from The Japan Shop, mochiron), and it's been great. I learned the useful -te kara construction just before a conversation with Mikie-sensei, and I used it a lot in my sentences! I guess getting excited about grammar is just about as geeky as you can get over a language, but since I'm proud of being a geek, I guess that's appropriate for me!
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| JLPT statistics | |
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4.19.2007
7:11 AM | Link0 comments | I recently realized that statistics for the 2006 JLPT are now available online, so now I can compare my scores to everyone else! I'm definitely happy with my scores, but seeing them in this light makes me feel even better. For Vocabulary & Kanji, the average score was 73.3, and I scored 93. For Listening, the average score was 53.2, and I scored 76 (I was interested to see if everyone else had the same trouble I did with this section, and it appears so!). For Grammar & Reading, the average score was 131.6, and I scored 186. Finally, the average total score was 258.2, nearly 100 points lower than my score of 355. (By the way, 55,957 people took the test worldwide, which is amazing!) Not bad, but I'm actually shooting to do even better on Level 3 in December! |
| Suburashii mise | |
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4.16.2007
10:02 PM | Link0 comments | Today I received some new JLPT study books from The Japan Shop, so I thought I would mention their fantastic service! They have a great selection of learning materials and other cool Japanese items that I can't find anywhere else, and everytime I have ordered from them they actually ship the same day, and even their least expensive shipping method arrives in only a couple days, nicely packed with care. I'll definitely continue being a customer of The Japan Shop as long as I'm working on the JLPT, so they can expect several more years of business from me! |
| The Preparatory Course for the JLPT, Level 4 / Unicom : 4 of 5 | |
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4.08.2007
7:26 AM | Link0 comments |
 Wait a minute, didn't I take this test already? Well, I bought this book from The Japan Shop on sale only a month or so before the exam, so I only had time to begin looking it over, and since I always have such a desire to completely finish a book once I start, I had to finish studying it! I really think this book is a great study aid, since it does a nice job of presenting each grammar point individually with lots of examples. My other study aids for Level 4 were mainly sample exams, which are totally useful, but I really like going over the details one by one. Since this is a Level 4 book, there's a little English thrown in, but in general everything is kana, as it should be. The price of this book is kind of expensive, mainly because it comes with two CDs (which I haven't even listened to, honestly), but I still think it's worth it to get a nice overview of everything that encompasses Level 4 Japanese. My only complaint with the book is that all of the sample questions have the answers clearly displayed at the bottom of the same page, making it less than ideal for testing yourself, but the amount of exercises provided more than makes up for the inconvenience. I'm definitely going to keep using this Unicom series in the future. In fact, now that I've totally finished this book cover to cover, I'm ready to hit the Level 3 book!
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| Daiseikou! | |
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3.07.2007
7:51 AM | Link0 comments |
 I finally got my results for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (Level 4) that I took in December, and I'm happy to say that I'm officially certified! They sent me a really nice certificate that I'm definitely going to frame, and I hope some day to have a few more levels complete to hang right next to it. My dream goal for the test was to make an A, but I actually figured I would make a high B, and that's exactly what happened. My overall percentage was an 89% (only one point away!), mainly because my listening comprehension score was lower than I expected. The listening questions were definitely harder than the ones I practiced, but I'm still happy with how I did. Here are my scores:
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| Owarimashita! | |
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12.04.2006
10:30 PM | Link0 comments | This weekend I took the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 4, and it was a great experience! It was nice to have a pal like Dae to drive me to the USC campus, and it was really easy to find the building and my classroom. There were tons of test-takers of all ages, including some older guys like me, and even several really young kids with Japanese mothers dropping them off for the exam (and there were plenty of cute Asian girls, too!). On the first section the 25 minute time limit was barely enough, so I paced myself better from then on. One question had to include the one kanji that never showed up on any of my sample questions, of course! Next was listening comprehension (via CD), which was really tricky - I think it was more difficult than what I studied, but I guessed when I had to. Finally, reading comprehension, which is usually tough, turned out to be the easiest for me. There were definitely questions that I had trouble deciding between two answers, but maybe I picked the right ones! Anyway, it's over and I'm glad that I took the exam - now I just wish the results would be announced before March (such a long wait!). I'm definitely going to take Level 3, and I'm looking forward to studying next year! |
| Ringo ga ikutsu desu ka? | |
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11.21.2006
10:21 PM | Link0 comments | The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is just around the corner! Lately I've been so busy with Christmas stuff that I haven't really been studying, but I'm reserving lots of time next week to take the sample tests again. Tonight I had a lesson with Mikie, and we concentrated on some sample listening comprehension questions. She read a script from one of my study books, while I listened and answered the questions in the same way I will during the actual test. I was really happy that I got almost all of them right! There were a few words I didn't know, but I was able to guess from the context, so I feel good about it. I need to watch out for tricky math questions ("I bought ten apples. Yesterday three friends at one each, and today I ate two. How many apples do I have?"), because my translating ends up falling behind and I miss the next important detail in the question! After Thanksgiving weekend is over, I'll be ready to really study again - I'm looking forward to the feeling of accomplishment! |
