Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 9:58pm
This is a blog response to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ED8CZXwk0
When I was a kid, my dream was to be a Paleontologist, in part because of Jurassic Park. I love that movie, even to this day. Sure, it doesn't give dinos a good rep, but it makes them seem sorta beautiful, in a way. I continued to want that for many years, and still do to some extent. The idea of discovering lost creatures...something about it just seems magical to me.
Next, I wanted to be an actor. A comedic actor, to be specific. However, school didn't really promote that sort of thing, and I only got to work with comedy a few times. After that, I always had to play weird, stupid roles. I eventually got sick of it (since I couldn't turn them down - they were "assignments"), and decided that acting wasn't for me if I had to take roles I didn't want/like. I still enjoy acting and being comedic from time to time, but I doubt I will ever make a living doing it. Justin Guy is a great straight man, though.
Back in 5th grade, I started working on video game ideas I had been having for a while. Nothing too special, just writing them down and fleshing them out from time to time. I continued coming up with them for years, but I haven't done much with them yet, to be quite honest. Even when I mess around with making video games now, I never use those ideas, because I don't think I could be satisfied with it at my current ability, and with my current resources. My ultimate dream, back in 5th grade, was to work for Sega in Japan. I do work for a game company (Kemco) in Japan, so I am halfway there, in a sense.
Some dreams have been fulfilled though. I wanted to visit Japan for a long time, and I did back in 2008. I enjoyed the bit of time I spent here, so I thought that living here might be fun. 2009, mission accomplished. Now...I want to start my own video game company. Maybe it will become official in 2010? I am already working on my own personal games, so I am halfway to making that dream come true.
A couple of small dreams I have involve reading The Tale of Genji in Japanese and visiting the 88 Temples alone.
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Incoming Students
I finished exams and have spent the majority of the summer working at Kemco and a private school. It is a lot of fun, actually, but a bit time consuming.
In terms of new videos, I have no real idea about what I should film next. The only real suggestion I has gotten is to look at other vloggers and copy them, or do a colab video with them... I don't think it is a good suggestion, but it is one. Better than someone saying I should dress up like a catboy and dance around... Obviously, my viewers are not the most enlightened indivuduals. I mean, if I do what everyone else is doing, what is the point in doing anything at all?
Maybe I should have been more specific and said that I want to know what they would like to see. Yeah, sure, the peace park is great and all...but is that really something you can't see? Do people have nothing they want to know or see in Japan? Maybe no one likes or cares much for Japan outside of anime and women.
The new international students will begin arriving in less than 2 weeks now. The school asked me to write something for them about my experiences here in Japan. It turned into an 8 page report...basically. I had a ton of people proofread it before finally decided that there really wasn't anything left to add. I will be here for a while longer, but I am not really sure how long anymore.
I want to stay until next August, but I may only be able to stay until Feb or March, in terms of the Study Abroad program. If that is the case, I will end up missing a semester in America, meaning I will be a year behind, rather than just a semester (study abroad usually puts you behind). The semester I had prepared for, but a year... I have a few plans if I can't continue to Study Abroad in Japan after March.
In terms of new videos, I have no real idea about what I should film next. The only real suggestion I has gotten is to look at other vloggers and copy them, or do a colab video with them... I don't think it is a good suggestion, but it is one. Better than someone saying I should dress up like a catboy and dance around... Obviously, my viewers are not the most enlightened indivuduals. I mean, if I do what everyone else is doing, what is the point in doing anything at all?
Maybe I should have been more specific and said that I want to know what they would like to see. Yeah, sure, the peace park is great and all...but is that really something you can't see? Do people have nothing they want to know or see in Japan? Maybe no one likes or cares much for Japan outside of anime and women.
The new international students will begin arriving in less than 2 weeks now. The school asked me to write something for them about my experiences here in Japan. It turned into an 8 page report...basically. I had a ton of people proofread it before finally decided that there really wasn't anything left to add. I will be here for a while longer, but I am not really sure how long anymore.
I want to stay until next August, but I may only be able to stay until Feb or March, in terms of the Study Abroad program. If that is the case, I will end up missing a semester in America, meaning I will be a year behind, rather than just a semester (study abroad usually puts you behind). The semester I had prepared for, but a year... I have a few plans if I can't continue to Study Abroad in Japan after March.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Finals & Racism
So summer in Japan starts in about a month, and finals are coming up at the end of July.
I am mostly worried because it feels like I am not doing much work in the classes. For example, I never do anything in the English class I am taking. The teacher doesn't even ask me questions. Instead, he asks the Russian. It is a bit confusing and upsetting, since I am a native English speaker, from America, and many questions are about American english.