| れいぶん | |
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10.28.2006
9:01 PM | Link0 comments |
あめ なら、そとに でかけません。 レッスンに ぼこの しゃしんを つれて くる。 ディズニーランドに いく とき、いつも カメラを つれて いく。 ぼくは しょっぱい たべものと チョコレート いっすおに たべるのが すき。 とっくに にほんごを べんきょう して いる。 |
| Fun conversation | |
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10.17.2006
9:45 PM | Link0 comments |
I had some great Japanese conversation practice with Mikie-sensei tonight! We finished talking about my 2003 trip to Japan (by looking at my photo book), and it was so much fun. For some reason, I was able to make a few longer sentences than usual, and it really felt nice. I really didn't study much last week, so maybe it's from listening to JapanesePod101 or watching Hello! Morning episodes (which I have been hooked on recently). Whatever the reason, it was good to feel I'm still making progress. Although completely unrelated, I might as well mention that I'll be making my usual second Disneyland trip of the year later this week! I'm excited about seeing Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time, and I'm also looking forward to all the new Halloween decorations. I'm also planning on taking a stroll on Tom Sawyer Island, too, especially since there are rumors that it could be re-themed soon (to a pirate island). I've got to experience Disneyland history while I can! My pal Dae is always a fantastic host, so I'm looking forward to other fun Los Angeles adventures with him, too. |
| Mainichi benkyou shimasu | |
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9.22.2006
10:55 PM | Link0 comments | Here's a quick update on my various adventures in studying Japanese. I've been taking a few complete sample tests for the JLPT Level 4 (including listening comprehension from CDs), and I can usually score in the 90s. They only require a 60 to pass, but the old "grade monster" in me really wants a 90-something! Anyway, because of those results, I'm not thinking about the test too much (but I will still work on it weekly, I think), and instead I've been watching tons of Japanese TV! Granted, 90% of the stuff I'm watching features Hello! Project, but it still covers a wide variety of situations - game shows, cooking shows, talk shows, comedy routines, and so on. While I watch I write down words to look up later, and I save the slang or weird expressions for Kazki to explain to me. Tutoring with Kazki and Mikie is great as usual - lately Mikie and I have been walking step by step through my 2005 trip to Japan via a photo book I had printed, and it's so much fun that I'm going to make books for my 2003 and 2001 trips, too! I think I've had about four dreams where I'm speaking Japanese (of course, it's easier in the dream), and I'm trying to avoid the translation temptation - I'm hoping the meaning (when I read or practice conversation) will just "sink in" without trying to construct an English sentence in my head. I'm happy things are still progressing! |
| Japanese in MangaLand Vol 1 / Marc Bernabe : 4 of 5 | |
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9.15.2006
5:22 PM | Link0 comments |
 I have a weird habit of wanting to read Japanese study books covering basic concepts that I already know, but I've had my eye on this book for a long time, so I finally decided to give in (especially since it's the start of a three book series). The concept of using manga panels to help teach Japanese has been used in several books I've already read, but I think this is the best implementation so far. Each of the 30 chapters has a quick grammar discussion (usually with some pretty good reference tables), followed by a few manga panels that illustrate the idea. There's also a short self-test after each chapter, which is kind of fun (and verbose answers are included in the back of the book). I think this book covers things too quickly for a beginning student (I know I would have been confused if this were my first exposure), but it definitely explained a few concepts to me in terms I had never seen before (the differences in the various "give" verbs were very well explained, I thought!). I really like the book's binding and design, and it's cool that they've included chapters on things like swear words and rough language that you normally would never see (but since the emphasis is manga, they need to be here!). It was really fun to pick up this book for a five minute lesson every now and then, so I'm definitely going to continue with the next book in the series!
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| れんしゅう | |
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8.29.2006
9:00 PM | Link0 comments | ヂィズニーランド で ぼく の いちばん すき な のりもの は「Pirates of the Caribbean」だ。 この のりもの は さいこう！ はじめ ちさい ふね に はいて いて、わっくり に うく。 とつぜん ドカーン！ おおき な かいぞくせん が あって、たいほう を うって いる！ たくさん の かいぞく が いて、うたったり、おさけ を のんだり、わらったい する。 ぼく は いつも のって たのしむ！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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8.21.2006
9:00 PM | Link0 comments | ぼく は りのちゃん と いっしょ に テレビ ゲーム の「DDR」を した。 かのじょ は ひたり の やじるし に ステップ を して、ぼく は ほか な やじるし に ステップ した。 それ あと、ぼくたち は きょうりょう の おもちゃ に あそんだ。 りのちゃん の そうぞう は りっぱ だった！ おそい に なった とき、ぼく は ともだち の バーロン と いっしょ に ビール を のんだ。 たのしい ゆうべ を すごした。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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8.06.2006
8:59 PM | Link0 comments | きのう の よろ ぼく は おこのみやき の パーチィー に いった。 たべもの は とても おいしかった。 たくさん こども が あって、ぼく と かれら は いっしょ に あそんた。 ちょう たのしかった！ こども の うとり が あんなのこ の りのちゃん は いた。 りのちゃん は えいご を はなせない ので、ぼく は かのじょ に にほんご で はなした。 りのちゃん は ぼく の にほんご を わかれた。 すごかった！ （つづく） |
| れんしゅう | |
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8.01.2006
8:58 PM | Link0 comments | はじめて にほん に りょこう した とき、ちさい じしん が あった。 あさ に はやい だった。 ぼく と ともだち は ふとん の なか に ねて いた。 ちょっと うごく かんじ は はじまった。 ぼく は おきた けど、ともだち は おきなかった。 すこし びょう だけ ので、ぼく に こわなかった。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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7.30.2006
8:58 PM | Link0 comments | まいしゅう の どようび ぼく は でんわ で りょしん と はなす。 りょしん は いつも ごぜん くじ に でんわ が かける。 いちじかん わたしたち は はなし を する。 りょしん は ぼく の しゅう に ついて きく の が すき。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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7.27.2006
8:57 PM | Link0 comments |
きのう の よる かずき は ぼく が かたかな を かけない の を きがつかいた。 はずかしかった！ かたかな を かく の を ならう べき だ。 こにゃ は たくさん どうし を べんきょう した。 ぼく は どうし かつよう を する の が もっと じょうず に なって いる。 いい かんじ なあ。 |
| Motto benkyou | |
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8:02 PM | Link 0 comments | I feel like all I'm writing about is Japanese and Japan-related stuff lately, but what can I say - it's just what I'm really into right now! None of my other interests have changed, but everything comes in waves for me. Anyway, I've done some great studying recently, and I'm especially proud that I'm finally really grasping verb conjugation better than ever before. When I was taking classes at ACC, I really only conjugated by memorizing various forms, which was enough to get me through tests, but now I finally understand the formulas and patterns so I can conjugate any verb on my own. Mikie-san gave me a list of all the verbs on the JLPT Level 4 that I'll be taking, so I've been conjugating those like crazy, and it really helps! It feels really good to be learning the "right" way instead of the lazy way. I'm also making myself write in my Japanese journal more often for Kazki, and it's amazing how much he can teach me from my short paragraphs. My journal has also been a help with Mikie-san, since we used it for conversation topics this week (and she even corrected my typos). I will finally be able to register for the JLPT next week, which will be exciting! Then I will probably step up my efforts with JLPT sample tests and kanji study. It's all so fun, even though it can be hard work sometimes. I guess I just like being a student! |
| れんしゅう | |
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7.25.2006
8:57 PM | Link0 comments | らいしゅう は がんかい に いく。 ぼく は あたらしい めがね が ひつよう だ と おもう。 めがね を かける の が すき。 コンタクトレンズ は こわい！ め に なにも いれたくない。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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7.24.2006
8:56 PM | Link0 comments | むかし ぼく は いぬ が いた。 かのじょ は いい いぬ だった。 かのじょ の なまえ は モーシャルト の おくさん と おなじ なまえ の スタンジー だった。 １４さい の とき に がんのせい で かのじょ は なくなった。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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7.22.2006
8:55 PM | Link0 comments | きょう は さいしょ に さんぱつ した。 そして、スーパー で たべもの を かった。 そして、かずき の ウェブサイト の てつだい を した。 こんや、パーティー に いく つもり だ。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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7.21.2006
8:55 PM | Link0 comments | いちにちじゅう ぼく は Jpop を きく。 Jpop が いちばん すき な おんがく だ。 かじ を ほんやく するの を ならいたい。 この サスケ の こい の うた が よくて かんたん だ。 もしか したら この うた を ほんやく する かもしれない。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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7.19.2006
8:53 PM | Link0 comments | たったいま ライブ から かえった。 さんじかん ぼく の バンド は えんぞう した。 ステージ は そと だった けど あつすぎなかった。 バンド の だいきん は すくなかった。 でも、ぼくたち の たべもの は ただ だった。 あいにく か が いて さいてい だった！ まあ、しょうがない。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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7.18.2006
8:52 PM | Link0 comments | けさ うんどう する ため に、はやく おきた。アニメ の DVD を みながら、いっかしょ に たって はしる うんどう を した。３０ぷんかん はしった。アニメ で だれか が「じぶん を しんじる」と いった。 ぼく も じぶん を しんじないと いけない と おもう。 ときどき ぼく は がっかり する。 もっと よく べんきょう しないと いけない な！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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7.17.2006
8:52 PM | Link0 comments |
よっか まえ オクラホマ シディー まで りょうしん に あいに いってきた。 りょうしん の いえ に いた とき は にほんご を べんきょう しなかった。 だめ な せいと だ！ でも、こんしゅう まいにち にほんご の ぶんしょう を かくぞ！ ところ で、きょう は ディズニーランド の ５０さい の たんじょうび だった。 いま もじ ディズニーランド に いれたら さいこう な のに なあ！ |
| Fighting discouragement | |
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7.12.2006
10:30 PM | Link0 comments | As usual, I'm still studying hard to learn Japanese, since it's pretty much my number one interest right now (I've even been hearing and speaking Japanese in my dreams every now and then)! Of course, sometimes I go through periods of frustration, and I start to wonder why I just can't cross that imaginary border into some sort of comfortable understanding. I was a little discouraged the other day, so I started to read a bunch of forum messages on JapanesePod101, and it made me feel a little better because lots of people feel like I do. It's fairly easy to get a certain point in language learning, and then the hard work really pours on, it seems. Tonight I had a good lesson with Kazki-san, though - just like anything else, I think attitude is really important! I've got to stay positive and stick with it! Speaking of JapanesePod101, I've been listening to their excellent podcast in my car all the time, and I've really learned a lot - I really like their upbeat excitement! Besides that, I'm realizing even more that one of the best things I can do is write in Japanese, since that's the only way I can "talk" to study, and I'm finally starting to nail some basic conjugation that I've always faked my way through before. Mikie-san and I studied some Morning Musume lyrics and came across tons of conjugations that I need to learn, so there's plenty for me to study. Ganbarimasu! |
| Basic Connections: Making Your Japanese Flow / Kakuko Shoji : 1 of 5 | |
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7.07.2006
10:13 PM | Link0 comments |
 I think I study too many Japanese learning aids at one time, but I just can't help myself when I see a new book that looks intriguing. This one seemed really interesting, and flipping through it I saw lots of examples of various concepts that I had run across recently, so I bought it. Right now all I can say is I'm glad it's over - it was really difficult to finish! It starts out nicely with a few sentence structures, but then suddenly goes completely nuts. This book claims to be beginner to intermediate level, but I have lots of complaints! First, the progression of the book seems really random - nothing seems to build on previous concepts. It seems the author just gathered lots of things that people have trouble with and jammed them all into one book. Individually these could be useful, but they definitely don't flow (which makes the title kind of ironic!). Next, kanji is used full-blast with no furigana, which forces you to read romaji all the time, which we all know is a bad thing. Finally, the sample sentences are ridicuously difficult! I can't even begin to tell you how ludicrous they are, so I have to give an actual example. "Recently the piles of litter along the roads have become a problem, so people in the neighborhood have met together to start a cleaning campaign." Oh yeah, I was trying to say that in conversation just the other day (yeah, right). Maybe someday I will look back at this book and enjoy it, but right now I'm happy to move on to something else!