Another is Psycholinguistics, where I also do nothing. At the end of the semester, however, papers are due, so at least I know there is something that will be graded.
Aside from those two though, I am not too worried. I have recently encountered a lot of racism, and not even in the "trying to be helpful" way. For example, I was buying items from the Lawson store on Campus, and the clerk said, in Japanese, "stupid foreigner" instead of "thank you very much." When I told the school about this, they ignored it. In addition, most Japanese women around the area that I live are very similar to American men - which is a bad thing.
As a result, I spend more time with the Chinese population on campus, or Japanese who are not from this area - who also agree that this area is very different from every other part of Japan.
Japan has a lot of wonderful things about it, such as the nature, food, and (in most areas), very very polite people. However, just as in America, not everyone is this way. I am surprised that my Japanese teacher recommended that I live in this area.
I am mostly worried because it feels like I am not doing much work in the classes. For example, I never do anything in the English class I am taking. The teacher doesn't even ask me questions. Instead, he asks the Russian. It is a bit confusing and upsetting, since I am a native English speaker, from America, and many questions are about American english.
Another is Psycholinguistics, where I also do nothing. At the end of the semester, however, papers are due, so at least I know there is something that will be graded.
Aside from those two though, I am not too worried. I have recently encountered a lot of racism, and not even in the "trying to be helpful" way. For example, I was buying items from the Lawson store on Campus, and the clerk said, in Japanese, "stupid foreigner" instead of "thank you very much." When I told the school about this, they ignored it. In addition, most Japanese women around the area that I live are very similar to American men - which is a bad thing.
As a result, I spend more time with the Chinese population on campus, or Japanese who are not from this area - who also agree that this area is very different from every other part of Japan.
Japan has a lot of wonderful things about it, such as the nature, food, and (in most areas), very very polite people. However, just as in America, not everyone is this way. I am surprised that my Japanese teacher recommended that I live in this area.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Salsa's & Jobs
Last Monday (8th), my laptop broke, so I haven't been able to update for that reason.
Tuesday (the 9th), I went to a party With Matt (an American from my home university), Kazu (friend of Matt and I), and Tsun (a Chinese guy who wants to learn English). I saw Patricia, but we didn't talk much. I also met a Chinese girl named Yuan. She's friends with Matt and is really nice, though she didn't really talk to me until Matt and company left for English Table. She sort of just came up when I was talking to a chinese girl and started talking to me, which was a nice change of pace. We also shared a few “I don't speak enough Japanese to understand this speech” moments (it was some faculty dinner).
After it ended, we went to English Table. We talked to some people, and to each other until she had to leave.
I talked to Tsun some, mostly about stuff like Star Ocean, and then headed home.
Wednesday (10th), I found out that I have a Midterm in Japanese, and that the Salsa was moved to Saturday, because they were having a party instead.
Thursday (11th), I went to Karaoke with Matt, Kazu, and Tsun. I invited Yuan, but she declined.
Friday (12th), I met with my friend Angel, who I played Volleyball with, and a freshman (Kaga - first part of his last time. forgot his first, so I will update this later with it) who wants to learn English.
Saturday (13th), I met with Yuan and Matt at school and we talked until late. Yuan wanted to read some of my poems, but. Then I went to the Salsa Party, Danced with Patricia a little, but got bored and went home early.
Sunday (14th), I went to the English Cafe near my house, hung out with Matt some, and then went to an Italian Buffet, where I have around 3 or 4 plates - American sized - worth of food, some of which was piled on pretty high.
Monday (15th) was dull. I was suppose to meet with Yuan, but she was sick. I paid some bills and hung out with Tsun (I see him pretty much every day, and we practice English, Japanese, and Chinese together).
Tuesday (16th), I went to the second of my three classes, missing the first because I over slept (it's at 8:45am), and the third because I had some person business to take care of. I was also hired as an English teacher at a private school.
I went to English Table, where I met a girl who can make Okonomiyaki. She invited me to go to her restaurant and try it.
She ended up leaving a bit early, and then I went over and sat with my friend Kaga, who asked me questions. They were a bit dull, and when I saw a Japanese girl staring at me, I waved her in to try and excite things a little. She asked me some questions until then Yuan came.
I let her read my poetry book again, since she was interested in seeing my new poems, and explained some of the poems to her, while also answering questions that the Japanese girl and Kaga were asking me (via texting Yuan).
Eventually, table ended and I went with some of the people, including Kaga, to a Ramen shop.
Wednesday (17th), I went to Salsa Club with Dr. Moldova and Yuan. Towards the end, I got bored and started improving a little bit of what I had learned into the dancing, which almost everyone was ok with.
Even after class was over though, me and Yuan had practically sneak out, because one of the students said that we had to stay longer because we were new, thus showing me that Americans come from countries that aren't America.
After running away from the scary lady, we drank some ice strawberry milk (from a vending machine) and talk for a long while.
Thursday (18th), I missed my first class because of some personal business I had to take care of, applied for a job at a video game company, missed half of my second class because I was working on a paper for my third class, which was canceled.
I studied some, getting Yuan to teach me some Chinese, ate dinner with her at the Okonomiyaki place that I had been told about on Tuesday, spent a good while talking to her (including learning some more Chinese that makes her laugh when I say it), and then headed home, took a shower, and wrote this on my cellphone.
Tuesday (the 9th), I went to a party With Matt (an American from my home university), Kazu (friend of Matt and I), and Tsun (a Chinese guy who wants to learn English). I saw Patricia, but we didn't talk much. I also met a Chinese girl named Yuan. She's friends with Matt and is really nice, though she didn't really talk to me until Matt and company left for English Table. She sort of just came up when I was talking to a chinese girl and started talking to me, which was a nice change of pace. We also shared a few “I don't speak enough Japanese to understand this speech” moments (it was some faculty dinner).
After it ended, we went to English Table. We talked to some people, and to each other until she had to leave.
I talked to Tsun some, mostly about stuff like Star Ocean, and then headed home.
Wednesday (10th), I found out that I have a Midterm in Japanese, and that the Salsa was moved to Saturday, because they were having a party instead.
Thursday (11th), I went to Karaoke with Matt, Kazu, and Tsun. I invited Yuan, but she declined.
Friday (12th), I met with my friend Angel, who I played Volleyball with, and a freshman (Kaga - first part of his last time. forgot his first, so I will update this later with it) who wants to learn English.
Saturday (13th), I met with Yuan and Matt at school and we talked until late. Yuan wanted to read some of my poems, but. Then I went to the Salsa Party, Danced with Patricia a little, but got bored and went home early.
Sunday (14th), I went to the English Cafe near my house, hung out with Matt some, and then went to an Italian Buffet, where I have around 3 or 4 plates - American sized - worth of food, some of which was piled on pretty high.
Monday (15th) was dull. I was suppose to meet with Yuan, but she was sick. I paid some bills and hung out with Tsun (I see him pretty much every day, and we practice English, Japanese, and Chinese together).
Tuesday (16th), I went to the second of my three classes, missing the first because I over slept (it's at 8:45am), and the third because I had some person business to take care of. I was also hired as an English teacher at a private school.
I went to English Table, where I met a girl who can make Okonomiyaki. She invited me to go to her restaurant and try it.
She ended up leaving a bit early, and then I went over and sat with my friend Kaga, who asked me questions. They were a bit dull, and when I saw a Japanese girl staring at me, I waved her in to try and excite things a little. She asked me some questions until then Yuan came.
I let her read my poetry book again, since she was interested in seeing my new poems, and explained some of the poems to her, while also answering questions that the Japanese girl and Kaga were asking me (via texting Yuan).
Eventually, table ended and I went with some of the people, including Kaga, to a Ramen shop.
Wednesday (17th), I went to Salsa Club with Dr. Moldova and Yuan. Towards the end, I got bored and started improving a little bit of what I had learned into the dancing, which almost everyone was ok with.
Even after class was over though, me and Yuan had practically sneak out, because one of the students said that we had to stay longer because we were new, thus showing me that Americans come from countries that aren't America.
After running away from the scary lady, we drank some ice strawberry milk (from a vending machine) and talk for a long while.
Thursday (18th), I missed my first class because of some personal business I had to take care of, applied for a job at a video game company, missed half of my second class because I was working on a paper for my third class, which was canceled.
I studied some, getting Yuan to teach me some Chinese, ate dinner with her at the Okonomiyaki place that I had been told about on Tuesday, spent a good while talking to her (including learning some more Chinese that makes her laugh when I say it), and then headed home, took a shower, and wrote this on my cellphone.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Midterms
A quick update on my life.
It is time for midterms. I have a take home one that is due Friday in Linguistics, and 3 projects, two of which I have to present next week.
I have about 6 vlogs left that are ready to be posted. I will probably work on throwing a bunch together this weekend. I am set until June 2nd, because I have a total of 32 videos done.
(26 are online now - http://www.youtube.com/user/Ariketh)
I will probably head up to a temple on Friday if I can and get some info on additional temples for videos.
I will update you once I know how many videos I've made sometime this weekend.
It is time for midterms. I have a take home one that is due Friday in Linguistics, and 3 projects, two of which I have to present next week.