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| れんしゅう | |
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7.03.2006
8:51 PM | Link0 comments |
まんが を よむ の が すき。 はじめて よんだ まんが は てつわん アトム だった。 それ の おかげ で てずか おさむ の ファン に なった。 てずか の はなし は おもしろい けど、とても げきてき だ。 てずか の はなし の なか で いちばん すき な はなし は 「ひ の とり」だ。 いろいろ はなし が かわる けど、いつも おなじ しんぴてき な とり が いる。 「ひ の とり」の シリーズ は ちょう ながい から、うれしい！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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7.02.2006
8:50 PM | Link1 comments |
きのう ぼく は ともだち の メリンダ と いっしょ に サーカス に いった。 せんしゅう かのじょ の たんじょうび だった ので、ぼく は チケット を かった。 じょうえん の まえ はやく いった ので、どうぶつ を みて ピエロ に あった。 ピエロ は おもしろかった！ サーカス は すばらしかった。 ぞう が １０とう いた。 ぼく は みながら わたがし を たべすぎた。 みんな サーカス を みる べき だ と おもう。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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6.27.2006
8:50 PM | Link0 comments |
１５ ねんかん いしゃ に いって いない。 いしゃ が こわい！ こども の とき から ぼく は けつえきけんさ が たいきらい だ。 ち を みる と、よく き を うしなう。 あした ついに ぼく は いしゃ に いく。 ぼく も もう そろそろ とし だ から、いかないと だめ だ。 ちょっと きんちょう して いる が、がんばる！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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6.25.2006
8:49 PM | Link0 comments |
ダンスダンスレボルーション「DDR」を よく する。 たいてい まいにち １５ きょく の うた で おどる。 いい うんど だ と おもう。 ぼく は 「DDR」の おんがく が すき だ が、ときどき おなじ うた に あきる。 にほん で はじめて 「DDR」を みた とき の こと を おぼえて いる。 にぎやか な みち で 「DDR」は ゲームセンター の そと に あった。 だれか が おどって いて、そいつ の おどり が かっこよかった。 そして、ぼく も おどれる よう に なるぞ、と おもった。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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6.19.2006
8:48 PM | Link0 comments |
かずき から もらった しゅくだい を しなければ いけない ので、きょう は ほんや に いる。 こんしゅう は ちょっと いそがしかった ので、ひるやすみ に かいて いる。 ぼく の ちいさい じしょ を つかって いる。 でも、この じしょ より ぼく の おおきい じしょ の ほう が いい。 でも、ちいさい じしょ は とても べんり だ。 ぼく は かきながら、おちゃ を のんで、ベーグル を たべて いる。 ちょっと ちいさい ひるごはん だ な。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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6.18.2006
8:48 PM | Link0 comments |
ぼく は 「じんぞう にんげん きかいだ」の ファン だ。 １９７２ の テレビ の シリース だ。 DVD で ９まい ぜんぶ を みた。 さいしょ と さいご の テーマ を どっち も うたえる。 きかいだ は ロボット だ。 たくさん の かいじゅう と たたかって いる。 たたかい の まえ、きかいだ は いつも ギター を ひいて いる。 いつも おなじ かなしい うた だ。 きかいだ は かっこいい！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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6.13.2006
8:47 PM | Link0 comments |
ときどき ぼく は あまり たべない ひ が ある。 たとえば きのう あさごはん は コーヒー だけ だった。 ひるごはん は ジャンバ ジュース だった。 ジュース の なか に いちご とか バナナ が はいって いた。 ばんごはん は インスタント の ごはん だけ だった。 けれども、もんだい が ある。 あまり たべない とき は よる おそく とても おなか が すく！ ときどき ぼく は アイスクリーム を たべる。 からだ に よくない ね！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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6.05.2006
8:46 PM | Link0 comments |
きょう しごと は ちょう ひどかった！ ひるやすみ が なかった。いそがしすぎる！ こんしゅう の きんようび は、しごと に いかなくても いい ので よかった。 ダラス で アニメ の しゅうかい に いく よてい だ。 きんようび の あさ ひこうき で いく。 たぶん いろいろ な もの を かう。 ぜったい に ポッキー を たべて、ラムネ を のむぞ！ もちろん、アニメ も みるぞ！ たのしみ だ！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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6.04.2006
8:46 PM | Link0 comments |
ぼく の しゅみ は「PEZ」を あつめる こと だ。「PEZ」は ちいさい おもちゃ で キャンディー が なか に かいって いる。さいしょ に もらった の は サンタ クローズ の「PEZ」だ。おかあさん は ぼく に くれた。 「PEZ」を ３００ いじょう もって いる。ぼく の へや の かべ ぜんぶ を「PEZ」で かざって いる。ぼく の いちばん すき な「PEZ」は ケープ を きた「Batman」だ。 |
| Benkyou update | |
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7:19 PM | Link 0 comments |
Lots of big Nihongo news for WEBmikey! I decided to enhance my studies even more by trying out a second tutor, since my pals Barron & Mariko told me about the wonderful person who teaches their son Bay. Her name is Mikie, and she was a school teacher for several years, so she was amazingly organized at my first lesson. I had a great time talking with her as she assessed my language level with mini-quizzes and things, so I'm looking forward to continuing studying with her! It will be nice to experience two different styles of teaching and conversation - I will still be seeing Kazki once a week, and Mikie every other week (and my tutoring budget is now more than my cable bill). My studies with Kazki have been going well, too, and lately I have been writing a short journal in Japanese, which he checks for me and suggests different ways to phrase what I'm trying to say (since I want to learn more natural, colloquial conversation). Today I started posting this nikki (journal) here on WEBmikey! If anyone tries to read it, I apologize for the inevitable mistakes, and it will probably read like a baby book since I'm using all hiragana and spaces, but it's great practice for me to type what I've written. There's a new Japanese link in the sidebar, so click it to take a look! |