I have about 6 vlogs left that are ready to be posted. I will probably work on throwing a bunch together this weekend. I am set until June 2nd, because I have a total of 32 videos done.
(26 are online now - http://www.youtube.com/user/Ariketh)
I will probably head up to a temple on Friday if I can and get some info on additional temples for videos.
I will update you once I know how many videos I've made sometime this weekend.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Classes
So Midterms are happening. I have 3 projects and received a take home midterm today. Actually, I realized I haven't told you my classes yet. So here is a quick rundown for you. Each class lasts for 1 hour and 30 minutes, and I am taking 9 total, which translates to 18 hours of credit at my University. Kendall is taking 3 classes, which is equal to 6 hours of credit (he is taking the same Japanese Language classes as me).
Monday
- Japanese Language
Tuesday
- Psycholinguistics
- What is Religion?
- Japanese Language
Wednesday
- Japanese Language
Thursday
- English Grammar
- Politics and Foreign Relations of Japan
- Peace & Human Rights
Friday
- Linguistics
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
- Japanese Language: I continue learning the Japanese Language. I have 3 of these classes a week (A, B, and C - all the same level, but different teacher).
- Psycholinguistics: This class is about how people learn languages, and mathmatical formulas that are used for people learning the language to help define how difficult each language is to learn. This class is mostly in Japanese.
- What is Religion?: A class about studying the philisophical properties of religion and emotion. So far, I have learned about how we need to be at one in body and mind, both masuculine and feminine in our thoughts, and how God is complete, but not perfect, and you must accept "evil," rather than trying to hide it, or else it will come bursting forth suddenly. Basically: do not deny or resist evil, just learn to control it. Does that make sense?
- English Grammar: This class is mostly because I wanted to meet people and help them with their English. I also wanted to see how Japanese people teach English so that I can understand what Japanese people are use to.
- Politics and Foreign Relations of Japan: I wanted a basic understanding of Japanese politics and laws, and how they interact with the world.
- Peace & Human Rights: I heard it was a good class, and it seems to help me understand Japanese people and culture better.
- Linguistics: Mostly to help me figure out how to break down a language... It is surprisingly very helpful. I expected it to not actually work out the way I was hoping, but it causes languages to make more sense.
Monday
- Japanese Language
Tuesday
- Psycholinguistics
- What is Religion?
- Japanese Language
Wednesday
- Japanese Language
Thursday
- English Grammar
- Politics and Foreign Relations of Japan
- Peace & Human Rights
Friday
- Linguistics
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
- Japanese Language: I continue learning the Japanese Language. I have 3 of these classes a week (A, B, and C - all the same level, but different teacher).
- Psycholinguistics: This class is about how people learn languages, and mathmatical formulas that are used for people learning the language to help define how difficult each language is to learn. This class is mostly in Japanese.
- What is Religion?: A class about studying the philisophical properties of religion and emotion. So far, I have learned about how we need to be at one in body and mind, both masuculine and feminine in our thoughts, and how God is complete, but not perfect, and you must accept "evil," rather than trying to hide it, or else it will come bursting forth suddenly. Basically: do not deny or resist evil, just learn to control it. Does that make sense?
- English Grammar: This class is mostly because I wanted to meet people and help them with their English. I also wanted to see how Japanese people teach English so that I can understand what Japanese people are use to.
- Politics and Foreign Relations of Japan: I wanted a basic understanding of Japanese politics and laws, and how they interact with the world.
- Peace & Human Rights: I heard it was a good class, and it seems to help me understand Japanese people and culture better.
- Linguistics: Mostly to help me figure out how to break down a language... It is surprisingly very helpful. I expected it to not actually work out the way I was hoping, but it causes languages to make more sense.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
On My Mind
(Written: Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 7:07pm on Facebook via Mobile)
I just got my new glasses. They are nice. Black frames instead of silver. I will post a picture later. But now on to the main point of this post.
I have had a lot of people asking if I am home sick or suggesting that I am because I am trying to make friends or find people to hang out with or things to do. It was silly at first, but now it is just annoying. There is an American here who reminds me daily why I hate America.
Which leads me into my next topic: The American. He can be funny and is occasionally fun to hang out with, but he does not understand how to hold his tongue. He will call me a Creepy American. A lot. It does not help in the meeting people process.
But today, he did something that trumps all: he started telling me that his friends think I am creepy. Now, what bugs me is that he tries to justify them being ok with saying that. “Well, you know it is true.” If a fat lady knows she is fat, should you bring it up constantly? Should you tell her that people she has never met think that too? It just reminds me why I hate America.
Which brings me back to point one: I want to make friends, but when I try, people accuse me of homesickness.
So, there is a good reason why I am having issues and end up depressed sometimes.
Some other random things that annoy me are his use of “Nya” and other general American-Otaku words, and the fact that if would rather spend his time reading Manga than exploring Japan.
I just got my new glasses. They are nice. Black frames instead of silver. I will post a picture later. But now on to the main point of this post.
I have had a lot of people asking if I am home sick or suggesting that I am because I am trying to make friends or find people to hang out with or things to do. It was silly at first, but now it is just annoying. There is an American here who reminds me daily why I hate America.
Which leads me into my next topic: The American. He can be funny and is occasionally fun to hang out with, but he does not understand how to hold his tongue. He will call me a Creepy American. A lot. It does not help in the meeting people process.
But today, he did something that trumps all: he started telling me that his friends think I am creepy. Now, what bugs me is that he tries to justify them being ok with saying that. “Well, you know it is true.” If a fat lady knows she is fat, should you bring it up constantly? Should you tell her that people she has never met think that too? It just reminds me why I hate America.
Which brings me back to point one: I want to make friends, but when I try, people accuse me of homesickness.
So, there is a good reason why I am having issues and end up depressed sometimes.
Some other random things that annoy me are his use of “Nya” and other general American-Otaku words, and the fact that if would rather spend his time reading Manga than exploring Japan.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
私は馬鹿だよ
(written today, April 21st, 2009)
I hope I used the right Kanji...
I feel really stupid. Did I come to Japan too early in my studies? I feel so confused in class. I understand some Japanese, but I just got done with Japanese Society and Lifestyles (first time in that class), and all I got from about an hour and a half of her talking was that wives were/are parasites to their husbands, pention plans (Japanese people have them), old Japanese cellphones look like modern day American cellphones (also, they way they used to dress is how Americans dress now - judging both cellphones and clothing from a VHS tape that looked like clothes that Americans wear today - did that make sense?), and there is a reason why Japanese people hand out tissue paper (but I have no idea why - something about the 80s). We watched a video that said something about Freet and NEET. It showed money, which is probably related to the pention plan.
I feel really dumb, but maybe it is just because I just got here and my advisor will not be back until Thursday. Even then, I may not be able to talk to him until Friday. The deadline for classes is the 28th, which is next Tuesday. Or maybe it is the 27th, and the 28th is when you can no longer turn it in? I dunno.
And as much as people want to think that the fact that I am in Japan means that life is wonderful - which it is pretty nice compared to America, all things considered - if a problem comes up, it is a bigger deal because my Japanese is not up to snuff. To repeat what I told a friend, "does getting hit by a car in Japan make it any better than getting hit by a car in America?" The Japanophile responce is, "yes, because you are in Japan," until they realize that the hospitals here are extremely expensive.
Something else I noticed is that last May, when I visited Japan with my school, a lot of guys thought they were making headway and going to score with some Japanese girls because they gave them their emails and phone numbers. "I got 17 email addresses!" "Yeah? I got 20!" I discovered that they were just entertaining the girls, and the girls were giving them the addresses and numbers to play with them. It's like how you give a dog table scraps. It is a BAD idea to go up to a group of girls and expect to get anywhere, because they cockblock eachother. If she wants to get picked up/hit on, she normally goes about it alone, so that she does not lose face and end up being called a slut. Rarely, they go out in groups of two, looking for some fun with a trusted friend.
So, from what I understood, only 3 guys were "lucky" on the trip to Japan last May - Myself and Jon (who ended up on a Japanese-style date with two girls), and Guy, who could have hooked up with a girl had it not been his last night in Japan (she basically said, "you want to come home with me?") So if you're out to entertain, then feel free to talk to groups of girls, but if you want to actually try and get someplace, talk to one girl - and only one girl.
I guess it is good that I am more interested in learning about the culture than the language. In fact, the only reason I started learning the language is to have a better understanding of the culture, and so I could read about the culture in it's native tongue. I have a long way to go for both.
I hope I used the right Kanji...
I feel really stupid. Did I come to Japan too early in my studies? I feel so confused in class. I understand some Japanese, but I just got done with Japanese Society and Lifestyles (first time in that class), and all I got from about an hour and a half of her talking was that wives were/are parasites to their husbands, pention plans (Japanese people have them), old Japanese cellphones look like modern day American cellphones (also, they way they used to dress is how Americans dress now - judging both cellphones and clothing from a VHS tape that looked like clothes that Americans wear today - did that make sense?), and there is a reason why Japanese people hand out tissue paper (but I have no idea why - something about the 80s). We watched a video that said something about Freet and NEET. It showed money, which is probably related to the pention plan.