| れんしゅう | |
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5.31.2006
8:45 PM | Link0 comments |
すうねん まえ ぼく は ポケモン の ファン だった。 にほんご が わからなかった ので、えいご で アニメ を みた。 すべて の ポケモン の なまえ を しって いた けど、ひゃくごじっぴき しか いなかった。 いま さんびゃっぴき いじょう も いる！ さいきん ニンテンドー DS で ポケモン の ゲーム を して いる。 また キャラクター を みる の が なつかしい。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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5.30.2006
8:44 PM | Link0 comments |
ぼく の ともだち の デーイ は よっかかん ぼく の うち に とまった。 いろいろ な こと を いっしょ に やった。 ぼくたち は たべすぎて、 おさけ も のみすぎた。 いっしょ に いる と、いつも たのしかった。 さいご の ばん ぼくたち は 「Spider House」へ いった。 コーヒー を のんで、「Scrabble」で あそんだ。 ぐうぜん、 かずきさん と あった。 「ぼく は べんきょう しない と だめ だ！」と おもった！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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5.22.2006
8:43 PM | Link0 comments |
きょう は ほんや で これ を かいて いる。 いま は ひるやすみ だ。 けさ しごと は とても いそがしかった！ やっぱり やすみ は いい なあ。 しごと の まえ セーラームーン の DVD を みて、ちょっと さんぽ した。 そして、かんじ を べんきょう した。 きょう の はなし は つまらない です ね！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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5.21.2006
8:42 PM | Link0 comments |
きのう は わたし の ともだち の アーネスト の たんじょうび でした。 かれ の パーテイー は 「pub crawl」でした。 よる の はちじ に さいしょ の バー に いきました。 いちじかん ごと に ちがう バー へ いきました。 ごぜん にじ に みんな で カラオケ に いきました。 わたしたち は あさ の ごじ まで うたいました！ わたし は モーニング むすめ の うた を うたって みた けど、ひらがな が はやすぎました。 |
| れんしゅう | |
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5.20.2006
8:38 PM | Link0 comments |
きのう の よる わたし は ともだち の メリンダ と いっしょ に えいがかん へ いきました。 「Over the Hedge」を みました。 おもしろかった です！ いつも ぼく は アニメ の えいが を みて います。 「Over the Hedge」の はなし は はなして いる どうぶつ が たべもの を ぬすみます。 えいがかん の なか の みんな が わらって いました！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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5.16.2006
8:36 PM | Link0 comments |
きのう の よる わたし と ジョナサン は「Elephant Room」に いきました。 わたしたち は かずきさん と かれ の ともだち と あいました。 げつようび は ジャズ ジャム だ から、あたらしい ミュージシャン が おおかった です。 ちょっと ださかった なあ。 でも、わたし は よっぽらって いた から、たのしかった です。 じかい は おんがく が もっと よく なる と いい なあ！ |
| れんしゅう | |
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5.11.2006
8:34 PM | Link1 comments |
きょう は わたし の くるま を せいびして もらう ため に はやく おきました。 まちながら インターネット を サーフ して、コーヒー を のみました。 だいきん は やすかった から、おどろきました。 ひるやすみ に うち へ いって、まんが を よみました。 いい てんき だった から、そと で よみました。 |
| Kanji de Manga Vol 1 : 2 of 5 | |
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4.10.2006
11:07 PM | Link0 comments |
 I picked up this little book before I started studying for the JLPT, but soon realized that it was pretty handy, since it covers the exact set of kanji that you're expected to know for the Level 4 test that I'll be taking. It's a pretty simple concept - each page covers a single kanji, includes the various readings and a few compound words, and then has a panel or two of manga to illustrate the use of the kanji. Even though it was fun to read through it all, I don't think it's really that useful for studying. I like the overview kanji chart and the general meanings, but the major portion of each page is the manga, and in my opinion, the examples aren't that great! My major complaint is the type of language they use is so informal and slang-ish that I can barely recognize the verb conjugations - I don't think folks reading this beginning kanji book will be familiar with these forms! I guess they just wanted to maintain a manga "style" - when I read them out loud it definitely sounds like anime dialogue. Still, it was great to get an overview of the first kanji set. I think I'd like something a little more academic, but still interesting and fun - I'm not sure if I'll continue with this set of books or not.
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| Level 1 ga owarimashita | |
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4.02.2006
7:47 AM | Link0 comments |
 I like supplimenting my Japanese study with Rosetta Stone, since I like how computer-based test are all planned out for you with immediate feedback. Last night I finally finished the complete Level 1 package, which is about 90 lessions (I always do two of the testing styles on each lesson)! Of course, this is way behind what I thought it would take me - I started Rosetta Stone in November 2004! But, I usually only do one lesson a week since I have so many other avenues of study. I went back and took the review test on each unit and made sure I could score over 90% - it really gives me confidence in my listening ability! I already have Level 2 installed and ready to go, so I'm looking forward to whatever new language concepts are in store.
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| Atarashii benkyou | |
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3.17.2006
9:48 PM | Link0 comments |
 My Japanese lessons with Kazki have taken a new turn, and I'm pretty excited about it! We've been working on conversation for the last several months, but I still have lots of "holes" in my grammar and vocabulary. So, Kazki prepared a lesson where I had to come up with synonyms for words such as "easy", and then use them in sentences, both as adjectives and adverbs. It was really great, and it made me think about getting serious and taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at the end of this year. After doing a little research, I've decided I definitely want to do it, so now there's a new direction to my studies. For example, I found on KanjiStep an online placement test for Level 4 (the easiest of four levels of the JLPT) that I took to see what I could do - I passed, but there were plenty of areas that I need help in. So, I printed the test for my last lesson and Kazki and I went over my mistakes - it was so helpful! I also just bought some great testing books from The Japan Shop, and I'm excited to be studying those now, too. I guess I will finally learn some kanji! The test isn't held until December, so it's going to be a long wait, but I'm just happy to have a new compass to follow in my studies.
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| Breakthrough Japanese / Hitomi Hirayama : 4 of 5 | |
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2.08.2006
9:50 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm pretty much always reading some book on Japanese language in addition to my other regular study methods, and when I saw this book was by the author of the Pera Pera Penguin column (that I've been a fan of for a long time), I had to add it to my collection. The book is divided into twenty short lessons that each cover a particular language topic, but aren't organized into any order. Each lesson starts with a common point of confusion, such as the difference between shirimasen and wakarimasen, and then presents lots of sample dialogue and exercises. Actually, many of the topics covered are taken right from Pera Pera Penguin, which is available for free online, but it's nice to have them all together in a book, and I believe each includes more example sentences here. There's tons of great lessons, including a nice explanation of the use of buri (which I didn't quite understand in a recent lesson with Kazki), and a great chapter of the many, many set phrases (which the author calls "pocket phrases") that make the language so lively. The layout of the book also has a great style and it's really fun to read. My only complaint is that the tone of the book makes it so easy to breeze through and yet not remember anything! I guess that's mostly my fault, but I feel like I should go back and re-read most of the book again. As an intermediate Japanese student, I definitely think it's worth reading for exposure to some interesting topics.
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| Learn in Your Car Japanese / Levels 1-3 : 4 of 5 | |
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1.31.2006
10:28 PM | Link0 comments |
 Way back when I was first starting to get interested in Japanese, I used to buy a lot of beginner study aids. One of these was the first volume in this series, and now that I've been studying for a few years, I can definitely see that this series of CDs is pretty good, and actually still really helpful now (which is why I'm glad I got Volume 3 for Christmas from my parents!). Each volume contains three CDs, and each CD is divided into several lessons that generally present a single concept (although there's lots of cross-over vocabulary). The English voice (male) will say a sentence, then there is a long pause for you to respond with the Japanese (if you already know it), then the Japanese voice (female) will say the Japanese phrase, pause, and say it again. So, you have three chances to say each phrase, and it's really nice to see if you can say it correctly before the Japanese voice comes in. The lessons definitely increase in difficulty, and the Japanese voice speaks much more quickly on Volume 3! I've actually learned quite a bit by listening to these, especially when the sentence structure corresponds to something I'm learning with my tutor Kazki. The only negative with these is they introduce a few vocabulary words that are rarely used in actual conversation (according to Kazki) - for example, they like to say jidousha for car, rather than the more common kuruma. Each volume also comes with a book of all the phrases on the CDs, which is great for in-depth study. I definitely recommend this inexpensive series for Japanese language enthusiasts!
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| Bizarro sentence structure | |
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1.06.2006
9:35 PM | Link0 comments |
Most of the things I post on WEBmikey are either reviews or journal entries. I'd like to add a little variety to my posts (if I can manage it) by talking about other topics when they're on my mind. Of course, studying Japanese is always fresh in my brain, so hopefully I can share some interesting language tidbits with you (or maybe this will be my only post like this!). Anyway, I'm going to give it a try! (By the way, if any students of Japanese happen to read this, remember that I'm just a student, too, so anything I say could be completely incorrect. I'm just writing things as I understand them at this moment!) In my last lesson with Kazki, we stumbled upon a really strange sentence structure. In fact, it seemed so strange that I kept asking him if people really say things this way! Look at these two sentences: keiki o tabemasen deshita. keiki o tabeta no dewa arimasen deshita. Both of these can be paraphrased as "I didn't eat the cake." The first sentence is literally that meaning, but the second sentence is much different. From a literal view, it says "The situation of eating the cake didn't exist", or to put it another way, "I ate the cake - not!" I thought this was funny and bizarre, but Kazki pointed out a nuance in the meaning. A better translation would be "It wasn't the cake that I ate", which implies that I ate something else. Wow, subtle meanings like that seem to be light years away from my current understanding! However, I think this kind of phrasing is something that could only come up in conversation practice with a tutor, so I'm really glad I'm studying this way. Labels: japanese |
| My tutor is a rock star | |
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12.03.2005
8:25 PM | Link0 comments |
 I've been working on my Japanese regularly since July with my tutor, and in that time I've found him to be a really interesting person (and a really helpful teacher, too). The first time I met him he had his guitar with him, and we've talked about music several times, so recently I asked him if I could hear some of his music, and he made me a CD. I was totally amazed when I listened to it - Kazki is a serious performer! (By the way, I've been writing his "proper" Japanese name Kazuki here, but he uses Kazki so people will pronounce it correctly.) He writes his own music (with English lyrics), full of passion and emotion, with some excellent melodies and some seriously cool rhythms - I've even seen him writing out drum parts on staff paper, because he definitely has a vision for the sound he wants to produce. Listening to him play really reminds me of my days writing poetry and living more of an art-filled life, and it's inspiring to me. Now I'm really going to have to see one of his gigs! I'm glad my search for a tutor led me to such an interesting guy. Check out his website sometime.