I feel really dumb, but maybe it is just because I just got here and my advisor will not be back until Thursday. Even then, I may not be able to talk to him until Friday. The deadline for classes is the 28th, which is next Tuesday. Or maybe it is the 27th, and the 28th is when you can no longer turn it in? I dunno.
And as much as people want to think that the fact that I am in Japan means that life is wonderful - which it is pretty nice compared to America, all things considered - if a problem comes up, it is a bigger deal because my Japanese is not up to snuff. To repeat what I told a friend, "does getting hit by a car in Japan make it any better than getting hit by a car in America?" The Japanophile responce is, "yes, because you are in Japan," until they realize that the hospitals here are extremely expensive.
Something else I noticed is that last May, when I visited Japan with my school, a lot of guys thought they were making headway and going to score with some Japanese girls because they gave them their emails and phone numbers. "I got 17 email addresses!" "Yeah? I got 20!" I discovered that they were just entertaining the girls, and the girls were giving them the addresses and numbers to play with them. It's like how you give a dog table scraps. It is a BAD idea to go up to a group of girls and expect to get anywhere, because they cockblock eachother. If she wants to get picked up/hit on, she normally goes about it alone, so that she does not lose face and end up being called a slut. Rarely, they go out in groups of two, looking for some fun with a trusted friend.
So, from what I understood, only 3 guys were "lucky" on the trip to Japan last May - Myself and Jon (who ended up on a Japanese-style date with two girls), and Guy, who could have hooked up with a girl had it not been his last night in Japan (she basically said, "you want to come home with me?") So if you're out to entertain, then feel free to talk to groups of girls, but if you want to actually try and get someplace, talk to one girl - and only one girl.
I guess it is good that I am more interested in learning about the culture than the language. In fact, the only reason I started learning the language is to have a better understanding of the culture, and so I could read about the culture in it's native tongue. I have a long way to go for both.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Useful Links
Here is a rundown of useful sites and some content that is on them.
Wakan - I used it for a class when I had to type some journals in Japanese. I never tried to learn words from it's dictionary like some of my friends did, but it is useful if you want to know how to say like for a sentence such as: I like Strawberries - わたしはいちごがすきです。
Tofugu - Good site for Japanese language and culture. Teaches you how to be polite and rude, and he recently talked about some Free Japanese Courses.
Gimmeabreakman - Great guy to go to for lots of Japanese language and culture videos. He's the first person I started watching on YouTube who was actually helpful with learning Japanese and about Japan in general. I highly suggest you take notes if you're serious about learning Japanese. Also check out his website Gimmeabreakman.com.
Oborogin - He's really useful for people learning Japanese. I have to agree that you should learn the verbs before anything else. He's awesome for beginners who know nothing about Japanese. He's also really good for review if you haven't studied Japanese in a while.
Katexgg - She reviews what she learned in class and teaches it to us. Since she's learning with you, it's easy to follow along.
Hikosaemon - An amazing vlogger. Definitely someone to check out if you're interested in Japan at all. He posts videos weekly, which is pretty amazing if you ask me, because I have issues posting videos monthly. Maybe one day I'll learn his secret.
Cruxay - I watch his videos when he posts them. He's lazy, like me, and doesn't post videos too often. But when he does, they're really good.
ElevenColors - Cool vlogger. He does everything from showing you how to use Japanese salad dressing to Japanese tongue twisters. He's pretty big on Japanese bands too.
Also, a good way to practice your listening and getting used to picking out words is by watching TV Shows and listening to music. I don't advise you to learn Japanese that way, but to each their own. Though, you should note that it will sound weird to a Japanese person if you talk like an anime character. As Tofugu pointed out once, we wouldn't want them learning English from Goofy.
Wakan - I used it for a class when I had to type some journals in Japanese. I never tried to learn words from it's dictionary like some of my friends did, but it is useful if you want to know how to say like for a sentence such as: I like Strawberries - わたしはいちごがすきです。
Tofugu - Good site for Japanese language and culture. Teaches you how to be polite and rude, and he recently talked about some Free Japanese Courses.
Gimmeabreakman - Great guy to go to for lots of Japanese language and culture videos. He's the first person I started watching on YouTube who was actually helpful with learning Japanese and about Japan in general. I highly suggest you take notes if you're serious about learning Japanese. Also check out his website Gimmeabreakman.com.
Oborogin - He's really useful for people learning Japanese. I have to agree that you should learn the verbs before anything else. He's awesome for beginners who know nothing about Japanese. He's also really good for review if you haven't studied Japanese in a while.
Katexgg - She reviews what she learned in class and teaches it to us. Since she's learning with you, it's easy to follow along.