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| Lonely Planet Japanese Phrasebook : 3 of 5 | |
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10.24.2005
11:02 PM | Link0 comments |
 A foreign language phrase book isn't exactly something you read cover to cover, but I actually did skim through each page of this unique book, since it's definitely "modern" in its selection of phrases! I love to browse the Japanese language section each time I'm in a book store, and I was attracted to the cool color-coded layout of this book. After flipping through it a while, I decided I had to get it just because it was so funny. Along with the usual sections on taking trains and ordering food, this book has sections on sex and drugs (it makes you wonder what Lonely Planet expects their readers do be doing when they travel)! It's really funny to read translations for "I take mushrooms occasionally" and "You're just using me for sex." Joking aside, there's definitely some good stuff to learn here, but I don't like their use of non-standard Romanization. They always try to write things as they are pronounced, so they use des instead of desu, which drives me crazy. If you're just looking for a general phrasebook, I don't think I would recommend this one, since it's just a little bizarre, but if you're a semi-serious student looking for interesting phrases that don't often appear in other study materials, this is the book for you!
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| Nihongo dake! | |
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10.12.2005
6:58 PM | Link0 comments |
Last night I had my best Japanese tutoring session so far! Kazuki and I decided we would speak only Japanese for 45 minutes straight - no going back to English to ask questions or explain things at all. I figured we might make it 30 minutes before my brain totally gave up, but it actually went really well! We started talking about playing in bands, and he was actually able to explain to me the difference in words for "music" (which I knew) and "written music" (which I had never heard before), so I even learned new vocabulary without English help. Kazuki was great at figuring out ways to explain things using the Japanese vocabulary I already know, and it was totally a blast. For whatever reason, I feel cool when I'm speaking Japanese, so having a long conversation like that made me feel great! Before I knew it, we had talked 50 minutes! Then we went over the fuzzy areas we encountered in English, and I took some new vocabulary notes. Anyway, it was the best practicing I've done, and I'm excited we're going to try it again next week! WEBmikey will be taking a brief posting break since I'm off to Disneyland again for three days of adventure! I can't wait to ride Space Mountain again, and everything else, too! I was just there in July, but I'm just as excited as ever. This time I'll be going to both parks, and having a great time with my pals Dae and Melinda. Bye for now, everyone! |
| Best of YesJapan Vol 1 : 4 of 5 | |
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7.26.2005
6:38 PM | Link0 comments |
 I'm a big fan of the shows that George Trombley produces for his Japanese leaning website, YesJapan (and I definitely need to write more about the site soon in case you haven't discovered it!). He regularly releases great videos that can be purchased - each is usually 30 minutes long, and introduces several language concepts and vocabulary by listening to natural conversation with key subtitles and on-screen notes. I've been downloading and saving the shows for several months now, but I would much rather watch them on TV than on my computer, and now I can! This DVD brings together lots of the best shows of the past, including four episodes of the George & Keiko Show (my favorite, and the staple of the site), two episodes of George & Chie, plus an episode of George in Japan. I think the shows were selected by visual interest, because they all look great, but aren't necessarily the shows full of the most material to learn. Still, it's awesome to see them in full digital video resolution, rather than the encoded versions, and each episode is funny and really interesting from a cultural standpoint. I had only seen one of these episodes before (since I've been watching the older ones first), so buying this DVD was a real bonus for me. I love the scenes of everyone singing karaoke or having lunch - you can learn so much just by listening to natural speech. The production quality is fantastic, from the excellent menus and chapter stops to the cool packaging. I hope the "Volume 1" in the title means that more DVDs are on the way - I'm definitely buying them all!
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| Slowly improving | |
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7.20.2005
9:02 PM | Link0 comments | Here's another Nihongo report! Last week Kazuki asked me to write a few sentences that we could go over and correct, so I wrote about my upcoming Disneyland trip. My phrases were mostly okay, but it was really helpful to see more natural ways to say the same thing. I can definitely see my more intense studying is starting to pay off, but of course, it will take a long time before these new language concepts seem natural to me. I'm just happy to be improving, even just a little! What else has been going on? This week I've been falling asleep on the couch too much - maybe it's from getting up so early to exercise. At least I'm not staying there all night, although one night I zonked out so early that when I woke up on the couch at midnight, I thought it was morning! By the way, I've posted to WEBmikey over 2,100 times now - unbelievable! I'll miss a couple of days this week while I'm at Disneyland, but don't worry, I'll tell you all about the trip when I get back. |
| A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Sentence Patterns / Naoko Chino : 4 of 5 | |
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7.17.2005
2:13 PM | Link0 comments |
 How's that for a gripping title? Even though this is more of a reference book, I actually did read through it cover to cover over the course of several weeks, just going over a few pages at a time. When I was taking Japanese classes, we would always learn new types of sentence patterns in the same way this book presents them, so it was really interesting to see the "entire" language broken down into fifty different patterns. For example, the most simple pattern would be "N1 wa N2 desu", but also covers the ones I always forget like "N1 no hou ga N2 yori Adj desu" (and many, many more complexities, of course). There are several examples for each pattern, using both formal and informal forms, which are also useful for picking up some new vocabulary. And speaking of vocabulary, there are excellent appendices with tons of verbs fully conjugated (even into forms I didn't know existed!), plus lots of conjugated adjectives, too. The book is nicely-sized for quick reference, and everything is printed in kana and romaji, as it should be. Having read the whole book, I can safely say that I've completely forgotten 90% of it, but I think this book will really come in handy when I need to look up some pattern that I can only vaguely remember.