Hikosaemon - An amazing vlogger. Definitely someone to check out if you're interested in Japan at all. He posts videos weekly, which is pretty amazing if you ask me, because I have issues posting videos monthly. Maybe one day I'll learn his secret.
Cruxay - I watch his videos when he posts them. He's lazy, like me, and doesn't post videos too often. But when he does, they're really good.
ElevenColors - Cool vlogger. He does everything from showing you how to use Japanese salad dressing to Japanese tongue twisters. He's pretty big on Japanese bands too.
Also, a good way to practice your listening and getting used to picking out words is by watching TV Shows and listening to music. I don't advise you to learn Japanese that way, but to each their own. Though, you should note that it will sound weird to a Japanese person if you talk like an anime character. As Tofugu pointed out once, we wouldn't want them learning English from Goofy.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Q&A
This is to answer some commonly questions.
-_-_-_-_-
Q: Why are you going to Japan?
A: Study Abroad.
Q: What are you going to Study?
A: Japanese.
Q: How long are you planning on being there?
A: 16 months.
Q: Why do you want to learn Japanese?
A: I have a large number of reasons, one of them being so that I can study about Japan without needing documents from Japan translated for me. I have a couple others, but with nothing set in stone, I would rather keep those to myself.
Q: Why do you want to learn about Japan?
A: Because it's the Asian country we have the most contact with, and yet we (the schools I went to) barely studied Asia at all, especially compared to Africa, Europe, and America.
Q: If you love Japan so much, why do you have so many issues with Anime?
A: Because they're all so similar and people who watch them can be very annoying about it (if you're offended by that, then you're probably one of those people). That is to say, it's fine to like anime, just like it's fine to like SpongeBob, but the second you start wearing Naruto headbands, you've gone too far.
Q: Do you think Japanese people will comment on your height?
A: Probably not to my face.
Q: Don't they eat dogs and cats in Japan?
A: No, but some Asian countries do.
Q: Have you ever been to Japan?
A: Yes, last May, for 2 weeks.
Q: What do you like best about Japan?
A: The food. Specifically: Hiroshima Okonomiyaki.
Q: What do you hate about Japan?
A: Nihonjinron.
Q: Do you believe in Ninjas?
A: To a degree. If you're only interested in Japan for this reason, I recommend SKH Quest. Click the "Schools" tab check out their locations.
-_-_-_-_-
If anyone has any questions that I didn't answer (regardless of whether you think they're silly or not), email them to PrinceAriketh(at)gmail.com. I'll answer them in my next post.
-_-_-_-_-
Q: Why are you going to Japan?
A: Study Abroad.
Q: What are you going to Study?
A: Japanese.
Q: How long are you planning on being there?
A: 16 months.
Q: Why do you want to learn Japanese?
A: I have a large number of reasons, one of them being so that I can study about Japan without needing documents from Japan translated for me. I have a couple others, but with nothing set in stone, I would rather keep those to myself.
Q: Why do you want to learn about Japan?
A: Because it's the Asian country we have the most contact with, and yet we (the schools I went to) barely studied Asia at all, especially compared to Africa, Europe, and America.
Q: If you love Japan so much, why do you have so many issues with Anime?
A: Because they're all so similar and people who watch them can be very annoying about it (if you're offended by that, then you're probably one of those people). That is to say, it's fine to like anime, just like it's fine to like SpongeBob, but the second you start wearing Naruto headbands, you've gone too far.
Q: Do you think Japanese people will comment on your height?
A: Probably not to my face.
Q: Don't they eat dogs and cats in Japan?
A: No, but some Asian countries do.
Q: Have you ever been to Japan?
A: Yes, last May, for 2 weeks.
Q: What do you like best about Japan?
A: The food. Specifically: Hiroshima Okonomiyaki.
Q: What do you hate about Japan?
A: Nihonjinron.
Q: Do you believe in Ninjas?
A: To a degree. If you're only interested in Japan for this reason, I recommend SKH Quest. Click the "Schools" tab check out their locations.
-_-_-_-_-
If anyone has any questions that I didn't answer (regardless of whether you think they're silly or not), email them to PrinceAriketh(at)gmail.com. I'll answer them in my next post.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Getting Ready For Japan
Studying Abroad can be a lot of work, totally overwhelming, and scary, so I thought I'd give you a rundown of what I've done thus far to get ready for it. I am in no way saying you have to do any of this, but I am documenting my experience so maybe you can learn from it.
Fall of 2007 (First semester of college)
- Talked to the head of the Study Abroad department about going to Asia, namely Japan.
- Began to attend "Japanese Table," which was made to help reinforce what we learned in class. I guess you could say it was kind of like a "Japanese Club."
- Started making plans to go on the summer trip to Japan.
- To help prepare me, I took Japanese I, Chinese I (Kanji), and Japanese Pop Culture.
Spring of 2008 (Second semester of college)
- Continued my talks with Study Abroad.
- Continued attending Japanese Table.
- Continued with my summer trip meetings.
- Continuing my preparation, I took Japanese II, Eastern Religious Traditions, Chinese Culture (give me a wider view of Asia as a whole), and an independent study on Shinto.
Summer of 2008
- Traveled to Japan with my Sensei, the Study Abroad adviser, and 27 other students. It was my first airplane ride, first time out of the country, and first time going to Japan. It what helped me decide that I really wanted to do this.
Fall of 2008 (Third semester of college)
- Continued my talks with Study Abroad, filled out A TON of paperwork, and had it all sent over to Japan. It wasn't until around this time that I finally decided on which university I wanted to go to.
- Attended a couple of meetings designed for Study Abroad students, met another student who was planning on going to the same university, and got some advice from my Sensei and a student who went to the university the previous semester.
- Through the student who went there previously, I got in contact with a student (who is fluent in English) from the university and have gotten lots of advice and help from him, especially with a couple of forms that were in Japanese.
- Continued Japanese Table.
- I took Japanese III and the minimum amount of hours (12) so that I could focus on spending more time with Japanese.
Spring of 2009 (Fourth semester of college)
Well, that would be now. I've been listening to my Sensei's podcasts and YouTubers like Gimmeabreakman, Hikosaemon, and tokyojosh. Since all I'm doing is waiting around for my acceptance letter so I can get my visa, now is an awesome time to study.
I won't lie, I get distracted, and things do come up on occasion, but I still manage to find time. I'm also ordering Genki I, Genki II, Minna no Nihongo I, Minna no Nihongo II, Minna No Nihongo: Kanji I, and Minna no Nihongo: Kanji II. "How are you going to use all of those?!" Well, I'm glad I pretended you asked.
My main goal is to get down a lot of vocab, so I'll make a bunch of flashcards using the dictionaries. My second goal is to run through verb conjugation, which will be assisted by my Sensei's podcasts. I also want to learn as much kanji as I can, at least for recognition.
Fall of 2007 (First semester of college)
- Talked to the head of the Study Abroad department about going to Asia, namely Japan.
- Began to attend "Japanese Table," which was made to help reinforce what we learned in class. I guess you could say it was kind of like a "Japanese Club."
- Started making plans to go on the summer trip to Japan.
- To help prepare me, I took Japanese I, Chinese I (Kanji), and Japanese Pop Culture.
Spring of 2008 (Second semester of college)
- Continued my talks with Study Abroad.
- Continued attending Japanese Table.
- Continued with my summer trip meetings.
- Continuing my preparation, I took Japanese II, Eastern Religious Traditions, Chinese Culture (give me a wider view of Asia as a whole), and an independent study on Shinto.
Summer of 2008
- Traveled to Japan with my Sensei, the Study Abroad adviser, and 27 other students. It was my first airplane ride, first time out of the country, and first time going to Japan. It what helped me decide that I really wanted to do this.
Fall of 2008 (Third semester of college)
- Continued my talks with Study Abroad, filled out A TON of paperwork, and had it all sent over to Japan. It wasn't until around this time that I finally decided on which university I wanted to go to.
- Attended a couple of meetings designed for Study Abroad students, met another student who was planning on going to the same university, and got some advice from my Sensei and a student who went to the university the previous semester.
- Through the student who went there previously, I got in contact with a student (who is fluent in English) from the university and have gotten lots of advice and help from him, especially with a couple of forms that were in Japanese.
- Continued Japanese Table.
- I took Japanese III and the minimum amount of hours (12) so that I could focus on spending more time with Japanese.
Spring of 2009 (Fourth semester of college)
Well, that would be now. I've been listening to my Sensei's podcasts and YouTubers like Gimmeabreakman, Hikosaemon, and tokyojosh. Since all I'm doing is waiting around for my acceptance letter so I can get my visa, now is an awesome time to study.
I won't lie, I get distracted, and things do come up on occasion, but I still manage to find time. I'm also ordering Genki I, Genki II, Minna no Nihongo I, Minna no Nihongo II, Minna No Nihongo: Kanji I, and Minna no Nihongo: Kanji II. "How are you going to use all of those?!" Well, I'm glad I pretended you asked.
My main goal is to get down a lot of vocab, so I'll make a bunch of flashcards using the dictionaries. My second goal is to run through verb conjugation, which will be assisted by my Sensei's podcasts. I also want to learn as much kanji as I can, at least for recognition.
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