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| Lots of benkou | |
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7.14.2005
5:47 PM | Link0 comments |
Last night was my third Japanese conversation practice with Kazuki. I think I'm doing a little better, and hopefully remembering some things - I used iFlash to study all of the vocabulary from our last session (33 new words and phrases), and now I have a bunch more to learn this time! Today I started thinking about all the studying I do, in one form or another, and I use quite a few methods: Wow, it sounds like I should be fluent by now! However, constantly taking so much in means that lots of it spills over the edge (of my memory, that is!). I think practicing conversation will help me to finally make some real progress. But most of all, I just have fun learning because I think it's all so cool! |
| Muzukashii desu ne! | |
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6.29.2005
9:42 PM | Link0 comments | Tonight I had my first session of Japanese conversation practice, and it was fun and mentally exhausting! I found several tutors on the web, and I picked this guy Kazuki because he's a native speaker. He's a really nice guy, and he regularly does Japanese to English translation for anime series (he's working on Hello Kitty and Mega-Man right now!). He did a fantastic job of asking me tons of questions and keeping things flowing, but I was embarrassed at how difficult it was for me. Even though I can understand all the stuff I read in books and ace all the lessons I do on my computer, right now I just can't put it all together yet. My listening skills were good - besides asking about some vocabulary I didn't know, I pretty much could follow it all. I just get hung up when I try to make an actual sentence myself! I'm not feeling discouraged, though - I'm going to try doing this weekly until my mouth catches up with my brain. I've been wanting some "talking practice" for such a long time - now I realize how desperately I need it! |
| Sing 'n Learn Japanese 1 : 3 of 5 | |
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4.20.2005
7:18 PM | Link0 comments |
 When my pals Matt & Kumiko visited Austin this year, I asked Kumiko about a million Japanese questions. She was nice enough to be a great teacher, and one of the things she taught me was a children's song about an elephant's nose, called Zoo-san. I did some searching on the web, because I didn't want to forget the song, and I found this interesting book and CD set on Amazon. This is a very simply-made book with lyrics (in both Romaji and kana, thankfully) to popular children's songs, along with a few illustrations, notes, and a small glossary. The CD contains each of the songs with and without vocals, and since these are really short songs, there are 23 songs to learn! These are definitely kiddie songs, such as translations of things I knew like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but mostly traditional Japanese children's songs like Zoo-san (which has a second verse I didn't know about!). I've had so much fun singing along with the CD, and I've definitely learned some new language stuff by taking apart the lyrics to discover the grammar and vocabulary. Even though this isn't a high-quality production, I think it's a perfect way to learn through music. By the way, my favorite song is Umi (ocean), which has such beautiful lyrics that I can't believe it's a kid's song!
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| Mangajin's Basic Japanese Through Comics : 3 of 5 | |
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4.09.2005
3:15 PM | Link0 comments |
 For my study of Japanese, I think it's key to have a variety of study methods. So, I end up looking at the foreign language section of the bookstore all the time to see if anything looks new and fun. This book uses panels of all kinds of manga (Japanese comics), from adult dramas to kiddie stories, to illustrate various concepts of the language. For example, there are entire chapters devoted to the various uses of doomo or sumimasen, and other bizarre subjects such as how "baby talk" is expressed in Japanese! The concept seems like a good idea, but I don't think I really learned that much from the book (or at least, I don't think the method makes anything "stick" in my memory). Nothing is really presented in a progressive way of learning - it's more like a collection of semi-advanced discussions on the nuances of a particular idea. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy reading it, because it definitely was fun to read the detailed translations of the various manga (and they even translate sound effects!). I just think I would enjoy it more if I were already semi-fluent first ("Basic Japanese" really means "basic concepts presented in advanced style"). I actually bought this book and its sequel at the same time, so I'll see if the second volume can do a better job than this one.
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| Jimi's Book of Japanese (Hiragana) / Peter Takahashi : 4 of 5 | |
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4.03.2005
8:13 AM | Link0 comments |
 This is the first book of the Jimi series, designed exactly like the Katakana edition, which I thought was fantastic. Both books together are a great introduction to Japanese kana (in fact, they compliment each other so well that I think having both is essential). Since this is the original book, it introduces the characters that appear throughout the book, namely Jimi, Robotto-san, and Akiko, which is a fun way to get things started. Each page contains a giant kana that you can trace with your finger while reading it (and watching Jimi's mouth to help with the sound), along with a few vocabulary words. Most of these include a culture note by Robotto-san, and these really make the book interesting (there are many more culture notes in the Hiragana book than the Katakana book, which is wonderful!). There's a cool bonus section that labels the parts of the body, but unfortunately these pages are only in Romaji with no Hiragana! All of the illustrations are cute and have such an adorable Japanese style, which gives the book a cool flair. I'm hoping there will be more Jimi books, because I'm wondering how they will present compound kana, or maybe even beginning Kanji! Even if you already know your kana, these books are a fun addition to your Nihongo study library.
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| Thanks, Jimi! | |
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4.01.2005
9:21 PM | Link0 comments | Sometimes it pays to be a blogger! You may remember that I recently reviewed Jimi's Book of Japanese (the Katakana version), just because I've been in the habit of reviewing everything I touch for years now. A few weeks ago I got an email from PB&J Omnimedia, the publisher of the book - he had found my review on WEBmikey and asked if he could send me new copies of both the Katakana and the Hiragana (which I didn't have) books, signed by Yumie Toka, the illustrator! Besides being totally incredible, that's a fantastic thing for a publisher to do, so I hereby declare that anyone learning Japanese kana should pick up the Jimi's Book of Japanese series! I'm really enjoying having both books (review coming soon), and I thought it was cute how Yumie signed each book with arigatou in the appropriate kana for the book. WEBmikey sends a big arigatou right back! |
